Christmas Shopping Part III: David Chang kicks off 2009 at 92Y.

(She better not work at The New York Times is all we're saying. But whatever.)

So many of our Januarys have begun with tickets that go completely to waste for talks at 92Y or the Times Arts & Leisure Weekend. (Our biggest regrets are missing George Plimpton read the letters of Fitzgerald and receiving tickets to see Kara Walker in a discussion after selling a Kara Walker to buy something for the girl who gave us the tickets. Yes, just like that story.) So the odds may be against us going to any of these events, but one highlight stood out from the pack:

David Chang, mentioned in our previous post, Jennifer 8 Lee, not the Times woman from the previous post, who we last heard at Dumplings & Dynasties and Steven Shaw, whose publisher sent us a copy of Asian Dining Rules we're totally going to eventually read probably, are going to discuss the past, present and future of Asian dining in America. We almost missed the D&D conference as we stayed up all the night before, but aware of our track record we made a commitment to it and it was crammed with genius. And there were cookies! It's probably too much to hope for a compost cookie coffee break this time around, but it's bound to be much more casual and we're sure two tickets to this inside a box of pastry from Milk Bar is the first best rule in giving Asian dining gifts this Christmas, a niche market we know.

The Asian Dining Rules discussion is at 92Y January 11th. A Chat with the Zagats is March 1oth. Tickets to both events are $27 each. A dinner-tour at Blue Hill at Stone Barns is May 31st. Tickets are $195.