Jennifer J. Chow's Blog, page 29

Foodie Friday: Cheese Katsu

Cheese katsu: panko-crusted meat with a cheesy inside

I’ve had katsu before, those deep-fried pieces of meat. My personal preference is for chicken. However, I decided to try out this new dish, cheese katsu.

Yes, it was pork, so the meat felt thicker and tougher. However, there’s also a huge cheese factor dropped into the recipe. I actually liked the gooeyness of the cheese inside the meat. It was nice to have the conflicting softness of the cheese within a substantial meaty interior.

Nonetheless, it’s something that you can’t eat too much of it. There was too much cheese and meat to finish it all. Even the few bites I took left my tummy a bit too weighed down and greased out.

Wordless Wednesday: Longevity Peach Buns

Foodie Friday: Golden Berries

Golden Berries: tart berries with golden skin

I found a new fruit at the grocery store. Why not try it out, I thought. Golden berries sounded decadent. They’re also known as cape gooseberries.

Imagine my surprise when I realized these berries are renown for their tartness. They really pack a sour punch. It’s not just the skin that exudes tartness, but the middle of the berry as well.

They weren’t to my liking, but I had family members who enjoyed the sour twist. (Of course, these are also the same people who like to nibble on raw lemons.)

Try any new foods lately?

#BookReview: The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane

“Rarely do great beauty and virtue dwell together as they do in you.”

The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane by Lisa See

4 stars

Pros:

Immersive historical details
Exploration of Akha and adoptee culture
Complex and rich mother-daughter relationships

Cons:

Authorial voice present
Switching of perspectives

The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane is another great historical fiction book done by Lisa See. She is a master at capturing times past with vivid details. Her new novel is a sweeping book that spans from 1988 to 2016.

I love that See introduced a minority people group of China, the Akha. She really wove in interesting details about their culture and way of living. I also enjoyed learning more about Pu’er tea. However, I did sometimes feel her authorial voice present because she had to explain certain words, items, or rituals. That paused the flow of the story.

The Tea Girl is told from two different perspectives, the mother and the daughter. Although I appreciated reading their different viewpoints and experiences (particularly those dealing with an adoptee’s emotions), I preferred Li-Yan’s voice more. I had a hard time getting into the daughter’s world—perhaps this is a function of a lot of her voice being told from documents and other notes.

I took off a star for the authorial voice, perspective switching, and the overly lucky fortune of Li-Yan meeting Jin (too fairtytale-like for me). Plus, I felt the ending was abrupt. This was probably more my own issue. I had the expectation that I would fully see the conclusion from both sides. Since it was a single point of view, I felt emotionally unresolved at the end.

Overall, See adds another great novel to her list. I really admire how she did tons of research and brought to life a little-known culture.

Find more of my book ratings and reviews here.

Foodie Friday: Mentai Squid Udon

Remember when I explored downtown Los Angeles and visited Little Tokyo? Well, I ate handmade udon noodles during that time.

Mentai Squid Udon: thick noodles with squid and roe

Fresh-made udon is an indulgence of mine. I love how the thick wheat noodles taste, with an exciting amount of chewy tenderness. Although I prefer udon hot, I have tried the noodles cold, which taste refreshing in warm weather.

I usually stick to simpler meats with udon, but this time I tried mentai squid. The thought of eating both squid and roe made me think the dish would taste very fish-like or seafoody. To my surprise, the combination worked really well. Mentai translates to chili-seasoned cod roe, but the eggs were not super huge nor spicy. The squid, too, seemed very soft–almost akin to a baby clam texture.

The smoothness of the roe and the squid combined well with a flavorful broth and slurpy noodles. A thumbs up!

 

Downtown Los Angeles

“Each bird likes his own nest best.”

I took a little jaunt to explore my own backyard. Amidst the towering skyscrapers, there shines a gleaming, curved metallic building. Yep, I got to tour the Walt Disney Concert Hall.

Walt Disney Concert Hall

Instead of choosing the guided tour, I opted for the audio version, complete with headphones and the narration of John Lithgow. The bright side of walking at my own pace was being able to soak in the experience and take all the pictures I wanted.

I really liked amazing architecture of the smooth building, and the way everything flowed inside, even the donor names that blended into the walls of the concert hall. My favorite part, though, was the garden. There’s a lush green garden above ground! All the vegetation is put in planters, and they used a crane to deliver all those flowers and bushes. A rooftop oasis, I enjoyed spending time admiring the flowering trees and flowing fountain there.

