Cutting Corners

From Chinatown With Love

[d1noli @ Friday, September 17, 2004]

My straight friends have a nickname for my partner and I. To them, we're known as "the Algonquin Twins". Actually, I take that back. The more complete title would be " the Algonquin Twins who live way out in the boonies."

Yes, it's a sad fact. When you tell city folk that you live in a suburb of Chicago, they will instinctively assume you reside in the middle of nowhere, devoid such amenities such as electricity or running water. Moreover, should you dare ask these people to come over and visit, you will get this look of terror in their faces as if you were really asking them to chop off their right arm.

So, being the AWESOME people that we are, my partner and I are the ones who go visit our friends instead. We brave the one-hour drive (and occassional bumper-to-bumper traffic jam) and head ourselves downtown to see them. It's no big deal really. We love the city anyways because there's so much to do and we'll take any opportunity to head off there.

That being said, we all had a dinner planned in Chinatown for last Saturday. It had been a while since any of us had eaten there, so everyone was pretty much looking forward to the event. Lisa, the resident Chinese of the group, suggested we eat at a place called La Ming. Needless to say, she couldn't have picked a more perfect place. We happily ended up stuffing ourselves full of Orange Chicken, Mongolian Beef, Kung Pao Shrimp and Bok Choy that night! (Gluttony is such a wonderful thing.)

I am so blessed to have the company of friends. I don't have many, but those that I do have serve as my ground and my reality check. That night as we ate to our hearts content, my soul was being fed full as well. It's true what they say about no man being an island. Yes, my partner is still and always will be my best friend but he's of a totally different level. Sometimes you just need other people to complete you. Otherwise, you tend to get caught up in your own little world and begin to lose touch with reality. The perspective of others are so vital to one's self-actualization.

It's ironic. Being in Chinatown last Saturday made me feel like I was in a completely different world. From the bright neon signs written in a language I did not understand to the flowing architecture of the structures around me, everything that night seemed foreign. Yet, at the same time, I felt I was home. My friends made me feel that way. They were my comfort and my hearth. Visiting them requires me to be completely vunerable to the foreign-ness around me, to take a risk at exposing who I am to the harsh elements out there. But, that doesn't matter. When you are in the company of good people, they will always shield your vunerabilities from all these. More importantly, their friendship will serve as the food that sates and stregthens your soul.

I guess the journeys to the city are more than just a fun visit for me. They are, instead, journeys to find myself. They are journeys back home.