Or more accurately rice with a little fake crabmeat and … of all things … cream cheese. Bleaugh.

Unless you would like one of the many chicken dishes on the serve-yourself trays. You know lots of things taste like chicken. And yes, we had heard all the jokes … about Chinese food … and cats. Hey, tastes are different in other parts of the world.

The best part about the lunch was that I got to see friends I’d not been able to see … live and in person … for a while.

You may recall this crew from the post here … An Anthropologist, A Mathematician And An Eighty Year Old College Student …

This is the Mathematician.

At the Spring Graduation.

It gives you an idea about some my friends.

I understand that maybe he wears a Christmas Hat to the Winter Graduations.

But I digress.

We were all once again assembled for a good meal and good conversation. This time at a Chinese Restaurant. We picked the one in town that had no health violations.

This particular meal was a bit different than other times we had been there.

Usually, we were able to have sushi or sashimi or a self-selected dish prepared at the bar in the back. And there were all kinds of other areas for the different kinds of dishes.

Chinese/Japanese dishes. Salad-ish dishes. Appetizer dishes (read: all things deep fried and white). Dessert dishes. American dishes … because, after all, it couldn’t be a real profitable eating establishment here in Armpit, USA without something to eat other than what the place was known for.

And usually we were waited on by one of the many many immigrant Asians who lived compressed in a house or two over on whatever street that is. They come in droves, enroll in ESL classes at the local library, and work at the three Asian eating places in town.

Usually they are nameless … almost faceless … and always very quiet young ladies. They usually pour water, remove dishes and bring the check at the end of it all. And almost always they say nothing.

So we found ourselves at the only Chinese place in town without health violations. BUT, today we had a waitress who, unlike the usual, was extreeemely chatty.

“So, how is everybody doing today?” she began. Then she proceeded to lots of other topics.

Starting with a treatise on the difference between “fifteen” and “fifty” … complete with hand gestures … although they both sounded like “fity” to me.

Then a discussion about being misunderstood …but how people liked when she talked to them.

Then moving on to iPhone pictures of her needlepoint creations of Asian characters and how difficult it was to get the stitches just right. “I don’t really have anything to do. Other than work here. So I do this. People like this when I show them.” They were indeed very well done. Delightful.

She had really won us over, and we were charmed by her initiative and personality.

Until she came back a few minutes later, and showed us yet another picture … of her pride and joy.

A gigantic sprawling thirty pound cat.

Showing a thirty pound cat … in a Chinese restaurant … Probably not the smartest move … just sayin’.