Taco Hell at Forty

A rotting tooth, a crumbling body, and a desperate journey to Taco Bell in Wuhan become the backdrop for a reflection on health, aging, and the quiet inevitability of decline.

One of my teeth is rotting. I broke it as a pre-teen, and for whatever reason it needed to be fixed only once. Then the fracture gradually started staining, and now things have gotten out of hand and the rot has set in.

I worried about it for a few days and considered whether I should go to a dentist here in China (some insurance) or next time I’m in Ca…