Jennifer J. Chow's Blog, page 39

Mexico City, Part 1

“You are a bundle of energy, always on the go.”

Palacio de Bellas Artes, as seen from a distance

First off, here’s a list of the casualties from our trip:

1 phone (mine), dead. Thank goodness the boarding pass didn’t get wiped out until after I passed the security checkpoint!
Mosquito bites (multiple). Poor hubby! One swelled up to goose egg size on his head :(
Aches and pains (ongoing). I’ve still got a crick in my neck from sleeping funny and twisting my head.

Shopping at Ciudadela

And yet…I had culture shock returning to the States. I really missed the atmosphere over there. The top three things I was aching to experience again?

Language. There’s a nice cadence to the Spanish language that I missed hearing.
Affection. People are so kind there and very affectionate in their greetings (bye, besos on the cheek!).
Passion. Things are doing with great energy; I loved the palpable feel of worship at the local church over there.

Every time I go on a trip abroad, I feel like there’s a special older person that I get the chance to meet. In Spain, it was a professor I met on the train. In Mexico City, it was an Uber driver. Uber’s super popular in Mexico City (which is actually not surprising, given the crazy amount of traffic and aggressive driving). We chatted about his life, things like:

Relatives in the U.S. and his brother who will be visiting him soon!
Transition from years of working in the jewelry business to becoming an Uber driver
The new car he bought so he could motor us around

This post is a lighter jog down memory lane, but next Monday, I’ll blog more about the other part of my trip. We went over to work together with a nonprofit that fights against human trafficking in the area. Sadly, trafficking is a huge moneymaker and one of the fastest-growing criminal activities in the world.

Foodie Friday Fiesta

Foodie Friday Fiesta: Lots of yummy eating in Mexico!

Just the usual breakfast bread basket in Mexico

My blog went dark since last week because I was overseas in Mexico! We traveled to Mexico City for nine days (more on that amazing adventure on Monday’s blog). While there, we feasted on goodies. Here’s a brief sample of what I enjoyed:

Agua: Not just water, agua frescas are delicious juices served at many stands. What I love about these drinks is that you can combine your most beloved fruits into a customized blend. And they’re really refreshing!
Al pastor: Yes, I’ve had this in the U.S., but it was a whole other experience watching the meat rotating on a spit and being sliced out for tacos. Al pastor is made from pork, but it’s quite similar in form to gyros.
Arrachera: My hands-down favorite meat. It’s marinated skirt meat and so full of flavor and tenderness. The best combo I had? With bell peppers, onions, and potatoes!
Cinnamon rolls: Okay, I don’t know how they make these cubes of deliciousness, but they’re awesome! They’ve got this great fluffiness to them, and they’re not super sweet (or so I convinced myself).
Conchas: Shell-shaped pastries, these are quintessential rolls of sweet bread. They actually remind me of pineapple buns with their flaked-sugar topping.
Churros: My kids love churros, but they really liked piping fresh ones from the local panadería. They were quite tasty. I don’t remember exactly how they compare to the ones I had in Spain, but both are scrumptious renditions.
Mango: These are the yellow variety and sweeter than their American counterparts. I don’t know what it is about the country, but the ones in Mexico were always perfectly ripe.
Mole: Okay, I really enjoy mole. Not the kind from a box (big thumbs down!). Fresh-made mole. I got to eat my favorite kind, mole poblano (yes to chocolate married with spice!).

For all your culinary travels, ¡buen provecho!

 

 

Twitter Timesinks

“Genius is eternal patience.”

Confession: I go on Twitter to check and see how my submissions are going. (As in, maybe that editor will tweet something favorable about a new manuscript that landed in their in-box.) In reality, though, I need to resign myself to the waiting game. Publishing tends to be a crawling business.

Another way I find my hours spinning by on Twitter? Hashtags:

#mswl Manuscript Wish List; what hot topics agents and editors are looking for

#querytip Ways to improve queries

#pubtip Advice on all things publishing

#amediting What struggles other writers are facing

#amwriting Also, what creative exploits other authors are pursuing

Where do you hang out on Twitter or other social media?

