Posted 8:22 PM by Blah blah

Lunch with Duke Kim. Restaurant Serendipity. (Another Blogger Going West)

Guess who had lunch with me today?

Duke Kim! That's right, our fellow co-writer for this blog last year. He just graduated from the U. of Michigan and will be starting a new job in the Bay Area in a few weeks. He just flew in from his home near Dallas, Texas and has been enjoying the much cooler people of the Bay Area (of course) and been marvelling at the legions of Asians who live here!

I'm really interested in his new job.

Another blogger connection: he will be the new housemate of the infamous Min Jung Kim, in Oakland! They have that Korean/U. of Michigan/religious connection. She's Catholic. He's Baptist. She just took him to meet the equally shameless Ernie, after which they hit up a gay bar. I haven't seen Min Jung for a long time, but I bet that will change once I start visiting Duke. He'll actually begin attending this Korean church in Mountain View, at just the time when I usually am there rollerblading!

As usual, when guys get together, we began to talk relationships. (It's true, ladies. We just don't tell you about it.)

We were having lunch at Penang Garden, that delicious Malaysian/Singaporean restaurant in Milpitas. It was packed with Asians. By the way, I went on one date with a waitress from there one night. It was a disaster that I will happily retell my grandchildren. Hehe...

By the end of our lunch, Duke was having trouble concentrating on our talk. At the adjacent table sat a hot Asian girl, and Duke's eyes would wander over in her direction now and then. I caught her glancing at us too. She was eating with two guys. When she and one of them got up to leave, I looked and---whoa, I KNEW one of the guys!

"Ben!" I shouted. I knew him from an engineering class. He's a handsome Chinese guy and recognized me too. We'd lost touch, but we got each other's contact info. He said the girl and guy were friends of his from UC Davis. He actually took out an old business card of mine from his wallet.

Raymond's gargantuan social network strikes again! Hehe...

Here's one of the weirdest meetings I've ever had in a restaurant: I had taken the lovely Takako out to Krung Thai, one of the best Thai places here in Silicon Valley. It was crowded as usual.

They ushered us to one of the few open tables. After sitting down, whom did I see sitting next to us? My PARENTS!

Gaahhh...!

I am the guy who introduced my parents to Krung Thai in the first place. They'd never met Takako before, so it was a shock. I so rarely have girls meet my parents. They must think I'm gay.

Takako and I took it with a good laugh.