PostSecret (비밀엽서)

I'm a big fan of PostSecret and was interested to find out it had a sister Korean site, 비밀엽서.

I'm thinking it's finally time to turn one, or two, or a dozen in...

Look not mournfully into the past. It comes not back again.
Wisely improve the present. It is thine.
Go forth to meet the shadowy future, without fear.

-Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Thanksgiving, told in pictures

A month overdue, but better late than never. I present to you - Grace and Cheri's Thanksgiving Dinner 2008! Ranked by biased ono-licious-ness levels. ^^


"It's like I'm in Hawaii" portuguese sausage and cornbread stuffing


Pasta salad with broccoli and egg, local style ;)


"Mmmh can I just drink that straight up?" onion gravy


Easy maple butter glazed carrots


"Skinny" roasted garlic mashed potatoes


Sauteed green beans with garlic


"Next year I promise it will be homemade, but the goppy canned stuff is a tradition" cranberry sauce


"The crust actually came out ok! but it would have been better with ice cream" pumpkin pie


Deep fried turkey. Not really my thing.

Thanksgiving Dinner Part II (aka Christmas Dinner) coming soon!

No birthday soup for me :(

My "officially one year away from hitting a quarter century" birthday passed a few weeks ago, and I totally forgot to make birthday soup (aka 미역국, seaweed soup) this time around. I must be getting old. ㅠㅠ I've been eating 미여국 on my birthday ever since I can remember, and attempting to make it for my mother since middle school. It's quite easy so if you've got a Korean friend, it wouldn't hurt to learn the recipe. ^^



To celebrate, my big sis took me to Flea St. Cafe, a charming little restaurant in Menlo Park known for their "local, seasonal, organic, sustainable and naturally delicious cuisine." Aside from the slightly awkward waiter who kept referring to my sister as "Madam," the food was excellent and the restaurant itself was adorable.


Rehydrated peaches on a bed of butter lettuce, served with fried cheese croûtons.


Pacific coast sole, dungeness crab, smoked salmon roulade with thyme butter sauce, bloomsdale spinach, caramelized red onion, and gingered carrots.


Pasture-raised chicken with parsnip, apple and leek hash, guanicale, rosemary zinfandel beurre blanc, with a poached egg.


Pumpkin bread pudding with vanilla sauce and cranberries


Cinnamon ice cream

Mmh.

It's been a while

So I've received a few random emails and Facebook messages that have kindly demanded requested that I update my blog. Apparently the subject of "tofu hell" was starting to get a little tired and old. I've got so much to update (slowly but surely), but every time I think about the backlog, I push it aside even more... well, no more! I intend to take full advantage of tonight's minor case of insomnia to help the blog cause. So where do I begin?

Well, for starters, I had a pretty awesome Korean meal at Pyung Chang Tofu House in Oakland last night. Ok, it wasn't really "awesome" by Korea standards, but it was pretty darn satisfying. That bowl of 동태찌개 (spicy pollack soup) pictured below was licked clean, along with the banchan.





The service 아줌마 was... um... interesting. ^^ Let's just say this establishment prefers cash to credit cards and is even willing to promise free 순대 if you oblige and return.

So Oakland... this brings me to Point B. I'm currently in the SF Bay Area, California. While I'd much rather be freezing my butt off in Seoul, it looks like I'll be stateside for a while. But I'm homeward bound in TWO DAYS for a nice little vacation, good eats, and family/friend time, so I've definitely got something to look forward to. Homemade 닭도리탕 has been requested. ^^