unborn.
I feel like I'm in a waiting period, waiting to live. Actions are just learned motions for me now. Last exam on Tuesday; I feel so passive. I've felt passive this whole term.
"You are all a lost generation."
It's almost time to leave.... I hope. Fingers crossed.
Sunday, December 13, 2009
Sunday, November 29, 2009
my lazarus blog
Wow, how 'strange', to say the least, to look back on previous posts. The only thing which comes to mind is... "Dayum, my writing has gone downhill since then. How is that even possible?" Perhaps it's because in my first year of undergrad, I actually had taken to writing in journals and blogs on a semi-regular basis. Now, the only writing to be done is for class, and it's terribly dry. And going nowhere. (Can you tell I'm supposed to be writing a paper right now?).
Anyway, nobody reads a blog to read about term papers (or so I would hope- if you do, God save you. I can't judge though, I'm subscribed to LSAT blog). I've resurrected my blog, Lazarus-style, to keep connected to a dear friend of mine who's gone soul-replenishing (I won't say soul-searching, because she's got a lot of soul!) in Seoul (oh how hilarious, I've made a pun). Those of us familiar with her soul will miss it terribly. It's only been a week but it feels longer.. Negative thoughts may or may not be enhanced by paper-writing.
So, yesterday, I was lucky enough to attend another friend's ugly Christmas sweater party. Because poo-brown Lacoste sweaters from Korea aren't ugly enough, I had to go dig through Salvation Army sweaters to find the perfect tinsel-embellished, wool-knitted, misshapen...sweater. I'm sad I didn't take any pictures from the sexy sweater party.
Highlights include:
Anyway, nobody reads a blog to read about term papers (or so I would hope- if you do, God save you. I can't judge though, I'm subscribed to LSAT blog). I've resurrected my blog, Lazarus-style, to keep connected to a dear friend of mine who's gone soul-replenishing (I won't say soul-searching, because she's got a lot of soul!) in Seoul (oh how hilarious, I've made a pun). Those of us familiar with her soul will miss it terribly. It's only been a week but it feels longer.. Negative thoughts may or may not be enhanced by paper-writing.
So, yesterday, I was lucky enough to attend another friend's ugly Christmas sweater party. Because poo-brown Lacoste sweaters from Korea aren't ugly enough, I had to go dig through Salvation Army sweaters to find the perfect tinsel-embellished, wool-knitted, misshapen...sweater. I'm sad I didn't take any pictures from the sexy sweater party.
Highlights include:
- Michael and Connie getting into strange argument/discussion about Michael holding off on the drinks (last time he passed out on Connie's lawn and harrassed people).
- White guy doing the robot (seriously thinking he's a great dancer) in the middle of Connie's living room (while everyone is ... NOT dancing) while I laugh my ass off because he looks ridiculous. I tried to get Michael to out-robot him but he refused.
- Kama sutra gingerbread cookies. My favourites- tiny penis cookie and high class hooker cookie.
- Spilled red wine on Connie's carpet.
- Michael getting drunk off a couple glasses of wine. Michael adds rum to his wine to make it stronger. I hide Michael's rum and he makes a scene and I have to give it back. Connie accidentally boiling Michael's wine away while making mulled wine. Michael panics because he has no more alcohol. Michael asks strangers, friends, acquaintances for alcohol. (Michael:........ Are you going to finish your Malibu? Me: ...Uh.. I don't know. Michael: ..... Are you going to SHARE your Malibu? Me: ......*scared of you* Later that evening- Michael: WHY DID YOU GIVE ESTHER SOURPUSS AND NOT ME?? Susan: ...She gave me some Alize.. Michael:YOU HATE ME)
- In the end, Michael accused everyone of talking about him, thought everyone hated him, and probably50% of the people left because he was becoming scary.
That was unnecessarily elaborate. It was fun though, I really liked catching up with first year roomies.. We've become a diaspora, and this was the one time we'd all gather together and relive old times and good times. Hopefully, if/when I go away (I question this more everyday, as I begin to realize how good my sister can be to me- she made me Superman shots before the party [she's kind in her own MaryJane way]), rekindling gatherings with Vancouverites will be just as warm and just as special as they were last night.
