by Eddie Huang
“How’s he doing?”
“He is a smart kid, but he just keeps playing damn video games! I tell him that testing for high school is the most important thing for his life right now, but he doesn’t listen or care about anything. He’s just addicted to these damn video games.”
He sounded like my mother, and I smiled. I thought about how much I used to love video games. I used to play a lot more. Come to think of it, I used to watch a lot more Knicks games, too. Why hadn’t I even opened my Xbox after we moved? Why was I missing NBA summer league in fucking China?
Half asleep, Dena adjusted herself on my lap, waking me from this naive daydream. She wiped her nose with the back of her palm, tilted her head and stretched out her back before settling onto my lap. I waited a beat to make sure she was asleep and then tapped the glass to get the cab driver’s attention.
“Sifu, just wait till he finds a girl.”
* * *
*1 Walk slow. It’s an expression people say like “good luck” or “take care.”
*2 You may have wondered where Fish had been all summer, after the red-cooked pork dinner. He lived primarily in Leshan and had to give tours of Tibet.
*3 Emei Mountain.
*4 After doing research, some people say that he is not Buddha’s son, but people in town and local legend told us that he was. Regardless…
*5 Have you eaten?
*6 I learned this word after reading Joshua David Stein’s article about Fresh Off the Boat and promised to use it in book two. So there you go, a proper use of concatenation….Shouts to Joshua David.
*7 Tao Te Ching.
*8 This is my girl Elena Bergeron’s line. Not mine. She let me hold it.
*9 Overseas Chinese.
*10 I know, because I use a similar steam table to hold food at Baohaus.
Thanks, Mom & Dad
Acknowledgments
Ellen.
Emery.
Evan.
Mom & Dad.
Chris Jackson.
Rafael & Christina.
Elena.
Marc.
Amir.
Julie & Cindy.
Steve.
Joe.
CV the god.
Adrian.
Dan & Jen.
Shane & Tamyka.
Daniel.
Ray & Jill.
Bernard & Amy.
Jim.
Mel.
Rocky Li.
Rabbi.
Fish.
Hakka Ellen.
Xiao Zhen.
Tim.
Prodigy.
Marvis.
Berto.
Leon.
Sparkz.
Stephane.
Jay.
Roseanna & Jarrett.
Brian & Jess.
Sena & Mike.
April. Nico. China.
Paul.
Rocky.
Kenzo.
Warren.
Romaen.
Nick.
It’s been a tough year. Thanks for being there for me.
What’s understood doesn’t need to be said.
e
BY EDDIE HUANG
Fresh Off the Boat
Double Cup Love
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
EDDIE HUANG is the world’s first and only Human Panda. He splits time between Brooklyn and Malibu, playing basketball and boogie boarding. Cam’ron is his favorite rapper, soup dumplings are his favorite food, and Kristaps Porzingis is his favorite basketball player. This year he listened to a lot of Future. He also likes the Washington Redskins but thinks they should change their name. His online dating profile reads “Single Asiatic male seeks ride or die chick.”
Facebook.com/mreddiehuang
@MrEddieHuang
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