no carb, low carb.. wtf

upon coming back to Pittsburgh.... I had planned to try to trim down and lit a bit more lean for a wedding that I am attending in September back in Los Angeles. So it wasn't a big deal to know that I would have to cut down on my junk food (everything) consumption and focus my sustenance on healthy things... I wasn't sure how I was going to do it, since I had spent my whole summer eating everything I desired. And now I have to be very careful of everything that I am putting into my mouth. It is Very Very Hard. but I think I can get through it. 

My roommate does this NO Carb thing and she eats like one meal a day... which to me both are crazy... first of all.. I LOVE NOODLES. ask anyone.. my family, my friends, my boyfriend... its one of the only things I could eat everyday. And of course its not allowed in the house.. so now I have to think of more clever ways to fulfill my stomach and my mental well being for food while keeping a good caloric count. Of course I'm going to try to work out way more (which is a first) since my school schedule is so lax this semester.. I'll be trying to work out most of the days.. like  5 and my roommate is ready to do the same with me.. so now on top of working out i have to think of new ways to eat and get my taste buds happy with the new diet. 

So now the snacks are Edamame. I like them salted and cold. its a great snack to have while playing video games or watching television. hopefully i keep them stocked so that I don't go for bad things. healthy eating is tricky if its not on the books already in your mind. but i think i can do this.. I'm sure I'll find really cool things I can eat without become a bear getting ready for hibernation... 

lets hope for the best healthy eating for this year.. but of course I'll be doing carb..after all i am Asian.. i need my rice and noodles... I'll keep it light of course.. 

eat extraordinary everyday. 

its a chirashi ... and the tartare..and so much more.

my newest crush... the chirashi bowls... its just regular rice with sashimi on it.. and my goodness can they just make it beautiful...sometimes too good to eat..

another thing that i've been into is the many ways one can plate and prepare a simple tar tare. its on countless menus all over the globe but most aren't as great as they look. which is a big problem. the presentation needs to be equal to the taste. we are creatures who eat even better when the visual senses are heighten.

so a word to the sushi eating crowd out there make sure it tastes as great as it looks...

eat extraordinary everyday.

the good stuff

there are some things that cannot be found anywhere else but the special places that i go to. and for sushi.... its rare to find a place with quality and fish of this rate. it took me a million times to my spot to finally get the special aji bones.... aji is Spanish mackerel. and the fish itself in sushi form is great, but if you're lucky and knowing.. you can get the bones fried up for you with a sauce and eating the whole fish makes you really appreciate the flavor and the moment.

so aji is close to the top of the best foods that you can have for sushi...

next... i need to express the wonders of the salmon belly... actually the belly of any fish is crazy good. you thought the salmon sushi was good... if they have salmon belly its the whole fish in your mouth that you cannot get enough of. the color of the belly is a delight orange of yumminess. its melts in your mouth... i insist on everyone trying it out. and yellow tail belly is yummy as well.

tools... standing behind the sushi counter not as a customer has given me more insight on the preparation of sushi and of course a greater appreciation for when i do get to eat it. i've fallen in love with the usage of the blow torch.... especially on the ika (squid) they do its special like that at the place i work at... but in general the torch gives whatever its used on a great smoked flavor... i got some action shot of scallops being torched with spicy mayo on it.

i hope everyone enjoys the pictures i've taken at sushi central. where i am currently hanging out at for the summer. "crack fish" pictures are on its way...

eat extraordinary everyday!

.... summer time..

i just wanted to warn everyone that in the next few days... a new blog post will include some amazing food/sushi porn with great insights into the world of food. so watch out... its been cooking in my head for a while now..

culinary boners for all... hehe i love top chef.

sushi ... part deux

so I'm back in Cali... the wondrous ways of the sunshine really makes my day a bit better even if i am not doing anything special. yesterday i had a few hours to kill and lone behold i was at sushi central in the west side. amazing.. i was fed some amazing stuff.. Ono...scallops... Spanish mack.. and some other good stuff i have no clue at this current moment to their names.. but it was just amazing. i spent roughly 3 hours there and just had a blast sitting. its one of those places that you can just eat great food and be happy. and surely it makes me smile every time i have something new placed in front of me. i like going to places where i can just sit in confidence that the food that is coming out is going to be great every time.

