Way back when, there was this very small Chinese restaurant on Catherine Street in lower Manhattan, in Chinatown.
To go in, you had to descend a rather steep, dank looking concrete staircase to the building's basement where you came to this small but actually quite nice dining room. We did just that, got seated, read the menu and then ordered our meal.
Along with dinner, tea was served and oh my, that tea was really something else. It was absolutely delightful. I wanted to know what kind of tea it was so that afterwards I could walk over to the Kam Kuo grocery on Mott Street and buy some for home.
I asked our waiter what it was called.
He paused, he stood for a moment and then he said "I can't tell you what it's called." so I asked why not. He said "The name sounds terrible in English.". I said not to worry about that and asked again for its name.
"It's called Me Stupid."
Well, I knew right then and there that I wasn't going to get the answer I'd hoped for. I can just imagine this guy contemplating my exchange with a Kam Kuo clerk over that one!
This all happened a long time ago. Today, that restaurant and the Kam Kuo grocery are both gone and an HSBC Bank office occupies the restaurant's site.
I miss the magic.
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