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no time to blog STOP mother & aunt L in town STOP mummy to demo making of child's skirt STOP blazing hot weather STOP only salads and cold meats hence nothing interesting to say foodwise STOP
soldes start tomorrow STOP shops are lovely STOP buyers can reserve in advance of the sales STOP mummy & aunt shopping up a storm STOP
(have a feeling the spring rolls were from the Thai contingent..)
Every year the diplomatic agencies of the ASEAN countries get together for a Family Day. This year the event was held at a leisure centre 40 km outside Paris. We were thrilled to be invited and my goodness what a yummy day out. The sun was shining, the kids received loads of goodies and I ate an embarassing amount of deliciousness.
Please scroll through the pictobrowser for more pictures, and click on the "notes" link for the commentaries. It is me in the pink batik tunic tearing into a banana rice cake, marking the first time that a picture of myself appears on this blog. I must have been rendered gaga by the THREE pieces of banana samosas, see top image, 12 o'clock- sliced bananas cooked in syrup, wrapped and fried up as samosas and glazed with sticky caramel, doesn't that sound crazy delicious?
Our food stash is full of exotica these days, as friends and families who visit bring me food presents which they know I will appreciate. C in particular was very excited to share this new treat which she is madly in love with. Torta de Aceite originates from Seville, Spain and is a biscuit made with wheat flour, almonds, olive oil, sesame and anise. Knowing my antipathy towards licorice and anise flavours in general, she warned that I might not like it but to also give it a chance anyway. We therefore approached with much caution, the oily wrapping paper not making it less intimidating but after our first hesitant nibbles we realised that the anise flavous is subtle and gives it a unique finish.
In the beginning it is hardly discernible; the heady scents of sesame, olive oil and almonds are noticed first, followed by gratifyingly crunchy-crisp (somewhere between pizza bianco and palmier) sweetness with the anise providing a not unwelcome jolt at the finish. The anise gives this cookie highly addictive qualities, cleansing the palate just enough to make one reach for yet another morsel, and another, until to one's surprise, the packet is empty.
Do you know that, every year, the Malaysian King's birthday is celebrated on the first Saturday of June? Always. The sultans of all the 13 states take turn to be king, and during their kingship the country celebrates their birthday. On their real birthday of course, they can do whatever they like, but come first Saturday in June, they will be lots of cake-cutting and greetings of "Daulat Tuanku" to wish them long life. Even as far away as France.
We went to the celebrations held in a sports complex on the outskirts of Paris. After the speeches everyone went to take a good look at the cake. Strawberries, chocolate swirls, sugar cookies and a lone macaron.
Makan time. These are pancakes rolled and stuffed with curried chicken. Sedap.
Still, all everyone wanted was to eat satays. The tantalising smell was the first thing we noticed on the way to the venue, and it was worth the 40 minute drive out. Spicy sweet but not hot so that the kids can enjoy them as well. Before they got busy with the games. Our V didn't do too badly either, she won second prize in the colouring competition and also a bonus prize for jumping like a crazed monkey when the band played. All in, a very good day out.
It's been five days since the sisters went home. I am missing them but my credit cards are not, they are taking a well deserved rest until 25 June when the sales start. I am thinking of a studded belt à la SATC, Carrie wore it no less than 4 times in the movie A few more dresses wouldn't hurt too.
May and June seem to be the peak visitor season chez umami. So far, two sets of friends and of course the sisters have dropped by, and we're expecting 4th sister C and her friend this weekend, then more friends the following week followed by Mummy and Aunt Lily. July is quieter, only one person expected. And these are just the people who are staying with us, as some have just enough time to meet us for meals in between traipsing around the continent. We love it because people bring for us lovely stuff like giant bottles of pei pa ko, premium dried goods, Sarawak red rice and murukku, the latter so outstanding I finished a big bag within a day!
Last week, on the one day we didn't deliberately go shopping (but anything fashionable along the way was considered fair game) the sisters wanted to eat fallafel. Exiting the bus we walked past Boulangerie Malineau on rue Vielle du Temple. As usual the fantasy marshmallows and cute animal shaped cookies stopped everyone in their tracks but there was an even more lovely surprise inside. Just next to the cash machine was a basket of freshly fried apple fritters. Light puffy batter coddling sweet sliced apples tasting more of ripe bananas (a very good thing in my book) and gratifyingly free of the usual spices like cloves and cinammon. We made short work of this before we even reached L'as du Fallafel. The fallafels here seem denser and moister compared to the lighter, and my preferred, version from Chez Marianne's but the sisters love them as they were; they were better incorporated into a sandwich, their heft ameliorated somewhat by the crunchy vegetables and some choice pieces of tender and smoky grilled aubergines. Unfortunately L'as du Fallafel didn't have any liver that day, I would have loved to see how their chopped liver compares to Chez Hanna's which I adore.
