Your Fortune Cookie reading for today.

Bacon Chanting

Pineapple Asparagus fried Rice Thai Style You Say?

Pad Thai using leftovers

Pad Thai made from leftover mango Tamarind chicken I made the day before. Both were so delicious.

The Julia Childs Impact

“The Julia Childs Impact.” I Met Julia Childs when she spoke at “The Culinary” while I attended school there. It was amazing, seeing some of the Chef instructors who, at any other time would be unshakeable in any kitchen calamity or student debacle, become youthfully vibrant, electrically charged with childlike awe, as they primped and buzzed excitedly around her.

All the chefs there had great admiration for her. It was palpable. I felt humbled, enriched, and changed by it. It added something to my core, adding an intangible bit to a lifetime of intangible bits.

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Just watched a documentary Called; “Soul Of A Banquet” with Cecilia Chiang and Alice Waters

A documentary that basically tried to celebrate the life’s efforts, and challenges, of an amazingly courageous Chinese restauranteur, and defector of Communist China. It was just awkward for me and even a little sad to watch. You got the sense that a couple of powerful foodies decided; “Hey the world needs to know about this before we lose her and her knowledge to time”, and then went about in attempting to canonize her in a documentary.
It was palpable that the filming of this matriarch of Chinese cuisine didn’t herself, appear to be in the flow of it. There was one part where Alice Water’s puts another portion of food on Mrs. Chiang’s plate earlier in the films informal dining scene, to which She’s say’s, “I have plenty already.
I wanted it to be so much more.
I wanted to see and hear more about Cecilias past in the states and maybe some interview with her daughter extolling moms culinary vision of classic Chinese food, past and present, but no. It just felt akin to me like, if I was to wheel out my grandfather to tell of his amazing story with his triumphs and challenges, trying to edify him for all the world to appreciate him like I do, and all the while during the course of making the film he would correct and talk over the praises of him, which in the end no matter the amount of editing would still make the documentary still feel awkward to watch. In the end I still give kudos for even attempting any kind of Visual presentation of a persons life.

Peekskill fire close to beloved coffee house and hangout

Big bad fire in Peekskill lastnight. The life altering blaze was a few buildings up from my beloved coffee house, and hangout.  which I was blissfully, and espresso-ly trapped at for hours, whilst my truck was smack dabbed non-parkos-mentis (surrounded by firetrucks & fire hoses), with all access and exiting of the wintery glistened streets to a halted until fire/rescue had finished their greatly esteemed efforts. 

I imbibed all manor of coffee house drink, until, I could randomly run no more to the restroom to seek porcelain solace within. The café was kind enough to let me wait it out, and see if I could drive home but it didn’t look like it was to happen, for a long while, so I left my truck and hoped for a ticketless retrieval in the early morning.

 I made it safe and sound to my warm house. I put my hand on the knob of the door to go inside, mentally saying a humbled thank you for my immediate circumstances, and hoping and praying for the displaced couple’s. 

Taste Bud Thumpin East Village Dumplings

Mimi’s Chengs Dumplings ( Apple pie dumpling for dessert)
“One of the few dumpling houses in NYC, if any I’ve seen that uses organic and locally sourced meats and vegetables in their dumpling along with traditional ingredients.

Apple pie dumpling   

The unencumbered menu had the selections that count for a dumpling lover such as myself, along some you wouldn’t expect like, “buffalo chicken with home made dressing made with “Murray’s blue cheese and a “Market Veg” selection from veggie market next door consisting of, organic Cole slaw with peanut sauce.
Counter people were friendly, and knew and talked about food beyond their culinary footprint. This chef had a very cool time.

Not a Foodie post but…….

It’s not a foodie post, but freedom is something that all people should be allowed to sink their teeth into.

I support freedom. #InstaFreedom #hk #occupycentral #chefblog