You eat chemical…
or “A Conversation with Mr Lee”
I had to go to the hospital yesterday to give my routine bi-monthly blood sample and just after I left my car broke down not 2 blocks from the hospital. I quickly pulled into a parking lot near a Subway shop and called the repair shop that I have done business with before. They gave me the number of a tow truck driver that they normally use, responsible and inexpensive was how they described him, so I ordered some food and called Mr Lee on my cell phone and gave him directions on how to find me and my broke down Buick. He had a thick Vietnamese accent but spoke english fairly well.
Mr Lee eventually arrived, a short stocky man maybe 50 ish, fat faced, with very squinty eyes. He loaded up my car onto the flatbed and we commented to each other about the weather and the heat and such, just small talk. I climbed in the cab and we started on the 40 minute trip to the repair shop near my home and he was in a very talkative mood. He eventually noticed the bandage around my arm and asked what was wrong, I told him briefly about my liver transplant and that I had to go frequently for blood tests, and that was all he needed to launch into his description of what was wrong with people today.
Mr Lee “I have problem too, my doctor say I have high blood pressure, and they no want me to drink beer, but I tell him no, I will drink beer anyway, If I can’t have the beer, then that’s no living, I don’t care.” he said. “I drink the beer.”
“I work 10 hour day, I go home, I want drink beer, I don’t drink the whiskey or the cognac or the vodka, just a beer… well sometimes a few beer , you know?” “If I can’t have the beer then who wants to live without the beer.”
“My family try to tell me, no beer! But I drink the beer anyway, sometimes I even drink it in morning, sometimes at lunch. I like the beer.” he continued.
So far I have just been agreeing with him, I mean, who am I to tell him that drinking beer is wrong, I like beer myself. He fell silent for a few minutes and I could see that he was thinking… and then…
“The problem for all people is the chemical, everything you eat, every air you breath is chemical, all people are sick from chemical. There is just too much chemical.”
“I have a cousin in Mississippi that have big chicken farm and they give the chicken chemical, the baby chicken is full grown after only 4 months from the chemical they give it. You eat the chicken… you eat chemical.” He went on.
“That is the problem for everyone, too much chemical. The chemical make you sick, everyone is sick from the chemical.” Then he was silent again for a couple of minutes.
Then suddenly he bursts out with “you eat cow, you eat chemical!” Like it was a sudden revelation. I laughed to myself and agreed with a nod and a smile. Mr Lee was being very entertaining and I was really enjoying hearing what he had to say.
Then he added “You eat bread, you eat chemical, you watch old movie with Moses and they bake the bread and in two days the bread is no good and they have to bake more. But they bake it without the chemical! Now you go buy Bunny Bread and it last two weeks! Too much chemical, you cannot eat anything without the chemical inside.”
He then goes on to describe how he has his own small vegetable garden at his house and he doesn’t use any chemicals to make it grow. And that he loves to drink his beer! No one can make him stop drinking the beer, he proclaimed loudly. The conversation slowly turned toward human mortality and the risk of dying in all kinds of situations.
I told him about the 2 times I came fairly close to being blown up in terrorist attacks in Scotland and England and then he told me about the time when he was driving a tow truck in San Francisco in 1989 and that he was on the very freeway that collapsed in the big earthquake that year. He was stranded on one of the decks and had to wait for rescue and narrowly missed being crushed by broken sections of the highway that had pancaked down on to lower levels. As we pulled up to the repair shop,we congratulated each other on being survivors.
I paid the $55 towing fee and we parted ways, I felt that I had gotten a good deal more for my money than just having my car towed. Talking to Mr Lee was definitely the high point of my day I thought, as I waved him goodbye.
| 
| 
| 
| 
| 
Should have told him, “You drink beer, you drink chemical” and to brew his own. Bet Mrs. Lee would have been pissed, but Mr. Lee would love drink the beer then!
He’s right…absolutely right. Our food is riddled with crap and I believe, as he does, that this is what causes so many of the problems we have.
…and he should have his beer. It makes him happy, damnit. LOL
mmm…I drink wine! I drink chemical!