I made another discovery. Hana Food (15 rue Lettelier in the 15th arr) has, besides their weekly consignments of home-made kimchis and banchans, also started selling deok. Delicious with a cup of the excellent tieguanyie given to us by my grandmother. Best to go early on weekends, like the kimchis they sell out fast.
Day 4: Tuesday 13 May 2008 (Sunny)
I have decided to add the weather report to the diary because (did you know?) according to Chinese grammar it is a rule that the date must be followed by the weather summary. Ah the useless stuff I imbibe from watching TVB serials.
Wake up. Turn on Food Network. Ah, it's still too early, have to watch infomercials instead. C, my 4th sister, goes for a jog. Try to read the subway map. Give up. We'll wing it.
Plan is to return to Bleeker St. C wants to get that super-tiny dress at Ina. It's made of toile de jouy- "curtain fabric" I say to her- but she is set on it so we humour her. With ignoble intention to eat breakfast at either Rocco's or Amy's Bread along the way. That is, until we pass by Zucker's Bagel & Smokefish on 146 Chambers St even before entering the subway station, and get distracted by a hitherto unknown diversity of smoked salmon and other exotic fishes. Basic cream cheese and lox bagel lavishly piled on. Bagel a bit too dense. F is frustrated by the stuff that passes for coffee.
Ina opens at 12. With 1.5 hours to kill we explore the rest of Soho. Major credit card damage. Shopping with the sisters can be very testing on self-restraint, they are both totally in love with fashion, we encourage each other on, and end up with loads of pretty things.
Shopping is hungry-making. C is set on pizza while I am distracted by groups of people eating grilled corn at a corner sandwich shop. Not just any grilled corn mind, but Mexican style , the specialty item of Cafe Habana at the corner of Prince and Elizabeth St. They grill it to black blisteriness, then smother with a funny white cheesy coconutty substance before finally sprinkling with mild chilli powder and serve with a wedge of lime. Seriously, effingly amazingly delicious.
New York is full of cute cars like these yellow school buses, yellow taxicabs, brown UPS vans and construction vehicles with gleaming front carriages. I've been to other American cities but here, the vehicles just seem bigger and more vividly coloured. The exuberant colours go very well with the energetic buzz everywhere and I love it.
Lunch spot.
Waiter is very king & patient. All vegetarian on one side, a bit too many anchovies and Italian sausages on the other side but on the whole pizza is very tasty. House salad is really just an old-fashioned cos lettuce and tomato ensemble.
Sun shining too brightly. Hot hot hot. More shopping at corner pharmacy for Burt's Bees lip balms and kiddie shampoo. Stressed that it is nearly 5 pm and we are still in Houston. Get lost in subway maze again before emerging somewhere outside Central Park. C & F wait in square outside FAO Schwartz while I buy presents for V, then they invade Bloomingdales while I admit defeat and make the long trek home.
Cousin's apartment a cool and quiet oasis. Nap. Shower. Primping. Sisters return and do the same. We ride the subway past Houston again to the Upper West Side. Ouest expecting us because I made an Opentable reservation beforehand; they give us a very nice big table. Dry martinis all round. The martinis are ginormous; I can loll in them all day long. This is the defining New York experience for us, sipping dry martini and giggling together, feeling young and carefree. Well, until the two of them get into a little 'disagreement' as is vont to happen when family gets together. Cousin arrives from work, he orders dirty martini. We imbibe his lesson on what makes a good 'dirty' martini. So young, and so sophisticated already. The food arrives, the sisters stop squabbling for the moment. Generous portions, excellent food. Foie gras and cauliflower mousse for appetisers. Meat-falling-off the bone porkribs, grilled pork, roast squab, entrecote steaks, all things that go well with a large martini. Equally large and lavish desserts. Coffee. Still tipsy from the martini. I feel the beginnings of a sore throat but hope the alcohol would somehow nullify that.
Cousin irons his workshirts while we watch bad food TV. This week Food Network is showcasing "Drive-ins, diners and dives"-retro diner cars, all-day breakfast menus and hearty variations of dishes based on the triumvirate of eggs, ham/bacon and cheese. The one thing in common seem to be lack of moderation, most of the food seem too much, too rich. CNN says the current food crisis is the fault of people in China and India who are eating more meat. I disagree, the Chinese do not eat nearly as much food and in terms of meat, hardly as much of the massive steaks, the orgiastic bbq fests or the fittingly named 'heart attack' burgers. I don't understand the so-called expert on CNN who said that large tracts of the South America rainforests are being cleared to grow corn for the Asian cattle industry; I am Asian and I don't know of any Asian country that can even boast of a cattle industry, well except for that of rarified wagyu in Japan which does not really count. In the end we switch channels and I catch the last episode of this season's ER. Does Abby die? Do I care? No, all along I thought she was not good enough for broody and handsome Luca.
