http://no-carrots-please.blogspot.com/
I don't know about other cities, but Boston restaurants are just carraazyy about pigs! Every part of the pig! I'm seeing pig cheeks, half pig head, pigs tail, pork belly (yum), and cured pork fatback on menus!
Check out these articles:
- Snout to tail is the route chefs are taking with pigs these days - Boston.com
- 5 courses with Phillip Tang of North by Northeast - Stuff Magazine
This post would be a lot more interesting if I had a picture of me eating a pig. But I will tell you that I ate a lamb heart sausage at Craigie on Main for our Valentine's Day dinner. Eating heart! Sooo romantic!
What's the craziest animal part you've ever eaten?
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Saturday, February 27, 2010
yul kwon
Cyrus and I went to a Harvard event tonight where this guy was the keynote speaker! It was a lot more substantial than this video might suggest. :)
little accomplishments
http://no-carrots-please.blogspot.com/
Nine hours later, that cup of regular coffee (I only drank 2/3 of it!) has got me feeling all kinds of funny inside! The inside of my hands feel empty and it feels like there's a hole in the back of my head letting out all of the brainy parts. I think a decaf would have been enough to keep me alert today... :)
Anyway, the retreat was fantastic! I did wish Cyrus were there, but in some ways I was thankful that I had some time to reflect on some things on my own before discussing them with Cyrus. It was pretty great, and a surprisingly unique experience, talking to other married couples and sharing stories and fears and lessons learned. I hope that we have more opportunities like this!
I'll preface this next part by saying that I often congratulate myself on the tiniest little things I've accomplished ("I cleaned the bathroom!" "I didn't spill the flour!"), and so this is one of these things. I was pretty proud that I was able to go to on this couples and families retreat on my own, with a church that I'd only been going to for four months. Of course, it helped that a lot of people in this community have been making a lot of effort to reach out to me and be kind to me, so I can't attribute everything to sheer courage and personableness (new discovery: personability isn't a word!) on my part. But still, high school Ina would've been terrified and would've shuddered in fear when faced with a situation like this. So it's always really rewarding to see how much I've changed in the past (gasp!) 10 years.
Anyway, thanks CCFC for a great retreat!
I think I might be embarrassed about this post in about 10 minutes...
Nine hours later, that cup of regular coffee (I only drank 2/3 of it!) has got me feeling all kinds of funny inside! The inside of my hands feel empty and it feels like there's a hole in the back of my head letting out all of the brainy parts. I think a decaf would have been enough to keep me alert today... :)
Anyway, the retreat was fantastic! I did wish Cyrus were there, but in some ways I was thankful that I had some time to reflect on some things on my own before discussing them with Cyrus. It was pretty great, and a surprisingly unique experience, talking to other married couples and sharing stories and fears and lessons learned. I hope that we have more opportunities like this!
I'll preface this next part by saying that I often congratulate myself on the tiniest little things I've accomplished ("I cleaned the bathroom!" "I didn't spill the flour!"), and so this is one of these things. I was pretty proud that I was able to go to on this couples and families retreat on my own, with a church that I'd only been going to for four months. Of course, it helped that a lot of people in this community have been making a lot of effort to reach out to me and be kind to me, so I can't attribute everything to sheer courage and personableness (new discovery: personability isn't a word!) on my part. But still, high school Ina would've been terrified and would've shuddered in fear when faced with a situation like this. So it's always really rewarding to see how much I've changed in the past (gasp!) 10 years.
Anyway, thanks CCFC for a great retreat!
I think I might be embarrassed about this post in about 10 minutes...
couples retreat...alone
http://no-carrots-please.blogspot.com/
This morning I'm off to CCFC's family & couples retreat...by myself. Unfortunately, Cyrus is busy at a conference, so it's just me and myself. I love my new church and all the people, and I figure I have a lot to learn about marriage and family. So here I am taking yet another social risk and showing shy, high school Ina who's boss! Ha! Hiya!
The retreat is only seven hours long, so it probably won't be too bad. I have my annual cup of coffee to keep me going!
