Episode 9: Teaching and Tarts

"How many eighth notes are there in three quarter notes?"

"Six."

"No. How many eighth notes... wait, yes. That is correct."

The names of musical notes make no sense to me sometimes. To demonstrate abstract thinking in a first grade classroom, ask a question regarding the names of the notes and how many beats they get. An eighth note gets half a beat. Not simple. Explain the function of a dot after a musical note. Explain how to sing well. Explain how to play piano well. Things that musicians like myself take for granted have the responsibility to teach.

"Mr. Gus, the doctor said I have a fever so I may not be in piano class."

"Thank you for telling me, Marco."

"It's raining outside- do you have an umbrella?"

"... No."

... ...

"Then you must run."

Never in my life would I think to run from the rain. It was pouring outside. Is this the Pacific Northwest? I laid in bed that night with the thunderstorm. I know I wake up for nothing, not even for the alarm at times. The thunder woke me up I felt like a dog on a thunderstorm night.

I contemplated the idea of taking my regular bike ride after school. I reluctantly built up the courage to and gladly biked into the rain. My destination was Coloane. Lord Stow's Bakery. To try the best Portuguese Egg Tart in Asia.

Lord Stow's Bakery
Est. 1989
1 Rua de Tassara
Coloane, Town Square, Macau
7:00-22:00, 365 days a year

I was sopping wet. My rain jacket and waterproof pants were thoroughly soaked through and through. Lord Stow's is 22 years and running. I frantically looked around- bread, pastries, cheesecake... mango cheesecake? That's going in my tummy. No egg tart? Then, as I almost gave up hope, an egg tart mirage appeared at the cashier's. Thank God. It's was still raining outside. Need food. Dinner at Nga Tim Cafe. Feijoada and Chinese beer is good post wet bike ride meal except that I still had to ride home.

Dessert. And my my, what a delicious Portuguese Egg tart it was.  Though I had eaten many an Egg Tart, and more over, a Portuguese Egg Tart, it won me over. Maybe it was the rain. Maybe it was the struggle to get here. Maybe it was because it was right after dinner of Feijoada... nonetheless- Lord Stow's Egg Tart lived up to its reputation.

Little did I know there's a Lord Stow's Bakery right next door in the Venetian.

Until next time.
劉暢