Day 5: Wednesday 14 May 2008 (Very hot)
C flies back in the afternoon. She wants a last shot of culture and goes off to MOMA. Me and my sore throat just want to lie in bed. Decide to take it easy with visiting market at Union Square and a walk through Gramercy Park to Madison Square Gardens. Tulips in magnificient bloom.
Stand in line. A very long line. Why, it's for the famous Shake Shack burgers of course. After 35 minutes could finally put in order. Then wait a bit more for the food.
The burger is really good, F and I rate it as the best we've ever eaten, ever. Very juicy beefy patty with fresh vegetables. And soft buns which are a surprise, we were expecting sesame crusted ones, must have been years of conditioning by McDo's. Soft buns make good hamburgers because they do not distract from the meat and vegetables, and they mash agreeably with the savoury juices myumyum. The fries are excellent too, extra crispy outside and fluffy soft outside. Unfortunately sore throat means I can't eat much of it. We don't like the hot dog- too hard, too dry in spite of the pickles etc, too boring. The frozen custard is godsend to scratchy throat. Cold, soothing, creamy. Natural taste of the day's flavour of banana foster.
Meet up with happy C, MOMA is super she says. On way back to apartment, stop by at Kitchenette at 156 Chambers St. Their red velvet cupcake with cream cheese frosting is good, we finished that this morning. This time I am lured by coconut cake. It is good, but the portion is way too large even for the three of us.
Crash out in apartment. Watch the construction work in tower block opposite. F visits the Borders bookstore and later comes home to cook the asparagus we bought from the market. Watch more tv, this time it's The Golden Girls and A Different World, these oldies are actually good.
Day 6: Thursday 15 May 2008 (Sunny)
Take a very long train ride to Flushing. It's way out in Queens and has a thriving Chinese community. All the caucasians exit the train at the stadium stop just before Flushing and the last leg of the trip it is only us the yellow-skinned people left.
I buy a generous amount of American ginseng as present for husband and self. After walking aimlessly for lunch we return to the medical hall and ask them for recommendations. Budget or high class? High class I say. End up in Canton Gourmet. Bright. Tiled flooring. Formica topped tables. Large posters of delicious looking food on the walls. Lots of Cantonese spoken, I feel so reassured. Today the throat is actually worse, the left side is completely out of service. But I cannot resist ordering a plate of their special fried rice. Eat slowly, swallow with a lot of difficulty. Sedap nya! Perfectly fried, separate grains imbued with breath of the wok, light and fragrant. Bits of fried egg and shredded conpoy add to the enjoyment. So happy.
We wanted, or rather, I wanted to try Korean fried chicken. But clueless about which subway station to exit from. Decide against asking the medical hall people again. Big mistake. Ended up in a hispanic community instead. Shop at Rite-aid and Payless Shoes.
Back at TriBeCa. Explore the shops along Greenwich St. There are some very snooty sales people in this neighbourhood, everyone in the pet shops, the Pilates studio, the children boutiques are reluctant to answer questions or muster a smile; Parisiens can probably learn something from them.
No dinner. F eats leftover cake and cookies. I drink warm salty water continuously. Cousin does not actually have salt in his apartment, so I go down to the 24 hour convenience for that.
Day 7: Friday 16 May 2008 (Rain)
F leaves at 6 am. Cousin goes to work.
Clear up mess. Drink more warm salted water. At some point feel better. Yoga. More Golden Girls. Finish the Sunday NYTimes paper. Pack.
Still raining. Walk to Devin's Tavern, chosen randomly the day before because I have never heard of it. It is big. Rustic, beige and upscale. Soup of the day is of white beans and bacon. It's good but as expected, will later cause bloatedness in the plane. Sandwich of lobster and truffled cheese chosen but did not expect it to come grilled. Grill marks did not pose as much problem to sandy throat as expected but still, sandwich not up to expectation. Too little lobster meat. Too heavy on the cheese and the truffle oil taste does not go with either the cheese or the lobster it's place in the sandwich seems superfluous. As this dish cost 17 dollars before tax, I make an effort to finish the sandwich at least.
The Devin's Tavern lunch is not one of the best meals but we're at the end of our holiday and on average have been eating incredibly well. If only I did not have such a painful throat, think of how much more good food I could have ingested...
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