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Tender Heart Heals Your Broken Heart

November 11, 2017November 11, 2017by have you eaten?Leave a Comment

I want that kind of face with a huge smile. I admire her gentle heart. Her smile reminds me of autumn sunset.

Cindy was sitting and waiting for me to meet up for a coffee that morning. She was looking at her phone and reading something. Even from the distance, I could see her kind eyes and lips were forming my favorite shape. Smile. I approached to her and she looked up. Her smile got bigger and that made me choke. My throat got tighten and my eye welled up. I wanted to cry, but I didn’t.

She is a great hugger too. She held me the way I wanted to be held (of course, I didn’t realize that until she did). As soon as I started hearing her soothing voice, my emotion got flooded. I told her my struggles. She showed her empathy, understanding and shared her own struggles. She was there. I mean, she really exited and showed up to heal my broken heart. She did not lose her smile even when we were talking about rough subjects. Then, I lost it and started sobbing.

“You are enough.”

Cindy said that to me twice sincerely when we said good-bye. She went through rough times, challenges and difficulties, but she embraces all of it. That makes her such a strong and resilient human being. Because of that, she possesses the tenderest heart and she is a person who tell others “you are enough.”

Those three words are so powerful and beautiful to me.
I will keep them with me each and every day. Thank you for your gift, Cindy. You are enough also.

food, life, love, Musing, Personal, restaurant, Seattle

Instant Antidepressant: Baby, it’s cold outside so let’s go out!

November 6, 2017November 6, 2017by have you eaten?Leave a Comment

Watching the snow falling is one of the beautiful things in the world, but it is not really my favorite thing to do. It makes me feel a bit blue and depressed. I think it’s because I know this peaceful quietness would disappear very soon.

Yesterday, Sunday November 5th 2017, it was a bit snowing and intensely cold for November in Seattle. I love Seattle autumn, but I guess I was not ready for this weather. However it turned into one of the most delightful days.

Here is list of how I make those cold and blues go away.

OXTAIL PHO at BA BAR (http://babarseattle.com)

Classic Vietnamese repertoire, beef noodle soup. Noodle have gotten better now at Ba Bar. It won’t get bundle up and like a giant mochi any more. Broth tastes exactly how I wanted it to taste like. Combination of savoriness, tons of umami, a tat sourness and slight sweetness. Make sure to breathe in the complexity of this noodle soup before digging in. Then, you taste the meat falling off from the bones and noodle at the same time. It warms your belly and heart at the same time.

PIPE & ROW (https://pipeandrow.com) and BURNT SUGAR (https://burntsugar.us)

Strolling stores in cute neighborhood like Fremont is essential especially on a chilly day like this. Looking at those pairs of shoes that cost way more than you can afford but it’s so nice to dream. Someday in Paris 🙂 You can do it yourself but it would be much more fun with your trusted and honest friends who are not afraid of saying, “No, you look ridiculous in that dress” or “You look amazing. You must get that sweater.”

YOUR BESTIES
I don’t call people “friends” very easily. Honestly, I only have several friends whom I gave my respect and the highest regards to. I got to go out and eat pho, drink coffee, shop, talk, make fun of each other and laugh. Most importantly, love. Since I have a few friends, I can easily open up my heart and show who I am when being with them. I show how important and precious they are to me. I share my life, small and big with them. They give me so much hope and strength to keep going. It’s pure happiness. There is no better way to fill your soul.

Dark, rainy and cold days are coming in Seattle soon. However, as long as I have these things, I don’t need to go seek for antidepressants. When your heart is open, depressing days can easily turn into happy days just like I experienced yesterday. That’s instant and long-lasting at the same time.

restaurant

April 4th 3.0: mkt.

April 6, 2015April 7, 2015by have you eaten?2 Comments

Ethan Stowell is beloved, down to earth kind of guy. He owns 9 restaurants and 1 pizzeria all in Seattle. He will be opening 3 more this year. Yes, he is beloved and down to earth kind of guy, but he is also crazy.

He is crazy about food. He is crazy about connection and relationships between food and people who eat his food. Most of his restaurants are intimate settings. Some have community table and some only seat 30 people or so. Kitchens are not hidden, usually open. Today is April 4^th and it is a special day for me. Archie was successful not to disclose where he was taking me this last Saturday night until we were almost there.

Here is mkt.in Meridian neighborhood near Green Lake in Seattle. When I opened the door, first thing you see is an small and open kitchen with 5-seat counter. Very close to people sitting next to you. We were seated right in front of Alvin. Perfect. I was able to see what he was cooking and how he prepares the meal. His expression and his voice. I was feeling his and his crew’s energy flowing through this intimate restaurant. They use Pacific Northwest Ingredients. Alvin puts lots of care and just right amount of Jaconsen Salt and care. American fare without any pretentiousness. Great balance of boldness and sensitivities.

My favorite restaurants always have great balance of 3-pillars, chef, service crew, food. This place has food and chef covered. OK, service crew. Awesome. Seth was our crew who tended to our table and he was so much fun, cracking jokes, laughing with us, fist-bumping us, and cursing appropriately (yes, we curse a lot). He is one of those people you actually want to eat dinner and share a bottle of red wine with.

