Lady and the Tramp

It’s a feast for these two lovebirds.

What’s for dinner?

V and I braved the elements this weekend and went to Chinatown to pick up some grub.

I like quail eggs because the egg yolk to white ratio is high. And I like that each egg is bite sized.

We also picked up some mushrooms.

The mushrooms multiplied in size after getting soaked in water.

And we also picked up some edible leaves. I think these are bittermelon leaves. But I’m not 100% sure.

All these ingredients (plus lemongrass, lemon, thyme and vegetable stock) went into a soup for our dinner.

I Love Chinatown!

I am really growing to love my neighborhood. I live six blocks away from Chinatown and it’s so convenient for our food needs. Some people may look at Chinatown and see dirty streets, messy and cramped stores. For food lovers like V and me, it’s a treasure trove of exciting food. One time V came home with leaves that he thought looked interesting (I think it may have been from bitter melon) and to our delight, it tasted awesome when we sauteed it.

And then there are the truly serendipitous discoveries. One day last week, V came home with the motherlode of Chinatown finds.

What is it? It’s mangosteen!!!!!! Only the most delicious fruit EVER!!! Before it was allowed for import in the US, I traveled to Vancouver primarily to eat mangosteen. And when I went to Beijing, I sought it out at their international store (it only grows in Southeast Asia so it was an imported product there too). When I went to Paris, I bought some at the Chinatown there. I have traveled many miles for mangosteen. I love it and it loves me back.

It’s pricey at $7/lb (and they’re heavy) but I’m going to do my best to bring lunch to work more often so I can splurge on mangosteen.

V also bought young coconuts on a whim (he explores more than I do because of his flexible work schedule). We’ve been enjoying fresh coconut juice (sometimes we add pearls) over the last few days, it makes me feel like I’m on a tropical vacation.

I think the next time we move, proximity to a Chinatown will be a major factor.

Self Improvement: Losing Weight

Since getting married, I’ve gained some weight. I am at the heaviest I’ve ever been and I’m determined to reverse the trend before I balloon.

So I joined a gym! There’s a gym two blocks away from our apartment and I signed up. I haven’t worked out yet but I toured the gym and it looks swanky! Individual TVs on the treadmills and virtual zero waiting time for equipment. And it didn’t smell like funky. The steam room looked really luxurious too, I can see myself chilling there during the weekend.

The month-to-month rates were the same as the 12-month rate so I picked the monthly option. I have a really hard time sticking to an exercise routine but I’m hoping that the convenience and my expanding hips will be enough to keep me going.

I’m meeting with one of their trainers this weekend to get a workout personally designed for me. Working out is usually the last thing I want to do after work (and I don’t want to wake up early to exercise before I go to work) so I’m thinking that Saturday and Sunday will be workout days (they open late on weekends!) and I just have to go at least once during the week. That’s not that hard, right?

Krimina’s Guide to San Francisco

I work in San Francisco and getting around the city takes some knowhow. I present:

Krimina’s Top 5 San Francisco Tips

Our ‘Hood: A Hotbed of Crime

I live in Oakland. There, I said it.

When I tell people, their first question is usually about safety. And that’s understandable.

After all, it has the third highest crime rate in the country.

I must admit that I still don’t feel completely safe here. Even though we live in a secured complex (access code is needed to enter the complex, opener needed for the garage), I check our front door throughout the day to make sure it’s locked.

I don’t know that I’ll ever feel 100% safe in our ‘hood. But I don’t think one should ever feel 100% safe (I’m trying to achieve “unagi“).

So how does this unaccompanied female stay safe?

Grocery Shopping Strategy

One of the reasons we like where we live is our proximity to Berkeley Bowl. Berkeley Bowl has the largest produce section Northern California and they stock all sorts of goodies, like 20 varieties of apples, 20 varieties of tomatoes, Asian veggies, and even fresh durian! We shop there every couple of weeks and it’s always a bit of a madhouse but in a good way.

I don’t know how other couples shop (in the movies, they always go up and down the aisles together), but V and I split up to maximize efficiency and also because we like different foods. V will spend more time in the veggie section whereas I spend more time among the fruits. We meet up in the tomato section.

We rarely go in with a grocery list since we buy whatever is in season. Budget experts always recommend shopping with a list but even though we buy everything we want, our bill never goes above $60. Maybe buying fresh and seasonal is the secret to a self-regulating food budget.

How do you shop?