M. Wells

For those of you coming out to see my upcoming show at The Homefront, you might want to consider combining it with a great brunch experience at the ultra hip M. Wells Diner. I went a couple of weekends ago with Hidemi, her husband William and their daughter Luné. Looking over at other tables everything made my mouth water and the meals were definitely decadent and satisfying. Here's a NYTimes review of the joint.






Tuna tartare


Lox and potato (there was a more elegant description but I can't remember it now)

Roman Holiday (oh how I wish!)

This is why I'm currently obsessing over Italy. Photographed by my friend Domingo Milella.

Family Collections

My Uncle, Aunt, and Mom in Wuhan, China

C.C. Wang's art collection has been at the heart of the lawsuit between two of his children. When I read the NYTimes article, an echo rang out from my own family history. While my grandparents did not have priceless art treasures in their collections, they did flee the Communists in '49 and leave behind a daughter to be raised by her grandmother and other relatives. Whatever the reason may have been (quite unfathomable for me), this rift cannot be completely mended for my aunt who was left behind nor for C.C. Wang's son. We didn't have a family reunion until 2007 when I flew with my mom so that she could meet her sister for the first time in China, joined by her brother from Taiwan. It was a touching moment when my mom bonded with her sister in the flesh. And I have to be grateful that there isn't any worldly riches for them to bicker over.

Domingo's Italy

I've had Italy on my brain for at least a month now- there's a project I'm hoping to work on there in the near future. The stunning images below have been trying their best to lure me there and were taken by my dear friend Domingo Milella.










All images © Domingo Milella

Domingo is also drawing the masses to Bogota, Columbia and Palermo, Italy through the NY Times magazine. And I'll be dipped, he's crazy good at it.

In the midst of it all

This has been a busy week which included taking a day off in the middle of the week to go tile shopping. We unfortunately chose the crappiest day to go (torrential rain is not lovely). I'll post some photos of the lovely tiles as soon as I have a minute to download pics but this NY Times article, Renovating a Rental as if It Were Their Own, is my current inspiration. They did a beautiful job on their rental, though I have to say that they are nuts for going all out on a rental. I love the bathroom sink as it's what I want. Ours will be similar, but not as slick. Ok, see you in a bit.

Thank you Mr. Roy DeCarava

I was saddened to hear about the passing of Roy DeCarava from the NYTimes. Mr. DeCarava was a photographer whose work touched me when MOMA held his retrospective in 1996, when I was a senior in High School. It was perfect timing- I had two years of H.S. black & white photography classes and was going onto Art School, the same one Mr. DeCarava went to about 50 years prior. I remember walking through the exhibition and feeling the jazz and the beat of uptown and everyday life in his images. The prints were gorgeous- the tones were subtle and rich. I was ooh-ing and aah-ing, left and right. I couldn't get enough. It was one of the best exhibitions I had ever been to. Thank you Mr. DeCarava for bringing to light your world, it opened up my young eyes.

A little Astoria in my week

Towels, Boxes Rona Chang

Last night I trekked, well actually got a ride from Geoff to go to Titan Foods (a large Greek supermarket) so I can pick up 9 liters of olive oil. I buy a motherload of oils every year around this time. Most of you should know what it's for. Titan is a great place to pick up olive oil, they have a whole aisle devoted to it.

And two nights ago, my friend Alison and I had a grand 'ol time in Astoria. Eating from the kitchen of Moustafa El Sayed who runs Mombar. I really, really want to go to Egypt. I keep listening to podcasts about traveling to Egypt. I will get there but for now I will satisfy my wanderlust by eating.


Ceiling at Mombar

And this article from the NYTimes about Thomas Keller (the chef) and his dad, Ed Keller spoke to me. Here are some of my favorite quotes from What the Last Meal Taught Him:

In the cookbook ("Ad Hoc At Home"), Mr. Keller leads with his heart. He dedicates it to his brother Joseph and lays out in loving, exacting detail the recipes for the last meal he made his father. He reminds readers that life is better when you eat together with family and friends.

“I had him with me for some really meaningful moments before the accident and I didn’t have that as a child,” Mr. Keller said. “At the end of the day when we think about what we have, it’s memories.”

Memories are what Mr. Keller strives to create with all his food. And food memories are something he said he cherishes about his last years with his father. Especially that last meal.

While I too never spent that much time with my dad as a child, I savour all the time we spent together during my summers and visits and conversations we had when I was a young adult. Those memories will serve me for the rest of my life.

Dam Removal

I have plans to make some new dam photos this weekend. I'm not sure if it'll work out since I haven't laid my eyes on the dams yet. This NYTimes article brought to light the growing trend of dam removal. I wonder if the three gorges dam will ever be removed in the distant future...

Larb

My absolute favorite Thai dish is larb. And my favorite Thai restaurant is Chao Thai, in Elmhurst, a couple of blocks away from my apartment. I almost always get larb with an order of Hainanese rice because I can't resist and then order something new to shake things up a bit.

Crab meat wrapped in tofu skin


My mouthwatering Larb.


Duck salad. A tad too sweet for me (but it's just me, I'm not a sugar or pineapple fan).


And if you're not convinced by me, the NYTimes just wrote about larb, and how they never get tired of larb either.

Current events

This NYTimes article about immigrant families scammed by a "pastor" in Corona, Queens is so sad. How can one even begin thinking of taking advantage of the disadvantaged? On a more positive note, this other NYTimes article gives me hope for those in China. This incident occurred in my grandmother's province. The internet may prove to be their salvation against corruption and evil. What a brave girl.

