Herbs and Spices

In class we have been learning about a favorite topic of mine: herbs and spices.   Disclaimer:  If you think this is entirely dorky of me, then you may want to exit your browser window now... 

We learned that herbs are identified as the green, leafy parts of a particular plant while spices can come from every other part of a plant... the bark (cinnamon), fruit (peppercorns), seeds (nutmeg), stamens (saffron), flowers (cloves), roots (ginger), etc.

While they are obviously essential in any kitchen to lend flavor and personality to a dish (after all, without them, how could you differentiate between your favorite chili recipe and Grandma's spaghetti sauce?), herbs and spices also have had a profound impact on history -- seriously.

They may seem like everyday items these days, easily obtained in any local grocery store, but there was once a time when spices were rare commodities and, particularly in Europe during the Middle Ages, they were deemed more precious than gold.  A pound of black pepper could be exchanged for a month's rent (wish that were still the case today).

And, as we should all recall from our grade school history lessons (right?), the lure for spices are ultimately what led Christopher Columbus to "sail the ocean blue," as the Ottoman Empire was monopolizing the sole spice trade route at the time, and the Spanish were like "You expect us to pay how much for this nutmeg?", and then sought to find an alternate route of their own-- one that circumnavigated Africa to get to Asia (and we all know the ending to that story).

Similarly, herbs have been the stuff of myths and legends for centuries.  Take a look at Greek mythology if you don't believe me.  There's tons of drama there.  For example:

"Menthe" (aka "Mint") was a nymph who got caught sleeping around with Hades (why one would want to hang out with him, I have no idea).  His wife, Persephone, was jealous and transformed her into a shrub so she would forever be trampled by people walking by (she basically called her a tramp in her own creative way).  Hades felt bad and decided to give Menthe a lovely fragrance so he could cherish her whenever he passed by (creepy much?).  And so we have promiscuity to thank for this key ingredient in our modern day Mojitos... which, strangely enough, I'm sure has its own history of promiscuity, if you know what I mean...

By the way, I have some mint around the house right now (my friend made me this incredible tzatziki sauce last weekend that I had to replicate.  Let me know if you want the recipe).  So may this image forever serve as a reminder not to succumb to any adulterous whims:

Believe it or not, every herb and spice has its own unique history to tell.  In class we were each assigned one herb or spice to research, write about, and present in class.

But I will save my findings for a later post as I'm sure this is enough herb and spice talk for the day.

oo,

REVIEW: "Food Rules: An Eater's Manual"

There was once a time when I could simply opt for 100% wheat bread over white bread and feel good about this decision.  But now I'm hearing that it's all a scam and most wheat breads still contain "partially hydrogenated soybean oil" and "high fructose corn syrup," so I might as well eat white bread and save a few cents along the way (I still eat wheat bread though).

Soda is obviously bad for you because of the amount of sugar/high fructose corn syrup, so drink diet soda.  But wait, now diet soda is not good either, maybe even worse, because it contains aspartame.  But if this Cherry 7Up contains antioxidants, it must be okay, right?  Similarly, women are told to drink a glass of red wine a day but no more than that or you increase your risk for breast cancer.  And apparently Raisin Bran is one of the worst cereals out there despite containing the words "raisin" and "bran."  Don't even get me started on milk.

Eating right has become way too complicated these days.  The lines separating what's good and bad for you are much less perceptible thanks to an industry riddled with false advertising, misleading claims, and caveats.  As the world becomes more obsessed with health, we're also becoming more confused about it.

So what can we do about it?

In pursuit of some answers, I recently read "Food Rules: An Eater's Manual."  In this (rather small, yet concise) book, the author, Michael Pollan, makes the distinction between what we should and should not eat through a set of 64 rules -- rules that are simple and easy to understand.  Like one of my favorites, Rule #21: It's not food if it's called the same name in every language.  (Think Big Mac, Cheetos, or Pringles).  In addition, some of these rules suggest how we should eat-- how often, in what quantity, etc.

