Fri 12/13/02       I’ve Never…Been to Watersheds and Seen Ginger Like This

 

            I’d emailed Jon, Niclas and Ginger to have dinner and a movie as a thank-you for helping me host Avani last week.  We went to Dan Ryan’s to pay in part with our Halloween “winnings” where Gin and I shared ribs and fries which were not bad, but Niclas’ burger was terrible—totally dry.  Jon came when we were finishing and debating whether to order the 230NT sundae.  Here comes the Taiwan logic of the day.  We asked the waitress, “[How big is this sundae?]”  (Note:  there was also a “World’s Smallest Sundae” for 90NT.  As irresistible as that sounded, we didn’t opt for it.)  She replied, “[Not very big, just one ball].”  They call scoops, balls.  I sputtered, “[What?  Then why’s it so expensive?]”  She said, “[Umm…because we think it tastes pretty good.]”  Literally, that was her reason.  Like, have you ever had a sundae that tasted BAD?  For 230NT, they better be lacing it with Ectasy, or something that’s going to make me act like Meg Ryan in the diner from Harry Met Sally.

           

            We nixed it and decided to get Swensen’s afterwards.  I’d heard about it but none of us knew where it was, then I finally passed it walking home from tutoring the other day, at the RenAi Circle; it had a huge neon sign over it, “24 HOURS.”  I went in and checked out the menu; sandwiches, fries, ice cream, American food, 24 hours!  HOW is it we’ve been in Taipei 3 months and haven’t been here yet?!  I stared so long that the guy behind the counter gave me a name card with a tiny menu inside to take with me. 

 

            Next we walked to Breeze to check out the movies.  We had it down to either Big Fat Greek Wedding which Niclas already saw, The Ring which Gin already saw (and I was too scared after hearing her talk about it), or we could all get drunk and come back to watch The Hot Chick.  The last choice had the greatest possibility, but finally we vetoed all and at Gin’s encouragement (“I wanna drink!  I haven’t drank in a long while”) and Niclas’ suggestion we went to Watershed’s Lounge.

           

            Watersheds is just a bar with stools and one 4-person table, which we took over since it was empty/quiet when we arrived (crowd picked up later), but pretty cool—there’s a huge chalkboard of all different drinks behind the bar with plastic hearts stuck next to the favorites.  Beers included Delirium Tremens and a mango beer, cocktails included Silly Slut (cran, vodka and SoCo), Lushmopolitan, Concubine Yang (cran, vodka and lychee liqueur) which I got first (very sweet, I was the only one who liked it).  For my second I got a Hot Pants (Amaretto, Malibu and OJ), which I got two more of (very sweet too).  Niclas stuck with whiskey (continuing from dinner), Jonathan got a beer, then whiskey, then LI iced tea.  Ginger got the mango beer (very wine-cooler like, with a flowery girly label), then two Cosmos.

 

            We were playing “I’ve Never” (or according to Jonathan, the more cute-sounding “Never Have I Ever”) after hashing a while trying to decide whether to play it, and agreeing of course total honesty was imperative and that nothing would leave the table.  The statements started out pretty predictable, but finally when I said, I’ve Never [censored censored], Nic and Jon sheepishly and silently drank as Gin and I giggled, Niclas yelled, “That’s IT, gloves are OFF!”  and Jonathan got me back with I’ve Never [censored censored]. 

 

It was never clear what the definition of “hooked up” was.  They just shrugged “Whatever you think it is!”  and “Did he have a hard-on?  Then there you go.”  Gin then got the idea for her turn, “I’ve never had a hard on!”  Which was immediately called foul, but then debated rather scientifically.

 

It quickly became apparent that Ginger was more innocent than the rest of us and wasn’t drinking (and was even complaining about it herself).  So I got her with a couple stupid ones (“I’ve never taken a class at UCBerkeley!”)  and once she said, “I’ve never been drunk!”  We all went, “Huh?  What do you mean you’ve never been drunk?”  She insisted she hadn’t, had only been “buzzed.”  But when Niclas asked, “Have you ever had bed spins?” She said Yes and we all went, “Puh-LEEZ!  You’ve BEEN DRUNK!”

 

By the end rounds we discovered we were all pretty boring people actually (a whole line of questions around threesomes, porn, homosexual experiences, and orgies all went dry, not a glass was tipped.  Yawn).  But Ginger was suddenly really toasted.  I’d ordered the fourth round of drinks and Niclas told me to ask for them STRONG, so they were.  She was now blabbing more than usual, and suddenly “Oh my God!  I’m so messed up!”  She couldn’t stand or walk, Niclas took her to the bathroom and was in there with her a long time.  When he finally emerged, the whole crowd in front cheered and gave him high fives.

 

He took her outside to puke more.  I was bewildered, like I was watching myself.  So this was what it was like being an observer of someone else, for once.  Jon ran to the 7-11 and bought a huge water, I requested straws and napkins from the unhelpful bartenders, and we went outside to wait.  Bewildered is all I can say to describe how I felt—that this really never happened to her before, that this is the first time I’ve seen one of my friends do this before, and I wasn’t even the one holding back her hair (Jonathan:  “Niclas looks like he’s got everything under control.”)  I had flashbacks of all the people who’ve held back mine.  I felt so bad.

 

We cabbed to Swensen’s where Jon and I asked to be seated near the bathroom but here is Taiwan Logic #2 of the day:  They have no bathroom IN the restaurant, it is in the other part of the building.  DUH.  So we walked to Eslite, but Niclas and Ginger started veering off to her place, Jon and I just followed.  We tucked her in, got her more water, put a trash can next to her bed, and her dad came into the room.  She immediately straightened and said brightly, “HI, Dad!”  He didn’t say anything, but she continued, “I’m OK!  See, I’m standing without any help!”  She let go of me and stood, wobbling a bit.  He just smiled and said, “You smell!”  But he thanked us and said good night.  We waited outside her room for her to fall asleep and make sure she was still on her side.  I raided the fridge and found chocolate in the freezer, mmm. 

 

It was surreal at times.  I was slightly buzzed and talking with Jonathan about our college experiences that were like this as we watched Ginger outside of Watersheds with Niclas supporting her, from a distance (figuring we couldn’t do much to help and she’d rather have her space/privacy anyways).  A red stoplight was blinking on and off right over us in front of the bar.  Thinking back seven years to times like this, I wrote almost this exact same sentence then.  There’s something about being in another country all the way around the world with people you’ve just met and only spend time with when doing these things (drinking, dancing).    You are instant friends, you’ve already seen each other at your best, at your worst, silly, mean, cracking up, pigging out, konking out, trying to speak a different tongue…and suddenly you know whether they’ve “Never [censored, censored]”  Things you never learned about classmates or coworkers you used to spend 40+ hours a week with…  I wonder will it be like Love Boat and after this is over we’ll slowly lose touch and see each other in pictures and start forgetting each others’ names?  And forget we had moments like these…?