Because I like to set goals for myself, I'll leave off with something I plan to work on this week.
This week, I will try to speak up more. I am a wallflower. I am a doormat. I am basically an inanimate object. I will assert myself, whether that is in class (how terrifying and intimidating can liberal arts students be? That in itself seems a ridiculous question because it's almost paradoxical) or wandering the streets, getting picked on by first-year undergraduate immigrant students or fat white men in search of beer. Long stories.
Also, in order to salvage my sense of self, I will sign up for women's self-defense class. Not to be too anal about this, but more and more women seem to seek empowerment through pole-dancing and strip-tease lessons. How is this empowerment? Let's be frank- you feel sexy from men-imposed standards, and you like that feeling, and I'm happy it makes some women (my sister) feel good in their own way. But it is not exactly empowerment. Or it's just a fad, the in-thing to do, yet it stems from a long tradition of the commercialization and saleability of women's bodies. I really think that these self-defense classes will make me feel EMPOWERED, and that is sexy, not just through the male gaze, but from within. They're a great price too, about $4/class.
We'll see how this all goes. Fingers crossed. Srsly some people don't think the idea of speaking in class is sweat-inducingly terrifying, but to me, IT IS. I always think- "OKAY. I'll say it now. .... NOW..... NOW!" And the moment passes, or someone else says what I was going to say. Toastmasters would have come in handy. And I can't help but feel like.. if you can't do even THIS little thing which seems so daunting to you.. You're never going to get anywhere in life. Tough luck bitch!
This was longer than I intended.
I will mention, the waiters at Hamilton Street Grill.... still bald, two years later.
Saturday, July 14, 2007
Hamilton Street Grill
This week has been oddly quite nature-oriented. Normally, I spend my days indoors, but yesterday, my friend and I went to Second Beach at Stanley Park. I was hoping to get a little bronze colour in my pallid skin (which is pale from all the indoor activities I enjoy), so we lay out in the sun for hours until the time came when both of us were hungry. We walked through Yaletown and decided to eat at Hamilton Street Grill.
Something about the restaurant's layout is very appealing to me. The atmosphere was nice but still casual, perhaps due to the kitschy artwork on the walls (which was not quite so appealing, admittedly).
The server was extremely friendly. My friend and I noticed something odd about the staff though. We noticed that all of the waiters that night were bald. We weren't sure whether this was just an odd coincidence or something else.. Anyway, he presented us with warm bread and an herbed butter, which was really delicious! The bread was nice and soft, which I preferred to the crusty variety I normally get, and the butter was flavourful but not overpowering to the bread's own subtle flavours.
I ordered the Pacific Halibut dish ($24), which was quite out of character for me. Those close to me know that I absolutely hate seafood, and will usually order red meat. But after having fish and chips recently, I decided to give halibut another chance. The dish was served with a sundried tomato cream sauce and came with two grilled prawns, mashed potatoes, and roasted zucchini and green beans. I loved everything about this dish (with the exception of the sad zucchini left alone on my plate). The halibut was so light and didn't have a strong fishy taste, just something similar to chicken but more tender. It went well with the sauce. The mashed potatoes were velvet smooth, and a good compliment to the fish. The beans were seasoned but not soggy. I was so happy that I tried this, as my first fish order in a restaurant is really a great success. Hopefully I will be trying many more later on.
beauuutiful!
My friend ordered the Cobb Salad, as she had never tried bleu cheese before (what a day for firsts!), and she told me she was pleased with her meal as well, particularly the beef. It seemed like quite a large salad.
quick picture - we just wanted to dig in to our meals
Because I had eaten virtually everything on the plate (save for the zucchini), I was much too full to order dessert. I will be coming back though, and I'm eyeing the vanille bean creme brulee.
Something about the restaurant's layout is very appealing to me. The atmosphere was nice but still casual, perhaps due to the kitschy artwork on the walls (which was not quite so appealing, admittedly).
