Sometimes, Movies Do Come True.

A friend of mine has recently become enamored of a little Eritrean joint at the corner of U Street and 16th called Selam Cafe. While I've discovered I don't love Eritrean food -- or at least Eritrean bread, which tastes like a very thin sponge but is meant to taste that way -- the bar itself is pretty funny, in a good way. It's a gritty little hole in the wall, never with more than 10 bar-goers presents at a time, & one night the bathroom light burned out so they set up a big flashlight as a substitute.

On Saturday nights, a guy called "The Yas" plays tunes at Selam, including Chingy's "Holiday Inn," which got a lot of laughs & singing along from yours truly, and plays all sorts of instruments, like a little one-man band. He plays the bongos, the xylophone & some other unidentified musical tools, & sets out a box of tambourines & maracas for others to jam along with, which you can bet I got a big kick out of. Who doesn't love a tambourine singalong?!

My favorite, though, was last night, when I realized that The Yas was playing the flute. That's right. THE YAS FLUTE. "Anchorman," anyone? Anyone? I died.