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The Satori of Flower Drum Song

Ever hear something so perfectly stated that it seems almost distilled and crystalline in character? So perfectly uttered in every way that it causes you to howl in agreement?

Alone at home yesterday, I slipped in my pirate DVD version of Flower Drum Song and watched my favorite guilty pleasure while utterly mesmerized... mesmerized that I had the time, solitude, and privacy to view one of the world's most politically incorrect, culturally insensitive, and terribly tacky musicals of all time. How guilty and giddy I felt simultaneously!

I love Flower Drum Song -- the original screen version, that is. Not the corny "new" version without all the corny references to Chinese food. Not the one without all the fabulous costumes dreamt up in some white person's Oriental Fantasy Land. No, I prefer the original in all is trashy glory. So there, I said it and I'll say it again. I love Flower Drum Song. It is my favorite musical stage show of all time.

Anyway, back to the story. There is moment in the film when Master Wang Chi Yang is observing a Chinatown New Year's parade when turns to his family and drolly says...

"I'm old enough to know now that by staying home, I don't miss anything."

In that instant, my twenties passed before me. Every boring moment I had spent at a bar, nightclub, or watering hole pursuing love or friendship was illuminated for being the colossal waste of time that it was. I don't know what it was, but a little bell rang in my head and I absolutely howled with laughter!

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