It's the Year of the Dog—The lunar New Year is on Sunday, Jan. 29, which marks the start of a new Chinese calendar year. Oh, yeah—dim sum city. Before you dive head-first into a pile a dan dan noodles, you can work up an appetite over at the Chinese Culture Center (427 Adams SE, 268-7023). They'll have their huge Chinese New Year celebration on Sunday from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. While you're there, stop by their astoundingly cheap Chinese-import gift shop for some "Dragon Pearl" green tea. More information about the center is available online at www.chineseculturecenter-abq.com.

A dude's gotta eat. And on Super Bowl Sunday, he's gotta eat like a feudal lord. Only there's no suckling pig in the cards for this Prince of the Gridiron. No, there's an unwritten code of the Super Bowl, to which all dudes must abide: Eat the stuff your mom never let you touch as a kid. Beer! Nitrate-laden meats! Marshmallow fluff, straight from the jar! Let it all hang out, bro. On today of all days, you truly are the man.

Wes Naman

Southwestern heart and Southern soul food

What are some of the differences between the South and the Southwest? Well, for starters, we here in the Southwest have tortillas, while Southerners have biscuits. They say "git on," and we say "you 'member?" But every once in a great while, South and Southwest both merge for the forces of good and produce a restaurant like Doc & Mz. V's Diner.

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