"I Like Giants"

Especially girl giants.

Where: Vik's Chaat Corner
Who: Me, Frankar, G-Roc, 64 KB RAM

Dahi Papdi Chaat: Crisp flat puris with potatoes, garbanzos and lentil dumplings covered with yogurt, tamarind and mint. It seems so simple, but these cold dishes never turn out this good anywhere else.

Gobi Paratha: Shredded spiced cauliflower stuffed in a whole wheat flour bread served with raita and achar. I don't get Indian pickles, but I really do get Indian whole wheat breads -- can't understand why anyone would have naan when alternatives are available. The raita had a ton of coriander.

Along with my lassi, that was a lot of yoghurt.

***

Most fun I've had at a concert in ages: Kimya Dawson last night at 924 Gilman. You should know by now she's a brilliant writer; what was impressive was how she facilitated the friendliest atmosphere ever experienced at a punk club. No attitudes here: when one audience member was fielding an irate phone call from her mother, Kimya got on the line to tell mom everything was OK. Five preschoolers scattered through the floor-seated audience provided background noise while she sang "This isn't a come-on, but come on, let's face it/The come on your face is really just mayonnaise". With some unable to see, she invited the audience to sit on stage with her, and she was joined by miscellaneous nonconformists, with a notable concentration of nerdster girls, at least one of whom knew every word. When she and others partook in an impromptu Annie audition, belting out "The sun'll come out tomorrow", you could tell this'd one of her forever moments. We finished with a giant, spiralling mass hug. That exhausted my hug quota for the year, but it was worth it.