But while easy to understand, not all are easy to follow.  Like Rule #4: Avoid foods that contain high fructose corn syrup.  Really?  That stuff is everywhere.  And #19: If it came from a plant, eat it; if it was made in a plant, don't.  So... am I supposed to become some kind of Hunter/Gatherer?  As a result, the book is broken down into three sections, and he asks that we choose at least one or two rules from each category to fit into our lifestyle.

Here are the rules I liked the most and want to try to live by:

Rule #10:  Avoid foods that are pretending to be something they are not.  This one is easy.  I've always been one to avoid non-fat, low-fat, diet, imitation, and artificial sweeteners whenever possible...

Rule #39:  Eat all the junk food you want as long as you cook it yourself.  This one is a challenge.  It comes from the idea that most junk food (fried chicken, baked goods, etc) are a pain to make, and in the past were reserved only for celebrations and special occasions.  Conversely, today, they are probably the most obtainable foods out there and are consumed on a regular basis.  So if you make a point to eat it only as often as you'd be willing to make it, you'd be inclined to eat it less often.  (Not sure how I'm going to fare with this one).

Rule #60: Treat treats as treats.  This is so self-explanatory and aligns somewhat with the previous rule:  everything in moderation.  Reserve that chocolate cake or apple pie for special occasions.

While it's still a confusing world out there, this book makes some interesting and valid points on eating.  It provides a new perspective on some things, and, in other ways, reinforces or simplifies what we already know or may have forgotten.  If you have an hour or two to spare (and a library close by), I suggest checking it out.

oo,

Fillets and Fears

This week ended resoundingly as I filleted my first fish.

That's right.  I, filleted a fish.  Flounder to be exact.

Some of you may say... big deal.  It wasn't even alive when you started and it had already been gutted (thank God).

But you should know I've always been freaked out by fish, and if you read this post, you know that it took me until college to actually be able to eat fish.

They're fine in a tank with a nice, sturdy glass barrier separating you from them like a window into an entirely different world, in which case, they can be rather stunning.  But I prefer keeping those worlds separate, which is why I avoid swimming in lakes and oceans whenever possible...

Because, face it, outside their native, beautiful waters, fish are gross.  They have odd-looking parts like gills, scales, and fins.  They smell.  They're slimy.  They twitch and snap.  They're always frowning and their beady eyes never display any sort of intelligence or emotion.   If you don't agree with me, look up a picture of a flounder and tell me it wouldn't freak you out to touch one of those.  (Oh no, I just looked it up in Google Images and saw a picture of Flounder from The Little Mermaid.  I filleted Ariel's best friend!)

So on Thursday, when it came time to reach into the bucket and grasp my victim, my hand immediately recoiled.  I honestly could not help it.  My mind was telling myself Just grab it!  Get it over with! but no matter how much mental willpower I tried to conjure, my hand would not obey.  This happened at least 5 or 6 times.  I may have squealed once or twice as well.  A classmate stood in front of me, witnessing my pathetic display of fear, and kindly, but firmly, reminded me that I was just going to have to suck it up and grab it.

And so I did!  Eventually... and with a grimace.  But nevertheless...

Then it was on my cutting board, and I was faced with another issue.  What the heck do I do now?  I had watched Chef fillet one earlier, making it look deceptively effortless and obvious (as he always does) but now I was at a loss.  So I consulted my notes.  Oh, okay.  Cut a slit underneath the gill.  Where is the gill?  My classmate graciously pointed it out and recommended that I stick my hand in the gill so I could feel where the cut had to be made.  You want me to feel what??? No thank you!  Again, another firm reminder that I had to get over it.  I wish I was allowed to wear gloves...

OK so that's the gill... now how deeply do I cut into it?  And at what angle?  I must have done something wrong because I heard the chef behind me.  WHAT are you doing? he asked, and I literally answered I was wondering the same thing.

