Dad Being Dad: Dinnah Taim

For the past week, Dad and I have been taking a vacation from work and that usually means we can stay home and sleep all day like the vampires we are. For the past week, my brother, Mom, Dad and I have been eating dinner together at the same time like a normal family does on television. My family and I would do the typical four five dishes on the table with our little bowls of rice on the table and we just quietly eat while we watch television. It may not sound super special, but it was pretty special to me because when I was growing up we had family dinners, but I don't remember much about them. My family and I don't really actively talk, but my mom and Dad have the time to talk and catch up on their stuff now that they are home at the same time for dinner now.

There are some days where not everyone is home, but when Dad and I are home, he is usually pretty excited to make something for dinner.

For this week, one night on top of another dish, he chose to heat up some totinos! And the other night, he made mapotofu. For those who don't know what that is, it is basically like a soft tofu in a spicy sauce kind of dish. I do look forward to see what kind of dishes my Dad will make for dinner because I rarely see him cook and its good to know more about Dad anyways.

Message to all of you who don't eat with your family for dinner. I say eat with them as much as you can, you never know what you will be missing.

Parentnamese Episode 6: 5 Dolla Okei?!

This semester, my Dad suddenly became like the morning driver for my brother, myself and my mom. I guess whenever we miss the bus for school, he would give us a ride to school. So my Dad is part of a car service company that lets him use his own car to drive people around. I don't y'all stalking my Dad because I will come and find you and eat you if you do ! (Just kidding) Anyways, for the sake of the happiness of his customers, he likes to put a lot of snacks in his car, by a lot, I mean, enough to throw a picnic for our whole family. I think he has enough snacks and drinks in there for two or three picnics and considering that my brother, Dad and I eat alot, that is a whole lot of snacks. And I am just talking about the stuff that is in the front.

Almost every time Mom rides with us to the bus stop, she will grab a couple of snacks, maybe even a drink, like a can of soy milk, THAT'S RIGHT, SOY MILK. Dad turns around and says, "5 dolla, 5 dolla okay? Customer only!" Mom says, "here your 5 dolla!" She high fives him down low.

Message to Dad: 5 dollars for a tiny bag of craisins? You cray cray!

Dad Being Dad: No Shaky Leg

Two nights ago, my family finally got enough time to actually sit down and eat dinner together. It made me think about all of the old times when I was kid, when Dad use to come home to eat dinner with my mom and my brothers. We were just quietly eating dinner while watching Right This Minute, and he said to me, "Why is the leg shaking the table? Are you shaking the table with your leg? Stop it!" He said to me. I was utterly confused because I wasn't shaking my leg. So for a moment, I had to actually lift the cover of my dinner table and check my legs to see if I am shaking them. I had the biggest realization ever, my legs didn't even touch the table. Why you ask? It is because I am so short that when I sit down, my knees are about a good ten inches away from the table.

I am happy that my Dad still thinks that my knees can touch the table, but sorry Dad, I'm super short. Now I will never grow to be taller than you :'(

Classic Dad: Part 13: The Secret Chef

Whenever my  family has a party for like someone's birthday or a party for the holidays or whenever a relative comes over for the first time in a while, my Dad would always make flan. Dad isn't one of those professional chefs or anything like that. He is a regular Dad who can cook, but since he is rarely at home because of work, he rarely cooks. Dad is a night owl, so he makes his flan around midnight after coming home from work and in the morning we would have about 20 bowls of flan in the fridge. It's like Christmas morning, but with just flan. He doesn't make the flan from scratch, but instead he uses the Jell-O brand flan. There's no shame of using instant stuff. I think Dad changed the recipe a bit. For example, instead of milk, he would use half and half for taste and texture. Everyone loves them to the point where they would go for seconds or even thirds. Looks good right?

Happy Birthday Dad!

