Chopsticks

Our B & B in Vancouver, the Light Heart Inn (http://www.lightheartinn.ca/) is within a few blocks of Commercial Drive (http://www.thedrive.ca/), a must for any visitor to Vancouver. There are French Moroccan, Italian, Greek, Ethiopian, Mexican, Thai, Jamaican, Nepalese, Japanese, Chinese, Mongolian and other assorted restaurants. Wanting to eat ethnic while we're here, we went to the Szechuan Chongqing Seafood restaurant (http://www.szechuanchongqing.com/). We were seated at a table where the live lobsters and crabs could watch us from the comfort of their tank while we ate their friends. Rather than put them through that, we ordered the spring rolls, sweet and sour chicken, and beef broccoli and rice.

The food arrived. That's when I noticed the chop sticks where my silverware should be. Now I was in a quandry. Maybe it was because I was eating in an Asian restaurant, but suddenly saving face was a big issue. I couldn't be in the bastion of ethnic restaurants and ask for a fork. They'd know I wasn't a local. (As if my American accent hadn't already given it away.) So I picked up the chop sticks and proceeded to eat heartily. I even cleaned my plate, save for a few stray grains of rice. It was hard work and I ate much more slowly than I normally do. But I did it.

It makes me wonder. What else could I do if I simply decided to try? What skills have I never developed, simply because it would be hard and, initially, potentially embarassing? What foods have I failed to enjoy because I never tried them? More than I would care to admit, I'm sure. So during this week, we're going to try at least the Nepalese restaurant (since Kelli was there some years ago) and the Ethiopian restaurant (since our friends the McClary's spent time there and love the food). And when I get back to California, who knows? Skydiving? Underwater basketweaving?