Ian and I have been regulars at Eastern Accents, the only Asian bakery in downtown Ann Arbor, and in my opinion, the best bakery in Ann Arbor, hands down. They serve Asian buns, sesame balls, moon cakes, and a host of European dessert delicacies. They have some of the best tiramisu I've ever had.

Ben and Carol are the proprietors, and have worked long and hard to make Eastern Accents the success that it is. They have a loyal and regular customer base. They hire the greatest young people to man the counter. These young people are worth getting to know, especially since you know they won't be around forever - they're still moving up in the world.

We've all watched Ben & Carol's daughter Emily grow up, and Ben & Carol have watched some of their customers' children grow up.

The table at the very back is the "family" table. It's not exactly reserved, but you'll often find some combination of Ben, Carol, Emily, the grandparents, and the master chef at that table.

The next two tables down are typically manned, on weekday mornings around 9 am, by Jim and Jerry, respectively. If one or the other is not there, you can bet that the missing one has called with a reason for his absence! Otherwise, we'd all worry. Jim is a 70+ year-old Scottish expatriate who still plays soccer and looks not a day over 60. Jerry is a lawyer, and has a great sense of humor.

They talk to each other, but I have never seen them sit together except for a very few times. They each have their own table, which is strewn with newspaper. If I arrive in the morning and see a stranger sitting at the "family" table, Jim's table, or Jerry's table, things don't seem quite right. Someone has unknowingly violated the natural order of things. Not really, of course, but it's fun to think so!