American breakfast at a Chinese restaurant

My dad was a great storyteller, However, he had a finite number of stories, most of them about his Navy years. Over time, the family got to hear them many times over. It still was great to see him with a new audience.

One of his stories was about being in pre-revolutionary China as a young sailor. They'd have shore leave and go somewhere for an American breakfast. Dad would order ham and eggs. The Chinese waiter would say, No ham and eggs. Dad: Do you have ham? Waiter: Yes. Dad: Do you have eggs? Waiter: Yes. Dad: Then I'd like ham and eggs. Waiter: No have ham and eggs. At which point Dad would roar like this was the funniest moment in his life.

This came to mind as we had breakfast at a favorite spot, a Chinese restaurant across from Jesuit High School, which has a big American Breakfast sign out front.