Contributor: Doris Tuck
On Thursday evening, August 1, 2024, I received a Warmshowers message from Veronica Lee requesting an overnight stay in San Jose for Saturday and Sunday nights. I’m 88 years old, and by the afternoon, I’m often tired. It took me a while to consider her request. I spoke with my boyfriend of 48 years, Roger, and, as usual, he said, “It’s up to you, babe.” Initially, I was hesitant to take on anything extra, but I eventually thought, We don’t have anything else to do; it might be fun. So, I agreed and gave her my phone number.
When Veronica called later, I learned that there were four of them. Oof! We have two empty bedrooms—a double bed in one (sheesh, I’d have to clear off all the stuff I’d been piling up there) and a queen bed in the other. Wow. I had to rethink and recheck. But once again, I thought, What the heck. We don’t have anything else to do, and it might be fun.
“Well, gee, can all of you sleep together?” I asked. “We have only two bedrooms, and one of them is small with just a double bed.”
“Oh, yes, we can sleep together; that’s no problem,” she assured me.
The next morning, she called again and asked if they could come Friday night instead of Saturday. Wow. Another adjustment. Still, I thought, Why not? That’s when I learned more about the group: two women and two men.
Veronica, the leader, is a 28-year-old graduate student at a university in Seoul, and the others are undergraduates. Morrie, the other woman, is 22 years old, while Daniel and Mark, the two men, are 21 and 20, respectively. (Incidentally, my two oldest sons are also named Daniel and Mark.) They had spent the last two nights in San Francisco and planned to ride down to San Jose on Friday. I expected their journey would take most of the day, so I decided to prepare dinner for them. They would likely be tired and hungry after a full day of cycling.
I’m getting pretty good at hacking Trader Joe’s frozen entrees and turning them into decent meals. For this dinner, I used their frozen chili and cheese tamales. I microwaved them briefly, then whipped up a batter with eggs, yogurt, Trader Joe’s chili corn salsa, and jalapeño sauce. I added besan (garbanzo bean flour), almond flour, and a few extra spices, then baked it all into a bread-like casserole.
To accompany the tamales, I sliced a large cantaloupe and enhanced two bags of salad with apple chunks, chopped onion, dried cranberries, sliced almonds, and walnut bits. It was a pretty tasty spread.
I underestimated their hunger. They scraped the baking dishes clean and looked around for more. Taking the hint, I offered creamed tuna over toast or rice—a quick and easy fallback for when we’re hungry, and I’m tired. Morrie’s eyes lit up at the suggestion, so I made two cans’ worth of tuna and toasted most of a loaf of bread. Again, they polished off every last bite.
Friday Night
The women shared the double bed, while the men crashed on top of the queen bed, face first, their feet dangling off the edge. I suppose all that cycling pumps up your metabolism—and exhaustion.
Saturday Morning
The next morning, we wanted to treat them to dosa. That’s when we realized both our cars could seat only five people comfortably—but not six. Roger decided to get creative and used his Subaru Impreza hatchback. Veronica, Morrie, and Roger took turns riding in the “hatch,” with instructions to keep their heads down to avoid attracting the attention of any curious police officers.
We went to Ulavacharu in Campbell, where the sambar isn’t too spicy for my taste. The cycling gang, however, happily devoured the chutneys I can’t handle. They seemed to thoroughly enjoy the experience.
That evening, they offered to cook dinner for us and insisted on buying rice, even though we already had plenty. Since I needed to replenish our frozen tamale supply, we all headed to Trader Joe’s.
Back home, Veronica and Morrie took charge in the kitchen. They cooked a pot of rice and used my two largest cast iron skillets to prepare a hearty portion of kimchi they had purchased Friday on their way down from the city. I contributed sliced watermelon, a quart of carrot juice, and some dhokla with chutney from a local spice house. Dinner was a hit. Even though I needed to add plain rice to my serving of kimchi, the meal was delicious, and everyone enjoyed it.
Sunday Morning
On Sunday morning, I suggested dim sum for breakfast. Our riders eagerly agreed. We went to Golden Sun Palace in Milpitas and had a delightful meal. Although the bill came to almost $100, the cyclists insisted on paying.
After breakfast, they packed up their gear, preparing to head over the mountain to Santa Cruz for a couple of nights before continuing down the coast to Los Angeles.
In Case You’re Wondering…
All four riders were using 29er bikes. However, the rear bike racks weren’t sturdy enough for the weight they carried. One rack arm broke, cutting the sidewall of a rear tire. Thankfully, they had spare tires, so they were able to continue their journey.
Farewell to the South Korean International Cycling Gang
It was a whirlwind weekend filled with good food, laughter, and shared stories. Hosting Veronica, Morrie, Daniel, and Mark was an unexpected but delightful adventure.