I’m making chicken for dinner…I MAKE CHEMICAL!
awesome. I wish I had a Mr Lee of my very own
He has a point…
You eat chemicals, you drink chemicals. I eat chemical, I drink chemicals…We play together we could make chemicals go high very high ceiling high…you be happy and I be happy….so very happy we be less chemicals we have..
By the way, hugs kisses and love sweet one and please take care for you are damn special to me.
It is interesting, the people you don’t think will impact you at first meeting but end up leaving such an impression.
Sorry about your car, and I hope its not too expenseive to fix. But just think, if your car hadn’t broke down, you wouldn’t have met such a character. Bad thing, turned good.
Sounds like you got a good deal for $55 - a tow for your car and some excellent conversation. He’s right about the chemicals, you know.
Oh man I love Mr Lee. He sounds tremendous. I agree with him, I will drink beer anyway no matter what.
He’s completely right. There’s something wrong with chickens being ready to eat that fast. And when I look at the wrapper on bread and can’t pronounce things that are in it, that’s just wrong, too.
Good thing we have the beer to drink to compensate.
don’t even get me started about all the chemical….
you can’t eat/breathe/drink/live without an over abundance of it all.
blah.
Mr. Lee has got that right. No beer, no life. Blueberries are good, too.
I wanna party with mr lee! He’s so right, everything we eat is icky bad. I tried to grow my own this season… but only the tomatoes bore fruit… guess I’ll be eating tomatoes.
I seems like a great character to have shared an hour with. Don’t you love that? Random wise people who like to talk… they are my favorite!
The nickname for where I live?… the Chemical Valley. You may fish in the river but you don’t eat the fish. They glow in the dark and have six eyes. He’s definitely got a point. I use alcohol to sterilize myself.
I like that Mr. Lee fellow. Everyone who crosses our path does so for a reason I do believe. Some of them stay a lot longer and some are just very brief bright spots along the way. I think the key is to be open to the possibilities that each day offers. I like to drink beer too!
You should have bought him a beer, lol!
I have to agree with Mr. Lee he is so right, and a bit off, which of course ya gotta love that!!!!
That is cool that you found a fellow survivor albeit of different situations.
As it is, if we aren’t creamated ain’t non of us ever gonna rot. We all have a shelf life of like ten million years.
Smooshes bebe!!!!!:)
Great story!!!
I don’t care if beer is chemical It’s got to be cold and the bottles must be numerous(12 in the ice box and 24 on the garage’s shelf).
c(°-°)c indeed !!!
Pisser about the ol’ carriage breakin’ down! But I s’pose everything happens for a reason. And that reason was MR. LEE.
Chemical beer… mmm… beeeeer…
Chemicals can be a good thing, lol pass the beer.. Huggz
Mr. Lee has a point, in fact, we like to call frozen pizzas, Chemical Pizza. We had Chemical Pizza for dinner last night. I like beer too! Give me that Chemical Beer. I guess I’ll die young, but well preserved!
I agree with Mr. Lee too. I just ordered Fast Food Nation. I’m very interested in what goes into my food. I’d love to start eating all organic and growing my own garden and stuff. At any rate, it sounds like you had a very interesting and entertaining ride with Mr. Lee.
oh shit, too funny!!
I can’t stop imagining the guy in South Park - (you tore down my shitty wall - stupid Mongolians!!) LOL!
What a riot….
Even growing your own stuff or eating all organic isn’t chemical free….
…the pollution is sucked up by the rainclouds and deposited in your yard. Buying fertilizer is buying chemicals, ‘cuz they inject the cows with chemicals, right?
Yep, way to much chemicals, too much work, not enough money and beer.
i like the beer too.
Hey I want a beer. Nice cold Coors light.
You probably were a highlight of his day, too.
Great that everyone is so concerned about the chemicals, but how many people pay the triple the cost prices of organic carrots? Fact of the matter is that the non organic carrot section of my supermarket is twice the size of the the entire organic vegie section….
Oh and note to self… next time in NO keep an eye out for dui Mr. Lee and his 3 ton tow truck…
Great story man. He’s right, and we all know it.
I found my thrill
with chemical beer
oh the chemical beer
that I drink cold…..
I’ll pay the bill
if it’s chilly and cold
if I get my fill I’ll give you some dough
blueberry hill revisited…..