The Wildchild

my sister can be a real douche sometimes.  and i mean that. for reals.

i come from a typical asian family, which means my mom rules the household and that she's extremely overprotective. it used to frustrate and bug me to no end in middle school when i would ask to go over to a friend's house after school or for dinner or a sleepover. the usual response was, "why? why do you want to go to someone else's house? is our house not good enough?" such a frustrating discussion. 

and it would be even more frustrating when, before i could get the requisite permission, i had to obtain a myriad of information about the friend, his/her parents, and a time-blocked itinerary/ agenda.  however, as i got older, some of these requirements fell away as my mom became more accustomed to my requests and the friends i was requesting to see became familiar names.

with the advent of cellphones, i got more freedom. even then, the initial stages were cumbersome e.g. designated times to call home and a constant alert to always be able to answer my phone (the consequences of not answering it would lead to my mother in hysterics and an hour-long scolding when i returned home).  but as with all rules, once you prove that you can be trusted to abide by them, you're no longer required to do so. for the most part, i still abided by them because they afforded me more freedom. as long as i followed them, my midnight curfew could be extended to 3 am or an overnight at a friend's house.

the key was to demonstrate that i could follow the rules and requirements.

my younger sister, on the other hand, doesn't seem to understand this concept. 

she complains and complains about how my mom stifles her by constantly checking up on her and not letting her go out or attend things with her friends. however, let's look at her track record to get the big picture:

scenario 1: my mom requires my sister call her when she gets home after school. occasionally, my mom will then call back at a later hour to make sure my sister is still at home and hasn't snuck out before my mom gets home from work. of course my sister gets busted: she was going home after school and calling our mom, then forwarding all house calls to her cellphone so she could go out and still answer the phone if our mom called and pretend that she was at home.

scenario 2: our parents go away to Taiwan for their first vacation away from the house over Christmas and New Year's. so my sister decides to throw a house party. the cops come to bust up the party due to noise complaints (not to mention the underage drinking. but i'm from a lax italian/jewish suburb. since they know most of the families in town, they often let kids go with a warning). i get a frantic call from my sister at 1 a.m. but miss it since i'm out myself (i had called earlier at midnight to wish her happy new year. yeah, no disclosure that she was having a party at our parents' house-instead she claims she's at a party at her friend's house). so busted.

scenario 3: i decide to not disclose her indiscretion to our parents but sternly warn her that she needs to scrub the house down from top to bottom if she doesn't want to get caught. i arrive home the following weekend to be welcomed by the stale smell of cheap beer (yes, it smells different) and cigarettes, sticky hardwood floors, and random crushed cans of Busch under furniture and other places (but still in relatively plain sight). busted again.

scenario 4: i come home for Thanksgiving early and the first thing i'm greeted by is the smell of my sister engaging in an activity that is sanctioned by the state of California but not the federal government. busted. i've actually told her time and again not to engage in this and other smelly activities in the house due to the risk factor. she can take her indiscretion to the garage or the backyard. i mean really, let's use some common sense.  
as a side note, i find out from my cousins that my sister spends all her time at college instagram-ing pictures of her new bong, dime and quarter bags of skunk, and other activities that you would never want evidence or proof of. ::face palm:: i already ran into and addressed this issue when she started her tumblr and inferred/implied all her sexual ::shudder at the thought:: escapades. 

and then we come upon her latest antic.  i get a call from my mother asking me about a concert my sister wants to go to at (and i'm quoting her) "some Western hall." really, she means Webster Hall but when i try to correct her, she tells me i'm wrong. regardless, my mom leaves it up to me to get the details from my sister about the concert and assess whether or not it's appropriate to let her go. so i get the requisite details and do a solid for my sister by recommending to our mother that she be allowed to attend her concert.

cut to the night of the concert: i get frantic phone calls from our mother at 10:30 saying my sister's not answering her phone and hasn't called our mother since 8 pm (when the concert allegedly started). of course, i have no answer for her since concert venues NEVER tell you when concerts end, only when they start. now i'm the one in a pickle since i'm the one that sanctioned her alleged attendance at the concert (i am saying alleged because with my sister there's no guarantee she actually attended this concert. she may have just picked a real event and claimed she was going in order to go to some orgy-marijuana-other drugs-fest).

sigh, i only wish i could train my sister as easily as this:



The Office - Pavlov's dog from Rauno Villberg on Vimeo.

