Sonu, Goldberg, Observed Birthday

Last Saturday was the observed birthday of both Sonu and Goldberg. It was not their actual birthday, but rather a midpoint between their birthdays, so chosen because it was the only weekend this month when we could all agree to meet.

We met at Monsoon, a Vietnamese place near the Museum of Natural History. The food was actually pretty good, particularly the "Dancing Beef," which is basically a regular steak cut up into yummy bight-sized pieces. It should be noted, however, that I'm really not an expert when it comes to Vietnamese food... the only other Vietnamese place that I've been to is Saigon Grill, a few blocks north on Amsterdam. The menu is identical, the food is identical, and I suspect that it's under the same ownership.

We wrapped it up with a delectable chocolate cake from Café Lalo. This was probably the richest chocolate you can legally buy over the counter in New York State.

A good time was had by all.

However, this provided yet another opportunity for my grandparents (who were, apparently, crazy drunken party animals in the 50s) to make fun of me and my friends.

You see, we (aka, "kids these days") have absolutely no idea how to have a good time... with our overpriced restaurants and small portions, and gourmet espressos, and subdued conversation. In their day, all they needed was a couple of pounds of salami, a block of cheese, a few bottles of Stoli, and somebody to play the piano (or at least, the accordion) - that would be enough to keep the fun going for days, sometimes weeks.

Ok. Next year we are skipping Monsoon for a cheese and salami extravaganza at my house. Goldberg, you have a year to figure out how to play the accordion.