Keeping Cut Flower Fresh

Here's a tip to keep cut flower fresh from the flower vender at the Union Square farmer's market:

Start with a clean vase: Sterilize your vase prior to use. The build up of bacteria can cause your flowers to breakdown much faster than they may naturally.

Clean foliage from stems that will be submerged in water. Ethylene gas submitted from foliage, as it break down in water, can cause flower heads to wilt.

Rinse vase with cool to lukewarm water. Flowers, like people, tend to absorb water more effectively if it is not ice cold.

Cut stem ends at an angle, 1/4" to 1/2" from the bottom, and immediately submerge in water. An angled cut allows for more surface area from which flowers may drink. Repeat entire process every 2-3 days.

Along with the basics, adding a couple drops of bleach and some 7UP or Sprite can help to keep your field cut flowers brighter and longer. Keep in mind that your flowers can be adversely affected by heat, by cold, by wind and by smoke.

Summer Food

During the summer, I leave for work a bit early and walk through the farmers market in Union Square. My favorite in this market is one of the Korean farmers. They got Japanese vegetables, some of which are hard to find. For the summer, they have Japanese eggplant, seedless cucumber, okra, Japanese sweet pepper and mizuna leaf.

Using these summer vegetables:

Okra and Chicken
Cut chicken breast, onion and okra into about 1/2" cubes. If you have, fine chop some fresh ginger and garlic. Stir-fry chicken and ginger/garlic first and add the vegetables. Season with salt, pepper and some chili sauce or soy sauce if you like.

Fried Eggplant and Shishito Pepper in Bonito Broth
Cut Japanese eggplant into 2 inches. Deep-fry the veggies quickly in vegetable oil (salad oil, corn, canola oil)
Put them in bonito broth with a bit of mirin and soy sauce with grated ginger. (I personally love the ginger. Really good combination with eggplant.) Put a piece or flakes of dried hot chili if you like.
Leave it for a while and chill in the refrigerator till it cools down. (no need to make it super cold)

Beets Salad

One of our favorite salad by Girogio who owns an Italian restaurant in Minnesota.

GIORGIO RESTAURANT WARM BEET SALA (Servings: 4)

4 medium beets
1 small red onion
2 tbsp olive oil
1 cup crimini mushrooms, halved
1/2 cup goat cheese (blue cheese works well too)
pinch of salt and pepper

Dressing:
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
1/4 cup whole grain mustard
1/4 cup honey
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

Directions:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Roast beets with skin on for 45 minutes or until they are soft all the way through. Cut the onion in half, pour a small amount of olive oil over onion and roast 15 minutes. Toss the crimini mushrooms in a small amount of olive oil and roast 5-10 minutes.

When beets are done, peel and slice them 1/2" thick. Cut red onion into 1/2" dice. Combine beets, mushrooms, and onion on a cookie sheet. Add small pieces of goat cheese on top, salt & pepper to taste; bake 5 minutes or until cheese has browned.

To make dressing, combine the mustards and honey in a bowl of a food processor. On high setting, pulse the ingredients. adding olive oil slowly in a pencil-thin stream. The dressing is done when all ingredients are well emulsified together. Makes about 1 cup.

Coat the bottom of a plate with the dressing and slide the warm salad on top. Serve warm.

We normally roast when we find nice beets and make the salad later. This way, all you have to do is make dressing and serve cold. Some fresh basil is a good match for this salad. This sliced cucumbers add some crispy, refreshing flavor too.

Gutter

Some smart people came up with an idea to further invigorate the Brooklyn’s hipster neighborhood by opening up a bowling center. A cool bar and short lanes with old score monitor seem to get easily packed even during the weekday. I felt like doing something more than just a bike ride one night. Past 10 pm on Wednesday, the lanes are all taken and we had to wait a bit. I didn’t expect that. Come to think of it, this neighborhood is full of non-9-to-6 lifestyle people. $7 per game per person is expensive, but the fun is guaranteed.

