Me, myself and Thai

My sister and I went to Crispy Pork Gang & Grill in Thai Town. It gave me heartburn for the next three days, but it was worth it.

 

Lin and Cyn: The Project

Inspired by this blog and by conversations with my friend Linda (above, in one of her many odd poses), we’re going to record our eating budgets and share them on her blog. We’re not quite sure where this project is going but we like healthy, tasty, organic, environmentally-friendly and humane food despite being cheap individuals. We also hate waste and over-consumption, despite our occasional lust for stuff. But we’re trying to be more responsible world citizens.

 

Leftovers

I was in such a rush during my last few weeks in LA that I’m way behind in posts. So instead, leftovers:

Broken rice, or cơm tấm: imperfect bits that perfectly absorb all the flavors of fragrant, charbroiled meats.

 

Dad and Jerry

This photo has been hanging in my parents’ study for years but only became relevant to me this year. I don’t know about you, but after years of the Governator, I’m excited to see some real action in Sacramento.

There’s Jerry Brown and my dad, far right, at a Chinese banquet for a governor’s fundraiser in the late 1970s.

I miss those now-vintage 7Up bottles!

 

I love my friends, I love pizza parties

Photo: Linda Theung

 

Pretty drink

This one is from the Varnish and it’s called the Marie Antoinette. Check out the stainless steel straw!

 

Winter solstice soup dumplings

This has been one of the coldest and wettest winters in LA history.

Winter solstice was the on the 21st and because we don’t have Stonehenge or hippies in China, it’s Chinese tradition to celebrate the first day of winter by making and eating soup dumplings called “tang yurn” (which literally translates into “soup balls”).

They are nothing of the Shanghainese xiao long bao dumpling variety. It’s a very basic food made of rice flour and water, which is why even the poorest of people in China (or at least in Canton) will eat this on the coldest of nights. My dad said back in his village in China, daikon was the only other thing they had to put in the soup.

 

When life gives you Meyer lemons, you’re all set

Most of my life, when I wanted to experience this thing called “winter,” I would head to Big Bear or Tahoe and go see the snow for maybe a day or two then go home. That would be plenty of cold weather living to last me a year. It’s probably very nice when you’re a kid, but as an adult, real winters wreak havoc on your life in so many ways. So it was mostly the weather and the depressing grayness that had been blanketing Paris for the last few weeks before my departure that made me feel like it was really time to go.

 

Thanksgiving weekend report

I’m back in Southern California through the winter. For that, I’m thankful.

I’m feeling overwhelmed by food lately. I haven’t been wanting to eat so much lately, let alone write about it all the time. But here’s a quick rundown about the weekend anyway.

This was my family’s hugest feast yet — 50 guests, three tables of food. I’ll post a photo up in the near future.

My parents have been hosting Thanksgiving for a while now but it’s the kids who cook. We have a system. My brother cooks the proteins, my sister makes the desserts and I  make the sides. The guests end up bringing other things, including things from my cousin’s restaurant so we have Chinese food next to the turkey and the green bean casserole.

 

Am I in a Korean prison camp or just another bar?

Oh right, you probably wouldn’t find delicious seafood pancakes and Hyte beer at the former.