I am happy to say I found another excellent Seattle eatery that I want to go back many times more. My April 4^th was fulfilled with joy.

love

April 4th: Love Letter to the Best Friend

April 4, 2015by have you eaten?Leave a Comment

I’m overwhelmed with happiness when I am with you. I am so madly in love with you. I wish there was a better way to say it. I am not the most eloquent when saying this but I know what I feel. When I think about you or about us, the emotion build up inside and spill out. It’s embarrassing at times but I like the feelings that I feel for you. My favorite times with you are just being near you. It could be a rainy day at home or walking through the park or a lovely dinner for the two of us or traveling to some new exciting place, it doesn’t matter I just want you near me. Forever. I love you so much – Jeff M.

food

Good Luck Veggie: Renkon (Lotus Roots)

April 1, 2015by have you eaten?2 Comments

It is a good luck vegetable so Japanese people eat Lotus Roots as part of special New Year meal. Why is this root vegetable is good luck? As you can see you can see holes of Renkon as photo shown below. It is said that you can see the future. Also, Renkon produces tons of seeds, therefore it means “productivity.” Kind of clever, huh?

I am fortunate enough to be able to buy Renkon at Asian market in International District so I keep it in my fridge often. I usually simply sautée it with different kinds of seasonings each time. Last night, I sliced it in ½-inch thick, sautéed with sesame oil (I love sesame oil by the way, so fragrant), sprinkle of salt, splash of fish sauce and dash of black vinegar. I am very enthusiastic about black vinegar. This is one of several fermented seasonings that I am in love with. Black vinegar is very smooth, malty and mellow, not stingy. When you cook vegetables, any meat or fish, your dish ALWAYS come out complex, yet mild, rich and delicious. If you use black vinegar when making hot and sour soup, your soup would taste divine!

Anyway, here is last night’s magic. Black vinegar and home-shaved bonito on top of sautéed renkon. It only takes about 10 minutes to cook. All you need besides the renkon dish is white rice. Savory and comforting dinner is ready.

personal view

La Belle Epoque: Sunday Treat

March 29, 2015by have you eaten?Leave a Comment

Ayako was making fun of my homebody-ness today at her store, Marigold and Mint.

It is taxing for me to work with bunch of people in so many different level during weekdays so I limit my weekend just to see very few close friends. I sometimes don’t even see anyone but Archie.

Sunday started with Starbucks Reserve, Kenya Sangana, very blight and juicy coffee in bed. This is one of my favorite moment of the day. Then, I met up for a coffee at Milstead in Fremont with a couple of friends who will be traveling to Tokyo and Kyoto with us.

Last stop of today’s outing is Marigold and Mint. Ayako showed me this French tulip called “La Belle Epoque” and I fell in love with the vintagey color of this flower. She made a small bundle of these tulips that are looking so lovely in my living room now.

All I will do this afternoon is read. Nothing else. This is my favorite way to spend my Sunday with Archie and my chunky Chihuahua.

food

Chickpea Journey: to Japanese Homemade Miso

March 28, 2015by have you eaten?2 Comments

She is very intelligent, creative, sweet, classy and smart. She grew up in Hiroshima in Japan and teaches Japanese at private elementary school in Seattle. I met her for the first time through our mutual friend about month ago. We hit it off right away and her stories sounded so interesting to me. She mentioned making miso at her home when we first met and I thought she was my kind of people 🙂

Today she and I got together for brunch at Terra Plata in Capitol Hill. She brought me a jar of her miso, made with chickpea! When I opened the lid of the container, it smelled so vibrant. That was the first time for me to try homemade miso ever. I decided right there to prepare cabbage miso soup tonight.

This is tonight’s miso soup, made with miso that she poured her passion and love into. It came out SO delicious. It reminded of her. Sweet, wholesome and healthy.

cooking

Guilt Free, Calorie Free (not quite but still): Quinoa Salad

March 27, 2015March 27, 2015by have you eaten?1 Comment

After eating “dirty chips” (it’s basically nachos. Potato chips are used instead of corn chips with pull pork, gorgonzola cheese and BBQ sauce) at Maison Tavern (nothing to mention here…I am not a big fan of this place) last night, my stomach has not been happy. It was too late to regret it when I left the place.

So here is my “feeling guilty” lunch. I ate oranges and apple for breakfast and quinoa & arugula salad dressed with nutritious yeast, olive oil, lemon juice, champagne vinegar, white wine and salt for lunch. This should even out 5,000 calories that I had last night, right (I am trying SO hard to feel better about myself)? You all agree that I can consume more calories at tonight’s dinner since I was being good all day, don’t you?

Happy Friday 🙂

restaurant

60-degree weather: Il Corvo, Pioneer Square, Seattle

March 26, 2015March 26, 2015by have you eaten?1 Comment

This place seats 38 people. You share your table with strangers. It only opens 4 hours a day from 11am. It’s jam packed and you feel like canned anchovy. They only serve 3 kinds of pasta with a few kinds of appetizers. No desserts, no after lunch coffee. The line gets long at 11:10am. They have rules how you eat there. Be in line for a while, order at this tiny counter, find your table, bus your table, exit. You get tempted to find your table first then be in line. No, you don’t do that here.

It’s mid 60’s today and sunny in Seattle. It was just perfect to get out. My co-worker and I hopped on to the “lunch shuttle” from our office building to Pioneer Square and headed to Il Corvo. We got there 11:10am and there already was a line. We waited in about 15 minutes or so and we were out of there by 11:55am. Inside of the restaurant is rustic and welcoming. Reclaimed wood tables and old wooden floor and vintage pasta machines as interior décor. Totally my kind of place. I had torchiette (short pasta) with house made pancetta, sugar snap peas, and parmesan cheese. Savory, sweet, slightly tangy, delicious. Perfect amount as well.

Thanks to the gorgeous weather and my co-worker Yumi to make me get out. I feel like I had a real quick trip to Italy during my lunch hour.

food

Happy Tummy: Happy Clams

March 24, 2015by have you eaten?6 Comments

I found my favorite way to eat clams.

Clams are bathing.

Miso soup made with Haccho miso. I love clams so much and I usually steam with white wine but last night I decided to make miso soup with red Haccho miso. It was just wonderfully delicious especially with freshly made sticky rice.

Happy tummy.