January 14, 2012: Dim Sum! Maximus! Mailbag!

I got a request for more Akemi pictures (from Akemi's mom) so here we go – snapped today while we were having dim sum at THE best place for dim sum in Vancouver = Sea Harbour Seafood Restaurant on No. 3 Road in Richmond.  A great selection of items, all listed with accompanying photos, in the easy to peruse dim sum menu.  On this day, we ordered…way too much.

They make the best - what Akemi likes to call - Daikon Mochi in town (actually, second only to the labor-intensive version Rob Cooper makes)

I ordered these ube cakes figuring I'd enjoy them - but Akemi wouldn't. It turned out to be just the opposite. She loved the texture. As for me - I don't know. Call me crazy, but I like my desserts sweet.

Now THIS is more like it - the restaurant's special egg-yolk buns. I love to order a plate of these for first timers and watch them bite into one, unwittingly unleashing a spray of searing, sweet yellow lava onto their fingers and the surrounding table. Heh heh.

On the way home, we stopped by the pet store and picked up some doggy surprises: a squeaky lamb, a squeaky ferret, and a couple of comfy beds including a tiny one for Maximus who prefers squeezing himself in over sprawling himself out -

Plenty of room for one more!

Jelly, on the other hand, is more of a sprawler.  Compare and contrast:

Maximus hasn't been doing well lately.  His on again off again on again off again appetite is off once again.  He hasn't eaten in two days and I've run out of options.  Guess I'll see how he does over the next couple of days.

Mailbag:

Shiny writes: "And I still haven't been able to find that purple pasta shaped like flowers that you had at I think a Thai restaurant?"

Answer: Yes, they're a Thai dish called chor ladda.

Flower-shaped dumplings filled with minced chicken and peanuts.  Legend has it they were a princess's favorite, thus they are referred to as Princess Dumplings in some places.

Shiny also writes: "Whey you're done with Breaking B I hope you'll check out Misfits and Spy!"

Answer: Downloading the first season of Misfits now.  Haven't heard of Spy.

Fred writes: " He's looking more like a sociopath and I question whether that kind of fundamental personality shift can really occur in an individual absent any earlier clues."

Answer: Given the number of sociopaths who have been described as "perfectly normal" by friends, family, and neighbors, I'd say yes.

cherluvya writes: "Mike has become a very likable character."

Answer: And I think the show's producers realized this, which was why they injured him and took him out play for that final episode – otherwise he would have been in that room with Gus.

ben writes: "You should check out Boardwalk Empire, but it does take a few episodes to get going and to get used to."

Answer: I've heard.  The first season comes out on dvd soon.

chevron7 writes: "I don't know why you're mad at me..it's why I've stayed away these last few weeks…made me sad…"

Answer: I'm mad at you?  This is an assumption based on what?

michelle writes: "Now onto the "Breaking Bad" finale, since I know I'm one of the ones who hyped it."

Answer: Yes.  I was going to give you the weekend before I dropped you a pestering email.

michelle also writes: " Because I just didn't believe Walt would sink to that level…"

Answer: Really?  I think I could excuse the poisoning on the grounds that he is a scientist and might know how much of the stuff to administer to ensure sickness short of death, but I have a harder time forgiving him for sending his elderly neighbor into a home where a bunch of killers may have been lying in wait.

michelle also writes: "Regarding your 4, have you watched the little featurettes that came with the iTunes eps?"

Answer: Mine didn't come with a featurette.

michelle also writes: " I think Giancarlo is an amazing actor. You should watch a featurette just to see what a different/happy guy he is in real life."

Answer: Speaking of clever writing, you should check out Mr. Esposito in a movie called Fresh.

Dave Clark writes: "Hey, can you just send me one?  And advanced copies of the rest?  And season 2 of Stargate Universe?  And some braised short ribs?"

Answer: Sure.  They're on their way.  Make sure to tuck into those ribs the second they arrive.  You want to eat 'em hot.