He helped me with the initial cut, and from there it was actually pretty easy.  My first fillet came off rather seamlessly, and I didn't even leave a lot of meat on the bone.  Because it is a flatfish, I was able to get four (rather thin) fillets from it.  Sidenote:  Another crazy fact about flatfish is that they hide out on their side on the bottom of the ocean, so they have both eyes on one side of their head.  So basically I had two lifeless eyes staring up at me the whole time as if to say Why are you doing this to me?  WHY?

After filleting the fish, we poached them and topped them with a nice, silky smooth, buttery Hollandaise sauce that I had made earlier.  Yes, another victory for me... I had made a decent Hollandaise sauce.  Not the scrambled eggs I had to throw away on Tuesday.

And so the week ended on a relatively high note.  Now do you think I will be able to fillet the same fish without squealing next time?  I seriously doubt it.  But I'm thinking it's only a matter of time.

For anyone interested in a visual reference, I found this video that basically gives an idea of what I accomplished (but with a more practiced hand).

oo,

My Battle with Eggs Benedict

Morale was extremely low on Tuesday as I attempted the classic Eggs Benedict in class.  For anyone unfamiliar with this dish, it's an English muffin topped with Canadian bacon, a poached egg, and a nice "drape" of Hollandaise sauce.  It seems innocuous enough, right?

Not so much.

Sure, I've poached an egg before.  I love eating them over mixed greens dressed in olive oil, lemon juice, and parmesan cheese... maybe a shot of hot sauce or two.  But Tuesday was a new challenge.

Our table was cooking for 8 that day and we also had cream puffs, a potato dish, and an hericot vert dish to complete.  I was put in charge of poaching the eggs, and, knowing how delicate a poached egg could be, I opted to make an extra just in case.  The objective was to poach them until the whites just set, keep them in an ice bath, and then finish cooking them in simmering water right before service.

Well, supplies were short that day and the only wide pan I could find was misshapen and lopsided, like it had withstood one too many fires in its lifetime.   So of course when I filled it with water and placed it on the burner, it tilted to one side so half the pan was filled to the rim and the other half was a mere inch and a half deep.  Great.  I tried to maneuver the eggs so they were huddled together on the deeper end, but I still noticed some of the yolks in the middle were bobbing a bit above the surface and were not sufficiently covered by the whites.  As a desperate solution, I spooned the hot water over the yolks until the whites settled into a thin veil over the top, which satisfied me enough to drop them into their ice bath and move on to my next objective: the Hollandaise sauce.

Hollandaise consists of egg yolks that are thickened over a double-boiler, emulsified with warm clarified butter, and seasoned with lemon juice and cayenne pepper.  It is an extremely temperamental sauce and the emulsion can easily break if allowed to become too hot, too cold, too thick, or too thin.  In some cases, with just the right amount of heat and moisture applied, it can be saved.  Our goal that day was not just to make the sauce but to be able to hold it at the right state before serving time.  I was satisfied with my first attempt and set it aside to finish the other dishes and set up our plating station.

Well, ten minutes before service I went to check on my Hollandaise and it had morphed into a thick paste.  I had allowed it to get too cold.  My other teammates weren't having much success with theirs, either, so I was determined to try and make mine work.  I set it back over the double boiler in hopes that it would thin out once warm, then rushed to reheat the eggs.

At the poaching station, I placed the eggs back into simmering water, but when I went to pull them out, two of the yolks had burst open, leaving a golden trail of runny yolks and a mess of limp, sodden egg whites.  The thin veil of whites over the yolks had been too thin after all... at least for my frantic, clumsy handling of them.  At that point I was so thankful I made an extra and could settle it by placing the broken eggs on my own plate.

I rushed back to the station and just then remembered my Hollandaise sauce.  Oh no!  In my panic over the eggs I had forgotten to check on the sauce.  Sure enough they had turned into scrambled eggs by that point and were beyond saving.  With great remorse, I threw the mixture into the trash and had to break the news to my teammates.

We now had no successful Hollandaise.  We went to work trying to repair one of theirs while guests (from the other class) were already being seated.  To top it off, we had miscounted our hericot verts (French green beans), and only three pathetic beans made it to each plate.

