All posts in: Food

29 Jan 2021

This Weekend:

What We’re Watching: BLACKPINK: The Show

This was a completely last minute decision, but then I remembered that we’re still in a pandemic and what else are we doing Saturday evening? BLACKPINK was the K-pop girl group of my summer! We were more enthused about “How You Like That” than “Ice Cream,” but wasn’t everyone? Having only seen BTS’ online concert, I’m looking forward to another comparison point and a show at a reasonable hour.

What We’re Listening To: The Head and the Heart’s Live Concert at Pike Place Market on Amazon Prime

Okay so I’m cheating because this is sort of what I was watching, but also listening! Somehow, this got me feeling so emotional. Is it obvious that we’re homesick? I remember feeling such FOMO watching my friends down at the market for this set and knowing if I had been in Seattle that I would’ve been there since the morning finding the best spot in the crowd. If you’re looking for an easy watch, I highly recommend.

What We’re Wearing: The Flavr Blue sweatshirt

It has been so cold this week and with on and off rainy/stormy days, I’ve basically been living in cozy wear. This is one of my favorite sweatshirts of all time from a band I previously loved in Seattle. I love wearing this bright blue hue and in an oversize so that it can be paired easily with my leggings. Unfortunately, it’s sold out in their merch store, but luckily for me, this is one sweatshirt I’m never letting go.

What We’re Eating: Macadons

Lunar New Year came a little bit early to us in the form of these darling macarons! After having such a positive experience with [Macadons‘] BTS version, I really wanted to treat myself to another gift set. The flavors come in red bean, egg tart, and white rabbit (my favorite!) We’ll be snacking on these all weekend! Also we’re keeping up with the Seattle theme because Macadons is a Seattle-based bakery!

17 Jan 2021

Recipe to Try: Extra Petite’s Garlic Noodles

What kind of person would I be if I didn’t master at least one recipe during the pandemic? It’s hard to believe that just 10 months ago, I was a woman living in the city with an empty pantry and a refrigerator that was always 30% full. After I returned from Thailand and understood that shelter-in-place was right around the corner, I guess you could say I went into panic mode. Since March, my kitchen has completely transformed. Like riding a bicycle, I was able to quickly figure out a few recipes that I could rotate through on a weekly basis. Since noodles are often my carb of choice, I needed something that was fast, easy, and incorporated whatever I already had at home.

My hope someday is that I’ll be able to share with you all some of my favorite personal recipes, but for now, we’re going to lean on Jean Wang of [Extra Petite] I hope you’ll all love this recipe and be as addicted as I am for her [garlic noodles].

17 Jan 2021

Blog Roundup

  • The Kamala Harris Vogue Cover Has Issues [Refinery29]
  • The Grammy Awards Have Been Postponed [Nylon]
  • The Unlikely Connection Between Wellness Influencers and Pro-Trump Rioters [Cosmopolitan]
  • A Reservation for Insurrection [Intelligencer]
  • 10 Things You Never Knew About IKEA [Cool Material]
Spencer Platt | Getty Images
  • The Best Sandwich in Every State [Food & Wine]
  • Governor’s Ball 2021 Announced For September [The Fader] honestly how
  • Why Do I Spend Weeks Avoiding Tasks That Will Take Me 10 Minutes To Do? [VICE]
  • You Know Awkwafina, But Have You Met Nora Lum? [Harper’s Bazaar]
  • How Instant Ramen Became An Instant Success [Business Insider]
  • How TikTok’s ‘For You’ Algorithm Works [Wired]
  • Netflix Promises At Least One New Movie Every Week in 2021 [The Verge]
  • Yelp Will Display How Well A Restaurant Is Observing COVID-19 Guidelines [Eater]
  • Ariel Pink Goes On Tucker Carlson [The Fader] And no, we don’t feel bad for the guy at all.

16 Jan 2021

This Weekend:

What We’re Watching: Bling Empire (Netflix)

At some point, we’re going to have to address how we feel about Asians being portrayed in shows like this. We tolerated House of Ho, but one episode into Bling Empire and I’m already finding it’s a lot less cringe-y. Actually, it is more comparable to Selling Sunset, which people (myself included) seemed to love on Netflix. In the first episode of Bling Empire, we get to know the players and the competitive drama between Anna and Christine. It’s wildly childish, but it’s not my life so I find it highly entertaining!

