Because it's what people do here

Yesterday we went to check out a Dim sum place in San Leandro called D.T. Dim sum and Tea. I had never eaten dim sum before, but I had heard that since I live near and hang out in San Francisco it was a requirement that I try it soon and then eat it regularly thereafter. I knew to expect lots of little dishes mostly of a dumpling nature, kind of like Chinese Tapas. The food was really good, and we got way more than we could eat in one sitting for $15. Then I had my first experience with a Pearl drink. Its like a Tapioca pudding smoothie with the biggest tapioca pearls you've ever seen. You get it with this giant straw so that you can drink it and watch as the pearls alternate with the smoothie. Ours was yummy mango, and was rich and very filling. Next door to the restaurant was a Chinese grocery store that I had been eyeballing for a few weeks now. Well, it was like paradise. The veggies were fresh, and cheaper than we'd been paying the jerks at Safeway. We couldn't resist picking up a big bag... Of.... Say it with me now..... REALLY Loud.... And with no teeth.... BOK CHOOOOOIIIII!!!!! (ahhh, only 2 weeks until Brain Fry time) that I later stir fried in my wok. We picked up a few Chinese sauces too, and a giant Chinese chef knife that I snapped up for $10!!! I'm telling you this thing cuts through anything with a ridiculous amount of precision. They have live black sea bass still swimming in the tank, and live crabs, and an impressive selection of lobsters that are priced extremely reasonably by local standards. (Its a damn shame when I can find a lobster bargain, but can't afford to put gas in a car to go buy it.) I found a show on the science channel yesterday about the construction of the new Oakland bay bridge. And suddenly I am very very afraid of traveling on the old one. It was built in the 30's and the show made it pretty clear that if the '89 quake had lasted 10 more seconds some really bad stuff might have happened. They seemed to imply that they're racing to finish the new bridge before the next big one, since its only a matter of time. Its fair to say that the next time I go across it I'll have difficulty not holding my breath. Not that I'm entirely comfortable inside Bart's transbay tube, but at least I know its a far more recent addition to the landscape.