Soy Beans and Tofu
My friend Heath Kemper is in town, and we were very happy to have an occasion to visit. He’s from Oregon, and we sometimes laugh at the cultural differences between the two states. This evening a group of us had dinner together at Fresh Choice, which is a Northern California institution. I tried to prepare Heath by describing it as “just like Hometown Buffet, only instead of mashed potatoes and gravy they have soybeans and tofu.”
While we were eating our lovely meal, I noticed another diner inspecting the dessert kiosk. He had a medium-length Mohawk and was wearing what appeared to be an officer’s red tunic from Star Trek: The Next Generation — he also had a communicator pinned to his chest. I pointed him out to the rest of the group, and as the evening progressed we noticed a number of other diners wearing various Star Trek uniforms. Some were from The Original Series and some were from The Next Generation. There was a Klingon (with forehead appliance, although it didn’t match his skin tone at all), and a Betazed. There was even a lady wearing a brown hooded robe that to me appeared to be that of a Vulcan priest. Karen’s curiosity was so piqued that she went to inquire, and came back with the news that no, the robe was actually that of a Jedi Knight. Apparently Fresh Choice is the venue for the monthly meeting of the local Sci-Fi club. In any case, the presence of all those Star Fleet officers, the Klingon, and the Jedi Knight mixed with the soybeans and tofu really gave some flavor to Heath’s visit to Northern California.