yoso-silly – Page 41

At the SDAFF: 20:30:40, Saving Face, and Dumplings

October 1, 2005 mmm-yoso Cooking, Movies, Recipes, yoso-silly

Ah yes, another wonderful day at the San Diego Film Festival. Today we went early and saw Alice Wu’s fantastic film; Saving Face. Alice Wu’s Directorial debut is a wonderfully funny, yet an a amazingly perceptive and complex tale, one that is both light, and yet reveals very deep social and cultural issues that are put at the forefront.

At the heart of the movie is the question; at what length and what price is one willing to pay to "save face". Saving Face is of the best most polished Asian American Films I’ve ever seen. After the film, Director Alice Wu, and the three lovely Leading Ladies, Joan Chen, Michelle Krusiec, and Lynn Chen were very generous with their time during a Q&A session. What I was really amazed to find out was that the film was completed in 27 days, all single takes! If I’m being a bit vague with the plot details, it is with good reason. The film takes some really fun twists and turns, and keeps you guessing til the end. If you’re interested in a movie that’s like a cross between The Wedding Banquet and My Big Fat Greek Wedding, this is for you. By the way, I never knew Joan Chen could be so funny!

On Thursday Night we saw 20:30:40, a funny, yet very interesting and revealing Taiwanese/Chinese film Directed by, and starring Sylvia Chang. 20:30:40 portrays the life of 3 Women. Xiao Jie (Lee Sin-Jie), is a 20 year old, who has come to Taipei to become a pop star. Suddenly free, and learning about life with no responsibility, she starts learning and experimenting in her journey to find out about life and who she is. Xiang (Rene Liu), is a thirty-something Flight Attendant, attempting to find love by juggling two men, a married Dentist, and a possessive somewhat unstable Music Producer. Forty-something Lily (Sylvia Chang) is the owner of a Flower Shop. Her world is turned upside down when she finds out that her Husband has a second family.

Though the women never actually meet, they pass each other, and their lives are intertwined through associations with other characters in the film. Featuring some very funny moments, this is a showcase for the actresses and in the end a very honest and entertaining effort.

What about the food? Among the many food scenes in these two films were two that got our attention; in 20:30:40, Lily (Sylvia Chang) is having dinner with would be "Romeo", Jeff (Tony Leung Ka-Fai), as he teaches her to eat her dumplings by first eating an entire clove of garlic, he tells her; "what do you care, we’re both sleeping alone tonight…", one of the funniest lines in the film. In Saving Face, Joan Chen is making dumplings for a "mah-jong party".

So this evening, the Missus decided to end her self imposed Dumpling retirement, by saying, "hey, let’s make some shrimp and chive dumplings…" So even though it was after 6pm, I jumped into action and ran up to 99 Ranch Market to pick-up some shrimp and chive, while the Missus made the dough for the wrappers:

Sorry that there is no set recipe for this. I will go through the ingredients, though. Dumplings have been a way of life for the Missus. She was raised in Qingdao in the Shandong province in China. Dumplings, handmade noodles, and various breads are a way of life. This dough was made with flour and room temperature water. While kneading she knows at what point the dough is "ready". My job is easy; shell and devein 1 1/2 lbs of shrimp, which is then chopped to desired texture.

The chives are chopped to desired texture. Here’s a very "rough" recipe for the filling for these dumplings:

1 1/2 lbs shrimp chopped
1 bunch chives chopped
2-4 Tbs Sesame Oil
2 tsp salt
2 tsp Shao-Tsing Wine
2 eggs
Ginger Juice(everybody wonders what the garlic press is for)
Mix together and start filling them dumplings:

Here’s a hint; before mixing the dumpling filling, start boiling a small pot of water. When the mix is ready make a "test dumpling" and cook – it’ll be pretty quick since the dough is fresh. You can taste the filling and make adjustments. For me, the only way to eat these freshly made dumplings is to boil them. You get the full range of flavor and most of all the wonderful slightly doughy wrapper, that should have a bit of pull. Of course you can pan fry if you must:

This is one of the things that I am able to contribute to the whole process! Also making the sauce:

Chinkiang Vinegar
Soy Sauce
Garlic
Green Onions
Optional – Chili Paste, Sugar, etc….

The belief is that boiled dumplings are the true test, fried dumplings are for later. Even though she declared a "second retirement" after making these, I still love and appreciate the fact that she knew after watching all these "dumplings on film", that I’d be wanting some. Also, I know we’ve now got a few dozen in the freezer! he-he-he….. Need to find more dumpling movies!

At the SDAFF: Marathon and Bibim Naengmyun

September 30, 2005 mmm-yoso Korean Restaurants, Movies, yoso-silly

The Opening Night film at the San Diego Asian Film Festival was the Korean film, Marathon. This heart-warming drama tells the story of an autistic Young Man, Cho Won whose doting, driven Mother pushes him to succeed at running marathons. Cho Won is 20 years old, but has only a child-like understanding of the world, and loves Zebra’s and anything resembling a Zebra, Choco-pies, noodles, and The Wild Kingdom television show. But Cho Won, is unable to express his emotions, and lacks any concept of the workings of the " real world". Enter into the equation a has-been former Marathon Champion, Yun, working off his community service for a DUI at Cho Won’s school. Cho Won’s Mother attempts to get him to train him. We go through this journey along with Cho Won, and in the end there is of course, a Marathon.