Korean New Year

i opted for a quiet new year this year in order to avoid the craziness and pressure of "making plans" in NYC. it's great when your friends are all 1 cohesive group, but mine tend to be a little scattered, which in turn makes it hard to decide what "event" to go to for NYE and which one will be the most "fun."  inevitably, i end up wondering about the options i didn't pick which deprives of the whole purpose of making a "choice."

so instead i chose to spend a quiet evening with Sully at home. i'm starting to wonder if Sully thinks i'm uber-boring since i often request that we stay home and watch movies/television when we hang out.  in my defense, i tend to have a great night out with Kiddo and BrownSesame on friday night and end up being a little hungover on saturday which results in me wanting to loaf around. then sunday rolls in and i dread the upcoming work week and decide i want to just relax and do nothing in preparation for the daily grind that monday represents.  

so my NYE was a quiet one. the next morning, Sully and i headed to k-town for lunch (no surprise that this was Sully's choosing).  he was also pretty excited because various restaurants were doing a New Year's Day special and offering a free bowl of TteokGuk to celebrate the new year.  and that's how we ended up at New Wonjo for New Year's brunch/lunch.  

after we ordered our Premium Gal bi ($35.95) and Sam Gyup Sal ($23.95) we were immediately provided our gratis bowl of tteokguk.  while the bbq was good, the best part was the tteokguk.  although i'm usually not a fan of clear korean soups because they require you to season them yourself (i'm looking at you sulluntang), this soup was perfectly seasoned and the tteok was cooked just right so as to remain chewy.

probably the BEST part of the meal (and day) was the 2 ajusshis (old men/uncle types) that had the table next to us. they were the epitome of korean drama ajusshi stereotypes.  one of them was actually wearing aviator sunglasses the entire meal. inside the restaurant. and they were drinking soju mixed with bokbunja (a korean wine) at noon. 

the waitresses and the owner of the restaurant kept coming over to their table to give them exceptional service, although i can't tell if they were actually important or just given deferential treatment due to their age (which wasn't that old, just older than the usual crowds that frequent these kinds of places in k-town). once the ajusshis started bbq-ing, they made every waitress who came over to flip/cook their meat do a shot of soju. 

and no one could say no. 

which was awesome.

asian chicken soup: ramen

just as the weather started to turn colder, Sully found himself with the beginnings of a cold/flu. as often happens to me when i get sick, this triggered an unquenchable desire to go out and eat up a storm of food (i have no idea why, probably because i've convinced myself that i need giant quantities of sustenance in order to beat whatever illness i have, whether it be a hangover or bronchitis). the motherly side of me decided we should check out Ganso, the newly opened ramen restaurant near my apartment which would kill 2 birds with 1 stone.

upon entering, we found ourselves facing a japanese izakaya setting that managed to both be trendy and home-y at the same time. simple wooden benches and furniture with minimalist furnishings and tableware. in the interest of time we chose to sit at the bar counter, which had its positives and negatives: we were stuck sitting in those teeny tiny stools with no back and no place to put our jackets/bags, HOWEVER, we were afforded an awesome view of the bustling kitchen and were thoroughly entertained by the symphony and efficiency of the chefs.

i wasn't particularly hungry so i opted out of ordering a ramen entree.  instead, we chose Crispy Gyoza ($7) pork and garlic chive pot stickers with chili oil soy sauce dipping sauce and Buta Kimchi Buns ($9) braised pork belly, jalapeno kimchi, and spicy mayo. 

the gyoza were similar to ones i'd had at Samurai Mama meaning that had that crispy webbing from the fried starch that had bled into the pan from the dumplings. and while these were really good, when compared to Samurai Mama's, they lose out by just a little. and Sully pointed out how odd it was to have an odd number of pieces (they give you 5) since it can't be evenly shared between 2 people. 