A little over two months ago, Dad just turned old! By old, I mean one year older than he is now. Knowing Dad, he just spent his birthday just sleeping then going out for dinner. Dad and I are usually the night owls in the family anyways. The night before his birthday, he went to the bar as usual to play pool, where his pool buddies surprised him with, flowers and a big old bottle of champagne. Since that idiot Rudy ruined Dad's no drinking rule, and since it's a special birthday for Dad, he drank like a small cup of champagne that he shared with his friends. I'm glad that he and a bunch of people split the champagne because I would prefer to have a Dad who is like 99% alcohol free.

I am not sure what Dad did for his birthday during the day. But since my mom had the day off, they probably spent the day shopping for groceries in Chinatown because that's what Asian parents do when they have the day to themselves. Haha. So I did spend some time on my Dad's birthday just going to dinner.  For reasons I still can't figure out, Dad wanted to go to Olive Garden for dinner. Maybe it's because he is an Asian dad that I think it's totally weird that he wanted to try to eat at Olive Garden. Don't you guys feel weird about that? While we were waiting for our table, Dad and Mom looked over the menu and their eyes grew three times wider when they saw the prices for just one dish. Dad said, "7.99 for one piece of cake? What?" In Dad's mind, if the dessert is expensive, then the food will be even more expensive. Being the polite person my Dad has always told me to be, we told the waiter that we were sorry and we had to leave.

Our new destination was this cute little place in Westlake in Daly City called, Little Fire Hot Pot. If you guys want to try it out, be my guest because Dad, Mom and I approve of that place. It doesn't really matter if I approve because I like food, but trust me, if Dad approves, then you will like the place. Once I update it, I will have a separate post of the restaurant and post a link at the end of this post if you want to see a detailed review of the place.

This restaurant was really nice because each person got their own individual pot with their own choice of soup. Dad was quite pleased about that because the food was neatly arranged on the plate and we ate  until we could not eat anymore. And Dad being the parent that he always was and will be, he was the designated trash can. By the end of the dinner, we had about two and a half plates of meat leftover. LOL

Classic Dad: Part 12: Who's Old Now?

Dad has been joking about his age on and off. By that I mean, he would accuse me of being old, and I would accuse him of being old, then he would accuse other people of getting old. According to Dad and I, being old means forgetting things. I always forgetting things to the point where I can't remember things to save my life, for example, homework. As for Dad, he would forget the little stuff, like his phone or glasses or his coffee.

The other night, when Dad was driving me home from work and he noticed that this car had a bag full of groceries on top of the trunk, but, nobody was around to carry that bag back into the house. So Dad pointed it out to me and said, "they waste their time and money for grocery shopping and they left it outside? Man, who is getting old now?"

Yesterday, Dad and I were working dinner and when two nice guys come into the restaurant and order one beer. Dad accidentally gave them two beers. Dad was like, "Oh you didn't order two?" The two guys were nice enough to take the beers after Dad rejected their offer to take the beer. Dad, the non drinker, said, "Sorry, I don't drink." I overheard the conversation while I was trying to eat my dinner and I'm like, "what's going on?" The two guys offered Dad a drink, they explained to me. I straight up said to Dad, "you're too old to drink." Then Dad said, "It's not that I am too old to drink, I'm just not old enough." LOL

Classic Dad: Part 11: That's My Line

Dad has all of his signature catch phrases and for some reason, he needs to take one of mine. I am a total klutz. Whenever I drop something, spill something, or accidentally break and or tear something, I just pretend like it never happened and say "nothing happened," and look away. Dad has seen me do this hundreds of times in the past five six years I have been working at the restaurant. Lately, for the past couple of months, I have been having these strings of bad luck, like spilling coffee or fish sauce. I guess I said, "nothing happened," enough times to the point where Dad started to say it. But, he uses it in two ways. Whenever he does something like drop a chopstick, he will say, "nothing happened," but, when he knows that I did something wrong, then he will say, "nothing happened," for me.

