Kenny Cho arrived at the Korean restaurant just as the other members of the group arrived. The group comprised of mainly gay Asian men of various ages and nationalities and some of their invited, non-Asian male friends/partners. Once a month the group would dine out at an ethnic restaurant of their choosing. Last month was Vietnamese.
Many of the members were single and used these social gatherings to find potential dates. Kenny wasn't interested in dating, though. He had recently broken up with his boyfriend and needed an excuse to get out. A gay dining club sounded fun and safe.
The guys were assigned a private room with a long table, silverware and dishes set out for twelve. Three butane gas grills sat neatly in cavities built into the table, vents above each. Plates of raw beef and pork were spread around the grills. The rest of the table was covered by dozens of little bowls containing side dishes of seasoned vegetables, especially the Korean staple, kimchee. The members who were familiar with Korean barbeque began piling meat onto the grills, giving tips to the novices on how to determine if the meat was done.
Kenny was mostly a vegetarian. The only meat he ate were poultry and seafood. He ordered a meatless bibimbap, a rice and vegetable dish mixed with sesame oil and hot chili paste, on a separate check. He had made sure to sit at the end of the table, away from the grills. As the waitress walked off, he noticed an older Caucasian man in the middle of the table was looking bewildered. His head with light skin and shortly cropped gray and white hair stood inches above and in stark contrast with the two Asian men he sat between. A Filipino man next to him encouraged him to try a piece of pork. The Caucasian man shook his head, saying, "I'm vegetarian."
"Come sit over here," Kenny called out to the man. "I'm mostly vegetarian. I can help you pick something from the menu."
With some seat hopping, the man finally sat down across from Kenny. "Thanks a lot. I had no idea what to do."
"Understandable. I felt the same way when I went to my first American restaurant a few years back. My name is Kenny Cho, by the way."
"John Webber. Nice to meet you."
"Likewise. So, do you like spicy?"
"No, don't have the stomach for it."
"Well, you're kind of in the wrong restaurant, John. Most Korean dishes are spicy. Well, let's see. Do you like noodles?"
"I do."
"How about sauce made with black bean paste?"
"Sounds good. I like black beans in Mexican dishes."
Kenny waved the waitress over and asked in Korean if the noodle with black bean paste sauce could be made without meat. The waitress replied that was not a problem. With a slight bow, she went to place the order.
"Normally the dish has chopped pork in it but the waitress said they can make it without the meat. It'll have some vegetables in it, mostly onions, zucchini, and potatoes. I placed the order for you along with a vegetable pancake. I also asked for a fork. I hope you don't mind."
"No, not at all. Thank you so much. I wasn't looking forward to eating just rice and I haven't figured out how to use chopsticks."
They chatted while they waited for the meals, watching the others gorge on meat, rice, and the side dishes. The pancake arrived on a large platter with a soy based sauce. John enjoyed it, eating three slices. Kenny helped himself to two. Kenny had the waitress box up the rest to make room for their entrees.
John received his bowl of noodles. He was surprised to find the sauce was smooth and almost soupy, mixed with small chunks of vegetables. He had thought the sauce would be pasty. He mixed up the noodles in the sauce and took a bite.
"Yum. This is really good. I imagined the sauce would be pasty but this is incredibly smooth."
"Yeah, imagine my surprise when I had black beans in a Mexican restaurant the first time."
John gave a short laugh. He watched as Kenny mixed up his bowl of rice and seasoned vegetables with sesame oil and a generous tablespoon of Korean chili paste. Kenny noticed John watching and said, "We usually make this dish from leftovers, but it's generally always rice, some vegetables, sesame oil, and chili paste."
"It looks good, albeit spicy."
"Yeah, I like it spicy, though."
An hour later, the entire group left the restaurant. John stood next to Kenny, whose silky black hair, cut short but longer than John's, waved in the wintry air. "I really appreciate your help tonight. I don't think I would have enjoyed it, otherwise." He noticed for the first time how compact Kenny's figure was compared to his own slightly overweight figure. Their coats did little to obscure the difference in their builds. He was a sucker for compact Asian men. "I don't suppose you'd be interested in coffee?"
Kenny turned his gaze up to John. "I don't drink coffee. How about dessert?"
John hoped "dessert" was meant as an euphemism. He decided to play it safe. "Ok. Any suggestions?"
"Let me think about it. It's almost ten. Not many options. I have a craving for chocolate cake!"