A quickie because I should be writing my paper.

Kip Fulbeck, videotape and performance artist, author, and surfer, passed through Ann Arbor and I went to his talk tonight at the Michigan League. From his book, and from the confidence he exhibits "on stage", he appears to be a guy who really has it together. He didn't have much constructive to say about Asian American identity, and he ran out of time to talk about the problem with manhood as it's created in the US today, so I was a little disappointed on both counts. But that is because I expected more from such a confident guy, and he's so young and already a professor at UCSB. Kip has a website, and is working on The Hapa Project.

He asked if anybody knew what "rice rockets" were. Nobody knew. I didn't raise my hand.

Goodspeed Update points out the Michigan Daily Best (and Worst) of Ann Arbor. On one count, they fail miserably: the best Asian restaurant is China Gate?? It's the most Americanized Chinese food in Ann Arbor, worse than Diner Sty. Spot-on picks happened in the following categories:

• Best Hot Dog: Red Hot Lovers - I just had lunch there today, Coney Island dog (chili and onions on a poppy seed bun) and a "small" order of fries for $4.56. And now that the weather has turned decent, the picnic tables outside are a great place to relax and people watch while you eat.
• Most Underrated Restaurant/ Food Restaurant: Frank’s Restaurant - John G introduced me to Frank's, a little diner behind the Nickel Arcade that, truly, is stuck in the 1970s. Which, among other things, means that they dish up a great breakfast of french toast and hash browns, have a smoking section, and the original owner still mans the grill every morning.
• Most Overrated Restaurant/ Food Venue: Pizza House, Jimmy John's - The Pizza House is overpriced, and Jimmy John's is a lower-quality Potbelly.
• Best Blog: Goodspeed Update - Great site for socially aware UMichiganders; coming in a close second is the AAIO weblog.