Times Are Changing

Awhile back I discovered that my friend Henry, a pianist from Hong Kong, is a huge food lover. And since he's been living in London for over half a decade, he has often tipped me on good restaurants to try and the like. Being the only male Chinese pianist at the Academy who also happens to tell funny jokes now and then makes him quite popular among the swarm of lady pianists.

Last weekend, Henry invited myself and a few other girls to his flat for dinner. He made one of my favourite Chinese dishes, dong po rou, the trademark dish of Hangzhou and named after revered Song Dynasty poet, artist and calligrapher Su Dongpo. Braised pork belly -- yummy!

The girls and I traveled to his flat at Canary Wharf, and as we got off the tube we received a phone call from him asking where we were -- the food was getting cold. We informed him that we were almost there, and told him to set the table and fill the rice bowls so we'll be ready to eat. Upon arriving at the flat, Henry and his flatmate 'Kong' (like Hong Kong, without the Hong) were bustling in the kitchen, scrambling to get dinner ready...while we ladies sat in the living room nonchalantly chatting. We might as well have been smoking pipes and talking politics. As we sat down to eat, Henry criticized his cooking like a properly modest Chinese woman. We talked and laughed, whilst shoving rice into our mouths and listened to Henry and Kong argue like an old married couple. They assure us they're not gay. Shrug. You never know with male musicians.

Now all we need is for men to give birth! Just kidding, they needn't be anymore confused than they already are.