Happy Ungrateful Day

In a way, it is ironic that we celebrate thanks on Thanksgiving. When at the time, the original settlers were thankful to the native Indians, but how quickly they forgot their gratitude towards them and the act of survival of the fittest became law. I guess we all suffer from lapse of gratefulness and the animal instincts that we think lay dormant ends up ruling our lives more than we think. But this post is not about that. What is it about you ask, well, it is about nothing like all the rest of my post. So sit back and get ready for the tale of my first China Tryptophan Day.

Like all my mornings, my day started with me regretting the time I choose to go to sleep the night before and me hating that bitch Time, who decided not to heed my request to make a few hours seem like eight. After cursing Time, I checked my email and gchatted with Cooper about the latest happenings around the world. Being bored with whatever he was talking about and having an intense odium growing with in over his recent fortune of going to Miami beach for the winter and of hearing his luck of getting the Yacht account, head to the shower.

In the shower, I soak my body in warm water to soften the skin and hair. I start first by washing my hair with Head & Shoulders. Warm water is better for washing your hair because it does not scold it and allows for better and fullier body. Head & Shoulders is a good choice in shampoo because it reduces the dandruff that many hear suffer from. Next, I move to the body. I turn up the hot water to allow more steam in the shower to open the pores. And apply exactly five squirts of the new Dove body wash, I have recently purchased, to my new abrasive loofah. Dove is the best body wash for cleaning and exfoliating. The abrasive sponge helps to prevent pimples and smooth the skin. Next I apply, an apricot face scrub to clean my face and reduce the lines of age.

After I get out of the shower, I grab my 100% cotton towel and brush my teeth, applying the right amount of Crest toothpaste on an Oral B toothbrush. While brushing my teeth I remind myself over and over, "I'm resourceful, I'm creative, I'm young, unscrupulous, highly motivated, highly skilled. In essence what I'm saying is that society cannot afford to lose me. I'm an asset."

Next I get dressed. Putting on a trousers from boxers and wife beater from Hanes, trousers by Izod, a shirt and sweater by the GAP, socks by Jockey, and shoes from Florsheim. On my way out the door I have a jacket by The Northface and a hat by Element.

Arriving at work barely on time. I start my regular routine of reading market information, answering emails and making calls. The only other American in the office, who is Chinese with American citizenship decides to take everyone out for Thanksgiving. We end up at FeiTeng Yuxiang a Sichuan restaurant. At lunch we have the 水煮鱼 and 馋嘴蛙, along with other dishes. Overall the food was good and worth the trip, even though it was far from Thanksgiving food. It was still good, but left me with an unsettled stomach.

Arriving back to work, my day went on as normal, but that bitch Time, made it seem like it was lasting forever. She never slows down the shit I want slowed down. At 6pm, I packed my things and headed home. By the time, I got home, I still had some time to KILL before I head to Steak and Eggs for our 8pm reservations. So, I began reading more of "One Hundred Years of Solitude." At 7pm, I began to get dressed, putting on jeans by ecko, a shirt by GAP, a sweater by J. Crew, and shoes by Rock Port. After getting dressed I head for the subway.

I arrive at the restaurant by 8pm and as usual my friends arrive late. It seems that the French do not know how to use clocks. But it was okay that they arrived late, because the idiots at restaurant did not change my reservations to 8pm like I asked and had it scheduled for 8:30pm, which was probably the first sign that this night was going to bed, along with the shit load of people waiting for a table in the doorway. As I looked at the human mass in the doorway, the only thing I could think was I hope that we get a good table. As 9pm passed and we still did not have a table, I began to get impatient and pressure the maitre d' to no avail. After an additional fifteen minutes we were finally seated in a back corner of the restaurant at what seemed a halfway decent table. So my anxiety was alleviated somewhat, but the demon inside me was becoming listless with burning rabidity. It took another 20 minutes before a water would even look at us, let alone talk to us. Another 5 minutes for him to take our orders for drinks and salads. After another 10 minutes of no response from him or another person and having watched him serve other tables that arrived after us. The demon prevailed and began to unleash his wrath on any waiter or waitress he say, startling all the customers with in ear shot of the bluster it exuded (People who know me well, have not seen me get angry often and yell at people, so this explains how pissed I was). Finally, after bringing the bawls of hell in the restaurant and besieging to see the manager. The service improved 150%. We finally got our drinks and silverware and our salads by 10pm. And after letting loose the demon on the manager we got a free bottle of wine as well. The food ended up being mediocre at best and the pie had much room for improvement. However, the bottle of wine was good. It was a Chilean Sauvignon Blanc, sweat with a little hint of pear or maybe apple.

The night ended with me bring people back my socialist friend and another French friend for more conversation and debate, which the socialist didn't have enough of at dinner, when I say enough I mean debate. I official announce that I am not going to get in anymore debates with people. I am just going to let people think what they think whether racist, wrong, or right.

When making Thanksgiving plans in China. DO NOT GO TO STEAK AND EGGS. First the service is bad at this time and they don't know how to do planning and lets also mention the food is not good. Any other time the food is good at Steak and Eggs, but at Turkey Day, it is not worth it. When someone stagers reservations 30 minutes apart with 5 groups in the same time slots for a small restaurant, you know there is something wrong.

It would be move better to go to a hotel or even more upscale restaurant and get good food, even if the price is higher. Do not get food by Steak and Eggs low price on Thanksgiving.

Another tip, when being screwed over by the service at a restaurant, it is smart to have the river Styx flow in the place, it will help you get a river of wine flowing down your gullet.