Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving. Mine was delightful, though I have to admit that when you’re out of the country, and not around all the usual reminders that a holiday is coming, those special days kind of slip up on you without much warning.
No turkey, but we had Beijing roast duck.
We’ve been going to this particular restaurant (Xiang Man Lou) for around eight years now. It’s a hole in the wall, set down a side street near a hotel, and if you don’t get there by a certain time—like, when they open—you can wait up to an hour for a table. We don’t mess around. We arrive when they’re still setting the tables and mopping the floor—all the waitresses taking turns in the bathroom, straightening their little blue uniforms and redoing their make-up for the long night ahead. In other words, before they’re really open for business (hence, some of the empty tables you see in the picture above).
In writing news, I finished a short story that will be in an upcoming anthology—this one is set in the same universe as “The Robber Bride”. Despite what I’ve said in the past, the heroine of that tale, Maggie, will be making a brief appearance. I didn’t intend for it to happen, but she just kind of wormed her way in. On a motorcycle. No title yet (that I feel comfortable discussing), but when I’ve got more news, I’ll pass it along.
Heading out again in a bit, but hope you’re all having a lovely Friday night. It’s Saturday morning here. Time travel!