paper

sometimes my dad will tell me stories about his deprived childhood and they never fail to make me sad. today, though, i got a really funny one.

so i'm eating a delectable in-n-out cheeseburger w/onions because it finally registered that i was leaving for a month and i wouldn't have access to delicious burgers. not that i even have them that much, but the thought of not having it made me crave it. one stupid thing about being a human. but i digress.

i'm biting into this marvelous burger and i realize i've reached the part where the paper touches the burger and i've bitten into the paper. jokingly i ask my dad "have you ever eaten paper? i wonder what it does to you". and he replies, "of course i've eaten paper".

this is when i brace myself for a horrific discovery that my dad was so poor he had to eat paper to survive.

he said that he remembered hearing from some kids on the street that paper was alright to eat and wouldn't kill anyone. so, out of boredom and lack of snacks, they would just eat paper because it would put something in their growling stomachs. this is really sad, actually. but ridiculously funny at the same time.

"wait... so you guys just ate paper FOR FUN?"
"yes. we had nothing better to do"

hahahaha.

ok maybe it's not that funny. maybe i was in a really good mood after the barista offered me an extra shot in my latte. maybe i was too delirious after being in the hospital the entire waking day only to not get to witness the actual birth. maybe my emotions were going haywire from being emotionally wrapped in a book i finally finished. or maybe it's really really funny because my dad looks at it in such a lighthearted way and not a self-pitying way. whatever the case, it made the day that much better and that's all that matters.

in any case... helloooo china.