This morning I'm off to CCFC's family & couples retreat...by myself. Unfortunately, Cyrus is busy at a conference, so it's just me and myself. I love my new church and all the people, and I figure I have a lot to learn about marriage and family. So here I am taking yet another social risk and showing shy, high school Ina who's boss! Ha! Hiya!
The retreat is only seven hours long, so it probably won't be too bad. I have my annual cup of coffee to keep me going!
umami = flavor
http://no-carrots-please.blogspot.com/
Have you guys heard of the term umami in your restaurant review reading? I thought it was some kind of Japanese sauce that Craigie on Main was for some reason putting in their burger, but Wikipedia is telling me that it's just a Japanese term for...uh...flavor? To be more specific, it's neither sweet, sour, salty or bitter. It's umami. Other words like brothy, meaty, or savory are other incomplete synonyms of the word, and it's used to describe what gives the oomph in mushrooms, stocks, cheese and protein-heavy food. Interesting, huh? Maybe. But I still don't get it.
When I first realized it was a way to describe food, I first wondered if it had anything to do with the Korean term goo-soh-heh, which is used to describe things that taste rich or nutty, sesame oil possessing the quintessential goo-soh-hehness.
Shrug.
Ooh, here's an interesting NPR article about the discovery and science behind umami. I love NPR.
Have you guys heard of the term umami in your restaurant review reading? I thought it was some kind of Japanese sauce that Craigie on Main was for some reason putting in their burger, but Wikipedia is telling me that it's just a Japanese term for...uh...flavor? To be more specific, it's neither sweet, sour, salty or bitter. It's umami. Other words like brothy, meaty, or savory are other incomplete synonyms of the word, and it's used to describe what gives the oomph in mushrooms, stocks, cheese and protein-heavy food. Interesting, huh? Maybe. But I still don't get it.
When I first realized it was a way to describe food, I first wondered if it had anything to do with the Korean term goo-soh-heh, which is used to describe things that taste rich or nutty, sesame oil possessing the quintessential goo-soh-hehness.
Shrug.
Ooh, here's an interesting NPR article about the discovery and science behind umami. I love NPR.
Friday, February 26, 2010
tj's + ny = ?
http://no-carrots-please.blogspot.com/
I keep daydreaming about what it would be like for us to live in New York. I mean, I thought Cambridge was urban enough for us! To be honest, I think the most difficult things about leaving Boston to go to New York would be 1) leaving friends and community for the second time in a year and 2) waiting in line to get into the only Trader Joe's in Manhattan.
I've mentioned my love of TJ's in the past (...yesterday), and the Yelp reviews of Trader Joe's in East Village scare me! I did a search for the word "line," and it showed up 63 times in only 40 reviews! Not a good sign.
(Don't get me wrong - I really hope Cyrus gets this clerkship! He deserves it! If he gets the job, I'll have no problem packing up and leaving... it's just a little scary!)
So can anyone share some things about New York City that a couple homebodies like us might appreciate?
I keep daydreaming about what it would be like for us to live in New York. I mean, I thought Cambridge was urban enough for us! To be honest, I think the most difficult things about leaving Boston to go to New York would be 1) leaving friends and community for the second time in a year and 2) waiting in line to get into the only Trader Joe's in Manhattan.
I've mentioned my love of TJ's in the past (...yesterday), and the Yelp reviews of Trader Joe's in East Village scare me! I did a search for the word "line," and it showed up 63 times in only 40 reviews! Not a good sign.
(Don't get me wrong - I really hope Cyrus gets this clerkship! He deserves it! If he gets the job, I'll have no problem packing up and leaving... it's just a little scary!)
So can anyone share some things about New York City that a couple homebodies like us might appreciate?
cyrus's biggest interview evar
http://no-carrots-please.blogspot.com/
Cyrus just left the apartment to go to New York for his biggest interview ever - for a clerkship with a judge. This interview came as a total surprise and we were pretty much settled on staying in Boston for 2010-2011 until we got that phone call. And it totally (sarcasm) helps that New York was/is being hit by yet another snow storm.
What would it be like for the Chungs to live in New York? I think we'd be the only homebodies in a 10-mile radius. j/k?