Angels Flight

Next, I ventured over to a longtime landmark. Angels Flight is the shortest incorporated railway in the world.

You may remember it from the scene in La La Land. It ceased operations for a while but then recently resumed functioning. Although a quick trip, it was fun going up and down the hill in such historically significant transportation.

Little Tokyo

When it came time for a lunch pit stop, I wanted authentic Japanese food. What better place to go than Little Tokyo? After a happy tummy from slurping down udon, I checked out the cute Halloween mochi display at Fugetsu-Do.

Then I strolled over to Japanese Village Plaza. There’s a beautiful enclave of stores there, along with the iconic red watchtower.

Overall, I had a lovely time. Of course, I didn’t get the chance to see all the wonderful sights in downtown!

What are your favorite places in downtown Los Angeles? Or what neat places are near you?

Foodie Friday: Pumpkin Donut

Honestly, I’m not a huge donut fan. I do, though, love pumpkin pie. I’m not sure if it’s because it gets me into the fall mood or because I enjoy all the yummy spices. In any case, when the kids asked to try a pumpkin donut, I said, “Why not?”

Pumpkin donut: donut with pumpkin pie filling

This donut really hit the mark. It’s super soft with a creamy pumpkin pie center. On top, there’s a sprinkle of cinnamon and sugar to add extra sweetness.

Want to make your own donuts at home? Try out these “easiest pumpkin donuts“!

LA Apple Picking

“Your efforts will be worthwhile.”

I wanted to do something involving fall fun recently. Apple picking seemed like the best option. Sure, Los Angeles isn’t known for its apples (I have lived in New York, so I’ve seen the beautiful orchards out there). However, it’s got a nice share of U-pick farms in the San Bernardino area.

Oak Glen boasts a number of ranches. It has a scenic loop with a bunch of apple-based businesses. We decided to check out the following destinations on our recent trip:

Los Rios Rancho. A 103-year-old ranch, it’s Southern California’s largest historical apple ranch. When we got there, we had a choice of picking Rome apples or Fuji apples. We followed the marked pathways and found the apple trees roasting in the hot sun. (And admittedly, some of them were already picked over by birds and humans.) However, we still came away with a bag bursting with fruit. The apples we picked seemed more dense than their store-bought cousins. Their taste had a wholesome sweetness to them with a slight edge of tartness.

Across the way from the U-pick area (and still a part of Los Rios Rancho) lies their store and restaurant. Over there, we were able to make our own cider. This involved filling up a huge bucket with apples (some of which were overly ripe). The best combination of apples appeared to a be a mix of red and green (to make a more complex cider). Pears were also available to add an even more interesting zest.

After washing the apples, we placed them in the press and ground the fruit to pieces. Then a wooden beam was added to the machine, and we walked around pushing the bar to press the apples into juice. Since we made raw cider, the drink must be consumed within a week’s time. A gallon was the smallest size that was offered, so in a week’s span, we drank a lot of cold cider, spiced hot cider, and even had cider pancakes.

In the same area with the cider pressing is the Oak Glen Preserve. This was a fun area to stroll around and explore. It featured a lot of educational placards for kids (and adults!). The preserve displayed different flowers, trees (even tall conifers), and water features.

After Los Rios Rancho, we also visited…

Snowline Orchard. This place is known for their yummy mini cider donuts! (They also provided free samples of interesting apple ciders, including raspberry and cherry-flavored ones. I liked cherry the best.)

Fun Fact: Oak Glen is known for their nice “mile-high” climate because of the area’s elevation. (See the pic below of their mile-high apple mile!)

Foodie Friday: Green Tea Float

I’ve had root beer floats, but never before a…

Tea float: ice cream in green tea

This is ingenious! I ordered matcha ice cream on top of the tea for extra green tea flavor. It’s a refreshing treat during hot times (like the upcoming heat wave). I like how the tea is fresh brewed and pure. Then the ice cream adds a hint of sweetness for a dessert-like drink.

Cheers!

KU Fall Book Fair

Don’t miss out! From October 15 through October 31, a bunch of YA titles will be FREE in Kindle Unlimited. Look for Dragonfly Dreams and other exciting young adult novels on Amazon. Here’s a list of books that are participating:

http://www.leamckee.com/kubookfair/