Reason #200 why Yilin is the best girlfriend ever.

Last night I went over to her apartment because she was making me dinner for my upcoming birthday and knew she might not have time on the actual day. So she is cooking away, and apparently had been for a while. The only task I was allowed to perform was opening the bottle of wine. She told me to watch TV while she cooked, so I flipped through the channels until I came across "Rush Hour 2". (Gotta love Jackie Chan.)

She informs me that dinner is ready, so we sit down at the table and begin an amazing meal. First course was an elegantly simple salad that was made with endives and arugula (and another green that I am unsure of; probably something standard that I just can't identify). The dressing was a red wine/balsamic vinegar and olive oil concoction with black pepper. Topping the salad were grated parmigiano reggiano and candied walnuts. She made the candied walnuts herself. Never have I seen anyone do that.

Then came a kick-ass main course: short ribs marinated in red wine and slow cooked over several hours. 'Delectable' barely describes this dish. The meat was falling off of the bones, and was so tender I could've eaten it with a spoon. Along side the ribs was a not-quite-mashed potato dish with plenty of garlic. Nothing complements meat quite like potatoes, that's for damn sure.

Once I had my fill of that, Yilin vanished into the kitchen to prepare dessert: an exploding dark chocolate cake with Haagen-Dazs vanilla ice cream. What can be better than a dark chocolate cake with a warm gooey center that contains not much other than chocolate and butter? Well, it is a rhetorical question, but here is the answer: Nothing, that's what.

That meal (and the fact that she washed all of the dishes herself and wouldn't let me help) was reason #199 why Yilin is the best girlfriend ever. Reason #200 is what she said afterward: "This is the first day of your birthday week. This week is all about you." That's right. I get a whole week of this kind of treatment. Let me tell you, I am going to take advantage of this situation. Why? Well, it wasn't specifically stated, but implied, that while this week is mine, the other 51 weeks are hers. Therefore I will take what I can get while the taking is good...