- I decided today that my favorite shade of red is the one of cranberries. The gradient from dark red to a vibrant, saturated one with almost a yellow hued glow is prettier than many a gem in my eyes.
- I feel like I am only beginnings and endings. A quick spark whose charm swiftly fizzles. There has never been a luxurious, long middle where I have felt safe enough to bask in and settle my soul down in. That is a deficit on my part because of a thousand tiny reasons but that doesn't make it less sad when I think about it.
- New cooking thing I tried out: when I make a stir fry (which is often), I started adding a few grains of rock sugar to the sauce. It’s traditional in Chinese cooking to use it and I always keep some on hand anyway. Once in a blue moon I like to slightly sweeten my tea and when I do I add a few little sugar rocks as it brews. I was hoping this would be a fun way to make what was a one-use ingredient more versatile. I don't add enough to sweeten the sauce, just a bit to add a subtle depth. Maybe like 4-5 sugar rocks to 2-3 tbsp total sauce? Sugar also is what makes a glaze glaze if that makes sense, so having a little does make for a bit of a nice cling, especially since I'm too lazy to make a cornstarch slurry.
- Another thing I like to do is play with aromatics. Like when I add them to a stir fry, I use ginger, allium, or both. But it doesn't always have to be chopped garlic/ginger. Sometimes I toss a few candied ginger nibs as the sauce finalizes, or use garlic oil to scent the dish or crispy garlic slices with fresh green onion as toppings. Playing with elements of the thing is where joy lies for me. With everything in my life. From data visualizations to exercising to cooking, I've always wanted to explore and play.
- My coworker will sometimes send me a link to a Spotify jam, which is a fun way to discover music. This week, in her jam I heard a song called Milktoast and it reminded me of the time I was fussing with my partner and called him milquetoast. I remember him looking as perplexed as he was offended. "Did you just call me milk?!?! Bread?????" I firmly believe that the strategic deployment of outrageous words is the best way to make thine sparring partner stop in their tracks. Like "No amount of prestidigitation will hide that you took the last cookie, you evildoer! " Spanish works amazingly well too to nip arguments in the bud. "HIJO DE LA GRAN MADRE!!! MIRA QUE CARIFRESCO! AHH!?!?! QUE NO PUEDE NI AYUDAR DESPUES DE VIVIR LA BUENA VIDA, COÑO!!!" It makes them laugh but I feel laughing dispels the tension enough to resolve the thing amicably so win-win?
- Current Obsessions: Thanksgiving make ahead prep, reading, Pilates. Serious videos about linguistics and funny ones about history.
You will never remember the great if you do not remember the small.
– Nghi Vo (The Empress of Salt and Fortune)