the buns were a mixed blessing.  they use pre-made frozen buns which can be purchased from any grocery store, and the dish suffers from it since we've all become accustomed to home-mode pillows of fluffy buns at other establishments. the inside pork and accoutrements had an amazing flavor of juiciness from the pork and spice from the seasonings. if only they had provided a larger portion.  the mass-produced bun dwarfed the inner ingredients which is never a good bun-to-innard ratio.

for his entree, Sully chose the Short Rib ($15) soy-sauce beef broth, slow braised short rib, "onsen" egg, seasonal greens.  it's a good portion for a single person and would leave you feeling satisfied and warm inside. however, the short rib was slightly overcooked, which made it a little dry (which is quite a feat considering it's swimming in soup). the "onsen" egg also suffered from the same fate. 

on the walk home, i considered whether i would return to Ganso for another meal. Sully basically summed up the Ganso experience: the food was good, really good, but not amazing, and for the price point, i wouldn't be running back to Ganso but if i was ever craving ramen and didn't want to travel far, i'd consider returning.

짜장면 vs. 炸醬麵

Sully and i often get into debates about korean vs. chinese food. being the stalwart korean that he is, his cuisine of choice is always korean, and in particular, korean barbecue.  i, on the other hand, have a wide and diverse palate that cannot be limited to any 1 or 2 cuisines, so i have a hard time picking a "favorite" anything and have cravings for different cuisines depending on my mood.

due to my lack of fortitude when it comes to these debates, Sully seems to come out the victor more often than not, and i don't really mind.

except when it comes to jajang noodles.  

i am a BIG fan of korean food, mainly because i can finish a meal without ingesting a single carb which tricks my mind into believing that i ate "healthy." i mean how bad can a few pounds of pork belly and beef short ribs be? plus i always eat it with tons of lettuce wraps and banchan. so really, the 2 balance each other out.

the only time i can't do this is when i go out to eat korean-chinese food. which i rarely ever do, except that Sully likes korean jjajang noodles and the tangsuk squid/shrimp. and that's how we found ourselves at Son Ja Jang in k-town (a branch of which i'd previously visited in NJ). the k-town restaurant is interesting because Son Ja Jang and Muk Eun Ji seem to merge their offerings together since they share the same space.  the 2 restaurants' offerings don't overlap, which provides a nice symbiosis for diners with differing agendas. also, and this is a BIG ALSO, sharing with Muk Eun Ji makes for awesome kim chi banchan since Muk Eun Ji serves something called maisan kimchi which is pretty delicious.

as such, i ordered the Kalbi Gobdol Bibimbab ($14.99) and Sully opted for the Handmade Noodle w/Bean Sauce w/Spicy Soup ($9.99).  at my request, we also ordered Man Doo Gui ($7.99) which were the crispiest and plumpest fried dumplings i've had to date in k-town. the bibimbab was good, although i'm not the best judge since i don't usually order it (i wasn't very hungry at the time and knew that Sully loves kalbi and bibimbab so i figured he would eat most of it).

Sully really liked the jjajang noodles and went on and on and on and on and on about how korean jjajang noodles are so much better than chinese jajang noodles. which i totally disagree. don't get me wrong, korean jjajang is good. i just don't understand why it has to be so sweet. and have such a little amount of meat. and SO many beans. whereas chinese jajang has a generous portion of mince and an adequate savory flavor that can be adapted to spicy or not spicy versions. as lunch/dinner food should be.

i guess we'll have to agree to disagree.

Barbarians

i rarely travel over to Park Slope, although i live in Brooklyn Heights and Kiddo is a Park Sloper.  however, Kiddo finally got me to go when an important event required that i attend a party at Kiddo's favorite local hangout, High Dive. 

although the event was sort of sad (it was a going-away party), the High Dive proved to be a great local bar! only a 10+ minute bus ride from my apartment. and the gratis popcorn they serve with various flavoring options is a bonus as well.

it was a sad occasion for Kiddo but he did it with style and grace, which made it a sweet memory for everyone since we all got to say our goodbyes in a celebratory fashion instead of a melancholy one.

as a bonus, i got to try out Pork Slope, which i never would have done if i hadn't ventured into the neighborhood. it's conveniently located right next to High Dive, which allows you to bring outside food into the bar.