The server was extremely friendly. My friend and I noticed something odd about the staff though. We noticed that all of the waiters that night were bald. We weren't sure whether this was just an odd coincidence or something else.. Anyway, he presented us with warm bread and an herbed butter, which was really delicious! The bread was nice and soft, which I preferred to the crusty variety I normally get, and the butter was flavourful but not overpowering to the bread's own subtle flavours.
I ordered the Pacific Halibut dish ($24), which was quite out of character for me. Those close to me know that I absolutely hate seafood, and will usually order red meat. But after having fish and chips recently, I decided to give halibut another chance. The dish was served with a sundried tomato cream sauce and came with two grilled prawns, mashed potatoes, and roasted zucchini and green beans. I loved everything about this dish (with the exception of the sad zucchini left alone on my plate). The halibut was so light and didn't have a strong fishy taste, just something similar to chicken but more tender. It went well with the sauce. The mashed potatoes were velvet smooth, and a good compliment to the fish. The beans were seasoned but not soggy. I was so happy that I tried this, as my first fish order in a restaurant is really a great success. Hopefully I will be trying many more later on.
My friend ordered the Cobb Salad, as she had never tried bleu cheese before (what a day for firsts!), and she told me she was pleased with her meal as well, particularly the beef. It seemed like quite a large salad.
Because I had eaten virtually everything on the plate (save for the zucchini), I was much too full to order dessert. I will be coming back though, and I'm eyeing the vanille bean creme brulee.
WaaZuBee Cafe (Commercial Dr)
What is summer without a nice day spent outdoors? So far, my summer vacation has been a lazy sludge of summer classes and DVDS, so it was a great pleasure for me to join my sister and her friend on their kayaking endeavor a few days ago. We went up to Deep Cove and enjoyed a couple hours of kayaking. When rowing, water magically transforms from this fluctuating, fluid substance to some thick paste that is impossible to get through. Of course, at the end of the day, we were left famished and decided to stop by WaaZuBee Café on Commercial Drive.
It was a hot day, and strangely, it was even hotter in WaaZuBee. As we stewed in the dark, dank restaurant, I examined my surroundings. The space was reminiscent of a tacky dive. I could easily envision it being the dorm room of a college student or a sleazy pool hall. I put these prejudices aside and decided to keep an open mind.
We started with garlic mayo fries, and I ordered ginger sesame beef medallions with honey glazed roasted potatoes, Gouda cauliflower gratin, and roasted vegetables ($19). They mentioned truffle oil in the meal description but I really did not detect a hint of any. I was really disappointed by the sides. I was excited to try the gratin, because I’ve never had one made with Gouda, but what I got was huge cauliflower chunks sitting in watery, flavorless sauce. There was none of the creamy cheesiness which is usually associated with gratin. The honeyed potatoes were overcooked – hard thick crust formed on the outer layers with dry potato inside. The roasted vegetables were extremely salty, and the water was leeched out of them. The meal was not a complete loss though. I did enjoy the beef medallions, though overcooked. It had a subtle flavour similar to Korean barbecue, but less obvious.
Sorry for the low quality pictures. My Blackberry is just not good for pictures. Until I start bringing my digital camera to restaurants, the quality of my pictures will be this poor. :(
I do recommend the fries though. Nothing like a heap of fried potatoes with a side of mayo to curb any issues you have with the rest of the meal.
It was a hot day, and strangely, it was even hotter in WaaZuBee. As we stewed in the dark, dank restaurant, I examined my surroundings. The space was reminiscent of a tacky dive. I could easily envision it being the dorm room of a college student or a sleazy pool hall. I put these prejudices aside and decided to keep an open mind.
We started with garlic mayo fries, and I ordered ginger sesame beef medallions with honey glazed roasted potatoes, Gouda cauliflower gratin, and roasted vegetables ($19). They mentioned truffle oil in the meal description but I really did not detect a hint of any. I was really disappointed by the sides. I was excited to try the gratin, because I’ve never had one made with Gouda, but what I got was huge cauliflower chunks sitting in watery, flavorless sauce. There was none of the creamy cheesiness which is usually associated with gratin. The honeyed potatoes were overcooked – hard thick crust formed on the outer layers with dry potato inside. The roasted vegetables were extremely salty, and the water was leeched out of them. The meal was not a complete loss though. I did enjoy the beef medallions, though overcooked. It had a subtle flavour similar to Korean barbecue, but less obvious.
