In this special segment of Room, we returned to the room of our very first subjects, College freshmen Lori White of St. Louis, Mo. and Hsiao-Ying Chin of Brooklyn, N.Y. (whose original interview appeared in the Sept. 20, 2001 issue of Street). We also invited past roomie, College sophomore Esther Hsu of Westchester, Pa. (interviewed Oct. 18, 2001), as well guests Engineering sophomore Ted Stein of Long Island, N.Y. and Engineering freshman Aaron Goldman of Great Neck, N. Y.
If you could characterize your room as a vegetable, what would it be?
Lori: A new vegetable? I was thinking a green pepper with parmesan cheese. No, mozzarella, because parmesan is not substantial enough.
Hsiao: It's stinky.
Esther: What do you think of swiss cheese, then?
Lori: Mozzarella is classier.
Hsiao: I don't like cheese. Asian. Lactose-intolerant.
Could you share some Asian cheese stories?
Hsiao: It's really hard to make the connection between stomach problems and the milk you had earlier.
Ted: Those stomach injuries are probably caused by lactose.
Describe the Retro Corner.
Lori: The Retro Corner has been an establishment for some time. You got the French [artist] -- who is it? I like his stuff but I don't know who it is. He's French. Then, the swing dancing. And the quintessential retro calender. Who doesn't have that? They're very "I'm in college, and I'm classy now." I guess the sink is retro because it's really old. The vintage sink.
Hsiao: Look at the rose. We tend to set [flowers] out, and then they die. My daffodils. I have been watering them all year. It looks kind of artsy now.
Do you think the inescapability of death is a common theme in your room?
Lori: Look at the colors. This isn't a "death" room.
Do you two have any questions for Esther? I want to engage the roomies in a dialogue.
Lori: I was going to ask you why your name is Astor.
Esther: It's from the Bible.
Lori: Kind of like Astor Place.
Esther: No, it's Esther.
Lori: Esther is such a cool retro name.
Ted, how do you feel about Philadelphia being the new capital of the Dirty South?
Ted: It is?
Lori: It is not the South.
Ted: I am not very experienced with the South.
Hsiao: Tell us about Garden City.
Ted: It's really nice. The houses are really nice. But you can't live there if you're Jewish because they're really anti-Semitic. So I decided that when I am older, instead of buying a house in Garden City, I am just going to buy Garden City. And make it so non-Jews can't live there. Reverse the trend.
Lori (a Methodist): Teddy, what about me?
Ted: You can live in the town over.
Lori: I can't live in Garden City?
Ted: I can't live in Garden City now. So I have to oppress other people.
Hsiao: Somebody's got to do it.
Lori: Somebody does not have to perpetuate the oppression. That's such a collegiate phrase: "perpetuate the oppression." I don't wanna talk about it.
What was the reaction to the original Room interview from the rest of [Lori and Hsiao's] hall?
Ted: I don't know if anyone noticed it.
If you could characterize this room as a location on your pants that's most likely to be ripped, where would it be?
(The crotch of Ted's pants have a large, gaping hole. Ted wears boxers, but it was quite erotic, nonetheless.)
Ted: Sorry. My leg got caught in the pants... (To Ryan,) how many photos are you gonna take of my crotch? And they just ripped.
Lori: This is Aaron. (Aaron enters the room.) Aaron Goldman from Long Island.
Aaron Goldman from Long Island. There must be like 27 of you. Do you ever look in the mirror and not realize which Aaron Goldman you are?
Aaron: I pretty much know which one I am.
(Two random guys walk into the room, leave a pornographic video on Lori's bed and leave.)
Lori: Not in my room.
Aaron: [Regarding the video,] I wasn't very entertained.
Esther: What's Girl Power?
Ted: Watch it and find out. There's really no other way to experience it.
Take it from the guy who has no crotch in his pants.
Ted: As a first impression, you really don't capture everything if you just look at my crotch... I am going to go sew my pants together.