I guess that is another way to bond with your Dad, have him steal your catch phrase. But that's still my line, Dad D:

Dad Be Trolling: Episode 9: Hair Mop

Lately at the restaurant, it has been a ghost town. Barely anyone shows up for take out and dine-in. I blame it on the daily events that happen in the city, like a parade, sports game, giant flash mob, or even one of those night bike rides where half of them are naked. One day in the restaurant, I got bored and randomly went up to Dad and said, "I need a haircut." Here's what he has to say:

Dad: "Not long enough. Restaurant requirement is to have hair either to the knees or the floor, so we can use it as a mop. xD"

The thought of having really long hair, like down to my hips long, is just as frightening as the image that Dad gave me when he air-mopped the floor. I think that Dad values the life of hair almost as much as I do because he never cuts his hair unless its Chinese New Year. Dad is at the point where he loses hair and his hair line is receding, so that is probably another reason why he values the life of hair almost as much as I do.

How many people can say that their Dads have a ponytail?

Classic Dad: Part 10: Child Abandonment What?

I have the worst sleeping habits ever. I nap almost any time of the day and night for as much as 9-14 hours at a time. The shortest nap I ever had was probably 10 minutes like a normal person. Believe it or not, I take all of that from my Dad. My dad is one of the heaviest sleepers I know. Because of my sleeping habits, I tend to sleep in the car on the way to work. From home to work, it takes about 10-15 minutes for Dad to drive. Here I am just sitting in the middle seat, just snoozing away. I dose off at about 5:10. I wake up, feeling totally refreshed and I see it's like 6:15. HOLY GUACAMOLE! I woke up in the car, Dad was gone and we were parked right outside of the restaurant. When I got out of the car, I realized that Dad left the car unlocked. Like for reals ?! I rushed out to the restaurant and Dad said, "you don't want to sleep more?"

Dad was being really nice for letting me nap for an hour in the car, unlocked, in the Mission, being about 45 minutes late for work. HAHA. Being an adult, I didn't have a problem with this, but it does make me wonder if Dad has ever done this when I was younger.

Classic Dad: Part 9: I AM DUH CHAMPION

A lot of people don't know this about Dad since they more or less know him as this great pool player that almost everyone at Kilowatt, the bar he plays at, either fear, hate, love, or hella wanna challenge. BUT, he was like this bowling king along with the rest of his side of the family. Apparently, Dad and more or less his seven or eight other siblings were all bowling pros, not professional, but like HELLA GOOD players. I know for sure Dad got these bowling trophies and so do my uncles and maybe my aunt.

Dad would bowl perfect games. I'm talking like 300s all of the time. Strikes from frame 1 to frame 10, if that is the right way to word it. There were a few people who didn't want to play with Dad because he was too good. If you haven't read the Lost Bunny post, then I will re-tell the story here. There was a guy who Dad asked to play, for fun. The guy refused because Dad was really good. Being the nice guy Dad is, he said, "I'll go easy on you." And he did, he missed on strike. Way to go Dad!

When I was a kid, back when Japantown use to have that bowling alley where the senior center is now standing, Dad, my uncles, my aunt, mom and brothers use to go to there. I was maybe five at the time, but when I saw my uncles and Dad bowling, I just had to try. I clearly remember the bowling ball being so darn heavy. I saw how my uncles and Dad were bowling the ball as if it was nothing, and here I am struggling just trying to lift the ball with my two hands and using my knees to try to get up and throw the ball. I ended up just pushing the ball so it would at least roll down the lane. My uncle would laugh at me, so he bowled for me. Teehee.

I don't think I ever bowled with my Dad before, but I hope I can some day. I remember I went bowling with my little brother when I was in sixth grade and he was in fifth grade, but that will be for another time, maybe.

