Why do Asians really get straight A's? - Project Gutenberg Consortia ...

willingly put my trust in her. She decides on a simple meal consisting of a few dishes: Bulgogi,
thin slices of barbecued beef sirloin in a marinate of special sauces, spices, and other
ingredients; Kimchi, fermented cabbage with various spicy seasonings; Chapchae, stir-fried
noodles in sesame oil with sliced beef and mixed vegetables; Bibimbap, warm white rice with
an egg on top of sautéed vegetables in cooked chili pepper paste; to drink, two bottled
mineral waters— and yes, this entire meal is actually simple! I decide to hold off on the
alcohol, since Asians are known to get flushed red in the face with just a mere sip. Trust me;
it's not pretty. But then again, maybe I should order a few beers so that Emilie can get drunk,
since women are much easier when they're drunk. And when I say easier, I don't necessarily
mean sexually— or maybe I do; don't kill me.
After eating our meal, we tour the rest of Koreatown Galleria. Emilie tells me that she
wants to check out a bookstore on the upper level, next to the balustrade of the food court
balcony. I think this is a great idea, since I need to catch up on my reading. Upon entering, I
see a multifarious selection of Korean magazines, newspapers, books— both soft and
hardcover— educational toys, and puzzle games. Emilie focuses her attention on the stack of
beauty magazines so I decide to peruse the literary section on the other side of the bookstore.
A few of the books draw my attention, but I consider saving the money instead and just
checking them out at the library tomorrow. All of the sudden, I feel a tap on my left shoulder. I
turn around to see Calliope, a classmate of mine from neurobiology at UCI, smiling and
holding a pile of books. Calliope— she's named after Homer's muse— is exceedingly beautiful,
almost as beautiful as Emilie, but of course, I'm partial to my lovely date, which I need be
careful since I don't want to get in trouble for talking to another attractive girl; we all know how
jealous girls can get. I've hung out with Calliope before, since we were lab partners for many
of our school assignments, and she's the typical Asian girl: smart, studious, academically
gifted— but without any common sense! She's got book smarts but lacks street smarts; in fact,
she wouldn't even know what street she's driving on if you asked her!
I once told her a joke: "What do you call a cow with no legs? — Ground beef," and she
looked at me discombobulated, confusion completely overwhelming her. Finally, she said,
"Why would ground beef have legs? It's already ground up!" I shook my head in
disappointment— and disapproval— and explained to her that a cow with no legs would fall to
the ground, thus, it would be called ground beef, like at the grocery store. Guess what? She
still didn't get it. That's what you get with so many Asian girls— and Asians guys as well. I'm