Sorry for the low quality pictures. My Blackberry is just not good for pictures. Until I start bringing my digital camera to restaurants, the quality of my pictures will be this poor. :(
I do recommend the fries though. Nothing like a heap of fried potatoes with a side of mayo to curb any issues you have with the rest of the meal.
Thursday, July 5, 2007
Bin 942
I've forced my good friend to join me on my culinary adventures and upgrade her status from "college floormate" to "foodie friend". So, after much painstaking planning, we finally agreed to go to Bin 942 on West Broadway and Granville upon hearing of their fabled fondue served with freshly made doughnuts.
The servers were really attentive and friendly. But honestly, I was taken aback by the space and the decor. I expected it to be much larger, and I spotted many random decorations, which I suppose was meant to add to the charm, but I've never been a fan of erratic decorations in a restaurant.
one of the many random knick knacks - a devil statue which greeted us at the door
I was not used to this style of dining. Bin 942 is a tapas/appetizer restaurant which encourages sharing of plates between friends (not so germaphobe friendly, as my dining partner woefully discovered). We decided to share the baked brie which was served with two long, flavoured crackers and frozen seedless grapes ($12). The brie was oozing and lovely, a creamy delight to eat. It was a perfect compliment to the crackers and the grapes.
the baked french brie
The second plate that came out was the lamb sirloin ($15). This was a puzzling plate, which was served on top of an agnolotti filled with a tomato-eggplant mixture. A curious artichoke relish was then resting on top of the lamb. My friend and I had a hard time distinguishing what the relish was- it appeared to be a flaky tuna, but had the texture of ginger root, but tasted like vegetable. This plate was alright. The lamb was well cooked and didn't have the usual strong blood flavour I normally associate with lamb. The whole confusion of the relish put me off the dish though; I'm just not that adventurous as a foodie quite yet.
i accidently dug into the relish before remembering to take a picture.
The next plate we had was an angus beef tenderloin wellington ($15). The wellington was made of phyllo dough, and nestled between the pastry and beef were red pepper and mushroom. This was all served atop a mountain of chive garlic mashed potatoes and some mustard sauce. I thought the potatoes were a little too peppery, but this was by far my favourite plate at Bin. I loved the phyllo dough with the beef, it was a good harmony of rich meat with an accent of crisp pastry. The beef was prepared medium rare and was very juicy.
there were originally two meat portions but I ravenously grabbed one before taking a picture. diving into the food before taking the picture is our 'downfall', my friend commented.
At this point, my foodie friend and I were happy to order the 'Chocolate Luv Fondue for 2' ($13), which was the whole purpose of our long trek to Bin. This arrived in grand style, with the proud gilded doughnuts in the centre of the plate. Other treats made to dip were banana, marshmellow topped with sugary pecan, and a poached pear with the strange appearance of a beet. The doughnuts were a lot less soft than I imagined; they were actually quite chewy. But they were still tasty, since as I said, you can't go wrong with fried carbs, especially when dipped in rich belgian chocolate. The only questionable component of this platter was the pear, which was apparently poached in a liquer. The only way my friend and I managed to finish the pear was by completely soaking it in warm chocolate. This would definitely have been a treat for a couple on a date, as suggested by the dessert's coquettish title.
delicious (again, it's clear i dove in before taking a picture)
closeup of the deliciousness
The policy at Bin 942 is that the food comes as it is prepared. Though it was not a busy night (there were only few other guests excluding ourselves), we found that the plates came out at a rather slow rate. Our meal was extended to two hours long rather than the estimated hour and a half, probably due to the wait time in between 'tapatisers' and 'tongue twisters'.
I am unsure as to whether I would return again. Sure, I enjoyed the doughnuts and fondue, but I don't think it's enough to entice me to come back. Hopefully foodie friend and I will embark on many more fondue adventures in the future to have something to compare to our night at Bin 942.
