Panda-Flavored Bubble Tea

My White Coat Ceremony was this past weekend, so my biological mother again decided to make a visit up to Chicago. In true family fashion, our interactions were largely within the context of eating.

Pictured above: My mother drinking coffee. Her eyes are blackened not to protect her privacy, but rather to protect my readers. It is said that all who gaze into her eyes turn to stone, which has really started to become a real nuisance. At least we got her snakes under control.

We also found an excellent Vietnamese sandwich shop called Bon Bon.

Pictured above: A Vietnamese sandwich, clearly the most photogenic of sandwiches.

I ordered a bubble tea, because I think most drinks nowadays don't have enough debris in them. My brother ordered an Vietnamese iced coffee, which I believe is coffee, condensed milk, and panda extract.

Pictured above: You can really taste the panda.

You'll notice that my brother is wearing an excellent blue button-down from American Apparel. Maybe one day I'll be able to be a rich doctor like him and wear $50 shirts, but for now I guess I'll stick to pulling clothes out of a bin at Goodwill.

My mother took pictures of me in my white coat, but those photographs are largely uninteresting. I am considering tailoring my white coat, but I wonder if I'll be the only one with a fitted doctor's jacket. On a side note, I have a feeling that I'm becoming the dandy of my medical school class.

Clearlance Sale

My biological mother arrived in town last weekend to "visit me," giving me an excuse to explore Chicago's more Japanese offerings. What I discovered was very delicious, slightly hilarious, and mildly racist.

But before Asian-ing around, we got brunch at a local cafe. Brunch, for those who are unfamiliar with it, is a meal served between breakfast and lunch during what is known as the "gay hour." At this establishment, that meant $1 mimosas and $1 bloody mary's.

Pictured above: Really? The coffee is still $2.50?

We then traveled to the Japanese market up in Arlington Heights. Luckily for us, they were having a clearlance sale.

Pictured above: You may laugh, but their transparent weaponry was very reasonably priced.

We also ate some delicious eel at the food court. Eel joins other food items (such as sea cucumber and seaweed) as the slimy, gross looking things that live in the ocean that Japanese people like to eat.

Pictured above: You can really taste the slime.

My mother also patronized a local, Japanese used-bookstore. This was of little entertainment to me. I am unfamiliar with Japanese writing, despite being fluent in Japanese shame.

Pictured above: Some Japanese stuff labeling other Japanese stuff.

Exhausted from a day of eating Japanese food, we checked into a nearby hotel. When I awoke the next day, I was appalled at what my mother had chosen for breakfast.

Pictured above: Country gravy over rice. She should have to forfeit her Japanese citizenship for this.

Atrocities aside, it was a memorable trip. I even got some ice-cream, or as the Japanese call it: "ice-cream".

Pictured above: The world's greatest ice cream flavor: green tea. All other flavors are just temporary fads (I'm looking at you, mint-chocolate chip).