Notes to Self

"In my terms, I settled for the realities of life, and submitted to its necessities: if this, then that, and so the years passed. . . . I had wanted life not to bother me too much, and had...

Return to gather

Beginning of biji jjigae (ground soybean stew): pork, kimchi, green onion I traveled home this weekend. As always, there was cooking involved. I (mostly) watched. Soybeans are rinsed for the biji...

Wine Lineup

I love wine. It all started in the year I worked at a high end catering and events company, back in the day. These days, I have the urge to stock up--blame it on an obsessive personality. Left to...

Here we are

An excerpt from one of my favorite poems: ". . . I know it is impossible to hold for long what we love of the world, but look at me, is it foolish, shameful, arrogant to say this, see how the snow...

Weekend in LA: China, Vietnam

I don't believe you can buy culture ("China," "Vietnam"), especially in the form of a meal alone. A false sense of knowledge is dangerous. With that said, here I am, eating.

Words for thought

"I wanted to pray myself but found I couldn't. Instead, I lay in bed in the darkness, covering my eyes with my hand, and I think that even then I knew that I should never be sophisticated like...

Days like this

A nearly missed moment: the beginning of a fine day.

Dumpling Dinner

I made Korean dumplings (mandu) for lunch. I had leftover wrappers and only needed to pick up a package of tofu, pork, and green onion. There was no ground pork at Mitsuwa, so I chopped some pork...

Cognoscenti Coffee in Culver City

What defines a community? This is a question I ask myself, not for purposes of abstract thought exercise (ok, maybe in part), but because I'm still on the hunt for a sense of belonging. In Los...

Rewind: Sevilla

Sevilla, my first stop in Spain back in September. I was impressed by the light and shadow. Here you go.

Chickeny soup, flavored salts

Attempted chicken soup last night. Bought the happiest looking chicken at Whole Foods. Placed cooked chicken on cutting board, turned on stove, board melted, no chicken. Didn't have extra carrots,...

Elvino Wine Shop

I promise I am not spending my days drinking. But I have been fixated on consumption of the liquid sort lately. I have a favorite wine shop, and it's called Elvino*. I like it because the people...

The Boulevardier at Public School in Culver City

I visited Public School in Culver City last night. This is their second location, the first being located in downtown Los Angeles. The Culver City spot officially opens on Monday but were running...

Faux Osso Bucco

Tonight I made faux osso bucco for dinner, using grass-fed beef shank instead of veal. I used this recipe from Epicurious as the foundation, making some adjustments based on the ingredients in my...

We've Struck Sherry

Friends, we have struck sherry. I was so pleased to find this bottle at my local Trader Joes for a mere $5.00. Trader Joes always has affordable European wines, and I thought they might happen to...

2010 Gustave Lorentz Pinot Blanc

I tried the 2010 Pinot Blanc from Gustave Lorentz while in San Francisco last weekend. I told the sommelier I liked the acidity of a dry sauvignon blanc and, sometimes, the roundness of a...

Chopped Salad

I'm toying around with something different. Rather than post recipes and give off the impression that I'm some food expert, I'm going to start posting more of my everyday meals. Last night, I was...

Stumptown Cold Brew Stubbies

I'm a sucker for packaging and had to try Stumptown's Cold Brew Stubbies at least once. I know people love their Stumptown, but this was too bitter for my taste*. I'm happy with my homemade cold...

Granada, part ii: La Alhambra

The Alhambra was the initial reason for going to Andalucía. The Alcázar in Sevilla whetted my appetite for this mountain retreat, perhaps too well, for by the time I visited the Alhambra, I felt...

Granada, part i

Granada: A place where I could pass each day strolling the streets, reading books, and eating. The base of one of a few walks up to the Alhambra Walking alongside the Darro river in the early...

Thank You For Coming

I received a surprise in the mail today--Recipe Zine #1 from Thank You For Coming. Thank You For Coming is a soon-to-be community-run restaurant and art space that plans to, among other things,...

New Equipment

A new camera came to my door last week in the form of a gift. A very nice gift. I'm still trying to figure out how how it works. Most of the time, I set it on the counter and stand a few feet away,...

Guest Post for NoshOn.It

Left photo from Forage; Right photo from Winner Celebration Party When I'm not compiling photos from Spain and Portugal, I'm doing things like guest blogging for NoshOn.It. What's NoshOn.It? Just...

Ronda

Ronda, Ronda, Ronda. Isn't there a famous line from The Brady Bunch along these lines? Don't ask me. I am hopeless when it comes to popular (tv/movie/music) culture. Ronda was, bear with me, the...

Tasting Sherry in Jerez

Full Disclosure: I write while seated in the backyard space of one of my favorite neighborhood coffee shops. People are speaking English and working on their laptops. That's right, I'm back in LA...

The Rain in Spain Falls Mainly Into My Cheap Shoes

The view in Arcos The title of this blog post would be an appropriate name of an airport novel. A bildungsroman centered on an American woman abroad, slicked with the gloss of stilettos and silk...

Churros con chocolate

I stumbled upon the churros stand in Jerez. I had already heard much about churros and hot chocolate being consumed for breakfast in Spain, though during my time abroad in Barcelona, breakfast was...

El Mercado Central, Jerez

El Mercado Central de Abastos, Jerez

I published this post forgetting to add any explanatory text. What kind of blogger am I? Here you see the exterior of El Mercado Central de Abastos in Jerez. It stands on at the commercial center...

Postcard from Jerez

Graffiti in Jerez Well, it took me a while to give you an update on my travels, but I thought I should let you know that I am stil alive and well! I am currently in Jerez de la Frontera, otherwise...