What We’re Listening To: Death Cab For Cutie – The Georgia EP

Death Cab has always been a constant in my life since I was young so we’ll never miss any kind of release from them. The E.P. itself is short and sweet, but we’ll take what we can get in this pandemic. My favorite tracks so far seem to be “Flirted With You All My Life” and “Metal Heart.” There’s a charming cover of TLC’s “Waterfalls” included that I also think is worth a listen.

What We’re Wearing: Hunter Rain Boots

We were in muddier areas this past week and it was the perfect excuse to slip these on. When I was living in Seattle, this was considered a staple. I haven’t had much use for them in California, but I knew I couldn’t leave them behind. Not only are they perfect for rainy days, which may actually be leaving us as we inch closer to spring, but these will protect you in any smaller streams that you may cross. Those occurrences are rare, but this actually happened this week!

What We’re Eating: Crab Arancini

I was craving pizza earlier this week and have a weakness for Beretta’s Margherita Burrata. It pairs perfectly with their crab arancini that they have as an appetizer so I added this to my order as well. It’s the perfect snack, but I’d happily and easily turn this into a meal. They also serve it with a sauce that reminds me of a sriracha mayo that I honestly need to just have on hand in my kitchen at all times.

09 Jan 2021

McDonald’s Japan Has Healthier Happy Meals

https://youtu.be/MDaJhkqUwK0

Growing up, there was no such thing as a healthier Happy Meal from McDonald’s. In fact, healthier eating for young children wasn’t as prioritized back then as it is now so it’s kind of refreshing to see such a change. In order to promote healthier eating with kids, McDonald’s in Japan is introducing new side offerings including yogurt, a side salad and a medley of corn and edamame. Yum! We’d take this option as an adult if we had the choice. The main dishes themselves will not change, but if you’re a kid not wanting fries, at least you have options.

[Source]

04 Jan 2021

Bay Area Eats: Dad’s Luncheonette

When the pandemic first hit, I was a little scared to travel farther distances. Luckily for us, I’ll likely never hit my cap of Bay Area spots to see. One of my favorite spots is a place less than an hour away and it has some of the best views. I’ve been known to flee to Half Moon Bay when I’m looking for some quiet, peace, and space when I feel stuffed up in the city. There also happens to be an amazing spot for sandwiches that I heard people raving about for years, but never tried myself until the pandemic.

[Dad’s Luncheonette] doesn’t boast a large menu, but what they have won’t disappoint you. Our first time there, Kevin and I got really excited and practically tried one of everything. If you have to make some choices though, get the Hamburger Sandwich, Mac & Cheese and always ask about the soup of the week and sweet of the week!

Currently, they’re on their winter closure, but will re-open later on this month!

04 Jan 2021

Blog Roundup

  • The Astonishing Duality of BTS [The Atlantic]
  • How the Pandemic is Forcing Women Out of the Workforce [Vox]
  • The 10 Most Popular Recipes of 2020 [Bon Appetit]
  • 5 Small Changes to Make for a Happier New Year [The Every Girl]
  • Remembering the Startups We Lost in 2020 [TechCrunch]
  • Money Lessons From A Truly Terrible Year [The Cut]
03 Jan 2021

Bay Area Eats: ju-ni

Chirashi Bowl with rice

This is a [ju-ni] appreciation post! I owe so much gratitude to the team here for keeping me full and giving me the sushi fix I needed during the pandemic. With their demand pre-pandemic, I never had a chance to eat at their restaurant in person. Their new set-up, however has allowed me to eat there so many times that I’ve lost count. They were able to quickly pivot and accommodate customers with their signature Chirashi bowl and a number of other varied bowls during this time. As you can see below, we’ve tried most of them! Other sushi restaurants in the city tried a similar model; we tried those too. Overall, ju-ni was the place that I kept coming back to because they nailed it in quality, variety, and price.

