There it is! My Chinese restaurant. Where I take my meals three times a week. I love the ambience. Dead serious. LOVE it. Homey. Reminds me of my condo. Or my office. I have taken my meals there since, jeez, since the Chinese restaurant across the street changed ownership, let's see, that's been about...12-13 years.

Proprietor Chen. From Chongqing like Bo Xilai. Employees: one full-time (Chen, the cook, he is a fantastic "chef," the food is muaw, and phone order-taker), one part-time driver.

Chen had four part-time drivers at one time but Carlos went on a three day drunk. Chen didn't know where he was only that his car was gone and Carlos wasn't answering the phone. Chen told me about it after Carlos had been AWOL from work for a few days and Chen was sincerely concerned that something had happened to him. I called Carlos myself and left a message telling him that we, Chen and I, were worried about him. Left him my private lawyer cell phone number and everything but he didn't call back. I floated the idea with Chen of contacting the police to make a missing person's report (Chen later told me that spooked him. You don't call the police in China.), then Carlos resurfaced, Chen took him back, then Carlos went on another three day drunk and that was it, Chen said he had to let him go because of the liability of three day drunks. Good man Carlos when he wasn't on a three day drunk. Chen was even teaching him how to cook.)

Chen had "Johnny" (Self-denominated. When I asked him what his name was after he had been to my place several times making deliveries he paused ever so slightly and said "Johnny." (I don't think his name was really Johnny.)) for a short period of time. Johnny was great. Told me one time "You are so handsome"), brought his fiancee by with him another time. But Johnny lived an hour away! How Johnny could do a two hour commute for a part-time job I don't know but Johnny eventually decided he couldn't do it either,

Chen had a nice young single mom. She was awesome, so friendly. I met her little, no, I saw her little boy one time at the restaurant, she had brought him with her asleep and had put him down on...Well, it's not in that photo, the only one I could find that captured the aura of Mike's (the name of the restaurant. Mike is long gone to Canada, Chen told me.) but where that natty red chair is on the left and the black chair behind it Chen has put in a natty sofa and the young mom laid her young boy down on the sofa, I was sitting in one of those red chairs around that circular fake wooden table you can see a sliver of at extreme right. I was watching CCTV on the big flat screen TV that Chen always has on, watching Chinese TV is the motivation for this post which I will get to, probably next time, whew! look at the time, as soon as I introduce one more part-time driver.

I don't know his name. Nice guy. He's the only driver there now, Tuesdays and Thursdays, other days I have to go to pick up which I don't "have" to go, I like going, it reminds me so much of home and office. Sometimes I go even when this guy is making deliveries because I like going. I don't like going when this guy, the Last Driver, is there though because he sits at that table reading a Chinese newspaper and watching the financial reports in English on TV. I like CCTV (next time).

When I first went to Mike's in person it was because of this Ordeal of the Drivers and I couldn't find the place. It's in a natty little shopping center but around the corner on the residential side. There is no signage. That wooden door looks like a residential door when it's closed which it almost always is. There's a small Pakistani owned poorly stocked grocery store fronting the street, next to an Orthodox Jewish Temple and around the other corner is a dry-cleaner. You cannot see the Chinese restaurant from the street, it's around the corner facing the apartment buildings across a small parking lane, it has a residential door, no signage save one of those lighted, red oval "Open" signs in the window in front of the dining area you see up there. I had to ask one of the residential neighbors, "Excuse me, where is the Chinese restaurant?" But when I found it and went in I was Home.

Okay, so that "sets the scene." Next time (this scene setting was sooo beside the point, I apologize.) CCTV and why I like it and my false epiphany on happiness.