We've always said The Power of Half is about relationships, what our act of giving did for our family's togetherness and connectedness. But it never ceases to amaze us what happens when we get out there in the world. And last night in Pasadena was no exception; in fact it was exceptional. Yes, yes, I KNOW people are generous but everywhere we turned last night, we felt embraced.
First, Dave from Rebuilding Together, the organization that helps people stay in their homes through fix-up projects, stopped by to offer some RT shirts and a special one that he had made with John Lennon's "You may say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one..."
Then, Roberto, a longtime Hunger Project investor, came up to offer a bag of fresh oranges and lemons he had picked from his trees for us. California citrus straight from the trees. Just the smell had me at hello. Yum. (And a special thanks to Joanna Ryder for letting Hunger Project folks know about our West Coast swing!)
Lastly, my old buddy Paul Duke took us to the most authentic dumpling house I'd ever experienced. The Din Tai Fung Dumpling House in Arcadia is the real deal -- the California branch is the only one outside Asia (the others are in Taiwan, Indonesia, Korea, Singapore etc). The Juicy Pork Dumplings actually have a few drops of soup in them so they explode in your mouth!
At the end of the meal, Paul took his copy of The Power of Half from the bag, then sprung the surprise. "Sign it in soy sauce," he insisted. I put my pen away, Hannah picked up a chopstick and dipped it into the sauce. "You sure?" she asked. "Definitely, it will be the only copy of the book signed in sauce." Um, no doubt.
We signed: To Paul. A saucy guy.