Cowabunga, dudes

I'm taking a break from (a very limited) tradition here and not reviewing a makan spot, but instead, I'm gonna talk about one of my favourite things in life.

I've been reading a book called The Economic Naturalist and it's by this guy named Robert Frank. It's a great book meant for laypeople, so you can borrow it from me if you want. It basically provides economic reasoning for everyday quirks such as, "Why do cinemas in Asia assign seat numbers but cinemas in the US and UK use free seating?"

Anyway, I was at this chapter entitled, "The Quest for Love and Money" (I know, I know) where it was talking about the informal marriage partners market.

Here's something I thought rather relevant to this post(er):-

"In searching for a mate, you confront an essentially similar commitment problem (rent/lease). You want a mate but not just anyone. After dating for a while, you feel you know a fair amount about what kinds of people are out there - what sorts of dispositions they have, their ethical values, their cultural and recreational interests, their social and professional skills, and so on. Among those you meet, you are drawn to one (Emma) in particular. Your luck holds, and that person feels the same way about you (sigh). You both want to move forward and start investing in your relationship. You want to get married, buy a house, have children. Few of these steps make sense, however, unless you both expect your relationship to continue for an extended period.

But what if something goes wrong? No matter what your mate's vision of the ideal partner may be, you know there's someone out there who comes closer to that ideal than you. What if that person suddenly turns up? Or one of you falls ill?

...

A far more secure commitment results if the legal contract is reinforced by bonds of attraction. The plain fact is that many relationships are not threatened when a new potential partner who is kinder, wealthier, more charming and better-looking comes along. Someone who has become emotionally attached to his or her spouse does not want to pursue new opportuities, even ones that, in purely objective terms, might seem more promising.

That is not to say that emotional commitments are fail-safe. Who among us would not experience at least mild concern upon hearing that his wife was having dinner with George Clooney this evening, or that her husband was having a drink with Scarlett Johansson?"


Me: Do you have a driver's license cos you're driving me crazy. Grab a drink?
SJ: Only if we have dessert after.
Me: Score!

BUT wait...


GC: Hey Nick, how about dinner? Ditch that broad you're with.
Me: See ya Scarlett. It's George Clooney, you know how it is.

Now, here's where I connect the long preamble above with the food aspect. See, I think my wife should be more worried about ME having dinner with George Clooney than me having a drink with Scarlett Johansson. I mean, it's George fricking Clooney. He's one of the very few guys who could be pushing old ladies on wheelchairs onto the street and still look cool doing it.

Anyway, since George Clooney's such an awesome guy, I'm sure he'd adapt to my stature, which is, "Nick, how does pizza for dinner sound?"

Me: Yes, Mr. Clooney, sir. I love Pepperoni (point of this entire post so far).

One of the things I miss most about the US is Pepperoni (Pork) pizza. Of course, they don't have that in Malaysia. Instead, they have the ciplak version of Chicken/Beef Pepperoni which isn't nowhere as good. I know the great pizza eaters of our time, Michelangelo of the Ninja Turtles and Jughead Jones, prefer anchovies or double anchovies pizza. But for me, nothing beats a good slice of pepperoni pizza.

There's this place in Harvard Square called Pinocchio's or Noch's for short. And probably the best pizza I've had, hands down. When I do make my way back to Harvard Square, that's one of the places I definitely have to visit again.

So, having been away from the US for nearly a year now, I'd been craving some awesome pork pepperoni pizza for some time. Recently, I drove down to Singapore where I managed to visit Universal Studios. Kethlyn, Aaron and I decided to have lunch in New York (/smug).

And then I saw it. THEY SERVED PORK PEPPERONI PIZZA!!!! The slices would not come cheap. They were about S$6 per slice. But, thank goodness for S$10 Food Vouchers from Universal Studios. Instead of just one slice and a Gatorade (Americana, baby) for free (S$9), I paid only S$5 for 2 slices and a Gatorade. Awesome.


The size of a slice.


Status: Craving satisfied.

So, yeah, I'm pretty sure good ol' George would be down for some pizza. After dinner, I may or may not have already forgotten I had a hypothetical wife.

GC: Well, I gotta be heading back, Nick. Maybe you can catch up to Scarlett.
Nick: Thanks for the meal, Mr. Clooney, sir.
GC: Here's lookin' at you, kid.

Nick: SCARLETT!!!
SJ: What do you want? You had your chance, and you fluffed it.
Nick: Wait, er, do you have any almonds?
SJ: Er, no.
Nick: Well then, how about a date?
SJ: ...Just...go away. SECURITY!!!

I then remember that I have a hypothetical wife and go back to her only to see this:-