Foodie Friday: Pea Sprouts

Pea sprouts: leaves and tips of the vine from a pea plant

When I have a hankering for vegetables, pea sprouts are my go-to choice of greens. They’re a vibrant color and offer soft leaves along with crisp stalks. When cooked fresh, all you need to add is oil and garlic for a flavorful vegetable dish. (Here’s a slightly more complicated recipe, though.)

With a great nutrition profile of vitamin A, C, and folic acid, they’re a surefire winner for health. Pea sprouts are plentiful in the local markets (and taste great from the farmers’ market!). The wonderful thing is they hold the flavor of the pea but can be grown in about a quarter of the time.

Fun fact: Pea sprouts have 7 times the amount of vitamin C found in blueberries.

We’re Not All Alike

“You are realistic, and others relate to you.”

I embrace the word Asian American. I like my cultural background, although it’s taken years to embrace the duality of it. But we’re not all alike. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been confused with someone else because we look “like twins”–and this still happens with my kids. (In fact, I heard a comment today!)

Anyway, Asian Americans are a huge group comprising of people from over 48 distinct places. We’re not all the usual “model minority” myth either. Actually, there’s a huge wealth gap between the subgroups in the AA population. Read more about it in this article quoting a study from The Pew Research Center. 

Fun fact: People keep asking me if I’m on the cover of my Asian American young adult novel, Dragonfly Dreams. Nope, that’s not me!

Foodie Friday: Hello Kitty Toast

Hello Kitty Toast: a little hello kitty on my bread

I’ve always wanted a Hello Kitty toaster because it seems super cute. (And since my friend was moving, she graciously passed on her old one–thanks, T!) Anyway, I thought maybe the Hello Kitty would fill up the entire bread slice, but nope–it’s just a little kitty in the corner.

I’d like to say the toast tastes so much different, but it’s about the same. (Although my kids are actually not enamored by the new toaster since it makes the bread “too dark,” so that the white Hello Kitty face will appear.) Oh, well. At least, I still enjoy it. And for further musing: What’s up with Hello Kitty not having a smile? My kids used to actually draw in the mouth on their Hello Kitty toys and shirts.

Fun fact: Hello Kitty is not a cat. I know, right?

Embracing Aging

“An admirer is concealing his affection for you.”

Honestly, I never thought I’d live in L.A. for so long when I first moved here. Besides the traffic, I remember the extreme focus on looks. In newspapers, I saw (and was scared by) the ads for cosmetic surgery. I also met people looking to break into modeling and acting, and needing to look gorgeous. It seemed like folks wanted to–needed to–reverse aging to feel loved and accepted. Thankfully, this attitude is slowly changing. I’m happy for videos like the one by Allure that dispels the myth of aging: http://www.allure.com/story/dispellin...

 

Foodie Friday First: Red Bean Bread

Ate some fresh…

Red bean bread: pastry stuffed with red bean filling

I had my first taste of this Korean pastry. It’s a fluffy bread that’s very soft and tender, more pastry-like than a bagel consistency. Inside is red bean paste, a thick filling of the legumes. Not a very sugary bread, it’s great when you’re craving just a little bit of sweetness.

SCBWI Summer Conference

“You are original and creative.”

For the past three days, I’ve been immersed in children’s books at the annual SCBWI conference. Along with almost 1000 other attendees, I geeked out at the superstar faculty and the informative workshops. Here’s a picture journey of my experience:

At the historic Millennium Biltmore, formerly a cathedral, and rumored to have ghosts

 

65 feet of rejection; inspiration from author Kate Hannigan to keep on trying!

 

Decadent dessert with our sit-down dinner (kind of like a s’mores pyramid)

 

Gift certificate for being one of the winners for the annual joke contest

 

Selling DRAGONFLY DREAMS at the conference

 

Fun fact: Here was my winning joke entry (theme of Olympics crossed with children’s book or author): “Diver Wins Gold Medal After Tuck Everlasting.”

Diverse Phantom of the Opera!

“Your loyalties will be rewarded.”

Okay, I admit it: I love musicals. Even when I was forced to watch Westside Story in high school and all my peers snickered at the Jets versus Sharks, I relished it. Of course, I also remember being glued to the TV set watching Lea Salonga perform in Les Miserables.

Now, I’m excited to see an Asian American female lead and an African American actor as partners in Phantom of the Opera. Hurrah!