It's funny things things you miss. The things that pop into your head and make you miss home.

I was sitting here and my room-mate's music said "like Kevin Costner in Fandango" which made me flash back to those annoying Fandango ads they play in the Regal Cinema theaters back in Bellingham. I just picture myself sitting there with my huge popcorn and huge drink that cost more than I spend on food in two days here. The salty popcorn, with that awful butter that I usually would tell them to not put on it. The lack of sweet popcorn, like they have here, no squid snacks either, just popcorn and overpriced microwaved nachos, and fifty kinds of candy. You know I don't think I've seen sour candy here! Another thing to miss, even though I never bought it, somebody else usually would. Movies with no subtitles, unassigned seats, you just had to find one and ask people "is that seat taken." Then there's the annoying TV commercials they play now, remember when it was just a dimly lit screen, just the sound of people chatting before the movie started? OK now I'm not being homesick I'm trying to go back in time. I also miss being able to read the titles to the movies and repeat them back to the ticket booth person. I also miss being able to check which theater was playing what. I'm sure I could do that here if I'd just learn a little (a lot) more Chinese, but that day has not come yet.

I also miss going to Taco Bell afterward, I miss Taco Bell in general, I didn't really appreciate Taco Bell when I was back in the States. Shame on me. If you're in the States now, don't let yourself take Taco Bell for granted, someday it might just disappear from your life. Sometimes you don't know what you got till it's gone.

It might seem ironic, but I also miss American-Chinese food. Sweet and sour chicken, pork, whatever, everything all fried, all the bones removed. Hot tea served, fortune cookies, Chinese mustard with those little sesame seeds, a choice between a fork and chopsticks. Cold water, constantly being refilled by the waitress, I liked it when they'd leave the tea so you never ran out. I'd go through a whole tea pot all by myself at lunch. You'd think they'd have hot tea in a place called "The Republic of China." I will say this though, the fried rice here is quite plentiful and very good, lots of white rice too of course. I used to go to "Panda Palace" all the time, the one in Sunset Square in Bellingham, I could get lunch for under $5 with hot tea for free. They speak Mandarin there too, I still can't order much food yet in Chinese, that's a major motivation to learn a foreign language right? Today the only thing I said was "I want big" referring to how much rice I wanted in my bowl. To be able to order food at restaurants is my dream. Only then will I come back satisfied.