Storytime: The Lost Bunny

I guess some of you are wondering, "where do i come up with these ridiculous titles?" Each title is related to the story. This is a new series called Storytime, because honestly, I don't know a cool name for that. Either before or after Dad starting playing pool ten years ago, he was working his way to become a bowling champion. I am not entirely sure if it was through a series of tournaments or a national tournament kind of thing, but he got the trophies to prove it. He told me that he would bowl perfect 300s all of the time. One day, Dad wanted to play with someone, but the guy said, "NO...you're too good." Dad reassured the guy that he would go easy on him, and he did. Dad only bowled close to 300, just missed a strike in the last frame. Nice one Dad! I'll explain more about my Dad's bowling history in another post because it deserves one!

Yesterday, Dad told me that there was this kind of tournament or a game where you have to get a strike on the 3rd, 6th, and 9th frame. If you do, you get a stuffed bunny and he said, and I quote, "and it was a pretty nice stuffed bunny too." Being the bowling champion that he is, he made all of those strikes and won this mysterious stuffed bunny.

I have no idea where is this mysterious bunny is. I do have some stuffed bunnies at home, but I remember why I have each and every one of them. I guess that bunny will forever remain lost.

Classic Dad: Part 8: HUNGRY HUNGRY HIPPO

What is the first thing you guys do when you wake up in the morning? Stretch? Check your phone for messages? What my Dad does when he first wakes up is, "IMMMMMM HUNNNNGGRRRRY~!" Obviously the first place he goes to after he wakes up is, you guessed it, the kitchen. 

I am not sure if this is normal for everyone, but I found that unique and funny. There are a few things that important to Dad, sleep and food. He may be a Vampire Dad, but that is just a part-time thing because there were times, from when I was a kid, that he slept for more than 12 hours. As for food, he would eat almost everything, but not dairy products because he's lactose intolerant. Dad isn't too picky about his food. Sometimes, he would just make rice porridge out of fried rice because my mom thought it would be a great idea for a diet. I know some of you guys out there would agree, but personally, fried rice porridge is good if you want something easy to eat, not as a dieting meal (^-^)"

Classic Dad: Part 7: Glance at His Bar Life

I don't know whether or not I want to create a new series of posts telling Dad's bar stories because they are really short. The same goes to my Twitter updates about Dad as well because they are short as well. What should I do guys? Comment below if you can.

Dad and I don't have a real bar life since he and I don't drink, but sometimes I think people can get so drunk that they just drop money on the floor and don't even notice. Whenever Dad leaves the bar, he would randomly find money on the floor and just give to the bartenders and says, "TIP FOR YOU!" Now, I'm not sure how often this happens, but the regulars at the bar are just cheering Dad on saying, "GOOD MAN! GOOD MAN!" Dad feels that the bartenders deserve it and I totally get that. Bartenders go through so much crap from other people everyday and they deserve the tip that Dad finds on the floor at the bar when it's close to closing. Totally normal right? Haha. Last week, he found maybe seven dollars on the floor.

I'm pretty lucky to have a Dad like him.

Dad Be Trolling: Episode 8: Biggest of the Year

Sometimes, after work, Dad and I would go to the bar across the street from the restaurant we work at. He plays pool while I play video games. Some of you guys might think that working for only six hours then spending three at a bar is doable, but for me, it's kind of tiring. Last week, Dad and I got home from the bar around 2am. I was just watching this awesome TV show, "Right This Minute," then decided to "take a nap". Next thing I knew, it's like 11:30am, I was still in my uniform, still smelling like eggrolls. Dad sees me awake and dragging myself to my room with my uniform still on and he screams sarcastically, "OH MY GOD, YOU JUST GOT HOME?! I DON'T BELIEVE IT. WHERE DID YOU LEARN THIS [HABIT] FROM?! XD" Dad was just laughing his head off when I shouted, "FROM YOU~~~!!!" Of course, I was joking. I dub this day to be the day where Dad was being the biggest troll of the year....so far.