I finished plating all the dishes except mine.  But before attempting to scoop up the remains of the broken, dripping eggs, it came to my attention that one of our guests is a vegetarian.  By then the other eggs had already been plated into gleaming works of art with the Canadian bacon wedged securely underneath.

And now I am faced with a dilemma.  I could pull out the Canadian bacon (right in front of him) from one of the nicer plates, but that just seems too crass (plus I am not sure if he will eat food that's been touching meat).  Or I could serve him this pathetic heap of eggs that I had hoped to serve myself.  There was not really any time to think, so I scooped up the gooey mess and plopped it right on top of the English muffin.  I was mortified when I finally handed him the plate and apologized profusely, but he was a very good sport about it and took it anyway.  In hindsight, I probably should have just stripped one of the other plates of the Canadian bacon but who knows?

And thus ends my first battle with Eggs Benedict.  It's easy to guess who the victor was that day.  At least the cream puffs and potatoes turned out well.  Still, I was very down after class on Tuesday, but things perked up by the end of the week.  But I shall say more about that later as this post is already too long :)

oo,

Orange Salad with Candied Zest

One of my favorite dishes I've made so far at LAC is this simple, yet flavorful orange salad with candied orange zest.

It's made by first peeling the zest from the orange (trickier than it sounds as it requires peeling only the outer orange of the skin and leaving the bitter white part behind).  Here are the remnants of my attempt:

Then you blanch the zest and boil in a sugar/water mixture to sweeten it and create an orange-infused simple syrup:

To serve, drizzle the syrup over the orange and top with the candied zest and some delicate strands of basil.  It's the perfect combination of flavor, simplicity, and elegance :)

oo,

Christmas Recap

Now that we're already well into January, I think it's an appropriate time to share some highlights from our trip to Nebraska over Christmas break last year:

• BINGO:  It was ladies night at the Bingo hall which meant girls played for free.  None of us won  despite being one number away on multiple occasions :(  But it's all right because I mostly go for the company and the free popcorn anyway.  By the way, this is not your average grade-school Bingo.  You have to follow six or eight cards at once and you hardly have time to check them all before the announcer is calling the next number.  Also each game follows a different pattern (not just the standard 5 in a row) so you have to pay attention.  It's intense but lots of fun.
• Akio:  I love spending time with my nephew although I'm not quite sure the feelings are mutual.  He recently just learned how to frown, so there was plenty of that going on whenever I came close:  

Actually scowling is more like it.  Once he warmed up to all these crazy strangers bombarding his house, however, he started to enjoy all of the attention and it wasn't long before we were playing enthralling games, like rolling this bottle of Sunkist back and forth across the kitchen floor:

Patrick earned some major brownie points with the remote control helicopter (aka car) he got for Christmas.  Whenever Akio saw him, he'd say "car?" and then run towards our room.  Despite our best efforts, we could not get him to call it "helicopter" by the end of the trip.

• Secret Santa:  A necessary tradition when you have a big family, and since our family seems to grow more every year (we are up to 12), we thought it would be a good idea to bring this tradition back.  I got this delectable cookbook by Giada De Laurentiis, my favorite Foodnetwork star, from Kyle (Mikala's boyfriend):

Sorry, I was in no state to be taking pictures at that moment.  My parents also bought nerf guns for all the boys, which not surprisingly resulted in a nerf gun war at the end of the night.

• Snow.  It wouldn't be Nebraska without snow:  

Thankfully the snow was tame this Christmas-- just enough to provide a nice blanket on the ground (as opposed to the blizzard they apparently experienced last Christmas).  Mikala and Kyle (whom I like to refer to as "Mi-kyle-a") bundled up and made this cute little snowman, which they ingeniously named Frosty:

