Murakami Redux

The Murakami exhibit kicks ass. How much ass? Enough ass for me to go a second time with my pal Perfecta. We had so much fun, and Perfecta loved the bright colors and happy flowers as much as I did.

The gift shop was great. When I went to the Murakami exhibit with tater and Jen, we failed to make it to the gift shop before it closed. Perfecta is a super shopper, and I was dejected about no gift shop fun last time, so there was no way we were missing it tonight!

Perfecta bought a beautiful Murakami coffee table book ($65), which seemed like the best deal in the store. Sadly, Murakami's gorgeous prints were all sold out. And the gigantic plush flower? $1000! (Please note the man in the background for size comparison.) Even this little flower held by Perfecta was about $100.

Perfecta bought me this little gift below. It's a glow-in-the-dark monkey-shaped zipper pull. (I snapped these iPhone pics while resting my gift on my Paul Frank robe.) Mr. Monkey tried it on his albino Paul Frank hoodie.

Long ago, Perfecta used to work in this area, so we went to an old haunt of hers, a small unassuming restaurant called Korean Kitchen Hibachi BBQ, nestled in the Japanese Village Plaza. Yes, we had Korean food while in Little Tokyo, but it was surprisingly good, and who am I to deny my dear friend a happy reminder of her past?

Panchan included kimchi, spinach, candied potatoes (particularly fantastic), and bean sprouts. I ordered galbi, of course. It sizzled. See all the smoke?

Perfecta had the chicken, which I didn't photograph, but I did snap a shot of her California roll after she was through with it. Not only did I laugh at those hollowed-out rice shells, the waitress did a double-take, as well. Perfecta would like it to be known that she loves rice and simply ate too much other rice (doused with her chicken's sauce), making her too full to eat the California roll in a normal person manner.

It should be noted that we didn't smell after our meal. Why? Because it was 10 below zero in the restaurant. We were freezing in there. It was colder in the restaurant than it was outside. We both kept our long wool coats on and were still shivering. In fact, it was so cold we could actually see our breath! Inside the restaurant! My head hurt a little after dinner. I think it was because of the extreme chill.

The frigid restaurant conditions notwithstanding, I had a lovely time with Perfecta. It was so wonderful to catch up. She is the kind of person who lights up a room and can make just about anybody smile. I am so lucky to have such a warm friend with even warmer seats in her X5.