architecture school destroyed my ability to feel confidence in anything I do and my general feeling of self-worth. it made me hate myself, or at least was the best medium for me to grasp the feeling of inadequacy. it gave me anxiety. i loved to make, but the fear of rejection paralyzed me to the point of self-sabotage. my voice was never good enough and I preferred to stay silent.
i don't know what i learned from architecture school
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Biwa
strong alcohol in tiny cups can be very misleading, especially when you are easily charmed by things that are little. Sert and I went to Biwa for dinner before watching our friend's dance/music show down the street.
There was delight from the tiny little carafe, and then there was the tiny little cups!
We giggled as we played with our grown-up tea set, but instead of imaginary earl grey it was the sweet nectar of sake.
My sister and I have very blunt conversations with unabashed honesty.
"have you been tanning? you face looks great"
"Actually I am wearing a shit ton of make up, I am totally breaking out right now and had to cover it up"
The table of 40 somethings look over our table, mere inches away, and pretended to concentrate on their bowl of ramen while I knew they were listening to our conversation.
we started with a chicken heart skewer. I love different and chewy textures, so i really enjoyed this. the hearts were grilled with a teriyaki glaze and served with a hot mustard. It was nice and irony, and I wished we had three.
The octopus salad was standard and all tentacle curl, yay!
the clams were served in a sake broth, and was full of chilies, also delicious and i really wanted some nontraditional bread to sop the broth up. Sert and I (not so) politely slurped it up with a soup spoon.
Unfortunately we did not get the Ramen noodles they are famous for. Sert is gluten-free. I don't even wanna say what i think about that. just. no.
afterwards we watched a clown writhe underneath plastic and two boys strip nearly naked in a bunch of sweaty glory. It was a very interesting performance.
There was delight from the tiny little carafe, and then there was the tiny little cups!
We giggled as we played with our grown-up tea set, but instead of imaginary earl grey it was the sweet nectar of sake.
My sister and I have very blunt conversations with unabashed honesty.
"have you been tanning? you face looks great"
"Actually I am wearing a shit ton of make up, I am totally breaking out right now and had to cover it up"
The table of 40 somethings look over our table, mere inches away, and pretended to concentrate on their bowl of ramen while I knew they were listening to our conversation.
we started with a chicken heart skewer. I love different and chewy textures, so i really enjoyed this. the hearts were grilled with a teriyaki glaze and served with a hot mustard. It was nice and irony, and I wished we had three.
The octopus salad was standard and all tentacle curl, yay!
the clams were served in a sake broth, and was full of chilies, also delicious and i really wanted some nontraditional bread to sop the broth up. Sert and I (not so) politely slurped it up with a soup spoon.
Unfortunately we did not get the Ramen noodles they are famous for. Sert is gluten-free. I don't even wanna say what i think about that. just. no.
afterwards we watched a clown writhe underneath plastic and two boys strip nearly naked in a bunch of sweaty glory. It was a very interesting performance.
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
A Milli
running a half-marathon in April so i get the excuse of eating a lot between running 20 plus miles a week. I seriously think I only started running to justify my ridiculous need to eat incredibly fatty foods.
This term I am taking a History of Jazz class, which just gave me more reason to eat and drink at night. So off to the Jimmy Mak's, portland's biggest jazz hub, we go.
Since conversations tend to get awkward and strained when my sibblings and I hang out with dad, I thought the distraction of live music would be a nice way to spend time together. It is not completely escapist, like a movie, yet not as stark and exposed like a silent dinner table. So my sister and I were able to avoid most of his piercing missiles. example:
"you look fatter than your sister"
"your sister looks fatter than you"
"you look like you are balding"
"what are you going to do with your worthless college degree"
Sert and I managed to escaped with a pleasant "both of you look like the same size, now"
hmm...
but before any awkward silences commenced, there was a "1-2-3-4" and the strings of a jazz guitar started plucking away. Only to be followed by 3 middle-aged men that looked like they were in various stages of coitus... for an hour and a half
This term I am taking a History of Jazz class, which just gave me more reason to eat and drink at night. So off to the Jimmy Mak's, portland's biggest jazz hub, we go.
Since conversations tend to get awkward and strained when my sibblings and I hang out with dad, I thought the distraction of live music would be a nice way to spend time together. It is not completely escapist, like a movie, yet not as stark and exposed like a silent dinner table. So my sister and I were able to avoid most of his piercing missiles. example:
"you look fatter than your sister"
"your sister looks fatter than you"
"you look like you are balding"
"what are you going to do with your worthless college degree"
Sert and I managed to escaped with a pleasant "both of you look like the same size, now"
hmm...
but before any awkward silences commenced, there was a "1-2-3-4" and the strings of a jazz guitar started plucking away. Only to be followed by 3 middle-aged men that looked like they were in various stages of coitus... for an hour and a half
Friday, November 26, 2010
Cafe Nell
Lunch time during "Blizzard crisis 2010!"