The servers were really attentive and friendly. But honestly, I was taken aback by the space and the decor. I expected it to be much larger, and I spotted many random decorations, which I suppose was meant to add to the charm, but I've never been a fan of erratic decorations in a restaurant.
one of the many random knick knacks - a devil statue which greeted us at the door
I was not used to this style of dining. Bin 942 is a tapas/appetizer restaurant which encourages sharing of plates between friends (not so germaphobe friendly, as my dining partner woefully discovered). We decided to share the baked brie which was served with two long, flavoured crackers and frozen seedless grapes ($12). The brie was oozing and lovely, a creamy delight to eat. It was a perfect compliment to the crackers and the grapes.
the baked french brie
The second plate that came out was the lamb sirloin ($15). This was a puzzling plate, which was served on top of an agnolotti filled with a tomato-eggplant mixture. A curious artichoke relish was then resting on top of the lamb. My friend and I had a hard time distinguishing what the relish was- it appeared to be a flaky tuna, but had the texture of ginger root, but tasted like vegetable. This plate was alright. The lamb was well cooked and didn't have the usual strong blood flavour I normally associate with lamb. The whole confusion of the relish put me off the dish though; I'm just not that adventurous as a foodie quite yet.
i accidently dug into the relish before remembering to take a picture.
The next plate we had was an angus beef tenderloin wellington ($15). The wellington was made of phyllo dough, and nestled between the pastry and beef were red pepper and mushroom. This was all served atop a mountain of chive garlic mashed potatoes and some mustard sauce. I thought the potatoes were a little too peppery, but this was by far my favourite plate at Bin. I loved the phyllo dough with the beef, it was a good harmony of rich meat with an accent of crisp pastry. The beef was prepared medium rare and was very juicy.
At this point, my foodie friend and I were happy to order the 'Chocolate Luv Fondue for 2' ($13), which was the whole purpose of our long trek to Bin. This arrived in grand style, with the proud gilded doughnuts in the centre of the plate. Other treats made to dip were banana, marshmellow topped with sugary pecan, and a poached pear with the strange appearance of a beet. The doughnuts were a lot less soft than I imagined; they were actually quite chewy. But they were still tasty, since as I said, you can't go wrong with fried carbs, especially when dipped in rich belgian chocolate. The only questionable component of this platter was the pear, which was apparently poached in a liquer. The only way my friend and I managed to finish the pear was by completely soaking it in warm chocolate. This would definitely have been a treat for a couple on a date, as suggested by the dessert's coquettish title.
The policy at Bin 942 is that the food comes as it is prepared. Though it was not a busy night (there were only few other guests excluding ourselves), we found that the plates came out at a rather slow rate. Our meal was extended to two hours long rather than the estimated hour and a half, probably due to the wait time in between 'tapatisers' and 'tongue twisters'.
I am unsure as to whether I would return again. Sure, I enjoyed the doughnuts and fondue, but I don't think it's enough to entice me to come back. Hopefully foodie friend and I will embark on many more fondue adventures in the future to have something to compare to our night at Bin 942.
Introduction & Recapitulation of Feenie's
I've always had a keen interest in food from a young age. Back then, when papers and exams were a distant concern, I would sit myself in front of the TV and watch Food Network as soon as I got home from school until I fell into bed, visually satiated by images provided via cathode ray tube. However, it was only recently that I decided to apply this culinary interest to real life, and foray into the 'foodie' world of eating out. The only previous occasions in which I had dined in a non-franchise establishment were with my parents, and I paid no particular attention to what I ate.