Potatoes and The State of My World

While I was off in Peru eating lots of potatoes, the world was moving forward at a rapid pace. This is the news I came home to that has struck a deep chord in my existence.

Dedicated to feasting

I spoke to some relatives in Taiwan last week and it definitely sparked a glimmer of desire to see everyone and spend time with them. While that's not entirely possible, this article from the NYTimes, Feasting at the Table of Taipei, made me really happy and satisfied some of that desire. Matt Gross does an excellent job of describing the food of Taiwan. Unfortunately he doesn't venture outside of Taipei where most of my favorite stalls and restaurants lie.

Following the Chinese food trail

My friend Teresa recently sent me this NYTimes article about finding Beijing in Flushing. Flushing is an area in Queens, New York that has long been a second Chinatown in NYC. This article highlighted a bunch of places I had never heard of and some food I was not familiar with. With my friend Liu in town, we ventured forth with our appetites.

There is a download-able map from the NYTimes article. We tried the Dan Dan noodles at Golden Mall (no.9) and their version of the wontons in hot sauce. Both really good and spicy (food is from Sichuan and the peppers they use are of the numbing variety). I really wanted to try no. 13 but Shi Hong Mall was closed for renovation so we headed back to Golden Mall. We picked no. 11 from the list and proceeded to order dumplings (10 for $2) and a bowl of vegetable handmade noodles. The texture of the dumpling skin and the noodles were perfect. The dumplings were perfectly juicy as well. (This is coming from someone who avoids dumplings for fear of having a bad one.) The stall across from no. 11 sold Xi'an lamb sandwiches with cumin and red onions. ($2.50 for one.) I really liked this as well (not too much meat, which was perfect for me, and lots of cumin.) For dessert we hit up no. 1 on the list, a huge bowl of red bean ice for $3.75 big enough for four people. It wasn't anything special but did quench my thirst and put a sweet taste in my mouth.


This is Liu eating his third dinner. I did not partake in this meal.


Red bean over shaved ice.

Momma's Man

copyright Nina Buesing

Nina has blogged about her friend Aza several times. He is Azazel Jacobs, director of Momma's Man. The movie tells the story of a man, Mikey, who when stranded in NY amidst airline cancellations, decides to stay put in his parents' Tribeca loft. The loft is Jacob's family loft where his parents live and is a gem of a set. His parents play Mikey's parents in the movie. As the stay progresses, he starts digging through old boxes of memories and becomes entangled with the past and no longer wants to leave, or return to his wife and child in LA. This article in the NYTimes is a good read and features Nina's photo of Aza. I went to BAM last Friday to catch the movie in the midst of the thunderstorm. I have to say that it was well worth it and Flo Jacobs was amazing in the movie. Go catch it at Angelika, starting this Friday.

Pittsburgh for the Fourth

Over the holiday weekend I went out to Pittsburgh. I saw a great fireworks display downtown and also had a famous Primanti Bros. sandwich. The NYTimes just published 36 hours in Pittsburgh, I will have to keep it in mind for my next trip.


How did you celebrate the Fourth of July?

Worrisome news from China

China is now rushing to evacuate people from an area north of where the quake hit on May 12th. This image and accompanying article from the NYTimes is gut wrenching as the possibilities for flooding threatens the lives of 150,000 citizens.

(photo from the NYTimes)

What about the dams?

My mother called her sister in Wuhan last night to see if they were affected by the earthquake in Sichuan, China. My aunt and her family felt the quake and are fine. While thinking about them this morning, I started wondering if the Three Gorges Dam was ok. They live 4 hours down river from the largest dam in the world, in a metropolitan city that's along the Yangtze. This NYTimes article made me feel a bit better but I'm still uneasy about all of those affected by the quake.

(photo that I took in 2006 of the Three Gorges Dam)

Devastation

My thoughts are with those in Myanmar suffering the devastation of the cyclone that hit on Saturday. This NYTimes article sums up the situation pretty well. I hope that this tragic event will eventually bring about a dialogue for diplomacy and change in a country whose government has been hostile to other governments and to its own people.

(photo from NYTimes)

Hakka heritage

In the travel section of the NYTimes, I found this article on The Earthen Homes of Yongding County, in Fujian, China. I had seen a miniature version of this type of structure at "Windows on the World" in Taiwan. The Hakkas (I am ethnically Hakka on my father's side) have built these interesting earthen structures and they are now being considered for UNESCO heritage site designation.

On another Hakka note, I was sorting through a box of my dad's stuff last night and found our family genealogy handbook. I brought it to my mom, who helped me sort out how I should decipher the charts. Hakkas tend to favour male decendents and no where is it more obvious than in the family charts where only male decendents are listed. For example, our family tree shows my grandfather and my grandmother's name, below them, only their four sons names are listed, none of my five aunts are included. On the page where my family is listed, my father does not have any children listed under him (I have one other sibling, a sister) and my uncles who have sons have their names listed, but not their daughters. My mom commented that this was a heavy bias, maybe I should consider getting rid of the book!

(Photo by Barbara Koh from the NYTimes.)

Mangosteens available for Maggie

This NYTimes article declares that mangosteens are now available in the US. It's a great fruit for those who have not tried it and hooray for my best friend Maggie because it's her favorite fruit and she's been been craving it so.