Modifying dance shoes--a stupid idea

Given my frequent dancing of late, I decided to invest in more supportive dance shoes than the ones I currently own. I went to the nomadic shoe store, and found the almost-perfect pair--except that it had taps. Since they fit so comfortably, and comfortable shoes are hard to come by, I decided not to be stalled by some taps and bought them, figuring I could remove the taps at home.

I thought it would be as simple as unscrewing the screws, but unbeknownst to me, in addition to being screwed tightly on, the taps were crazy-glued to some plastic thing, which was sewed onto and glued to the leather surface I was ultimately trying to get at. Thus, I spent an undisclosed ridiculous amount of time yesterday and this morning unscrewing (which was the easiest part), unraveling string, prying plastic off of leather, and finally, attempting to chisel away at some rubbery non-stick thing with an exacto knife.

Perhaps the exacto knife blade becoming undone should've been an indication that this was probably more hassle than it was worth, but I continued to chisel away. . . until I accidentally gouged myself in the knee. Luckily, it wasn't a deep cut, but ouch.

I decided at this point that I should perhaps stop. Actually, to be honest, I can't remember if I stopped because of that, or because I wanted to go running (yes, with a gouged knee. . .).

The moral of the story? If you need regular ballroom dance shoes, don't get tap shoes and think you'll simply modify it, b/c it's not that simple.

Assuaging my Banh Xeo cravings, finally.

Today, I dragged my friend Patita and her SO down to San Jose to get Banh Xeo w/ me. Actually, "drag" is perhaps not accurate, since she came along willingly.

I had these once in LA, but have not been able to find them in any Vietnamese restaurant here. Thus, when my friend told me that I can get these crepes at Grand Century Mall, I was very excited. However, that was months ago, and hence, I have been craving them for quite a while now.

So today, I finally found a willing subject to go try these with me.

None of us had ever been to Grand Century Mall before. The interior is a hidden (mostly) Vietnamese shopping mecca. In fact, I think we were the only non-Vietnamese/Chinese in the entire mall.

There was only one stall that sold Banh Xeo--and only one kind at that--so I was a bit nervous about the lack of options. I also wondered whether I might have over-hyped these crepes in my head and thus might be disappointed by the real thing. What if I dragged my friends down all this way, and it turned out to be a very mediocre food experience? I/we waited with nervous anticipation. However, when the food finally came, I took one bite and I was in Banh Xeo bliss.

I can't remember if the ones I had in LA were better, (they seemed to have more stuff in them than the ones we got today) but the dining experience was every bit as good as I had hoped.

It's actually a very simple dish-- a thin crepe with shrimp, pork (which I asked to have removed), mung beans, bean sprouts, wrapped with lettuce and various herbs, and dipped in a tangy/spicy sauce. . .. But the combination of these various elements is uncommonly good. My friends seemed to like theirs as well.

After we assuaged our banh xeo cravings, Patita and B tried some intriguing Vietnamese dessert drink, while I stuck to the more pedestrian grass jelly tea. They both seemed to like their drink, so perhaps I will try it the next time I visit this place.