Etiquette of eating crab and other shellfish

I had an interesting experience today going to the Chinese restaurant with mis amigos chinos. We ate crab and I had to place to put my shells. I asked the chinos what to do and they said to just put them directly on the table. I was twitterpated! How rude is this? But its not. So here are some guidlines for eating crab.

1. When eating at a Chinese restaurant, you may just put your shells whether they are shrimps, clams, oysters, lobsters right on the table. BUT NOT WHEN YOU ARE DINING AT SOMEBODY'S HOME.
2. When eating crab at a European or American setting, you will get a plate to put your shells.
3. You will also get a finger bowl so that you can clean your hands when you're done. A crabfork and crackers will also be given to you at a classy place. It should be placed above your plate before you arrive to your seat.

While we are talking about the Asian restaurant, you must know some etiquette that is different.

1. At a most Asian diners, you may be given wooden disposable chopsticks. In Japanese culture it is insulting to sand your chopsticks together to get rid of any splinters.
2. It is recommended that you wipe down your chopsticks if they have been sitting at the place for awhile.
3. Never stick your chopsticks into the rice and leave them there.
4. When eating rice, bring the bowl to your mouth (totally not okay in European dining)
5. Do not expect 5 star service when going to your local Pho place. They will tell you where to sit as soon as you walk in. When in doubt, just get the Number 1 large. Don't ask questions.
6. All Asian restaurants serve complimentary tap water. Most serve complimentary tea. This isn't normal for Europeans because in Europe it's rude to ask tap water.
7. Tipping isn't a city in Taiwan. You should tip like you would any other American restaurant.
8. When asking for more tea, simply leave the lid open.

The Etiquette of beer pong

This summer I had a very different experience playing beer pong that I would like to share. In order to be more clean, this group of people put water in the cups and had two cans of beer on each side. Every time the other team made a cup, you set it aside and sipped your beer. I lost because I forgot to pull the cup and the other team made that cup again claiming the "ghost cup" rule. My partner and I were flabbergasted! So I said I would never play beer pong again. That is until I played it the right way.

College students all over have been playing beer pong ever since plastic cups were invented. The point of playing beer pong is to get the other team drunk, not to win. If you play for bragging rights or play to win, you are missing the whole point of beer pong. So I would like to present some rules to make beer pong a respectable drinking game.

Cups must always be filled with equal amounts of beer

For people of my generation, this is a no-brainer. But for the current college students, they seem to be okay with not drinking the substance in the cups. If both teams are just supposed to drink the can of beer with water in the cups, it is not a fair drinking game. You cannot regulate the amount one drinks if the cups themselves are not filled with beer and they are not drunk. If you do not like beer, then fill the cups with a cocktail, wine cooler, wine, or even pure liquor. To make it even more interesting, fill most of the cups with beer, but put liquor in a few. Having to drink the beer from the actual cups also gets rid of this juvenile "ghost-cup" rule.

Drink your own drink while playing beer pong

Chances are that if you are playing beer pong, you are at a party that serves alcohol. So you should also be drinking some beer while you are playing. I feel it is rude to not drink while you are playing a drinking game. You wouldn't drink water if you are playing King's cup, what is the point of putting water in the King's cup?

Bitches blow and dudes finger

I think most people use this rule. There is no reason that you couldn't do the opposite. But it's a tradition and you should obey this rule to honor our fallen comrades who made this rule.

On Fire

This is a bullshit rule. I don't even understand it, but if you are drunk, like you should be when playing this game, you shouldn't comprehend this rule anyways.

The Rebuttal

I also think this is a bullshit rule that was invented by law students, but it can also be very fun to make a cup and stay in the game. I think if there is one table and lots of people wanting to play, lets just have it be that the last cup gets drank along with the remaining winner's cups.

I hope that the next time I play beer pong, it is an honorable drinking game. Gentlemen and ladies need to drink from the cups in a traditional and honorable way. I hope that I play with honorable people who want to drink and are willing to risk getting drunk if they suck. But if everyone is drinking, nobody should have superior beer pong skills. If somebody is bragging that they are a better beer pong player, make sure they are drinking and maybe get them a couple of shots so their shit-talk can be nothing more than shit-talk.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year everybody!

I had a very pleasant Christmas with family and friends at my parent's house. New Years was uneventful, I didn't have a sip of alcohol on New Year's eve. The night before was a fun time with friends in which I enjoyed a nice white elephant exchange.

Resolutions:

I'm not sure if I want to create resolutions. Goals are nice projects that if approached unattached, can be very rewarding whether you complete them or not. I have my sights set on moving into the professional world this year, however. I want to find a gig conducting opera locally. It's something I have never done, but I think I would be good at it. So my resolution is to get an opera gig sometime this year.

I have been accepted into a week-long conducting program in Leipzig at the end of February, but money is tight and I'm not sure I want to pursue it anymore. It's going to cost me a lot of money. I got my cousin's bachelor party in Vegas a week after I get back from Germany. All that money and I could be skiing in Tahoe and taking trip to LA and San Diego to rock climb and play on the beach.