Virgil's BBQ

Ning came to town! She and U-chan and I were all in the same dorm in Boston, and we used to meet up for meals almost every day, play mahjong as often as we could, and chat about this and that, etc. But I moved to NYC and then she moved to Taiwan, and one thing led to another, and I hadn't seen her in - oh, maybe an entire decade. Probably not since her graduation (I have a great picture of U-chan and Ning in their caps & gowns).

So for this rare reunion, accompanied by Utsuki's mom and husband, we went to Virgil's BBQ in midtown Manhattan.

Chris figured out what we should order: pulled pork (nice) and beef brisket (yum!). And a bunch of sides. Though I have to say, I miss Michael's beef brisket from the old days of Mike's Iron Chef competitions in Astoria.

None of us brought real cameras, so our iPhones and Blackberries coped as best they could with the indoor restaurant lighting. I removed the incredibly dark shadows from this one and made it black-and-white. I think it came out surprisingly well, considering it started life as a mass of indecipherable darkness.

In any event, Ning looks great, and seems to be doing well ... EXCEPT that she admitted she hasn't played mahjong since she returned to Taiwan. Grrr. I thought maybe she didn't have anyone to play with and was ready to cut her some slack -- but it turns out everyone knows how to play! Even her brother!!! Double grrr. There is really no excuse for this!!!