well actually, i had been thinking about getting some Pork Slope, but before i had a chance to head over, one of Kiddo's friends arrived with the Porky Melt ($7) in hand. as i unabashedly stared and salivated at her sandwich, she politely asked if i wanted the other half since she wasn't that "hungry."  

any reasonable, civilized adult would have declined since this girl was clearly hungry (she had just been to the gym for an hour workout before she arrived to the party) and she had clearly only offered because i was so overtly staring at her food.

however, when it comes to yummy delicious porky food i've learned something about myself: i'm a savage who flouts the rules of civilized society. 

and so i ate the other half of her sandwich. 

and it was delicious. i mean, holy shit delicious.  yes, there was more bread than filling. and yes, it was a little tinier than i would have liked. but that delicious pork patty and melted cheese and caramelized onion was f*ing good.

of course, since i rudely eaten this poor girl's sandwich, and she was obviously still hungry, we headed back over to Pork Slope so i could return the favor.  i allowed her to pick anything she wanted off the menu, and perhaps being polite (had she not learned?! i clearly have no human decency when it comes to food), she ordered the Cheeseburger ($7) which was the only equally priced menu item.

the cheeseburger, while good, was nothing special, although the pickle was a nice touch. after we'd finished eating it, we both lamented how we should have purchased another Porky Melt instead of the ambivalent Cheeseburger. later someone brought back some tater tots which were completely consumed before i even got a chance to sneak a peek at them. rumor has it that they're pretty good too.

it was the best of times and it was the worst of times, but regardless, it was a "time" and it was a memory. 

and there's nothing more you can ask for in life than to make great memories with great people.

Dim Sum for the Suspect

i love dim sum. there will never be a moment when i reject someone's suggestion to eat dim sum for a meal (well, except in the instance where i just ate-and only because i am most likely too full to fit any food in my tummy, let alone dim sum).

Sully flies  his korean pride flag high, in that he favors korean cuisine over any other option. he rarely has an opportunity to eat dim sum, and the last outing didn't exactly impress him, so i'd been looking for another opportunity to go out for dim sum again. and that was how we found ourselves at Red Egg on a rainy Sunday morning. 

we were actually there due to a bloomspot voucher i had purchased which was about  to expire.  the deal allowed me to purchase $55 worth of food for a discounted amount. there had actually been a more reasonable offer but since Sully's daily intake of food exceeds most ordinary people's, i figured going for the larger option was best.

we arrived at the restaurant a little after 11 am, which is a decent time for dim sum if you want the freshest options without too much of a wait at the usual dim sum joints in Chinatown. however, when we arrived there were only 3 tables seated (all of them white). Unlike cart dim sum places, Red Egg offers a check-list for dim sum items and a regular menu for larger items. we ordered the following:

1. Pork and Shrimp Siu Mai ($2.75): this was one of Sully's favorite dishes.  the wrapper is thin and the pork and shrimp were juicy and plump.  not bad, although i wasn't as excited about it as Sully.

2. Veal Chops with Black Pepper Sauce ($3.75): a good alternative if you decide not to order the traditional spare ribs option. i offered Sully the option of either and he ended up choosing this one. very flavorful and juicy, with large easy-to-eat pieces although if you don't like the tendony portion attached to the bone, you may want to skip this. i have no qualms with using my fingers to get every bite.

3. Sticky Rice Wrapped in Lotus Leaf ($4.50): i primarily ordered this in order to provide Sully with a more "filling" option, in case he ended up not liking the other dishes. this is a dim sum staple dish as well, although Red Egg's version is a little too soft for my liking.  the flavor's "meh" although the meaty pieces were plenty (abundant minced pork/chicken and sausage).

4. Shrimp Steamed Rice Roll ($4.50): this was really the only dish i knew for sure Sully would absolutely love. and he did. i, on the other hand, found it just merely satisfactory. the shrimp pieces were nicely sized, but the rice roll wasn't as tender as i usually like it and the sauce wasn't as flavorful. 

5. Pork Shrimp and Cilantro Dumpling ($3.75): i was actually a bigger fan of this dumpling than Sully was, who preferred the Siu Mai instead.  i liked it for the thin egg-based wrapper they used as opposed to the white dumpling wrappers which can sometimes be too doughy.  