Ikura, Salmon, Crab, and Uni over rice
Salmon over rice
Cherrywood Smoked Aburi King Salmon with Ikura over rice
Toro, Ikura, and Uni over rice
27 Dec 2020

This Weekend:

What We’re Watching: Love Life (HBO Max)

I’m a little late to the “Love Life” game, but decided to start this on Christmas. As much as I love Anna Kendrick for her work as an actress, I was surprised to find that her portrayal as Darby is wildly unlikeable. It was quite a struggle to get through the first two episodes, but after you get past that hurdle, it’s somewhat smooth sailing from there. What’s great about the series is that you feel like you’re sort of growing up with Darby. While she makes many mistakes early on, she learns from them. Part of why it’s so difficult to like Darby is because many of us watching her see ourselves. Therefore, watching the show is triggering because our mistakes are similar to the one’s she’s making herself. And with that, we’re already on episode 8 and can’t wait to see how this all unfolds.

What We’re Listening To: The Postal Service – Everything Will Change

I used to think that listening to live albums were never going to measure up to the real thing, but in a year like 2020, any and every type of music has the ability to bring someone comfort. We don’t have an option to be picky this year. We’ve talked about this a few times now, but early on in the pandemic, Ben Gibbard’s daily 4pm shows helped keep my spirits up in a time of uncertainty. Everything Will Change is a live album from their two-night performance at Berkeley’s Greek Theater back in 2014 brought back to life with it’s 2020 release. This is actually one of the few albums I have on vinyl and now I feel like I need this version as well.

What We’re Wearing: [The Drop Women’s Mirabelle Long Bell Sleeve Open Front Cozy Cardigan] –

And the coziness continues! As we drag our feet through winter looking ahead to spring, I’m starting to swap out my thick sweaters for some lighter ones including this cardigan. I actually found this through an influencer I follow and love the ease of how you can pair this with any outfit. At the moment, the cardigan is currently unavailable, but there are similar styles coming from The Drop often!

What We’re Eating: Daeho Galbijjim

For Christmas this year, we ordered from Daeho! I’m probably the last person in San Francisco to finally try this place for the first time and have spent the last year hearing from my friends how much they love going to this spot. The FOMO was real. Now that I’ve finally had it, I can confirm that it really is as good as everyone says it is. The takeout itself was awesome, but I can only imagine how better it is to have in person and can’t wait to go there myself when things open back up again and are safe.

19 Dec 2020

This Weekend:

What We’re Watching: House of Ho (HBO Max)

When I first imagined what Vietnamese representation would look like on mainstream television, this isn’t exactly what I had in mind. The show highlights a wealthy Vietnamese American family out of Houston. It’s sort of a cross between My Super Sweet Sixteen and A Real Housewives series. However, the quality level looks like it could be on the Bravo network so they’ve got that going for them! House of Ho is purely for entertainment. It’s not educational or inspiring, but it’s clearly tailored for an audience that is more modern and young. I don’t have a similar upbringing like the Ho family, but there were some similarities that I recognized about my own childhood. There are seven episodes today and we finished the series in two days.

What We’re Listening To: KATIE – Our Time Is Blue

This album actually came out the same weekend as “Evermore,” so it was a bit distracting trying to do both. I was able to dedicate more time to KATIE’s this week though and I loved it so much I added all six songs to my current playlist. KATIE was a new artist for me as I only discovered her through another person’s Instagram account that I follow. Her sound reminds me so much of the kind of old school R&B that I used to listen to like pre-Jhene Aiko or even present day Summer Walker. Also, we will never get tired of hyping up Asian American artists.

What We’re Wearing: [AllSaints Sandra Jaine Denim Shirt] – $185 – $88.80

You could say that this shirt is a bit out of character for me, but there’s a story behind this. As some of you know, we’ve spent a significant amount of time with BTS in the last few months. Naturally their sense of style has peeked my interested a bit. You might even say that I ripped this look directly off of Jungkook from this year’s MAMA performance of “Dynamite.” It’s fun though, right?

What We’re Eating: Trader Joe’s Hearts of Palm Pasta

I’ve decided that I think I don’t understand vegetable substitutes of pasta after tonight. There’s a chance that I could’ve butchered this in the cooking, but I think that probability is low. Tonight, I threw this in with garlic, green beans, olive oil and a sauce from my local market, but finished it feeling unsatisfied and hungry afterwards. I know that there are people who swear by vegetable pasta, but the real thing is so much better! I’m not convinced by these.