the first cafe customer who came in - a chinese guy - asked if we had fresh soy milk. it got a little busy today, but nothing that crazy, nothing that my sister, my 2nd aunt, and i couldn't handle. nevertheless, we were happy when my parents showed up unexpectedly during our busiest stretch, like the cavalry coming in to save the day. maybe it was just coincidence, or maybe they saw on the webcam how many customers were starting to pack the cafe. we ran out of seats and tables, and because we already disassembled the back deck, we couldn't herd customers there (today would've been a nice day for the patio deck too, with temperature in the 60's).

my parents left for an everett costco supply run. not so much cafe supplies, but more household items, and some stuff for my sister's godmother, leaving for taiwan in another week or so. they came back to drop off some stuff, by which time it wasn't so busy anymore.

the most popular item sold today? dan dan noodles. the most random customers who seemingly had no connection to one another would come in and order it. i ended up having to make more black noodles (the basis for dan dan noodles) twice today, after we ran out two containers worth already. i don't even know what dan dan noodles is, but apparently it's very fashionable these days. the key for dan dan noodles is the noodles itself - a blend of soy sauce and spices - and the noodle sauce - which is a sesame-peanut-based sauce. the secret sauce takes a little effort to make, we already went through a whole squirt container's worth, after i saw my father just making a new batch on friday.

i went to go check up on esmei in the early afternoon. she hadn't peed yet, so i let her out in the backyard so she could do that. i noticed she has a weird habit of always wanting to take a toy outside with her. when i got her back inside, she seemed like she wanted to go out again. when i got back to the cafe and told my sister, she said it's because she hadn't poop yet today. so i went back to my sister's place and let esmei out for a second time. i put her in one of the raised beds and she pooped soon after that.

i bought a bunch of russet potatoes not realizing my mother did the same over the weekend. i got them to make french fries the next time my father takes out the deep fryer. so instead today i made some fries using the rotisserie basket feature of our sur la table air fryer. i couldn't find the basket that came with our original air fryer, so i ended up getting the spare basket from the backup fryer. i used it before when we first got it last year just to try it out by making some sweet potato fries. it must not have been a hit because i haven't made it since.

i sliced up 3 potatoes into finger thick strips, didn't even bother peeling them for that rustic style. it took 20 minutes to cook at 400 degrees using the convenient "fries" preset button. it was fun watching the basket slowly spin inside the oven. the resulting fries were okay, but more soggy and dry instead of crispy. that's why air fryer fries can never beat oil fryer fries. air fries might be healthier, but it can never replicate the taste of real fried foods.

we couldn't close at 4pm because a customer came in looking at the menu. we were all waiting for him to order while he was taking his time, but eventually left without ordering. we were just happy he was gone so we could finally close the cafe. after throwing out the garbage and putting away some foods in the freezer, we left.

i got to my parents' place around 4:30pm. my father started making dinner an hour later. we were having spicy sour lousifen noodles. my father yelled at my mother who came in and started dumping sauce packets into the various bowls, disregarding the carefully choreographed cooking process. the final result was pretty good - spicy, sour, smelly, salty, savory - i finished my bowl of noodles down to just a few sips of soup left.

i left soon afterwards, headed home to watch the celtics-nets game which didn't start until 8pm. the city of cambridge had finally finished paving the stretch of huron avenue they stripped a few weeks ago. they still need to paint the lines. the new road surface looks so smooth i was almost afraid of slipping on it.

i thought the nets would be a pushover with no stars on their team, but they played tough against the celtics, and it was a competitive game throughout, no resting of the entire starting roster in the 4th quarter like their previous game. it was a good game to watch because it was a real battle and because the celtics won in the end. they extend their winning streak to 5-0, and are currently the only undefeated team in the NBA, since the mavericks lost last night to the nuggets. next game is monday against the timberwolves in minnesota, followed by a match with the 76ers in philadelphia.