Culture

Some questions require a yes and no answer. If a neighbor asks “Do you own the Irish terrier you take for a walk every evening?” to say no is not completely accurate, even if your husband or wife paid for the dog. A complaint by Ted Cruz would probably elicit such a response.

When Hina said “Black people look so great and stylish,” her black ancestors would have praised her for her acceptance and love of black culture. But Hina is not black: She is Japanese, a Japanese b-girl. And because the praise comes from a foreign source, it makes the compliment more glorious than the truth it proclaims.

On August 23, 2013, Ben’s Chili Bowl, a living monument to black restaurant success in Washington, D.C., celebrated its 55th anniversary. So what! True, if bricks were jewels, pearls, diamonds, rubies, emeralds and topaz would adorn the building that houses Ben’s on U Street Northwest.