Communities in Community

One of the first things I liked about Ann Arbor was the diversity of people. I had stickerbooks as a child that showed a selection of people from around the world each representing their culture through their dress and a brief paragraph with a line pointing to the part of the globe where they lived. I loved the idea of going all over the world and getting autographs and photographs to take my world people's stickers up a notch. Here in Ann Arbor it feels as if the world has come to me.

I see it most clearly at Meijer, Sam's Club and the mall. If you don't see two or more culturally driven styles of dress and hear at least two languages other than English then you wonder what's wrong. Sorting out what cultures and peoples are signified by all that language and dress has been fun. If it weren't such a touchy subject it would be helpful to have a guide to human beings with pictures and explanations--my sticker books for the Internet age. Each cultural group within our community has found ways of remaining themselves, but just as surely they have found themselves woven into the larger fabric, even if it is only that we all need to eat and we all love a bargain. 

One idea leads to another, and I began discovering other groups made up of those with common work and common interests. Medical professionals, bike clubs, student groups, churches, each is its distinct self, but they pull from the other groups to fill their ranks. These are becoming as easy to spot as saris and turbans. The more you look for anything the more you see it, and what I am seeing most is a community that makes valuing its differences a common value.

The "death" of "the American melting pot" was often bemoaned when I was young and multiculturalism was new, but here I can see that chunky beef stew is better than bland fondue. When no one has to apologize for existing, everyone finds new ways to coexist and the fabric binding us together changes our vision. For me it's no longer so much about the hijab, as it is about the young mom wrestling kids the way I used to. The gentleman's turban has been forgotten in appreciation for holding the door for me when my hands were full. I now see families, professionals, enthusiasts, and the peace that we are all being for each other.

I love Ann Arbor. My new home where I was born to live.

The Royal Bump

I thought I'd try my hand on a little local humor.

"What is Textile Road paved with?" 

Corduroy 

The Joys of Chinese Delivered

Driving home one night we saw a delivery car from Gui Lin Chinese and there was much rejoicing! For a short while in Spring Lake we had had delivered Chinese, but we were evidently one of the few fans. Thankfully here in Saline Gui Lin has a larger following, and we've become addicted. On line ordering lets everyone have their say, and the food gets better order after order. My personal favorite is pork in their spicy garlic sauce while the younger kids like General Tso's Chicken. The Crab Rangoons (or Bamboons as my daughter used to call them) have a wet filling and are badly fried, but it hasn't stopped us from ordering them several times. The Hot and Sour Soup and Egg Drop Soup are both right on. 

Gui Lin offers American Chinese classics done right and delivered hot. What more do you need to make a Thursday night special?

Quality 16 and Value 2

Movies are an important part of our family life. I love stories and art, and movies are both. At first we flitted between Ann Arbor 20 + IMAX and Goodrich Quality 16 depending on who's time fit our needs best, but while I'm sure we will return to the Ann Arbor 20 for all of it's exciting bells and whistles, we have settled into the Quality 16. The staff is patient which is key when you have six kids. The Frequent Moviegoer card provides us with popcorn and soda almost every visit. The new renovations are beautiful. Seating is comfortable and unless it's sold out there's enough room that somebody's candy wrapper doesn't drive you crazy. The bathrooms have never been messy.

The Quality 16 is a well-run bustling place. I'm sure we will make many special memories there in the years to come.

Vis-a-Vis

There are times when I know a task is beyond me, and getting gussied up for my husband's work party was one of them. A summer in stage make-up convinced me cosmetics were evil in a way fundamentalism never could. I only wear them on formal occasions, and our formal occasions had become non-existent. Clothes I was pretty confident I could manage, but hair, make-up, nails--not a chance.

Amazon Local has really been a godsend for finding service providers, and when Vis-a-Vis popped up, it was like hearing the cavalry thundering in the distance. I bought right there, right then. I am so glad I did! It was a blustery day when I set out all other options now irrelevant, my hopes hung on strangers. I didn't know it yet, but I was in good hands. The shop itself has a recycled chic that makes you feel relaxed. Colby's green highlights struck me as a bold choice for the home of the Wolverines. 

He helped me a great choice of glittery pink nails that even now I'm enjoying its chipped and faded glory in a way I doubt he would approve of. My hair went from good to great as we chatted away.  

Bonnie took me over for makeup. I've been struggling with middle-age acne, and she did a good job of covering it without turning me into a zombie. I felt pretty instead of adolescent. We all know there is youthful and there is "youthful." She also lit my imagination with her plans for a trip with her daughter, what a lucky girl.

I would highly recommend letting Vis-a-Vis take the stress out of your next big event. They were just the confidence booster I needed.

Because this is local

We had a Coney Island restaurant back in Maryland where I grew up. I only ate there once, though it figured large in family lore. Here in South-East Michigan, Coney's are an important cultural tradition like Cheese Steaks in Philadelphia. We wanted to eat and get to a movie one midday out together, so we looked at the restaurants that were very close to the theater. It was a bit of a question, but Uptown Coney won in the end. 

I'm so glad it did. I chose to order their patty melt. It's close enough to standard diner food to be fair, but enough of a frump on the back page that it demonstrates range. It also just sounded good. It was great. Both slices of bread were perfectly toasted and crisp. The patty was meaty and the gravy and onions made you lick your palette twice in case you missed something. I have since ordered the Rueben and found it equally excellent. 

The best judge of how we like a restaurant is when we can't wait to take the kids, and Kurt and I were both looking for an excuse to introduce our brood to this fine diner food at Uptown Coney. Every plate was clean and both the crispy battered french fries and the perfect onion rings were hailed as extraordinary.

If you are in Ann Arbor, and you like fine diner food, this is a must eat restaurant.

Paradise is my present address

Sometimes the past clouds the present. We've grown accustomed to a buffet style Asian food experience to the point where I'd forgotten about ordering one thing and eating just that. I was a little homesick for my plate of everything, so when Kurt asked where I wanted to go I said Chinese. Kurt is a cautious man, so he did research and took me to Paradise Asian Cuisine. It is a small restaurant, only fifteen tables, but they fill up quickly. The owners waited on us, which was so personable and charming. Choosing my one plate took me some time, but I decided on the Rainbow Chicken. I love stir-fried vegetables, and rainbows are always appealing. Lucky for me the chicken was good too. If I had been more observant and less nostalgic about Chinese food, I would have paid attention to the Vietnamese menu and tried something new. I guess there is always next time.