Sunday I met up with Beverly and her father at Mi Piace (warning – their website tries to hijack your screen… twice!) in Pasadena. We were joined by three of her friends from high school. The food was good, but in small quantities. The restaurant tries to sell itself as a high class Italian restaurant/lounge/bar. The illusion is shattered though when you ask where the restroom is and you have to leave the restaurant, walk down the hall in the adjacent office building and read handwritten signs about which bathroom is currently operational.

Afterwards I followed Beverly to an Asian karaoke place called “cash box.” I note that it is “Asian karaoke” because this iteration of karaoke is drastically different than the typical cracker karaoke bar. In Asian style karaoke a group reserves a private room with food and drink service. I’d experienced this once before in Korea Town with Kent.

Beverly had picked Cash Box because there was an identically named chain of karaoke clubs overseas that is world renowned… This cash box though turned out to be a conversion from someones home (or small business?) complete with bad carpeting, cramped rooms, unfinished ceilings and holes in the wall. You know you aren’t in Kansas anymore when you have to select “Foreign” on the video menu to find songs with English lyrics. Luckily I was able to skip out of singing anything as it was pushing past 11pm and I had a 40 mile drive home.