Reuniting with an old, young friend
This is my friend Cody. He and his fiancé Madison were my gracious, beautiful, wonderful (insert more complimenting adjectives about them here because there can never and will never be enough) hosts in Portland for a weekend in early May 2019. Cody and I met in the seventh grade — I was the new kid at school, and he was my first friend.
(Here’s Cody climbing a tree. Neither of us remember why he was up there, but it made for some fun photos.)
This is their dog Hannibal, or “Hanny.” He’s kind of intimidating but not actually — more so the epitome of a teddy bear in dog form. The first time we met, I don’t think he barked [a lot], but he definitely climbed onto me and left some scratch marks. It’s okay — I can take the pain!
Hanny doesn’t realize how big he is, though; whether it was the couch or the air mattress I slept on, he always seemed to find room. Cody and Madison also have another dog, Nova, whose cuteness is measured by how far she pins her ears back and stares at you with eyes that I assume the term “puppy eyes” derived from.
For whatever reason, I didn’t think to get any photos of her. IDIOT!
We saw a lot of nature. It was really “wholesome,” for lack of a better term. I don’t think 13-year-old me (…that was 12 years ago) would ever have thought I would prefer a stroll through the park while taking pictures of trees over staying inside and playing World of Warcraft.
Seeing colors on trees was nice for a change, too (I may have bumped up the vibrancy just a bit). In Florida (Cody and Madison can attest to this), trees are some combination of shades of brown or green basically all year round. The timing of my visit was great, too, as Cody and Madison both were quick to note the weather was exceptionally nice for a change.
I thought Cody looked like a James Bond villain here. His facial expression and the watch probably made me think that (but mostly his face). When I come up with a name, I’ll update this post.
UPDATE: Cody’s James Bond villain name is Mr. NEEE.
The backstory: Throughout high school, we used to attend a mock state-government convention called “Youth in Government” (YIG).
The YMCA hosted the event each year — though I don’t think I knew that until after I graduated (but, looking back, the overly restrictive rules and abundantly well-behaved nature of it all should’ve made it quite apparent) — and students from all over the state filled the Florida House of Representatives and Senate chambers, presenting their own bills that, if passed, would be sent to the real Florida governor (I believe Republican Charlie Crist, at the time) for legitimate consideration.
Anyway, there were over 100 students in this immaculate, grand room, so we were each given long, white placards with our first and last names on them spelled in all capital letters. Cody’s last name is “Neff,” so he took a sharpie (or a pen — I don’t know) and added an extra line at the bottom of his Fs, spelling “NEEE.”
Cody raised his placard to be called on to speak for the first time, and the presiding officer — or whatever the role of the person who selects speakers is called — chose Cody.
“Representative Neee, you have the floor,” the presiding officer said.
And Cody, completely straight-faced, stands up and says into his microphone, “Actually, it’s ‘Neff,’” and makes, with complete seriousness, his argument.
Moving on…
We drove around and saw a lot of the city, mostly from the car, which I had no complaints about. A quick side note: A huge thank you goes to Madison for driving us throughout the city!
We also ate so much f#@king food.
Literally, I returned to Florida a consistent seven pounds heavier after less than three days in Portland.
From fast-food joints local only to Portland (I didn’t actually get to try SuperDeluxe, but, next time — hehe…) and brunch places that serve fluffy cinnamon rolls and make-your-own pancakes, the city’s food scene has to be one of the best in the country (so far, I’ve only visited 10 states as an adult, including Florida and Oregon, so I can’t say definitively, yet).
Starting from the top-left:
1. A cinnamon roll from a brunch place that I can’t remember the name of — I finished all of it; though, I’m pretty sure I didn’t eat all of that whipped cream (not a big whipped-cream guy, to be honest). Anyone who knows me knows I love any dish that combines bread and cinnamon (I’ve considered going to the airport just to buy dessert from Cinnabon before; I never followed through, though).
2. A fried-chicken sandwich with coleslaw that’s usually stabbed through the middle with a big steak knife — Let me tell you: This sandwich was my first meal in Portland, and it was not-so-coincidentally my last, too. This one was my to-go order, hence the box. I took this photo in the airport, so that explains the lighting (but not the odd lens distortion). Trust me: It tasted way better than it looks in this photo.
3. Some fancy macaroni and cheese with pork grinds and cilantro (?) from a pasta place on the corner of a street (I really need to take down restaurant names next time…) — This is undoubtedly in my top-three meals from the trip. We sat outdoors with cars just several feet from us zooming by, but I was too busy delighting in non-Kraft mac-n-cheese to even care. Also, Cody and I drank cokes from glass bottles. BOUJEE!
4. My [failed] attempt at a make-your-own pancake with chocolate chips that clearly went horribly wrong — If I remember correctly, I tried to flip it too early. I still ate it up, though.
5. My [succesful] attempt at a make-your-own pancake with chocolate chips that obviously went way better — I was legitimately proud of pretty much all of my attempts after that first one. Cody and I had these on my last day.
We obviously had to have eaten more than this for me to have gained seven-plus pounds, but these were all that I took pictures of.
I’ll do better next time, sensei…
Our last evening together, we sat in Cody and Madison’s backyard. This place is the stuff of dreams: Where it lacks in relative size, it makes up it in trees — well, one tree in particular. Encircled by plants blooming with flowers and ripening persimmons, his backyard is overlooked by a guardian mega tree that seemed to touch the sky.
And all I thought to take a picture of was this bell — or light (most likely a light (yeah, definitely a light; why else would it have star holes? It wouldn’t be a very effective bell.)).
I took some pictures of Cody, too, going back to my portrait-photography roots.
And, before I knew it, my flight back to Orlando was departing.
Before this trip (and, perhaps, even after it), I felt self-conscious about taking photos of my food, taking photos of the plane window, for instance; I thought I’d be snickered at or judged for “trying to be an influencer.” The truth of the matter is that that is a goal of mine — at least in part. I want to travel the country, travel the world, experience new cultures on small and large scales and, of course, record those experiences with hopes of promoting a lifestyle that inspires others (I know; that’s super cliché) to live a life that will ultimately connect humanity beyond our city and state limits.
I remember I was taking a picture of, I believe, my pasta, and I was a little hesitant. I said something to the effect of, “Man, I feel like so many people are looking.”
Cody, without hesitation of his own, said something along the lines of, “It’s okay. Everyone does it nowadays, anyway.”
Whether he meant it beyond simply trying to make me feel better or not, whether or not he’s really seen an increase in people taking pictures of their food, it made me feel just a little more comfortable to where, for at least the rest of the trip, I didn’t think twice about it.
That didn’t come as a surprise to me. Since Day 1 of seventh grade, Cody was always that supportive, quintessential friend, even when we stopped hanging out or had any forgettable, minor dispute (those arguments were dismissive only because he was then and is now the kind of friend who never mistreated/mistreats his friends).
Though this less-than-three-day, early-May visit was, on paper, probably not worth the approximately $700 price, there’s virtually nothing that would stop me from doing it again.
By Victor Tan 
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