I need to take some photo classes…
Ever since I started realizing my preoccupation with cooking, I had always toyed with the idea of going to culinary school. Anyone who knew me in college (and now) would tell you, I spent probably too much time stressing, bemoaning, and being a general complaining sad sack (sorry all) over the whole thing. Anyway, after no small amount of deliberation, I am now part of the Fall 08′ class at the Professional Culinary Institute.
What does that mean for the blog? Well, for those of you that are interested, I’ll be updating periodically on the various trials, funny episodes, and striking new revelations that today’s culinary student faces, in what is becoming a increasingly burgeoning business. Don’t worry, I’ll try to stay away from the whole “Today, I did this…and then that…it was soooooo coool,” business.
So that’s it for now. As always, keep eating folks.
So it’s been a good two months since I’ve gotten back and I’ve had some time to mull over my experiences. And while I’d like to spill them all into writing…I realize (as usual) that it would be just incoherent babble without at least some measured thought. Point is, this is (hopefully) the first of a series of entries I’ll be writing about my experiences in China, and more broadly, about Chinese food in general. In reality, there are few other things that I actually feel strongly about, so I want to mark my words and arguments with at least some degree of articulation. But for the sake of keeping things simple, I’ve decided to tackle a considerably simpler issue for the first entry.
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Ahh, pastrami. I don’t really consider myself much of a sandwich guy, but when I do spring for one, nothing does it like hot pastrami on rye. (Or a monte cristo, but that’s another entry.) Yes, it is one of my most favored of sandwich meats, yet also one of my least understood. Embarrassingly, I didn’t figure out pastrami was actually cured beef until just a few years ago. Anyway, during my time in college, I had always heard stories of this place. This oddly named joint with unrivaled, perhaps even, legendary pastrami sandwiches. I mean, their sandwich is listed under the Wikipedia entry for pastrami, and we all know Wikipedia is pretty much law…so they’ve gotta be somewhat legit right? As fate would have it, I had the opportunity to swing by and see if the product matched the hype.
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I saw these suckers in the Chronicle a while back and after a cursory glance, I decided to go hunting for them at my local Safeway.
A sure sign of the apocalypse. At your local grocery store.
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Wow…so after reading that last entry, I can’t help but feel like some sort of hedonistic bastard writing this one.
Located in San Jose’s illustrious (or pretentious…you decide) Santana Row, The Counter is another play on the “build-your-own-burger” concept. Wherein it is in your hands, dear diner, to select the individual components that will make up your custom built, and hopefully delicious, burger. I must admit I had my reservations first coming in…my past experiences with gourmet burger places have been lackluster at best. While solid in concept, I haven’t yet been to a place that has made gourmet burgers tasty enough to warrant coming back. Especially when I know there’s delicious, simpler, fresh burgers available for a much more palatable price…..*cough* In-n-out *cough*
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Okay, sorry everyone! I too have been a terrible blogger these past few months. Not like we have a ton of readers to satisfy, but I do apologize to you few who come check us out from time to time. Thanks, haha. Unlike Nate, I don’t have a great firewall of China blocking me from posting; I would attribute the dearth to general laziness as well as taking three classes while working.
You might have noticed a few tweaks here and there already, but some more changes should be on the way. I also will be moving away from strictly reviews, due to both a lack of restaurant adventures (which is in part due to a lack of greenbacks) and to liven up this blog a bit.
Many of you might know that I am a food snob, but necessity has dictated a new course for me. These two single serve packs, taken straight from the office cafeteria, have pretty much been my two best friends. Take a few each morning, buy a preservative-laden loaf of bread and bam, lunch for weeks. Yeah, I’m frugal/cheap/a scavenger/sad. I even skipped two chances for Dine about Town! I sound as if I’m regressing into poor college student mode; at least the kimchi ramen has not entered the picture.
In an effort to cut down on frivolous spending, I’ve been eating much more simple fare. Yogurt or cereal for breakfast. Leftovers and PB&J dominate my lunch time eating. Dinner varies, but usually our house eats pasta at least once a week. Waffles topped with whipped cream and strawberries on the weekend. Hasn’t been bad by any means, but no juicy steaks or rack of lamb.
Well that sums up my gastronomic history these past few months. Hopefully it will get a tad more interesting in the near future. Until next time, stay tuned!
Whoa, whoa, whoa…what’s going on here? I disappear for four months and our blog goes under? Not on my watch.
Notice the intimidating eyebrows and the far more intimidating (and heavy) cleavers. They say that you know you’re Chinese if your mom owns a cleaver bigger than your head. Anyway, so if the above picture isn’t indicative enough, (which it isn’t) my last four months have been spent in China. And what was I doing you ask? Well, apart from taking ridiculous pictures, I’ve spent the last four months working for Chef Martin Yan of Yan Can Cook fame, helping to establish, observe, and ultimately learn at Chef Martin Yan’s Culinary Arts Center in Shenzhen, China.
…That was a mouthful.
Unfortunately, condensing and processing all that I’ve learned, seen, smelled, and, of course, eaten, will take much longer to figure out. It’s all whizzing around in my head waiting to be made sense of. So, before I mount the pulpit and expound on Asian food philosophy, (as if I had any) I’ve decided to leave this little blurb first, to let you all know that:
Firstly: No, we are not dead.
And secondly: entries will be resuming. I hope.
That’s all folks. Keep eating
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
I will quickly admit that I am not an expert in Filipino cuisine. Lumpia and adobo anything pretty much covers the extent of my interaction with it. I’ve enjoyed it thus far, and I was looking forward to expanding my horizons. Thanks to the recommendations of some of my homies, I ventured out to this trendy spot in San Bruno in search of some tasty treats.
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Friday, December 28, 2007
January is here and that means new resolutions, new semesters, new projects, and San Francisco’s one and only…
Mmmm, looks the lineups been updated a bit since last year. As for me, my wish list is as follows:
- Foreign Cinema
- supperclub san francisco
- XYZ
- Big 4
- Aziza
Reserve quick or you might miss out on the good stuff. As always, make sure you check each restaurant’s menu to make sure you aren’t paying more for a DAT meal than a normal 3 course meal. Some restaurants even offer fixed price menus for less than the DAT. Heads up!
Thursday, December 27, 2007
My friend, Laurene, and I were starving, so we decided to look for something to eat in Bernal Heights. After a short deliberation (Emmy’s Spaghetti Shack was the other contender), we walked into Inkas. I’m not very familiar with Peruvian food, since I tried it for the first time when I moved up to the Bay for college. Mexican was pretty much the only Latin American cuisine that I had tried extensively. Based on my few experiences ceviche, fried chicken, and lots of potatoes seem to be the motifs of Peruvian cuisine. I’m definitely not complaining about that. Anyway, Inkas was an interesting experience, definitely one worth sharing.
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