Nov/093
everybody’s cooking for the weekend
i grew up watching cooking shows. well before the advent of Bobby Flay, Emeril, Giada and Tony Bourdain – i was watching the Frugal Gourmet and Yan Can Cook on american public broadcasting. (PBS 28 for those of you from los angeles) – and i grew up cooking, mainly because i was a latch-key kid, but also because i liked it. i wasn’t great at it, but you at least gain a certain comfort level with knives, pans, pots, and fire if you grow up near the kitchen like i did.
sadly, one of my icons of junior high hood came crashing down when the frugal gourmet was accused of sexual assault, and while no charges were ever brought, he pretty much fell from grace.
however, i continued to cook and watching food tv and cooking shows. as i got to university and was living on my own, i’d make myself a big meal on sunday and eat leftovers for a few days. as for cooking shows, i got into an interesting conversation about how one is supposed to cook and watch at the same time – but really the cooking shows are supposed to serve as inspiration. you know, get the viewer at home to say “that’s not that difficult; i can do that!” unless the show is iron chef.
so what’s my point?
it’s this. i found this awesome recipe for a mushroom and béchamel sauce based macaroni and cheese. the ultimate comfort food gussied up.
and here’s a photo – coming out of the oven
and then paired with a dad’s root beer. i actually have too much – anyone want to come over?
Nov/093
shanghai 0093 live show
last night i went to the 0093 sampler release mentioned here and here held at the new mao livehouse .
arriving late, i missed most of bang bang tang’s return.
@ 0093 Record Release party by [Terence], on Flickr”>
@ 0093 Record Release party” />
Nov/092
i wish that turkey could cost a nickel
the most wonderful time of the year has came and went. thanksgiving!
of course, what we’re really celebrating is a group of WOEFULLY unprepared english types who arrived in the colonies with things like 200 pairs of shoes (for one guy), musical instruments, and encyclopedias, but no farming equipment, hunting equipment, fishing line, or anyone who knew anything about living off the land or in the wilderness. Seriously. (All knowledge cribbed from Bill Bryson’s excellent I’m a Stranger Here Myself.
Nov/0917
i don’t feel like coming up with a clever pho pun
frequent readers of youusedtobealright.com know that i enjoy my pho. those that live in shanghai should also know that pho here is often disappointing or unauthentic or otherwise not fulfilling.
with the recent opening of pho 26 on wujiang road, i think there’s a new solution for all of us pho deprived masses in shanghai.
pho 26, opened opposite the yet-to-be-opened krispy kreme is, at least to my taste, the best and most authentic pho place open yet in shanghai.
Nov/090
yessssss!!!!!!!
the axe stays in berkeley!
WE'VE GOT THE AXE!!!!
what an epic game! i was so tense the entire 4th quarter. so much fun to watch the bears win – even here in shanghai over a slingbox connection (thanks ajai!)
so happy right now! cal 34- stanfurd 28 whoo! off to celebrate!
Nov/094
great unrealized ideas
tonight, as my colleague and i were going to a company dinner at golden jaguar (my quote about golden jaguar? it’s an old bill cosby quote – “i don’t know the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to please everybody”) we were talking about our various ideas for retail stores in china.
our first idea (getting the license for ed hardy by christian audinger – because who is the perfect market for expensive, gaudy, tasteless clothing, if not nouveau riche chinese?) but then we saw an ed hardy story in citic mall on nanjing west road. but we were talking about the buffet dinner, and i had previously mentioned earlier this week about buffet pants.
buffet pants. think about it. if you’re in vegas, eating the buffet at circus circus, or more upscale, the mgm grand. it’s “all you can eat,” but it’s not really all you can eat – your pants are restricting you! sure, there’s solutions like sweat pants, but let’s have a little bit of class. buffet pants! that’s the ticket.
lots of elastic, stain resistant (obviously) – shoot we might go for a 80/20 lycra cotton mix, treated with a nano-technology or teflon treatment which would keep the tomato sauce stains and dripping butter from soaking in. maybe do some terry clothing lining on the outside of the thighs for easy wiping. we could run with this. anyone interesting in investing? i figure we could do mail order and also have a retail shop in las vegas and macau. gambling and all-you-can-eat seem to go to together – then expansion would be to the american midwest, you know, a land where people rate restaurants on the amount of “plate coverage.”
this could be good.
Nov/094
my office loves taobao
if you don’t know about taobao, you really ought to. much more than “china’s ebay” – the range of goods available is much wider. my colleagues often buy from taobao – the amount of food items, clothing, toys and other sundries which are sent to our office on a daily basis is astounding.
one of my cubemates recently just bought a bunch of medieval and roman era figurines and arranged a battle on his desk.
so, you say, “i wanna get in on this taobao stuff, but i don’t read chinese.” no worries, check out taobaofieldguide.com. or do what i do – search yourself and get your chinese colleagues to buy on your behalf.
Nov/0921
the most wonderful time of the year
i actually don’t believe that (for me, it’s spring, when basketball playoffs for both the ncaa and nba are in full swing, baseball starts and the sun comes back), but that’s how the song goes.
anyways, there are several reasons why i do enjoy the fall, aside from escaping the sweatbox that has defined summer ever since i left california in 1996 (a horrible decision in retrospect, as i continue to rack up years in hot-n-humid climates like guangzhou, hong kong, houston and shanghai).
first, starbucks holiday drinks. yes, its not coffee. yes, it’s $5 for a cup full of sugar. i don’t care what you think, i just know i enjoy my toffee nut latte. and even in religion-less and non-christmas celebrating china, the local starbucks still cranks out the toffee nut lattes.
mine didn’t look half as nice (no whipped cream), but it still was awfully tasty.
i only wish starbucks china would start in with the gingerbread lattes. now we’re talking.
but that’s only one-quarter as exciting as the emminent arrival of the best holiday of the year: thanksgiving! a day to eat one’s weight in buttered foodstuffs. i see no way this could end poorly. this year (and its the third year we’ve done this) we have about 20 people going to my friend colin’s apartment. we’re getting out turkey and sides from boxing cat brewery (a change from bubba’s – since bubba never acknowleged my reservation email.)
here’s the beginning of our menu
1 Whole Butter Roasted Turkey ; Apple Cider Giblet Gravy
Jalepeno Cornbread Stuffing
Cranberry Relish Creamy Mashed Potatoes
Maple Spiced Roast Sweet Potatoes
we’ll probably end up with a lot more food – there’s already talk of pie and macaroni and cheese and more pie and some salads and pie and maybe banana bread. it’s going to be epic.
Nov/090
leftovers from hsbc
this gentleman clearly had too many mao tais. or budweisers. or is a fellow shanghai blogger.