Marathon succeeds in rising above the formula"underdog drama" by utilizing great acting, lot’s of humor, not stooping to "cheap" manipulative tricks, and showing the impact of the social realities of being "stigmatized" by being handicapped in South Korean society, not only to Cho Won, but to his Family as well. Though the ending is predictable, it’s the journey to that end that makes this film worth watching. I’m thinking of buying this one! A great start to the SDAFF.

A quick note, this movie is a semi-biopic, Director Jeong Yun-Cheol interviewed Bae Hyeong-Jin,on whom the story was based, over the course of two years to develop this film. Amazingly this is Jeong Yun-Cheol’s Directorial debut.

Where’s the food? In Marathon, food plays a major role. I stopped counting at 12 the number scenes where food plays a role. Choco-pies play a very important role in two pivotal scenes in the movie, and plums in one. And of course Cho Won loves noodles. Most of the noodles shown looked alot like Jajang Myeon, a Chinese based, Korean noodles dish. Here’s an example of a sad "instant" Jajang Myeon:

But I didn’t have Jajang Myeon, I ended up at Buga and had the Bibim Naengmyun ($9.95):

These somewhat chewy-elastic buckwheat noodles, are served cold, with a spicy sauce. Add to it vinegar and mustard, and you have a wonderful refreshing, spicy dish! Have the Server cut the noodles with a scissors, though, otherwise you’ll be "pulling" for quite a long while! With all of the chewing and "reeling in" of the noodles going on, this dish may take a while to eat. It almost seems as if; if I may quote the Missus; "The more you eat, the more there is…"

Notice the panchan in the middle of the picture below, there’s a funny story about this:

So I’m having lunch, and a quite distinguished looking Gentleman siting on the table in front of me calls the waitress over, holds up the little plate with the "konnyaku" (I apologize I can’t for the life of me remember the Korean name), and tells her "I thought I told you no fish!", She tries in vain to explain to him that it’s not "fish", but made from "potato", but he insists that "No potato can ever make anything like this!" So after the Waitress looks at me with a pleading look, I tell the Gentleman that it’s made from a specific potato. I get the response, "Humph, don’t tell me what this is, I know fish when I see it!" I truly hopes he chokes on his Bulgogi….."humph"

Oh, what did I have for dessert?

Choco-pies of course!

In Case You’re Wondering Where I Am….

September 29, 2005 mmm-yoso yoso-silly

Every year around this time the San Diego Asian Film Foundation presents the San Diego Asian Film Festival. This year the 6th annual Festival has been expanded from the usual 4 days to 7 whole days at UltraStar Mission Valley Cinemas.

This is a wonderful event and we always make sure to get All Festival Passes so that we can come and go as we please. You also go to the front of the line for all events – but of course that has nothing to do with it, right?

For a listing of films and schedules – go here.

If there’s one thing that many Asian films have – its alot of food! So I may have a fun post or two up my sleeve.

The 6th Annual San Diego Film Festival – Sept 29th thru Oct6th.

So where’s the food? I found the comments to the Loco Moco Post to be very interesting. Rachel, was of course worried about my dental hygiene. Clare was worried that I wasn’t getting enough "green stuff" and also started searching for a Loco in Oz. Reid was concerned that I couldn’t find a good Loco. And of course Jo, wanted to make sure that she got the Hamburger right, while Mealcentric was worried about the gravy, while Pam immediately went searching for one! Aren’t Bloggers the best!

Just to make sure that you all know that I do eat veggies, once in a while at least:

I actually had 2 plates of salad tonight:

From our local Soupplantation. The Missus had 3. I of course went into immediate cardiac arrest, and had to be revived with a Spam Musubi. Rachel and Clare, I’m still alive and kicking!

See you at the Film Festival!

yoso-nosey: Where the Dim Sum Starts

September 20, 2005 mmm-yoso yoso-silly

As Elmo and Reid both noted, it seems like everyone has been eating Dim Sum over the last week or so. What I also noticed was that we each have our "standard bearer", that is the dish that serves as the basis for judging whether a specific restaurant serves "good" or "bad" Dim Sum. So, I’d like to see what your baseline Dim Sum dish is:

The survey has closed – results are here.

Feel free to comment away..

BTW, I did leave Siu Mai out, sorry my mistake – you can vote for it as "Other"

I’ll close out the poll on Sept 30th!

yoso-silly: The New Football Food???

September 4, 2005 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants, yoso-silly

College Football season has arrived, and even better the Warriors of the University of Hawaii is on National TV. The bad thing is that they’re playing #1 ranked USC. This doesn’t bode well, UH had the second worse defense in the NCAA last year. Oh-oh…..