Met us with Ham and Clio for our quarterly check in.
I have heard a lot of things about Cafe Nell, all in all, they were good things.
I had the turkey burger which came in tasting delicious, and was washed down with a tummy warming spiked mexican hot chocolate.
coming out, however, was a different story.
10 hours later I am enjoying a walk in the brisk air with my boyfriend when i start to feel a gurgle in my belly.
the walk turned into a quick march, and then a light panicked jog back to his apartment. i rip my jeans off, not bothering to unbutton or unzip anything, and proceed to reenact a scene from "dumb and dumber" with gratuitous honor.
Met us with Ham and Clio for our quarterly check in.
I have heard a lot of things about Cafe Nell, all in all, they were good things.
I had the turkey burger which came in tasting delicious, and was washed down with a tummy warming spiked mexican hot chocolate.
coming out, however, was a different story.
10 hours later I am enjoying a walk in the brisk air with my boyfriend when i start to feel a gurgle in my belly.
the walk turned into a quick march, and then a light panicked jog back to his apartment. i rip my jeans off, not bothering to unbutton or unzip anything, and proceed to reenact a scene from "dumb and dumber" with gratuitous honor.
Monday, September 27, 2010
Meriwether's
Y'know how embarrassed you feel for yourself when you stumble upon your 7th grade diary?
it's the same feeling when you forget about your half-assed food blog, after a year.
Meriwether's is spectacular, and fresh. albeit uninspiring.
Sometimes we do not need to be awed by innovative technology, or weird gastronomic pairings.
Maybe an heirloom tomato should just be an heirloom tomato.
It was, at Meriwether's. It is about the farm. It is about the fresh ingredients. Meriwether's is so confident about the food they produce that there is no need for razzle dazzle. That is why they are so good, and that is why i cannot complain when a "panzanella caprese salad" is just a caprese salad on top of a little house made bread.
Meriwether's reminded me that life does not need to be complicated to enjoy.
Let fresh farm-to-table ingredients speak for themselves!
it's the same feeling when you forget about your half-assed food blog, after a year.
Meriwether's is spectacular, and fresh. albeit uninspiring.
Sometimes we do not need to be awed by innovative technology, or weird gastronomic pairings.
Maybe an heirloom tomato should just be an heirloom tomato.
It was, at Meriwether's. It is about the farm. It is about the fresh ingredients. Meriwether's is so confident about the food they produce that there is no need for razzle dazzle. That is why they are so good, and that is why i cannot complain when a "panzanella caprese salad" is just a caprese salad on top of a little house made bread.
Meriwether's reminded me that life does not need to be complicated to enjoy.
Let fresh farm-to-table ingredients speak for themselves!
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Frank's Noodle House
whoa its almost been a year!
recap:
I am still holding hands with the boy I held hands with in the last post. appropriately he is a very very talented cook who has a bizarre love for Martin Yan.
I haven't stopped eating. Notably:
A Cena: GET the lobster ravioli
Pok Pok (w/ dad): "it is amazing what a little marketing can do" -Dad
Mee sen (w/ dad): "this is so much better than pok pok" -dad
Red onion (w/ dad): "Every Thai restaurant should have crab fried rice" -dad
Gilt club: burger with foie gras? no. gourmet pork rinds? yes. 30% S.I. Discount? yes. Open til 2:30? yes. Tracy's first love? yes
Yoko's/C-bar: SAKE!!! delicious late-night bar food and pinball
Ping: skewers. over priced. eh. Asian food made by white people
Cassidy's: I love pickled eggs
Gruner: I do not love rabbit liver
Belly: boring food but the cocktails blew my mind
Clyde Common: tripe, never had it outside of pho, now i understand why most people are apprehensive about it. simple/tasty HH. Mr. Z bought me a cookie ":) Good bourbon = good gelato
Wongs King (dinner): Mr Z ordered sweet and sour pork. while i ordered lobster, hong kong style chow mein and a very disappointing pepper-salted squid
But it was FRANKS'S NOODLE HOUSE that compelled me to blog tonight (and avoid folding my laundry). Former proprietor of Beaverton's Du Kuh Bee opened up this little spot on Broadway. A most welcomed addition to the lackluster presence of good food eateries over there. Frank's enthusiasm and cheerfulness was really what sold me. While the snail salad and sauteed octopus were almost painfully similar and unmemorable the noodles were out of this world. The noodles were thick and chewy, only the way noodles can be when they are made by hand. The shreds of cabbage, onions and carrots were nicely coated with chili oil and gave just a sublte spice to the dish. Was it Korean or was it Chinese? I do not know, but my grin was as large as the one of the Noodle guy's on their restaurant sign. I will definitely come back for lunch, and maybe try something different for dinner. Korean short ribs, anyone?
love
recap:
I am still holding hands with the boy I held hands with in the last post. appropriately he is a very very talented cook who has a bizarre love for Martin Yan.