If you haven't read the Vampire Dad posts, please do. Haha. Dad usually stays up to as late as 5am watching Chinese singing competitions, which was what I was referring to when Dad asked who I learned that behavior from. Haha. People have those Dads who buy them booze, stereotypical Asian Dads, but my Dad just throws out jokes because in a way, he thinks that the world would be a better place if everyone had a sense of humor.

Dad Be Trolling: Episode 7: I Shall Have My Revenge

Friday night, Dad and I went to Kilowatt. Dad was having a bad pool day. Usually, he would only pay about one or two dollars for the whole night of pool, versus the five or ten dollars an average person would have to pay for pool. If you win a game, you don't have to pay for the next one. Dad is sort of like one of the best players at Kilowatt. Of course, there are people who have more experience and probably play better than Dad. If we imagine a ladder of rankings for pool at Kilowatt, Dad would be pretty up there. Dad went into Kilowatt thinking that he would only need about a dollar to play, but he ended up paying five dollars that night. A bunch of people, old and new players beat him. I watched them play as well, they were awesome. Dad was pretty annoyed about it, but in a good way because he didn't throw a fit or made a big deal about it. When he was annoyed that people kept beating him at pool that night, he just had a bunch of "awww mannn" moments. A lot of Dad's fans at the bar who were watching him play kept shouting, "AWWW COME ON MIKE, YOU CAN DO BETTER THAN THIS!!!!"

The next night, while Dad and I were just chilling at work because the restaurant was totally empty, he said, "TONIGHT I WILL GET REVENGE ON EVERYONE WHO BEAT ME." I was pretty excited and happy at the same time because Dad used the word, "revenge." Honestly, I wasn't sure if the word, "revenge" was even in the Asian dictionary. I thought it was pretty hilarious. The night Dad went back to the bar to get revenge on the people who beat him at pool the previous night, he actually did make a comeback with those who beat him. It was great to watch him. A lot of people watched him play and go, "YEAH MIKE!!!! WHOOO~" I think I saw like two guys cheering for him when he won a game.

Message to Dad: Aren't your fans great?

Dad Be Trolling: Episode 6

Dad and I are like the heaviest sleepers in the family. Dad and I like to sleep a lot. Although Dad can be like a vampire and can live on almost no sleep sometimes. He does sleep a lot. When he gets ready for work in the morning, sometimes he rushes out of the house to get to work on time, that he eats whatever snacks he can find and bring it to his car. If you ever see the inside of his car, there are like snacks and snacks. But thanks to my brothers and my mom, they are all probably gone now. Dad likes to keep old Andes jars and stuff them with snacks like pub mix and whatnot. This past semester, every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, I would go meet up with Dad so he can drive me home. Usually, that is around 2:30-3pm and I would be coming from swimming at school, so 75% of the time, I'm just hella hungry.

Dad likes to snack on stuff while he is driving, if he is hungry that is. So he opened this jar of pub mix, put on the drawer near the gear shift and told me, "Here, your lunch. xD" Gee thanks Dad xD

Dad's Fan Club: Episode 7: Merry Christmas

There are these two amazingly cool guys, Wes and JJ, who give walking tours all over the city and whenever they are in the neighborhood with their tour people, they bring those people into the restaurant. Wes and JJ bring in their tours almost everyday. So the restaurant gets extra business everyday. Dad is pretty grateful about them bringing in a lot of business to the restaurant everyday. Wes and JJ love our restaurant so much that they bring in people. That's love right there! One night last week, Wes comes in and personally hands Dad a thank you card, a bottle of beer, and a box of caramels.

Dad was pretty grateful to receive presents from JJ and Wes, especially when Wes went out of his way to come to the restaurant and personally deliver the presents to Dad. I hope Dad doesn't drink the beer, but he says that he will. So I want to hide the beer in my room. Dad and I don't drink and I want to keep it that way because it's nice to have a Dad who doesn't drink.

Message to JJ and Wes: If you guys are reading this, thank you guys so much for bringing in people to the restaurant. Dad and I are beyond grateful.