It's Harvard's very own "Cheers," says Hsu, "where everybody knows your name." Hsu says the staff knows her standard order, soup. And her friends know to check the Hong Kong if they are trying to find her, she says.

But the "Cheers" comparison doesn't work for Ellenberg: "Cheers is pretentious," he says.

Even if the Kong isn't as pretentious as the famed bar, it still has its own Norms, Cliffs and Fraziers. "Andy's like the King of the Kong," explains Migdon's friend, Matt Pagano '92.

Migdon is such a frequent diner that the staff knows him by name, according to Pagano.

"I always get a table very quickly," Migdon agrees. Migdon's attendance at the Hong Kong "is sort of a seasonal thing. There are times when we come once, twice a week. Other times it's more like five or six times a week," he says.

Certain nights are more important than others in the Frequent Konger's weekly schedule. "Thursday night is key," says Migdon. "L.A. Law. A couple drinks. The Kong."

Monday nights are the low point in a Kong lover's week--the restaurant is closed. "Even Kong goers make the mistake. you say, 'Kong?' and you show up and see the sign that says it's closed on Mondays. It's a big faux pas," Migdon explains.

"It's usually a crisis when I realize it's a Monday," says Scocca. What, then, is a Kong regular to do on a Monday night?

"Suffer," says Ellenberg.

The Hong Kong eventually becomes an addiction for many of its fans. When regulars pull all-nighters, they have to allot quality Kong time, Voll says. "The Kong definitely hits you at your most vulnerable point. You're feeling sorry for yourself because it's late, and you start thinking, `what's one more hour?'" he says.

It all begins with take-out. and before students know it, it becomes a habit, Kongers say.

"The Hong Kong starts as a takeout liking, and becomes an addiction," says Vietzen. "Until you guys brought me here," he says, turning to his three friends, "I was going through withdrawal. Since spring break we've been here, what, zero times?"

For Hsu, her regular visits to the Kong "started turning into a joke, and then it became a duty."

"Yeah, for you," Scocca retorts. Scocca and Ellenberg say their Kong attendance is "not a duty, it's a reflex."

For some students, their intense relationship with the Kong affects their worldview. Voll says that he once saw a poster recruiting members for the Harvard Hong Kong Club, an organization for students from that city. Voll, who goes to the Kong three or four nights a week, says he felt left out and wondered, "why am I not a part of this?"