‘Where Did We Sit on the Bus?’ Continues at City Theatre; Sq. Hill’s Green Pepper Features Korean BBQ (Wed., 2/6/19)

It’s a long way from a foreign land to Chicagoland, and Brian Quijada does highlights of the trip in City Theatre’s ‘Where Did We Sit on the Bus?’ (photo courtesy of the artist)

1) Twenty-odd years ago, when Brian Quijada was in grade school, the teacher gave a history lesson that puzzled him. It was about civil rights activist Rosa Parks, who challenged the old Southern rule that made black people sit separate from whites on buses. Little Brian wanted to know What about us Latinos? Where did we sit? Today, Quijada is a theater artist. He’s won rave reviews in Chicago and New York for a one-man play inspired, he says, by that long-ago question. City Theatre brings Quijada to town for the Pittsburgh premiere of Where Did We Sit on the Bus?, an energetic mixture of seriocomic storytelling and live music. Quijada’s stories cover subjects ranging from his parents’ chaotic immigration from El Salvador, during the country’s civil war, to his own wrangling with issues of both ethnic and personal identity. He is also a one-man hip-hop band, skilled at live-looping, beatboxing, rapping, and singing—all of which figure prominently in Where Did We Sit on the Bus? Chicago’s Teatro Vista gave the show its world premiere in 2016. 1 p.m. Performances continue through February 24. City Theatre presents it at the Lester Hamburg Studio, 1300 Bingham St., South Side. (MV)

2) Don’t let the name fool you. Green Pepper serves much more than a single vegetable. In fact, this Korean restaurant has a very full menu. Its website describes “garlbee” (marinated beef ribs) as the “signature fine dining item in Korean cuisine,” and Green Pepper’s garlbee is no exception. Bring a date, and get the “sarm gyeob sarl,” which serves two people. If the BBQ-grilled Korean bacon, which you can hand-roll in lettuce, isn’t enough, the entree comes with fresh vegetables and soup. Most entrees hover around $15 with larger items, like the sarm gyeob sarl, costing more. BYOB or purchase alcohol, from Yuengling to wine to cold soju. For $5.61, BYOC (bring your own cake), and the restaurant will provide plates and silverware. You can also purchase slices of cake at Green Pepper from Sumi’s Cakery, another Squirrel Hill business. Screens playing KPop music videos offer something original in the way of background entertainment. Plus, two elegant, spacious rooms. This is more of a dinner spot, but it is open for lunch on weekends. 2020 Murray Ave., Squirrel Hill. (CM)

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