Food and Stories

The Great Mushnik and Silent Bill always find great places to eat. Yesterday's lunch was at Lung Shan on Mission Street -- hardly the place you'd expect such delectable Chinese food. If you can believe it, that is pastrami in the above picture.

Later on, Plotnik discovered the probable reason for the extra deliciousness -- all that extra fat. His stomach let him know all about it. But it was worth every bite.

Plot's birthday isn't until tomorrow, but the tradition of birthday lunches continues. Mushnik has already ordered up where she wants to be taken next month.

Last night Plot and Duck saw Word 4 Word act out two Shioban Fallon short stories about Iraqi vets returning home. She is the wife of a career major who currently lives in Jordan, and these stories are chilling. The collection is called "You Know When the Men Are Gone." Did you realize there are 44,000 injured Iraqi vets -- many whose injuries would have killed them in earlier wars? But now they get to return alive and maimed, veterans of yet another unpopular war.

In the small crowd at Z space was a friend Plot and Duck hadn't seen in awhile. Olivia is a Noe Valley Voice veteran and once, before she had two young kids, was a regular at NVV get-togethers. She's a good friend of Shioban Fallon and had the great opportunity last night to see stories that she has heard in many forms over the years actually acted get out on stage. What a thrill that's got to be.