6. Octopus in Sweet Bean Sauce ($5.50): this is a cold dish that i had been hesitant to order but Sully had pushed for.  it was surprisingly good and a nice contrast to the rest of the dishes.  the little octopi were had a crunchy texture without being too chewy and the dipping sauce added a nice touch of salty-sweet.

7. Stir Fried Radish Cake with Duck Meat ($6.50): although a little salty, the accompanying hoisin dipping sauce made this dish an interesting treat. the radish cakes are fried and then stir-fried with shredded duck and other accompaniments e.g. julienned carrots, celery, and fried egg. afterwards, Sully commented that he didn't really like this dish except for the "potato" to which i clarified that wasn't potato but radish cake which surprised him and subsequently changed his opinion on the dish entirely.

all this food comes out in spurts and you can imagine our little 2-person table was filling up quickly. in order to hit our voucher quota, Sully had also ordered a dish off the regular menu: Jumbo Shrimp with Honey Walnuts ($19). he had recently tried this dish at Kiddo's bday dinner and had fallen in love (no surprise as this is every chinese kid's favorite dish when having banquet dinners with family. who can argue with candied walnuts and fried shrimp covered in a sweet mayo sauce?) we ended up getting this dish to-go because we were too stuffed at this point to contemplate eating any more food.

by the time we asked for our check, the restaurant had started to fill up.the clientele was still primarily white, although the elderly couple that sat next to us were cantonese. while i prefer the bustling push-cart atmosphere of traditional dim sum, this place isn't a bad way to introduce noobs/timid eaters to the wonderful world o dim sum.

Bits and Pieces

after finally jumping on the Groupon/Living Social/Lifebooker/Gilt City/Rue La La/Google Offers bandwagon, i have become a discount adventure queen. which is how i found myself with NannyDiaries and Bubby completely buck naked sitting in a scalding hot tub surrounded by 50+ women of all age ranges in a similar state of nudity.

i've always been  curious about the korean spa/bathhouse experience (찜질방), which i've only experienced through watching korean dramas.  but the whole culture fascinates me. why does everyone have to wear a uniform in order to enter? how do you fold a tiny towel to make those Princess Leia buns on the side of your head? those boiled eggs look really tasty. can you really stay there all night? these were questions that were burning through my inner brain which had to be answered.

so when King Spa  in Palisades Park, NJ offered a Groupon, i jumped on the opportunity.  of course, there was no way i was going to do it alone. which posed a very crucial and serious question: who would i be willing to be completely nude in front of? and who would be willing to be completely nude in front of me? in moments like these, you really run through your catalog of girlfriends in order to assess who you're truly comfortable with. and Bubby and ND won the friendship lotto.

why the focus on nudity? if you're not aware, and it's definitely daunting as a first-timer who doesn't speak korean, but King Spa has private shower/hot tub/steam room areas that are separated by gender. and it's pretty much mandatory that you attend these areas completely bare-ass naked. we actually saw a girl who had chosen to wear a bathing suit be forbidden from entering the scalding hot cauldron/hot tub because she refused to wear her birthday suit. 

Yelp reviews offer a great guide for how to approach and navigate King Spa if you're a first timer but i'll offer a rundown based on my experience anyway.

1. There is valet parking and a parking lot (valet service) directly across from the premises.  No charge for parking if you deliver the car to the lot yourself.

2. Enter the premises and approach the cashier at which time she will ask for ID/credit card and then provide you and each person in your party with a wristband that contains your locker number and key.  This also acts as your means for paying for services and food while you wander throughout the premises so don't lose it!

3. If you're a male, pick up your white uniform and head to the men's-only level on the third floor to change and enjoy some steamy hot/cold water time. if you're a woman, proceed directly to the right of the cashier and do the same.

4. Enter the locker room and change either into the pink uniform you've picked up and head up to the second floor to enjoy various dry sauna rooms to relax. interesting point: unlike the scene portrayed in korean dramas, there is no talking allowed inside the sauna rooms. however, there are many large spaces to sit with friends and chat outside of the sauna rooms. 