Anyway, please pray for him and his safety!
Cyrus just left the apartment to go to New York for his biggest interview ever - for a clerkship with a judge. This interview came as a total surprise and we were pretty much settled on staying in Boston for 2010-2011 until we got that phone call. And it totally (sarcasm) helps that New York was/is being hit by yet another snow storm.
What would it be like for the Chungs to live in New York? I think we'd be the only homebodies in a 10-mile radius. j/k?
Anyway, please pray for him and his safety!
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Flowers at my wedding
Bridal bouquet:
Bridesmaid bouquet:
(She's holding both the bridal bouquet and her own.)
Bridesmaid bouquet:
(She's holding both the bridal bouquet and her own.)
favorite trader joe's items
To balance the negativity of the last post, I thought I'd tell you about some things that I love! Inspired by this Yelp talk thread, I want to share my favorite items at my absolute favorite grocery store of all time: Trader Joe's. I only started shopping there a few years ago, and now I don't know how I'll ever live without it! The prospect of living in New York scares me, mostly because I hear there's only one Trader Joe's in Manhattan. o_O
So here's what you'll usually find in my shopping cart when I'm at TJ's.
(Wish I had some pictures.)
So here's what you'll usually find in my shopping cart when I'm at TJ's.
(Wish I had some pictures.)
Portobello mushroom ravioli. This is always a treat for us because it's so easy to make, and the filling is the perfect amount of creamy (from the provolone, I think). One package is exactly enough for Cyrus and Ina (3/5 of the package go to Cyrus, 2/5 to Ina). Perfect drizzled with olive oil and topped with some Parmesan. No sauce necessary!Do I have any readers already? If so, do you guys have any favorite TJ's products you wanna share? :)
Frozen hash browns. This stuff is amazing. I used to stick it in the toaster oven to cook it, but once I put it on the frying pan, I've never gone back. These hash browns are better than even your best memory of a McDonald's hash brown. We usually complement our meager cereal breakfasts with this little delight.
Mushroom risotto (frozen and dry). I only saw the frozen package at first, and it's super easy to make, and it's ready in 5-10 minutes, but there are only two (real) servings. Then I found an almost identical product in the dry pasta section. The rice here comes raw (?) and completely uncooked. So you have to do the whole sauteeing of the rice and wait for it to plump up when you add broth, but the dry risotto is cheaper than the frozen and has more servings. Yum!
"Rich and creamy" vanilla and blueberry yogurt cups. I don't really like regular Yoplait that much, and Greek yogurt makes me dry heave. So I've found the richness and creaminess of these cute little yogurt cups just perfect.
Gala apple juice. This is 64 oz. of unfiltered apple juice. What are the ingredients? "Unfiltered apple juice." Period.
Frozen chicken tikka masala. I only recently discovered this. Pretty darn good. I don't know a lot about Indian food, but I've had this dish a lot. Once it's heated up, it's actually pretty hard to tell if it's different from what you might find at a decent Indian buffet.
i hate carrots
I hate carrots. I tried to figure out if it's because of the taste or texture or what, but I think it's just everything about the carrot.
The texture is just disgusting. It crumbles in your mouth and then there are just dry bits floating around and you have to catch them with your teeth to chew them in order for them to go down smoothly. It's like swallowing a bunch of pills!
It tastes like the color orange. When you look at the color orange, and imagine what kind of bad taste might come out of it, you get carrots.
They've always been my nemesis because I've had horrible vision since preschool, and the one food that's supposed to help me with it I found absolutely repulsive.
So this is my blog. It's not going to be a food blog.
The texture is just disgusting. It crumbles in your mouth and then there are just dry bits floating around and you have to catch them with your teeth to chew them in order for them to go down smoothly. It's like swallowing a bunch of pills!
It tastes like the color orange. When you look at the color orange, and imagine what kind of bad taste might come out of it, you get carrots.
They've always been my nemesis because I've had horrible vision since preschool, and the one food that's supposed to help me with it I found absolutely repulsive.
So this is my blog. It's not going to be a food blog.
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