The Gutter
http://www.thegutterbrooklyn.com/

July 4

In the past, we’d thrown a party on July 4. First year, we humbly grilled on the fire escape by the kitchen window—a semi barbecue party. Our building roof peeked through other buildings and surprisingly had a really good view of Macy’s firework. The next year, our super informed us that he wouldn’t be able to open the roof. Apparently, some idiots threw bottles from the roof previous year. It must have been at another building our landlord owned. We told our guests about the news and still ended up having over 30 people in our tiny apartment. Our signature chili-rubbed beef tenderloin was sold out in less than five minutes! There's no better feelings than cooking for people and seeing the dishes all empty at the end of the party.

To most NY residents, July 4 isn’t all about firework. It’s about gathering with friends. Plus, to me, firework in the states is nothing compared to what we have in Japan where it is a traditional craft. This year, we were invited to our friend’s high-rise mid-town apartment. Although the “Spider Man” building blocked the view, we enjoyed the food and friends—and that’s all you need.

New Italian in E W'burg

Il Passatore, a charming, small Italian restaurant on Bushwick Avenue is my new favorite. For a good pasta in the hood, I usually go to Aurora, Bacci and Abracci or PT. But at Il Passatore, the price is much more reasonable, nothing is over 20 dollars. Their lam ragu pasta was the best pick in my group. I had gnocchi in sage and butter sauce. It was not my favorite gnocchi but liked the flavor. My friend had a pasta with ham from special; the simple butter sauce has a hearty flavor with ham yet not greasy at all.

If you are in the area, I highly recommend this place. As expected, they took no credit card.

Il Passatore
http://ilpassatorebrooklyn.com/

Block Music Party

One of the things I love about Brooklyn is that you can find really talented people play for free. This was International Day of Music and there were couple block parties in my neighborhood. This one was right outside the live bar that always feature really good bands and DJ. All four groups features different types of musics from around the world.

In this hood, it's not just hipsters or young people who enjoy such an event. This Puerto Rican guy from around my apartment passed by on his signature bicycle with a big horn.

Grand Sichuan

Shabu-shabu is probably my favorite Nabe-ryori (hot pot dish). The only drawback is that you have to get really fresh ingredients, especially the meat and seafood, which makes this dish usually expensive. Although the ingredients may not be the freshest, Shabu-shabu in Sichuan style is very reasonable, and most importantly, comes in two broth.

The clear soup is simply flavored with scallion and ginger. On the other side of the pot is the spicy broth. Red chilies and the red chili oil cover the surface of the broth. We usually order 1 seafood (squid or scallop), 1 meat (pork or beef slice), 2 vegetables (mushroom, greens) and tofu. Each side is between 2- 7 dollars.

Since the pot comes with two broth, you can share it with non-heat enthusiasts.

Cold Noodle - Hiyashi Chuka

Hiyashi-chuka is one of the most popular noodle dishes for summer in Japan. I can get the noodle with sauce (usually in soy vinegar flavor or sesame sauce) is available at major Japanese grocery store. Typically, you serve the noodle with egg, cucumber (julienne), ham. My version is with grilled shrimp or chicken, with the sauce spiced up with hot sauce. Julienne cucumber is so refreshing.

Turkish BBQ

For me in my little 2nd floor apartment, the only option to BBQ is at the firescape by the kitchen window. I’m always scared of the flame outside of window, fanatically worried neighbors might call fire department.

We were invited to their biennial BBQ party. They have a beautiful, spacious terrace to accommodate group of guests. The host friend’s mother prepared super yummy side dishes – cabbage salad, ratatouille -ish roasted veggies, couscous-looking thing, and the host friend grilled 30lb lack of lamb. My favorite was the cabbage salad. I like his BBQ because there’ s always a good selection of side dishes—unlike typical American BBQ which involves little cooking... We brought bacon-wrapped asparagus (roll fresh asparagus and so easy, perfect to grill), which successfully sold out.

Utagawa: Japanese Woodblock Print

Not to miss, I went to see the exhibition of Japanese woodblock print at Brooklyn Museum. I always liked the Japanese print, specifically Ukiyo-e, for its subtle yet beautiful color scheme. I find resemblance in color pallet between kimono and west African and Indian textile, which I also adore. That makes me wonder where old Japanese people picked up such design taste? My guess is our fruitful four-season culture and the color indigenous nature of the island offers.

