08/01/09 - August.............
Saturday, 01 August 2009 19:55
The first of August generally the beginning of the end [of summer] for me. I accept that I have to start preparing for the new academic year, both as a teacher and still (for one last year) as a student, and that August generally is more work than play. At least that's how it's supposed to be...
Vanessa got a new bird this week, a white English parakeet. We named him "Bach-Bach," or "Bak-Bak," which translates from Cantonese into "White-White." Her last bird from her childhood was named "Luk-Luk," which I guess is Canto for "Green-Green." I tell my white friends it's named after two of Johann Sebastian Bach's offspring, whichever you choose.
Bach-Bach on the couch with Vanessa
We went shopping the other day and stumbled upon something incredibly dorky/nerdy but nonetheless worthy to share with you all. In a considerably regressive act of childishness, I bought a 1/300th scale Lego replica of the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France.
"What are you, a nine-year-old?"
Well, for your information the box says "16+," so I'm at least a 16-year-old. Vanessa had never played with Lego's before as a kid, but she loved it. With 3,428 pieces, it took us a few hours to put it all together, but it's awesome. It stands almost 4' high and the base is a square 20".
Vive la France!!!
Spectacular details, including these windows, which I assume are those of the Jules Verne restaurant
Vanessa's favorite detail--the elevators!
Speaking of Legos, maybe you'll appreciate this NYTimes article...
07/16/09 - YosemiteMonday, 27 July 2009 00:00
A few more Yosemite photographs...
Go's Mart (Canoga Park)Tuesday, 28 July 2009 20:59
It's about time I gave Go-san some attention. I've been there a handful of times now, but it's always slipped my mind to write about it. That's mostly due to blogging being the last thing on my mind after eating there. Go-san (or his wife) go every morning to the fish wholesalers in downtown Los Angeles and buy only what's fresh, so naturally his menu changes daily. In fact, he has no menu, just a whiteboard with the day's selections. Not only does he have incredibly fresh fish, he's very skillful at manipulating flavors, combining the delicate flavors of raw fish with truffle oil, caviar, rare Japanese vegetables, as well as aesthetic considerations (gold flakes, etc). It's a real treat to eat at Go's, but a rare one, since we usually pay Go-san visits when my father-in-law takes us... ;) It's not your typical California rolls or spicy tuna roll or tuna/salmon/yellowtail/whatever that you might find in your regular sushi bar; Vanessa's been there far more than I have and has had things like fugu (pufferfish) and milt (fish seminal fluid...nasty).  The menu for today We went omakase tonight, but Go-san takes pride in remembering his clients' preferences, and generally knows what they like and don't like. Here's the menu from tonight...  Baby abalone  Toro: gold flakes on the fatty tuna to the right, caviar on the even fattier tuna to the left  Baked mushrooms with scallops and some kind of fish  Four kinds of white fish  Eel tempura  Clockwise from top: king crab, Japanese scallop, snow crab, live scallop  Sardine on left, Mackerel on right  "Holy Cow," which is seared Kobe beef  Go-san on left, Nino in middle, Oscar handing me...  ...Dynamite: Matsutake mushroom, scallop, scallion, flying fish roe  Holy Cow By far my favorite place for sushi and well worth the drive (took 2 hours with traffic from Torrance one time). Gregorio--save $5/week and we'll go for graduation; I promise you will love it. |