finding a place that you love is key to being a happy eater. not only does the food need to be great, but the space itself needs to be welcoming. and nothing makes me happier than seeing the faces of people who love to make and eat food just as i do. when you go into a place where instantly feel much better, you know good times will come of it. since being back in Los Angeles I'm just glad to be able to have the options of going to my favorite places to dine. its great to be able to just eat well. once you live in a place where there is nothing but fast food you start to appreciate the small family owned joints that you see all over Los Angeles.

so everyone go out and have some sushi... and btw.. don't eat bluefin tuna/toro*... its getting on the endangered list actually extinction list.. so as consumers you stop ordering it, the chefs will stop buying it and the fish will get a chance to reproduce and not be over fished. we humans have a responsibility to replenish what we eat and be aware of the way/things that we consume for our pleasure. ..speaking of pleasure.. i need to get some oysters up in my tummy ... nothing like fresh raw oysters to brighten up my day...

eat extraordinary everyday.

*correction to the blog. i was corrected by the trusty sushi chef i work with on the daily basis... so eat all the other types of fish you like.

PHO?? what?

wow.. 

never in my life did i ever think that the wonders of my childhood foods would come full circle.. these days all types of people are asking me about the foods of my family. they ask because they know i am part Vietnamese. its so odd to hear that, considering while i was growing up i wanted to try something different, anything that wasn't what was for dinner in my home. Italian, fusion, french, Mexican, Japanese were all so unique and different. and i just thought home food was just ordinary, because everyone else was having something else for dinner instead of me. i always had something odd in regards to everyone pasta/pizza/burger night. i remember at one point in school my Asian teacher asked me to share what i eat for dinner and i cringed at the idea of revealing what i was eating... beef/tripe carrot stew with rice noodles.. or mustard greens with shrimp.. 

how do i explain that i like tripe? it dawned upon me that Asian foods isn't that bad in regards wit all the other foods out there, its actually pretty damn good. historically its up there with them frenchies... (i love the customs of french gastronomy) As i started to eat more foods from other cultures and read about the foods i have yet to eat, I've learned that all cultural foods use the whole animal and so tripe isn't that bad after all.. and thank god morrow is making a big come back into good light, cause I'm pretty sure my parents have a picture of me eating bones and sucking out morrow at the fun age of five.. but I'm glad that the public is starting to be curious about the foods of Vietnam. for me curiosity opens doors for people to try something new.. perhaps fall in love.. I'm excited. 

anyhow... now that the world is somewhat ready for Asian and i mean REAL Asian food i guess its time for me to review my childhood flavors. this summer i will be jotting down all the family recipes and perhaps share them with the world. for some odd reason the flavors of my childhood are so dear to me that I'm a bit afraid to share them with people, but i guess is kind of  like art, made to share to the world to reflect upon a time/culture/people/lives. maybe i could ask the food network to have me teach some Asian foods.. well i better get to getting those recipes down... real vietnamese food.. the broths the simple flavors the lightness.. its gonna be amazing.. get some pho if you don't already know what it is.. 

eat extraordinary everyday! 

omg.. i made it..

actually that title is perfect for this blog. you just wouldn't believe. it all started with developing a summer grilled corn salad... side dish ideas.. anyhow.. i started to make a dressing.. mind just wandering about and just adding stuff.. then i started to finally think it was coming together and then i taste. and o my o my... i made the dressing just like my favorite dressing at Houston's. i think it goes on their grilled chicken salad.. but the dressing is just amazing.. makes you just want to drink it up.. and when i used to frequent that spot i would.. 

anyhow i made the dressing and was jumping for joy. sadly no one in the nearest 100 miles would know what i was jumping about. but that was really excited.. 

then part deux .. pastry.. i decide to make beignets... i remember having them when i was little with my grampa.. which for a Vietnam resident for much of his Chinese heritage, the french colonialism gave us some great treats. and aside from my favorite banh mi sandwiches i love the beignets with french drip coffee... here would be a great time to say i might be a bit favoring towards the french due to my childhood favorites have direct influence from them via Vietnamese family. 

sadly no pictures of this great moment of mine. but the fact that i can just whip those out at the parties now is just a great thing as well... yay.