Friday Night: Nankan

I went back last night to checkout my dancing queen pictures (which Cleo, the bartender who stopped me at the tea stand said she'd email) and I'm so glad I did.

There was a band that did a great version of "Stand By Me." I was even able to request my favorite Dolly song, "IIIIIIIeeeeeeeIIIIIIII will always love..."

We sat down at the bar and James asked Cleo for a Corona. Instantly, a girl in a pleather tube top and mini skirt popped up at his shoulder asking if he'd get a Blue Girl instead. Taiwan's wateringholes are rife with promotional girls.

James looked confused.

"You can get whatever you want," I growled.

I don't know. There's just something about girls in pleather talking to my boyfriend that stirs my inner psycho bitch. I think pleather could see she had rousted the beast, because she laughed nervously and tottered away to the other end of the bar.

I asked Cleo where the deaf chihuahua was from last time.

"Oh he's at home. He lives with Kiki," she said motioning to a waitress. "Do you want to pet a kitty?"

Moments later a 2-month-old cat was placed in my hands by Cleo's boyfriend, Bruce.

Bar or undersized pet menagerie? I don't know.

James and I sat by Bruce most the night. He proved just as friendly as Cleo. Bruce told us he's completing his required military service down in Miaoli (Central Taiwan) and counting the days until he can return to Cleo. He gave the impression being away was fairly torturous.

Miaoli is 96 kilometers from Nankan, or roughly the distance from Los Angeles to Riverside. That hardly counts as a long-distance relationship by my American standards, especially when you have Taiwan-style mass transit. But hey, Bruce is in love.

So do you want to marry her? I asked in Chinese.

Yes of course. He replied in English.

Awhile later pleather girl risked another appearance and asked James to sign up for a drinking game to see who could down a beer the fastest with a straw. James was no match for Nankan's finest.

From City Music

There was a runoff between the two fastest drinkers, this time they also had to finish a slice of watermelon.
Gross.

Game face. In it to win it.

Then people started to dance. When the owner beckoned me to join "C'mon Dancing Queen!" I did for awhile.Later a couple guys, with just a little prompting, got down to their skivvies on top of the bar.

At the end of the song they jumped off.

"Him." Bruce motioned to one. "Next time, I think maybe him no clothes."

From City Music

Sure enough, hence my last entry, the one got butt nekkid. And as far as I could tell, with my insufficient Chinese, no one asked him to do this.

We meant to only have a drink and see Cleo's pictures. But we didn't get home until 3 a.m.

So worth it.