• Movies:  My parents put in the carpet for a local theater and as a result we get to see free movies there.  So we ended up seeing True Grit, Little Fockers, and The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader.  I must say, we could not have seen 3 movies more different from each other.  Me being a fantasy geek, you can probably guess which one was my favorite.  
• Hotel Suite:  My mom had credit for a free suite at the recently opened Stoney Creek Inn.  So the night before New Years Eve, we hung out in the hot tub and partook in pizza, beer, and Taboo.  Not a bad combination.
• Family Pictures:  It was the first time in two years that we were all together as a family.  So of course we had to take advantage and snap some family pictures.  We used Kyle's amazing Canon 5D camera and took them at the Stoney Creek Inn for a nice, cozy ambiance:

oo,

Parking Assist Lights

Just got back from The King's Speech -- a sublime film if you haven't seen it yet.   Capital  performances by Colin Firth and Geoffrey Rush, as the Brits might say.  The experience was enhanced by a delightfully foamy white cherry icee that tickled the throat like a calm winter's day.  I also couldn't help but get excited over the trailer for Jane Eyre.

On our way into the theater, we noticed these red and green lights lining the parking structure:

As it turns out, they are "parking assist" lights, and the green light indicates an open parking spot.

This was my first encounter with these lights.  While rather convenient, I can't help but wonder how necessary they are?  Admittedly, it does save some time from aimlessly wandering up and down the rows in search of an empty spot.  But is it really worth it -- the installation and the cost of upkeep?  Do we really need lights to tell us where to find an empty spot when we could really just look ourselves (the old fashioned way)?  Am I going to have to one day tell my grandchildren that "when I was your age, we had to find parking spots with nothing but our naked eye!"  *Gasp*  Either way, I enjoyed the sense of novelty that it lent to the day.

oo,

Taking Heat

It's been exactly a week since I started culinary school and already I've caught on to a few simple realities of the kitchen:  1) never question the chef, 2) waste nothing (even vegetable trimmings can be used in stocks), 3) communicate and work as a team, and most difficult of all... 4) learn to take heat.

Yes, this last one is meant to be both literal and figurative.

Of course we have to learn to literally take heat in the kitchen... especially with so many fires going at once.  Today we were each blanching orange zest/boiling simple syrups for our orange salads, boiling milk for mousse, sweating leeks for soup, and baking cookies in the oven.

More importantly, however, we have to learn how to take heat for our pathetic first-time attempts at concocting these dishes.

As a perfectionist, this is not necessarily easy.  It's one thing to try and master one dish at a time at a leisurely pace.  It's another to try to master 5 dishes from scratch in a confined workspace with limited supplies, limited time (usually 2-2.5 hours), and no recipes.  (That's right... no recipes.  More on that in a later post).  So with all of us scrambling, competing against the clock, bouncing between workstations, all while trying to make perfect and uniform cuts, cook to perfect states of tenderness, reach perfect consistencies, add the perfect amount of seasonings, monitor temperatures, plate beautifully, and -- most importantly -- make it taste spectacular-- the end result is sometimes (oftentimes)... less than perfect.  Think Iron Chef atmosphere but without the stellar results.

Basically, we make a lot of mistakes.  And as a result, we're continuously being corrected (in a very constructive, encouraging way -- not in a fiery, fear-inducing, Hell's Kitchen-y way).  But in my opinion, mistakes are good.  In fact, I would go so far as to say mistakes are ideal.  Sure, they aren't preferable and definitely not enjoyable, but ultimately they're the quickest path to learning.  If you burn your leeks once, you're more likely to take care not to burn them a second time.  If your soup is too watery, you'll know to add less stock or allow more time to reduce it.  If your dish is too salty, you'll be sure to add salt gradually next time.

I've spent the week trying to adopt this mentality (since I better start getting used to it now).  My goal is to embrace my mistakes (as opposed to dwelling on them like I normally do), learn from them, and improve.  After only a week of mistakes, I already feel progress.  Imagine how amazing my skills will be after a year of mistakes... nay... a lifetime!

oo,

For Now...

There is so much to say, but so little time to convey it.  I want to sit and write a nice, wordy post about my experience thus far in culinary school but it's already 9:30 (a half hour past my bedtime), and I know 4:30am is going to arrive way too quickly as it has been doing this past week (class starts at 7am sharp, thus the early bedtime/wakeup).