5. After you've sufficiently tried out each sauna box, head to the water area. there you'll find standing shower areas or seated shower areas as well as complimentary shampoo, conditioner, and soap.  if you're really comfortable with your friends, bring your loofahs and body scrubs and give it a go. before entering any of the pools it is mandatory that you shower.

6. there are 3 pools to try out: (1)  filled with an herbal bag (it kind of feels like you're being brewed like tea) and is moderately temperatured to be bearable; (2) scalding hot and really stretches the bounds of human tolerance (if you're white/pale-skinned, get ready to look like a cooked lobster); and (3) freezing cold. although it'll try your fortitude, i highly recommend bearing down in the scalding tub and then fully immersing in the freezing tub immediately after. it feels amazing.

7. once you're too prune-y for comfort, head to the restaurant level for some decent korean food, drinks, and desserts.

ND, Bubby and i did all of the above (not exactly in that order).  we'd made it a point to leave NY around 11:15 and stayed at King Spa until about 3:30, although the place is open for 24 hrs. when we'd arrived the place was at a tolerable capacity without seeming too empty or too full. however, when we left, it was a zoo at the reception area so i can't imagine the spa experience would be much fun with that many people. i absolutely want to do it again because it truly is relaxing once you've gotten the hang of it and gotten over the initial i'm-totally-butt-ass-naked awkwardness. plus my skin still feels really soft more than 24 hours afterwards.

how to drop a bomb

after the massive feast that was Thanksgiving, and the epic dinner Sully and i had at Delmonico's recently, i really should be trying to curb my diet. so i guess a dinner last night with Stitch at Bar Pitti wasn't really in my best interest.

but boy was it delicious.

an alleged (ok, confirmed) celebrity hotspot, nothing about Bar Pitti screams "trendy." i only knew it was a celebrity magnet when i attempted to google the restaurant and the only things that popped up were about Giselle/Beyonce/Bieber etc. dining there. otherwise, this is a small neighborhood italian joint. even a little pretentiously so, as they have a chalkboard menu of specials which is written strictly in italian and has to be translated for those not versed in the language.

the seating's a little crowded and the service a little brusque, but with the quality of food that they serve, all is easily forgiven. since Stitch was a frequent customer, i decided to let her take the lead on ordering (a true rarity for me) and we agreed on 2 appetizers, a pasta, and a seafood entree to share. 

we started with the burrata ($19.50) which is served with grape tomatoes and fresh basil.  the freshness of this cheese and the creamy goodness is worth the hefty price. and i don't usually spend that much for an appetizer. ever. this appetizer goes perfectly with the bread they give to you at the start of the meal, which has a nice crust on the outside but remains fluffy and soft on the inside. just spread the goodness of the cheese on it and i promise, you could die happy.

the burrata was served at the same time as our order of polpettina ($10.50), which were flavorful meatballs in a fresh tomato sauce. i never argue with a meatball (har, har) and i had no problems with these, aside from the fact that they were served lukewarm. although, Stitch and i devoured our 2 meatballs each, irregardless.

while we were ravishing our appetizers, the chef came by to show us the sea bass we had ordered (before they filet and clean it for us to eat), something that had never happened to me before but that i appreciated. although i wonder if anyone ever looks at the fish and changes their mind or demands a different piece. would they let you manhandle it? 

just as we finished our meatballs, the waiter brought our filleted sea bass with side of zucchini ($29.50) and our parpadelle with veal ragu ($14.50). the staff at Bar Pitti is definitely no nonsense when it comes to turning over tables. 

the sea bass was simply prepared flavored with salt and lemon. it was a perfect complement to the other heavier dishes we had ordered. and the side of zucchini, although nothing special, was a welcome addition of greens to our decadent meal.

the parpadelle was also great, with perfectly al dente fresh made noodles. for a simpler (and more economic meal) you definitely won't go wrong with an order of pasta.

Stitch and i managed to eat everything on our plates between the two of us. and the ordering was perfect since i feel i got to taste a variety of the menu while still getting a good representation of what the restaurant has to offer.  including tax and tip, Stitch and i each spent $86, which i would consider pricey overall, but for that burrata and the overall experience. 

in fact, the food, drink and price was distracting enough that i barely even registered that Stitch confessed a scandalous secret involving my ex-Gohm....