Each of Utagawa family has his own characteristic. A collaboration of two artists was also common where one artist did figures and another did the landscape. My favorite was the ones done by indigo. It's simply amazing how tiny details are clearly printed by one color, of course in different shades. Interesting, too, to see the difference in Japanese traditional indigo (Ai) and western indigo.

One of the work was created when the artist was over 70 years old; completion in details is almost the work of craftsman, rather than an artist.

Since I was there, I checked out MURAKAMI. I don't like it as 'art." What's interesting is (stealing my boyfriend's idea, which I agree) that he established the fact anything called art can be major influences in any other industry, including fashion and commercial. At the same time, its effective in many fields therefore makes me feel like denying its pure art. It's characters, anime, design, and phenomenon. Question of 'what's art' never gets answered, at least for me.

Russian & Turkish Bathhouse

After a week-long event at work, my body was feeling like 200lb... And I needed a serious massage, for which I would have needed to spend good $200. Plus, I don't like the idea of making an appointment to get a massage. I want to get is when I feel like it. So I tried something new: Turkish & Russian Bathhouse. It has been in business for over 100 years in now the Japanese mecca in Manhattan, East Village. Although the majority of clientele is male and I wouldn't go there alone, there are quite a few female guests and couples.

You walk in and put all your valuables in narrow tin can at the reception. The locker room is very small; obviously not a luxurious spa environment. They have shorts and robe for men; some girls were also wearing them. Towels are provided so are sandals. I changed in my bathing suit and now to the sauna. It's steamy and hot all over. You walk into sauna (different temperature), and when you can't take it, jump into the icy cold pool. This is PAINFULLY cold and cannot stay more than 1 second. When you get out the pool, the whole blood circulation starts to detox. Such a refreshing feeling.

In one of the rooms, Russian guys give Platza (Oak Leaf treatment). Basically, the guy hits your body with bunches of oak leaf. It's a bit rough and done among other guests. Some girls were making moaning noise when the guy lift their legs in like 90 degree, which kind of made me reluctant to try myself... They also have regular massage in a private room.

My body felt cleaner and lighter. It's only $30 and you can stay as long as you'd like.

Miko, the Wrestler

Another work event, but it's not a wrestling thing. It's an interactive award ceremony that my company hosts. The theme this year was somehow Mexican wrestling. We set up a real wrestling ring as a stage. After the event, I took some photos with the wrestler people. I was wearing boots, which fits perfectly! "Una Mas!" My poor Spanish somehow worked...

This Sumo wrestler appeared at the end of the ceremony. He was a real champion two years ago, but now seems too heavy and people thought he wouldn't make it to go on the ring.

See the wrestling with Sumo wrestler and Mexican wrestler.

Busy Work Week

Every time people ask me what I do for living, I find it difficult to explain. They give me 'what is that about...' when I tell them it's an non-profit organization for advertising and the conversation fades out. I an Education Director, working for student and teachers in advertising and graphic design programs, orchestrating events and programs for them.

Last week was my busiest week in a year. Event everyday. Portfolio review where students get feedback from industry creatives; students portfolio exhibition; speaker series; presentation competition; and award ceremony for students. Barely had time to eat lunch or hydrating myself and every night is a party. Standing all day and running around was not for me who's past 30 and hasn't been to a gym for.. ever.

Sweet White Day

In the hotel in Maui where I was staying for a business trip. When I walked into my room, I saw a beautiful white flower on a counter. I first thought it was a gift to our judges (my work was hosting a judging for advertising). Yet, it was a bit strange since we had been there for couple nights then. I took a better look at the card; it said "Westin Maui". First I thought it said "Welcome Maui" which made me think that was for judges. Think well... Oh it is White Day! White Day is probably a Japanese invention. Boys respond to the girls who confessed their love to the boys on St. Valentine's Day. My boyfriend found out where I was staying and arranged a flower delivery. He did the same before when I was staying at a hotel in NY, surprising me with white tulips. I wish I could have taken it with me from Hawaii.