For now, I want to show you the notebook I have dedicated for taking notes in class.  What's special about this book?

1.  It has a cute owl design.
2.  It is completely tree-less and certified organic.  That's right.  Tree-less paper.  It sounds almost like another one of my clever oxymorons.  And who knew notebooks could be certified organic these days?  The paper is made from 20% banana fibers and 80% who knows what other materials (not trees).

Somehow it just seems appropriate to be writing my recipe notes on banana paper.  And I actually really enjoy the texture of the pages.  It's not white and smooth like regular notebooks.  It's slightly rough to the touch and has a brown hue to it.  It almost reminds me of thin cardboard.  Anyway, here is a glimpse of my eco-friendly culinary school notebook:

After the serious amount of notes I took last week, I think I'll be needing at least 3 more of these banana notebooks before the end of the year...

oo,

My Rollercoaster Ride

Wow, it's only been 2 days in culinary school and I think I've gone through every emotion possible...

Adrenaline waking up on the first day.
Anxiety before entering the classroom.  
Excitement receiving my knife kit and my uniform with my name embroidered on it.
Confusion trying to orient myself in a huge, wholly unfamiliar kitchen. 
Uncertainty tackling the first menu item on my own. 
Amazement tasting food prepared by the chefs.
Complete and utter disappointment as my onions turn into mush and fail to caramelize, compromising the integrity of my soup.  
Jealousy as a classmate's soup turns out perfect.
Triumph as my quiche dough rolls out seamlessly.
Empathy as a classmate doesn't experience the same luck.
Panic as it's almost time to serve lunch and I have yet to start my salad preparation.
Gratitude when someone lends a hand.
Relief once the meals are served.
Exhaustion once cleanup is complete.
Surprise at how much I've  managed to learn in such a small amount of time already.

It sounds cliche but it really is like a rollercoaster ride... you're just going with the flow, not sure of what turns are up ahead... wondering if you'll end up climbing or plummeting next.  But by the end of the day, you're left with a feeling of relief, exhilaration, and accomplishment.

Anyway, more details on culinary school coming... as well as an update on my Christmas break.  For now, let's all celebrate the fact that tomorrow is Friday!

oo,

Booked Up

Some of you may recall an earlier post where I planned to double the number of books I had read up to that point last year (14 books).  Well, now the year is over and I am just shy of my goal.  But that's OK.  I'm not going to cry about it.  In fact, I have a whole new list of books I plan to read in 2011 with the intention of doubling last year's total.  That's right.  When I fall off the horse, I get right back on.  (If you know me well, stop laughing).

So here are the 12 books I did manage to read:

★★★★★ The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
Beautifully written book about a boy raised by ghosts in a graveyard.  It's a cross between Casper the Friendly Ghost and The Jungle Book.
★★★★☆ Heat: An Amateur's Adventures as Kitchen Slave, Line Cook, Pasta-Maker, and Apprentice to a Dante-Quoting Butcher in Tuscany by Bill Buford
Interesting auto-biographical account of a writer who works for free for a year in Mario Batali's restaurant and then travels to Italy to learn the art of pasta-making and butchery.  
★★★★☆ Becoming a Chef by Andrew Dorenburg and Karen Page
A compilation of successful chefs' experiences and their advice on surviving as a cook, offering an inside perspective on what it means to be a chef.
★★★★☆ Fire by Kristin Cashore
A prequel to the book Graceling.  It transports you to another world entirely-- one too complicated to explain in a simple tagline.
★★★★★ The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
The moving story of a little girl who turns to books to escape the hardships of Nazi Germany.
★★★☆☆ Artemis Fowl: Book 1 by Eoin Colfer
A quirky and humorous book in which an evil boy genius plots to steal treasure from fairies.
★★★★☆ The Complete Tales of Winnie the Pooh by A.A. Milne
Cute and cuddly.  These are the classic Winnie the Pooh tales that make you smile and want to reach for a jar of honey.
★★★★☆ Food Rules: An Eater's Manual by Michael Pollan
Offers simple yet clever guidelines to help steer you towards healthy, wholesome eating.  This is eating as it should be.  
★★★☆☆ Kaimira: The Sky Village: Book One by Monk Ashland and Nigel Ashland
A futuristic story in which a Chinese village made entirely of hot air balloons floats precariously over a war-torn world where beasts and machines fight for dominance. 
★★★★☆ The Giver by Lois Lowry
A boy raised in a utopian society gets his first dose of pain and suffering after being named Receiver of Memories and discovers that his society may not be perfect after all.
★★★☆☆ What the Dog Saw: And Other Adventures by Malcolm Gladwell
A collection of interesting articles (some more interesting than others) addressing various conundrums and phenomena in our society, all written by Gladwell for the New Yorker.  
★★★☆☆ Shanghai Girls: A Novel by Lisa See
The story of two sisters and their arranged marriages to Chinese American brothers.  It offers a historical look at China from the Japanese Occupation through the Cultural Revolution and its effect on the immigrant Chinese community in Los Angeles. 