I haven't stopped eating. Notably:
A Cena: GET the lobster ravioli
Pok Pok (w/ dad): "it is amazing what a little marketing can do" -Dad
Mee sen (w/ dad): "this is so much better than pok pok" -dad
Red onion (w/ dad): "Every Thai restaurant should have crab fried rice" -dad
Gilt club: burger with foie gras? no. gourmet pork rinds? yes. 30% S.I. Discount? yes. Open til 2:30? yes. Tracy's first love? yes
Yoko's/C-bar: SAKE!!! delicious late-night bar food and pinball
Ping: skewers. over priced. eh. Asian food made by white people
Cassidy's: I love pickled eggs
Gruner: I do not love rabbit liver
Belly: boring food but the cocktails blew my mind
Clyde Common: tripe, never had it outside of pho, now i understand why most people are apprehensive about it. simple/tasty HH. Mr. Z bought me a cookie ":) Good bourbon = good gelato
Wongs King (dinner): Mr Z ordered sweet and sour pork. while i ordered lobster, hong kong style chow mein and a very disappointing pepper-salted squid
But it was FRANKS'S NOODLE HOUSE that compelled me to blog tonight (and avoid folding my laundry). Former proprietor of Beaverton's Du Kuh Bee opened up this little spot on Broadway. A most welcomed addition to the lackluster presence of good food eateries over there. Frank's enthusiasm and cheerfulness was really what sold me. While the snail salad and sauteed octopus were almost painfully similar and unmemorable the noodles were out of this world. The noodles were thick and chewy, only the way noodles can be when they are made by hand. The shreds of cabbage, onions and carrots were nicely coated with chili oil and gave just a sublte spice to the dish. Was it Korean or was it Chinese? I do not know, but my grin was as large as the one of the Noodle guy's on their restaurant sign. I will definitely come back for lunch, and maybe try something different for dinner. Korean short ribs, anyone?
love
Friday, December 11, 2009
Lincoln
I had a meal with a boy that I hold hands with.
It was our birthday dinner.
The room was industrial, and oddly wood-crafty with a particular northwest air. Clean, modern but unpretentious and warm.
our server would not serve me alcohol because my driver's license was expired-- for 3 days. I cursed her and the OLCC under my breath, but smiled nonetheless. Rosemary lemonade (not so)regretfully stood in as my glass of wine. Mr. Z, although not the heavy-drinker, ordered a beer only to spite my untimely predicament.
My pasta looked like meal worms(cavatelli), but tasted like happy cheese pockets that had just enough tooth in it all complimented with the delightfully greasy duck confit.
I whipped out my camera to take a picture of the clever and efficient way they designed their votives, but he told me to wait while he was in the bathroom to do something so silly.
I kicked him in the shin.
We shared something called a brutti ma buoni for dessert. I suppose it meant ugly but good. It was lumpy nutty meringue. Ugly, and okay.
The meal itself was fine but mostly I enjoyed the boy I got to hold hands with
:)
It was our birthday dinner.
The room was industrial, and oddly wood-crafty with a particular northwest air. Clean, modern but unpretentious and warm.
our server would not serve me alcohol because my driver's license was expired-- for 3 days. I cursed her and the OLCC under my breath, but smiled nonetheless. Rosemary lemonade (not so)regretfully stood in as my glass of wine. Mr. Z, although not the heavy-drinker, ordered a beer only to spite my untimely predicament.
My pasta looked like meal worms(cavatelli), but tasted like happy cheese pockets that had just enough tooth in it all complimented with the delightfully greasy duck confit.
I whipped out my camera to take a picture of the clever and efficient way they designed their votives, but he told me to wait while he was in the bathroom to do something so silly.
I kicked him in the shin.
We shared something called a brutti ma buoni for dessert. I suppose it meant ugly but good. It was lumpy nutty meringue. Ugly, and okay.
The meal itself was fine but mostly I enjoyed the boy I got to hold hands with
:)
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