Maui, Hawaii

A week after the trip to the D.R. Now I'm off to Maui. I've been to Maui, which is my favorite Hawaian island. The trip was frustrating already on the way out there; some technical troubles and delay. Already exhausted from the 13-hour trip. A baby was crying the whole time. It was already dark when I arrived.

Westin Hotel has an artificial lake in the lobby with swans, actually black swan. It's really strangely beautiful...

As usual, it was not until the last day that I got to enjoy the beach. Some young folks were jumping off the cliff. It's not allowed, but it's deep enough and safe, I guess. As long as someone jumps and kicks a snorkeler, it's ok. The snorkeling around this cliff is amazing. I was floating with a turtle for an hour.

And the sunset and rainbow was just so memorable.


On the last day morning, my boss treated us for a whale watching. It was already pass the high season and most whales were back on the journey to Alaska. We still saw quite a number of whales. One whale came really close to the boast. The staff told that they had a special censor that would let him avoid touching a boat even if it came an inch away. Smart. Clever. Nature is amazing... I was particularly impressed with the turquoise water that male whales make when they breath. I literary saw a spot of turquoise water in the ocean. Being mesmerized by the wonder of whale life, I was half sick from the boat ride.

Ugly Smell

Setting many other things I want to post on aside, one thing has been bothering me and I'm wondering if anyone else has noticed: Perfume.

This perfume smells like a yellow cab, car refresher swinging from the rear view mirror, bubble gum, floor cleaner from dollar stores. I detect the smell at least once a day; on the street, in the train, which makes me feel nauseous. Call me racist but a certain type (race) of men seem to like it.

UNICLOCK

My Bowl and Plant

My friend's birthday. Very talented Graphic Designer from Brazil. We decided to give him a plant that grows from a rock. My boyfriend picked it from a store while I was away for a business trip, and he picked a bowl I made. It actually fit perfectly. This summery bowl matches the plant nicely. Thanks to the friend who is keeping it in his nice apartment!

Dominican Republic

I stayed in the Dominican Republic for a week for work. Honestly, I wish I didn't have to stay in a huge resort, a concrete compound, but I have to admit I had a good time down there. Luckily, I got to stay in one of the Casitos (individual villa) right in front of the beach and away from everyone else. This lobster was one of the biggest and best I ever had.


One of the evenings, we had a dinner followed by local Dominican dancers. Sad news: the driver who was carrying the costumes got in an accident and couldn't deliver them. We almost thought of canceling the evening event. However, someone somehow managed to deliver the costume and the entertainment started. We danced. They danced. Everybody danced to the merenge (if you want to learn, I can dance a bit...).


I didn't have a chance myself but my co-worker walked through a trail and he saw huge iganas.

Every morning, I tried to supplement my vitamin C with this local fruit: passion fruit. You just suck the seeds covered by this slimy thing. I loved it for the first day. But it was too acidic and it got smaller ad smaller the remaining mornings.


One thing I liked very much was the bed making. I guess every room maker does their own way, but this particular day, she/he made a little heart with a bath towel and local flower on my bed. How sweet!!!

Chinatown Crab Lunch

My boyfriend and I often share a tasty brunch with our good friends in China Town, sucking juice of crab. Happy for her, sad myself, this was our last crab lunch together as our favorite friend is leaving to Nepal for a new job opportunity. We usually order one with scallion ginger sauce and one with chili. Today, we tried Mandarin Court. The crab meat was not satisfying but the chili sauce (specially ordered to the chef) was really good.

Queens Night Scene

Queens probably offers the ultimate NY experience. They say you go to Queens for the best ethnic food. It’s probably true. After spicing up our stomach with Sripraphai’s Thai food, we roamed around Woodside to find a bar. Prior to the dinner, our friends walked into a sport bar. They said everyone in the bar stopped doing what they were doing and gave them a you-don’t-belong-here look. Ok, not every place is welcoming. It was cold out. The town is pretty slow after 10pm. We decided to try one disco/night club type of place. After passing the security guy who examined male guests body for ‘dangerous objects,’ we were asked to check in our coats. The place was nearly empty. The dance floor was lit in color and the smoker regularly jet off the smog. Same as the first bar, the waitress was not familiar with taking orders in English.

