5 posts tagged “food”

Had my semi-farewell dinner at BLT Market last night, one week before I'm off for my 10 week internship in Washington, D.C.. I figured it would be a nice touch since the restaurant specializes in using fresh local produce.... anything to savor every last bit of New York. Where else would you spend an arm and a leg for a "country dining experience"? Only in New York. I haven't even left NYC yet and I'm already feeling sentimental!

The evening was great. One of the best soft-shell crab appetizer ever, with seasonal greens. Plus good food and extremely attentive service. The annoying tourist/banker crowds were actually bearable. But the icing on the cake was being a part of the Ritz - loved being greeted by hotel staff at every turn. Major points off for no lotion in the bathrooms, though.

The sad part came when my friend commented that DC is essentially NYC for ugly people. Oh man that was HARSH! I haven't really paid that much attention to how people ranked on the looker scale when I was in DC in April, but I definitely have noticed an obvious lack of individualized fashion. There were a lot of suits and they mostly fell within two categories: preppy or old. Although I felt very much at ease in DC, I did remember not encountering any head-turning situations. Nobody was chasing after the train in four-inch stiletto, no Japanese girls in babydoll dresses, no ghetto-fab girls in blinding bling-bling, and... well, basically a lot of nothing.

Well, maybe things will be better after I'm actually LIVING in DC. Or maybe perhaps the intern-crowd will be more interesting. I HOPE I HOPE I HOPE. That will be my goal this summer - In search of fashion and individuality in Washington, D.C.

What food or drink do you love when it's cold out?  (Recipes and recommendations, please!)

Shabu Shabu. You know it's perfect food for a winter's day when you can't see inside from the windows of the restaurant because it's all fogged up from the steam. Great night out with friends, each with a hot pot of delicious soup to ward off the cold, chilly evening. Almost makes you look forward to the bad weather days.

My favorite ingredients:

Soup base with Szechuan hot peppercorns
Thinly sliced lamb meat, Kobe beef is nice, too...
All sorts of veggies: spinach, bak choi, Chinese cabbage
Fish balls, meat balls, cuttlefish balls, heh heh
Dumplings, fish cakes, eggs, frozen tofu,
Shitaki mushrooms and enokitake mushrooms
Vermicelli noodles
Sauces: lemon soy sauce, hot chili sauce, sha cha sauce, w/ scallions, garlic, Jalapenos 

Of course, with a side plate of ice cold slithering sashimi just for a contrast of palate
And a shot of soju.

Everyone tells me that he is bad for me. They say that his sweetness is really poison, and his companionship, an illusion fabricated by my own inner demons. They say that he has led me astray, that my utter dependence on him surrenders my will and corrupts the very essence of my body and my soul.

 

But he has given me so much joy. His scent alone drives me mad with desire. When he is next to me, I just close my eyes and it’s Christmas Eve, I’m wrapped in a soft blanket with a glass of warm milk next to the crackling fire of prickly pines. When we consummate, his warmth lights me up from the inside; the ingestion fills my core and makes me feel so happy to be alive.

 

Yet, he is also the source of my self-loathing. He has made me do things I should not, and promised to never, do. Sure, when I give in I am pumped with endorphins and ecstasy. But afterwards, I hide in the bathroom and just want to bleed. The debasement has chipped away my pride, my dignity, and cast me in the shadow of self-doubt and shame.

 

I have completely lost control. This has to stop. How can I let it do this to me?

 

Last week, I finally ended the roller-coaster ride.

 

It’s been 9 days since I had my last chocolate chip cookie. 

I exchanged DNA with three individuals today: two girls and a guy. It was definitely an erotic experience. For two hours we thouorghly exhausted all of our five senses, and I was quite satiated at the end. But we didn't use any protection, and now I am beginning to feel some regret and worry. I mean, how much do I really know these people?

Doing dimsum is definitely one of the most exhilarating experiences. Talk about food porn. You scout it, you covet it, you hunt it down and you devour it. Then you get more. On top of that, you do it as a group. It's like having one big food orgy fest. But in this day and age, when there are so many infectious diseases going around, everytime I share a Chinese meal with friends where we all dip our chopsticks into the same dishes, I always ponder.... how much do I really trust their personal lives to share saliva with them?

Of all Chinese food, dimsum is the WORST because there are so many small dishes. Usually in a typical Chinese meal you have a master utensil for each dish. But when you are doing dimsum, you have like 20-30 little tapas coming and going from your table. If you ask for a master utensil for each one, the waiters will KILL YOU (or spit in your food, same thing). Talk about social pressure.

There is essentially a base system to having dimsum, just like the path toward sex. So before committing to a dimsum restaurant, I recommend knowing what you are getting yourself into. Because there is no turning back.

The Three Bases of DimSum:

1. First Base: Egg tarts, sesame buns, or dumplings. Any individually contained unit of food is a casual encounter. Yeah, your chopsticks might touch as you wrestle for that last piece of crystal shrimp dumpling, but it's just flirting and no harm done.
2. Second Base: Pork spare ribs, sticky rice in lotus leaf, bbq chicken feet, turnip cakes. Your chopsticks, my chopsticks, it's getting intimate and exploratory, but we really haven't crossed that threshold yet. It's a sensual exchange, but portions are still relatively clean.
   
3. Third Base: Sweet tofu soup, thousand year old egg porridge, mango pudding. Dirty, wet, and sloppy. We are going all the way. The waiter is sick of giving us extra bowls and we are just going to stick all our spoons in there. Yeah, there are going to be a few awkward moments and a few hesitations, but your stomach has completely taken over your brain, and the only desire is instant gratification.

Then afterwards, when I wake up from the food coma, the worry kicks in. My God I wish my friends live a clean and healthy lifestyle and I hope I don't catch anything. I just got tons of bloodwork done for my job so I know it's not me!!!!

PS: Thx for all your comments^_^ Sweet lotus seed paste buns for everyone!