Last weekend, I had the pleasure of dining at Feenie's with my older sister. This was a spontaneous decision. I was extremely excited, as Rob Feenie was one of my favourite Food Network hosts (who doesn't love New Classics with Chef Rob Feenie)? As I entered the crimson room, I wondered whether the celebrity chef would be there. I desperately wanted to ask our hostess if he was, but to keep my sister's dignity intact, I refrained from doing so. The wait was surprisingly short - only about 5 minutes. We had barely seated ourselves at the bar before being ushered to a table. My sister and I ordered a butternut squash ravioli with a buttery sage-lemon sauce and pine nuts to start. I enjoyed this a lot, and remembered watching Feenie prepare ravioli on his show years ago. I must say, it was an extremely small portion (4 domino sized ravioli for $14), but the sage-lemon butter was delicious. I ordered beef short ribs (which were $25) and my sister ordered Rob's calamari sandwich (at $14). My beef ribs arrived on a bed of creamy polenta and baby carrots, served with the jus. I was amazed with how tender the ribs were. I've often had braised short ribs in my own home, but never like this - the meat completely fell off the bone. The polenta (my first taste of polenta actually) was really rich, at times a little too rich for my liking but still - can't complain! My sister found her calamari sandwich to be too greasy, but the fries were tasty (you can't really go wrong with fried carbs). We ended off our meal with a champagne sorbet served with ruby red strawberries marinated in champage, nestled between crisp puff pastry disks ($9.50). I personally am impartial to the taste of champage, and so did not enjoy the sorbet. Otherwise, the dessert was really nice, with the combination of juicy fruit and buttery pastry. Sadly, my sister and I gorged on each plate before I remembered to actually take a picture of it, so I have no photos to share. We only took photos of each other, which I'm too embarassed to post as you can clearly see the schoolgirl delight on my face because we were dining in one of Feenie's restaurants.
I would definitely return to Feenie's. The atmosphere, though busy (with the red walls and other patrons in close proximity), would be a nice place for a date, I think. It was a little hard to hear over others, but I liked the dark lighting, which made for an intimate setting.
As my sister and I left the restaurant (I was so stuffed I barely made it to the car), we passed by Rob's wall of accolades, one of which was a magazine cover with his smiling face and head of highlights adorning it. I suppose that would be the closest encounter with Rob I would have that night.
Last weekend, I had the pleasure of dining at Feenie's with my older sister. This was a spontaneous decision. I was extremely excited, as Rob Feenie was one of my favourite Food Network hosts (who doesn't love New Classics with Chef Rob Feenie)? As I entered the crimson room, I wondered whether the celebrity chef would be there. I desperately wanted to ask our hostess if he was, but to keep my sister's dignity intact, I refrained from doing so. The wait was surprisingly short - only about 5 minutes. We had barely seated ourselves at the bar before being ushered to a table. My sister and I ordered a butternut squash ravioli with a buttery sage-lemon sauce and pine nuts to start. I enjoyed this a lot, and remembered watching Feenie prepare ravioli on his show years ago. I must say, it was an extremely small portion (4 domino sized ravioli for $14), but the sage-lemon butter was delicious. I ordered beef short ribs (which were $25) and my sister ordered Rob's calamari sandwich (at $14). My beef ribs arrived on a bed of creamy polenta and baby carrots, served with the jus. I was amazed with how tender the ribs were. I've often had braised short ribs in my own home, but never like this - the meat completely fell off the bone. The polenta (my first taste of polenta actually) was really rich, at times a little too rich for my liking but still - can't complain! My sister found her calamari sandwich to be too greasy, but the fries were tasty (you can't really go wrong with fried carbs). We ended off our meal with a champagne sorbet served with ruby red strawberries marinated in champage, nestled between crisp puff pastry disks ($9.50). I personally am impartial to the taste of champage, and so did not enjoy the sorbet. Otherwise, the dessert was really nice, with the combination of juicy fruit and buttery pastry. Sadly, my sister and I gorged on each plate before I remembered to actually take a picture of it, so I have no photos to share. We only took photos of each other, which I'm too embarassed to post as you can clearly see the schoolgirl delight on my face because we were dining in one of Feenie's restaurants.
I would definitely return to Feenie's. The atmosphere, though busy (with the red walls and other patrons in close proximity), would be a nice place for a date, I think. It was a little hard to hear over others, but I liked the dark lighting, which made for an intimate setting.
As my sister and I left the restaurant (I was so stuffed I barely made it to the car), we passed by Rob's wall of accolades, one of which was a magazine cover with his smiling face and head of highlights adorning it. I suppose that would be the closest encounter with Rob I would have that night.
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