As we tried focusing ourselves in conversation, we noticed ladies dressed up in mini skirts and shiny top. At first, I thought it was just the night style in Queens. One after another, ladies came in wearing a long coast walk straight to the restroom and came out in the sexy attire. It seemed like more and more new ladies came out of the restroom. It took me a while to see the system there. Eventually there were about 20 ladies, most of whom seemed a little too old and unfit to dress up like that. I for one have no-so-fit tummy. But I’ve got no guts to expose the bump(s) in a tight dress or skinny t-shirts. They weren’t even having a drink. Just water. Maybe semi-prostitute, maybe they were paid to entertain and attract male customers. At any rate, it was a very strange scene.

Sripraphai 2

I went back to Sripraphai in Woodside with a group of six. As I wrote about this restaurant in the past, this is a hardcore Thai food place. The wait is long here but the large space serves tables quickly. You get a number, which will be announced on the light board outside. Since it was quite cold and expecting an hour wait, we tucked into a bar next door: A totally mesmerizing environment with fake flowers and valentine decorations hanging from the ceiling. The waitress didn’t even speak much English. Within 20 minutes, our number appeared on the board.

(Below: Pork Chili)
We ordered: Duck Salad, Crispy Chinese Watercress Salad, Minced Pork with Chili and Lime. The watercress salad was my new favorite. Although every review recommended the duck salad, it was not that popular on my table. The minced pork was mainly for my boyfriend who love heat like nobody. Good Start.

(Below: Drunken Noodle)
(Below: Steamed Fish - Trout Fillet)
(Below: Penang Curry)
Then all 6 main dishes lined up on the table. Green Curry (much hotter than other places but really light and flavorful), Drunken Noodle (I personally loved this), Panang Curry (as really spicy as it was, this curry was so rich and similar to Indian food. One of the most popular dishes of the night), Steamed Fish with Ginger and Scallion Sauce (We were too full to finish this dish but very good. No heat at all and light), Mixed Vegetable in Oyster Sauce (I’d recommend this to anyone. Simple yet great compliment to spicy, rich dishes), Crispy Pork in Chili (most of us were too full when this dish appeared). All these food for $22/person. Incredible.

Bridal Shower

I went to a bridal shower for the first time in my life. I didn’t event know what it was all about. Obviously, there’s no theme like lingerie party or anything. So I assumed it would be somehow low-key, held at a restaurant in a charming town in NJ. It turned out to be a HUGE shower, inviting over 100 guests. I can’t even imagine the scale of their wedding…. A huge banquette room decorated with lovely red roses was full of her friends and mainly family.
Nor sure why the shower involves games so much. Perhaps an American thing? Anyways, there were three games. Quiz about the bride and broom. Crossword puzzle about them as well, which was very well made. And bingo, guessing what gifts she would get.

I was wondering if she would actually open all gifts. Yes, she did, thanking each one of the senders. The volume of gifts completely blew my mind. If I got married right now, we wouldn’t even have a space in our tiny apartment kitchen to store all the gadgets. And as a tradition, she wore a hat made of ribbons from the gifts.
It was very good experience.

Roast Chicken

We once in a while get a whole chicken and roast it on a weekend, aiming to bring pieces for lunch the following week. But letting the juicy chicken stay on the counter and get cold is almost a sin, so we usually eat the out-of-oven chicken for the evening meal and use leftovers for the lunch. Our usual recipe is to rub fresh herbs and stuff with herb, garlic and lemon. This time, we made herb butter and rubbed all over chicken before roasting. I didn’t see a major difference from the standard recipe but it was very aromatic for sure. The side is roasted fennel roots, which I loved when my friend who used to live in France served at her home party. It was supposed to be simple but nothing like what she made.

Steak Time

My boyfriend, ex-8yr-vegetarian, loves steak. When I get home late, he almost always cooks steak for himself. While I worry about his health, I indulge myself in his super carnivore pleasure. You can’t go wrong with skirt steak. Easy to cook and tender. But this one time, the dish was superb. Perfectly cooked steak (I hate too chewy) and the sides of grilled asparagus and rosemary potato brought us a French bistro dining experience.