For some reason we decided to go swing dancing that night. I can't even remember who was the impetus behind it. But it was around graduation time 2000. My sister was randomly in the area, I think on her way to some vacation in Lake Tahoe later. And Jieun's family was around for her graduation.
Anyway, before we went dancing we went to Gombei in Menlo Park. I think it was me, Jieun, my sister, Dave, Liz and Michelle. So this was during the height of our Iron Chef craze, and we had recently I think watched the Natto episode. I'm telling you, the way Chairman Kaga announces the theme ingredient is brilliant. Normal minds could not come up with that. And his announcement of natto was particularly brilliant. You have to see it to understand.
Anyway, we found out it was on the menu at Gombei, we had just never noticed it before. So I decided to order it, just to see what it's like. And for fun, I decided to ask for it the way Chairman Kaga announced it. "Can I get the nat..... to!" complete with hand motions. "Excuse me?" said the waittress. "The nat..... to!" I dunno, it was pretty funny.
Incidentally, it tastes terrible. It's like sticky raw sewage.
So after that we went to some place I think the Metronome in San Francisco. I found out later that's not where the "real" swingers go but whatever, we didn't know. Super odd. Barely anyone there so we made up a huge portion of the crowd. And there was this old creepy guy who kept asking the women in our party to dance. Just a strange, slightly depressing place. Henry and Lorraine joined us there, as did Jieun's brothers later. I want to say Brian and Val were there also. Can't remember.
After that strange experience we decided to go to Cheesecake Factory in Union Square. And we took this picture. I guess that wasn't that interesting a story, but whatever.
Top row: Liz, Michelle, Me, Dave, Henry, Giwoong.
Bottom row: Jibin, Lorraine, Jieun, my sister.