title: The Woman Who Ate CHINATOWN: A San Francisco Odyssey
author: Shirley Fong-Torres
description: The daughter of Chinese immigrants, Shirley Fong-Torres has operated Wok Wiz Chinatown Tours and Cooking Company since 1984 and conducts national and international culinary tours. She works as a chef, TV personality, and public speaker. She lives in San Francisco and Pacifica, California.
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  # A Piece of Red Calico
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ### Frank Stockton
  
  
  This page copyright © 2001 Munsey's.
  
  
  http://www.munseys.com
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Before beginning the relation of the following incidents, I wish to state that
  I am a young married man, doing business in a large city, in the suburbs of
  which I live.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  I was going into town the other morning, when my wife handed me a little piece
  of red calico, and asked me if I would have time, during the day, to buy her
  two yards and a half of calico like it. I assured her that it would be no
  trouble at all, and putting the piece of calico in my pocket, I took the train
  for the city.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  At lunch-time I stopped in at a large dry-goods store to attend to my wife's
  commission. I saw a well-dressed man walking the floor between the counters,
  where long lines of girls were waiting on much longer lines of customers, and
  asked him where I could see some red calico.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  "This way, sir," and he led 