I went to visit my parents' house in LA this weekend. Not only did I see Spiderman 2 for the fourth time (I'm a geek, yes I know), but its always nice to have some authentic Chinese food for a change.

So we went to this cafe this morning. Its Hong Kong style, meaning its been influenced by the Britsh, so they serve Chinese as well as Western dishes. I had yin yerng, which is a mixture of coffee and tea. If you infuse it with condensed milk...yummy...

So it was my parents and me and my daughter, sitting at a booth and chatting happily. The waiter (who is always nice to us) happens to walk by. My nose is suddenly assaulted by a burst of foul air.

"Oh my god, Mom. What the hell is that smell?" I say in horror.

"I don't smell anything," my Mom replies.

Now my daughter smells it too. "P.U.!!!" she says.

"Its that waiter," my Dad whispers conspiratorially. "He doesn't take a shower very often." As if to affirm that statement, aforementioned waiter passes by and the smell hits me AGAIN.

"Someone should tell him...he needs a shower and some deodorant," I say adamantly.

"Chinese people don't use deodorant," Mom declares.

"He should," I say.

"Well," Mom says again. "He works very hard in the cafe. He works long hours, so maybe he forgot."

I guess. But smelliness aside, it was a lovely breakfast.

And more proof that things in HK have changed since I last kept up with the trends. Like when I was in high school, the Chinese movies they used to make, the hero and heroine, even if getting together, would never kiss onscreen. It's just the way things were done back then. So I was very shocked when my dad gets a bunch of Chinese newspapers and I see THIS on the cover.

"Dad!!!" I say in shock. "What is that?"

"Oh," he says casually. "All the Hong Kong actresses are doing that now."

"She's so obviously airbrushed," I say, as if I am the foremost expert on airbrushed boobage.

"Uh huh," my Dad says, now uncomfortable with the fact that he is now talking to his daughter about juggies.

I decide to give my dad a break and drop the subject. As I am glancing through the magazine, I also spot the latest new boy band.

Sigh. I must be getting old.