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| Live tilapia at the Super H in Niles. |
Did you have a fun Valentine's Day? I sure hope so. We sure did. My wife bought us a day at King Spa, the sprawling Korean pleasure dome in Niles. The passes were good for the next three months, and I actually hesitated when it came time to go, thinking: "But that means ... I won't be home ... working. Maybe another day..." I contemplated that gambit, then dove in. Let's go!
When I first visited, over a decade ago, I found that I had difficulty simply lolling. "Can you even loll through force of will?" I wondered, gazing at the clock, champing at the bit to get to the next pool of relaxation.
Good news. Age hasn't brought wisdom, but it certainly has improved my ability to recline for protracted periods, doing and thinking nothing. Four hours flew by. Very restful.
Good news. Age hasn't brought wisdom, but it certainly has improved my ability to recline for protracted periods, doing and thinking nothing. Four hours flew by. Very restful.
The venue is pretty much the same — the price has doubled in 11 years, from $30 to $60, so it's less of a bargain. But the place was well attended, almost crowded, with the same smorgasbord of humanity — couples, friends, families, individuals, a spectrum of ages and races. The food was excellent.
Of course afterward we stopped next door at the Super H, an enormous Asian supermarket, where we wandered the stacked bags of rice, the unwieldy exotic fruit, the wildly enthusiastic boxes of mysterious products. My wife loaded up on mushrooms for a promised mushroom stew. I pondered a half gallon of matcha soy milk, took it, checked the carbs, put it back, then went for it — you only live once! — along with assorted goodies, like little round walnut cakes.
Of course afterward we stopped next door at the Super H, an enormous Asian supermarket, where we wandered the stacked bags of rice, the unwieldy exotic fruit, the wildly enthusiastic boxes of mysterious products. My wife loaded up on mushrooms for a promised mushroom stew. I pondered a half gallon of matcha soy milk, took it, checked the carbs, put it back, then went for it — you only live once! — along with assorted goodies, like little round walnut cakes.
Then there were the yellow boxes below. Oh my. "Puto" is a male prostitute in Spanish. Though that's more of the sedate definition; it's actually a highly derogatory anti-gay slur. That couldn't be the intention. Back home, a moment's digging showed that, in Tagalog, it's a popular steamed rice cake served with — judging from the photo — a big pad of melty butter on top. Popular in the Philippines. I wonder how their sales to Spanish-speaking countries are? I imagine certain Hispanic men stock it for its camp value, the way I'd put a box of Kike toothpaste in my medicine cabinet if I ever came across such a thing.
And why Chevrolet sold few Novas in Spanish speaking countries, I will bet.
ReplyDeleteThat's a bizarre myth. See Snopes for the truth https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/chevrolet-nova-name-spanish/
DeleteThanks for pointing that out. I'd heard the Nova myth too, and didn't realize it was false.
DeleteMy spouse is Korean and our children and grand children all love choco pie
ReplyDeleteLove and miss the H Mart! It's like a trip to Asia, you get a taste of foreign culture without the 15 hour flight. The produce is also worth exploring, depending what's in season you can get some delicious exotic fruits like lychee and longan, dragon fruit, etc. Sometimes you can catch them making kimchi right there, skilled masters displaying their art. Then there are the smaller store fronts on the sides of the store, with baked goods, clothes, electronics, etc. I remember they had touchless toilet lids :) Speaking of funny product names, they have a sports drink named "Pocari Sweat", which is actually a great-tasting hydration remedy, reportedly preferred by Kobe Bryant over Gatorade.
ReplyDeleteAnyone interested in things Korean (or rather Korean American) should read "Crying in H Mart" by Michelle Zauner, the lead singer of a group jokingly called "Japanese Breakfast."
Deletejohn
“ This not working thing — it grows on a person. I could get used to it.”
ReplyDeleteForeshadowing, perhaps?
Shhhhh . . .
DeleteKike Toothpaste? Maybe Jewel would carry it, but it would have to be kosher.
ReplyDeleteA Peruvian restaurant in Cleveland was called Kike Salsa, but it has closed. Probably was pronounced "KEE-kay"...as is the nickname of the Dodger ballplayer from Puerto Rico., whose real name is Enrique. Kike Hernández's nickname is sometimes spelled Kiké in English-language media, to avoid confusion with the anti-Semitic slur that has a different pronunciation.
About a century ago, and afterward, bottles of a soft drink called WHIZ were available. I have a reproduction of their advertising sign over my commode, which reads: "Take a WHIZ...Drink WHIZ...A Better Beverage." No, it was not lemon yellow...it was orange.
There was also a candy bar called Whiz. It was a chocolate and peanut and marshmallow candy bar, produced from 1926 to 1972.There were the unforgettable the radio spots on WGN: "Whiz-zzz...best candy bar there iz-zzz." The same thing was printed on the wrapper.
I wonder if Puto has any roots in the Spanish colonial era
ReplyDelete