Looking back, I realize now that I read a lot of really great books in 2010.  I can't choose a favorite, but I will say that the books I probably read the most obsessively were the Hunger Games/Catching Fire/Mockingjay series (even though they did contain their share of flaws).

Now onto tackling my first book of 2011, which looks like it's going to be Julia Child's My Life in France.


oo,

Top Ten of 2010

I meant to have this post up before the New Year, but alas, it's already January 2nd.  My family is such a distraction!  (more on that later)

Anyway, although it has already passed, I want to give the proper reflection and goodbye to 2010.  And since I am and always will be a list person, here is my--

TOP 10 MOMENTS OF 2010    


10. Snowpocalypse

It hit DC hard.  For some, electricity was out for days.  Grocery aisles were emptied (check out these photos to see what I mean).  Metro rails were shut down.  The federal government closed for 5 days in a row.  And I beat the entire game of Donkey Kong Country (the old school version) on my own.

9.  Moving to the 'burbs

I got a working kitchen with actual countertops, a balcony with a lovely view overlooking a construction site, temperature control, and proximity to all the Korean food I could want.

8. National Geographic Explorer: 25 Years
It was an honor to work on such a long-running, highly regarded documentary series, and earlier this year I helped "Explorer" deliver their 2 hour long 25 Year Anniversary special, highlighting some of their most memorable shows.  Patrick and I also attended the premiere party where former host Lisa Ling was a guest speaker.  Here is a music video I found on their webpage that gives a glimpse of some of the shows featured in the special:


7.  Chuseok in Korea

It was great returning for the first time since I taught there in 2007.  But my grandmother called me out on not studying Korean at all since I left.  So my New Years resolution this year will be to study Korean!

6.  Family Reunion in Colorado
Every year Patrick's (maternal) extended family vacations together.  This year we were in Breckenridge, CO where we participated in feeding frenzies, white water rafting, endless games, and a beautiful bike ride around this lake--

5.  The Shuttle Launch  

Earlier this year I traveled with Patrick and his parents to the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida to watch the Space Shuttle Atlantis launch for its final mission (actually there are talks that they might launch it again pending the decision from Congress to fund it).

4.  My Parents' Visit to DC  
I've already said plenty about this here and here.  My favorites have to be the Natural History Museum dinner and touring the White House for the first time.

3.  Jordan and Lindsey's Wedding  

I got a new sister-in-law this year and couldn't be happier for my big brother!

2. 1st Anniversary in New York  
Patrick and I celebrated our first wedding anniversary with a trip to New York where we visited the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, had dinner at Bobby Flay's Mesa Grill, saw Promises, Promises on Broadway, and walked across the Brooklyn Bridge.

1. Applying to Culinary School
Although I don't start culinary school for 2 more days, it will always be this year that I finally made the decision to don an apron, trade in my pens and stapler for a set of knives, and leave my cubicle to hang out in a kitchen :)

Who knows what craziness 2011 has in store for any of us?  For now, let's all enjoy the New Year!

oo,