Ramen Station

After dropping off YaYa at her boyfriend's dorm, I treated Dem to dinner at Ramen Station in Madison, not far from the college. 

He loved the ramen but I thought my dish was pretty average. 

A Church Fish fry for Dem

Although he's been to a "fancy" fish fry at the Packing House, Dem had yet to experience the heart and soul of the practice - a Milwaukee church fish fry. So I took him to St. Augustine's for their very popular event. 

We both got fried fish (I normally order baked), fries (instead of round potatoes) and he had a few shrimp added to the plate, along with mandatory green beans that - gasp! - he did not eat. I had coffee, he had milk. 

I asked him if he's willingly eaten a single vegetable, any vegetable, since his arrival in September. .

 "Isn't there any vegetable you like? 

"Bok choy" he said. 

"Ok, that's great. I'll make sure we get some next week."

"Yes,I like it fried in oyster sauce. With chili all over it."

Pause. 

"So, basically, completely destroying any record that it was a vegetable?"

Laughs. "Sort of."

The church basement was packed, and loud. Father Philip said hello to us, and families were everywhere. Very young babies (I heard one said to be five weeks old) were on display by their parents, a sort of coming out party to the community. Along the wall, for the length of the rom, ran a narrow bench/shelf on the wall, ending right at our table.  

These two little girls, four or five at the oldest, and dressed in their Sunday best, would run down the bench and stop right by us.  I would nod and say "Hello Ladies." and they would run back down to their parents, then begin the journey back to us, again and again. 

Dem was confused, but I found the whole sense of community wonderful. 

Dessert was homemade, donated chocolate bundt cake.  The woman who served it to us? The mother of that five week old lol

Dem ate everything save for the green beans, and pronounced it good fish. I, personally, think it lost a little something after the break for Covid. But that might be nostalgia talking. I hope we'll be back again before Dem returns to Thailand!

(btw, that is Father Philip in the background, with the gray vest)