So what I decided to do this year was to watch the game at home, so any cathartic moments of pain and grief will be expressed in the privacy of my own home. You see last year, I watched two of the games "outside", the first at a sports bar, and Boise St ripped UH 69-3, it was hard to watch the other customers yelling for the Broncos to "pile it on…", the second was at Sammy’s, and Sam and I watched Fresno St crush UH 70-14. I sat there in my University of Hawaii shirt, watching the others around me chanting, "go for a hundred..". Much to my chagrin, I stayed home to watch UH beat Michigan St, that’s my luck…..

So I had to make a decision with regards to "grinds". Pizza? Nah, I can have pizza anytime, plus, delivery would be pretty bad today. "Wings?" Bor-ring! I finally settled on Ba Ren. How’s that for "football food"?

So I drove down and ordered a few cold dishes from Ba Ren. Starting with a combo appetizer:

This was (from the right counter-clockwise) Fuqi Feipian, the famous "husband and wife" dish, dried beef with peppers and peppercorn, and Sichuan Peanuts (just for you Jo).

The fried peanuts were a nice combination of nutty, salty, spicy, and sweet, with those crunchy little fishes. This is a really good "pu-pu", I think this a a gametime regular for me.

The beef slices were nice and hot, with the assertive "ma la" (numbing hot) flavor with chilies to add another layer of heat:

One of my favorite things is to have a nice glass of ice water with this. After eating a few bites, it "becomes carbonated water".

I’m a Fuqi Feinpian addict. I love the textural combination of the brisket, tendon, and Chinese celery. Positively addicting:

This wasn’t all. After all I needed an entree, right? So I chose the Cold Chicken with Spicy Sauce:

Nice and numbingly hot, with the combination of sweet, salty, and spicy, this dish is very addicting and one of my favorites. The addition of crushed peanuts and sesame seeds gives the dish an added "nutty" dimension. The layers of heat in the dish is measurable. Delici-yoso!!!

By the end of third quarter I was sweating harder than the players on the field!!!

Oh, the game. USC 63 Hawaii 17, but all is not lost, I got some really good food, and Hawaii’s defense didn’t look as bad as I thought, there was a time where Hawaii was down only 28-10, before collapsing. I think I’ll do a different "pu-pu’s for the game" for the Televised UH games I watch this year. Stay tuned!

Yoso-silly: Vegemite – Vege-might not….

August 20, 2005 mmm-yoso yoso-silly

I promised Clare from Eat Stuff that I’d go ahead and attempt to eat Vegemite. After her Vegemite-for-non-Aussies post, I’d pretty much committed myself to actually trying some Vegemite from this little bottle brought back by a friend from Australia. So I figured today, with the bright sunny sky shining and nice breezes would be as good a day as any to die…….

But someone had already tried some of the Vegemite. A few days ago I got a phone call from the Missus:

She: "I think there’s something wrong with the Vegemite"
Me: "Ummm, okay, what’s wrong?
She: "Well, I tasted some…."
Me: "You Tasted Some!"
She: "Yeah I tasted some, and it tastes like it’s rotten or spoiled or something!"
Me: "Can’t be, I’ve been told it lasts forever!"
She: "Nothing lasts forever…"
Me: "Maybe Vegemite does, it might be the perfect food."
pause….
She: "So you’ve never tasted this Vegemite stuff…."
Me: "No, I, um.."
She: "So it could be spoiled and you wouldn’t even know it!"
Me: "From what I understand, this stuff tastes so terrible, it really wouldn’t matter if it was spoiled or not!"
click….

On a follow-up phone call, a detailed description of the taste and texture of the Vegemite was passed on to me, to be kept forever in the "bowels" of my mind. In case you want a little history of Vegemite it can be found here.

So this morning I set out to make me some Vegemite toast. For some reason a song kept popping up in my head – "Goodbye Papa its hard to die….. ".

I decided to use wheat toast. I mean, Vegemite is "healthy", right? So I figured wheat toast is the way to go. I spread some butter on the toast, and got a little spoon of Vegemite. At first glance, Vegemite is black and tar-like, with a distinct yeasty smell. I moved the spoon toward Sammy who ran and hid in the bathroom. Not a good sign!

"When all the birds are singing in the sky…."

So I spread the Vegemite on the toast best I could:

I actually tried to make a "smiley face", which failed horribly, so my extreme lack of artistic talent is clearly visible to the entire world. See any apparition on the toast that could possibly make me some cash on Ebay? I then thought, "any black food that I like", "caviar", "yeah, that’s the ticket, caviar is black, caviaaarrrr…", "aaah, who am I kidding, this is about as far from caviar as I can get!"

So I took a bite, than another for good measure. The taste? Well after having my stomach pumped in the ER – just kidding Clare! It’s very salty, and a bit on the bitter-astringent side. I didn’t enjoy the after taste it left, but overall not a bad experience. Not something I’ll ever crave, but I’d eat it if I had to. Thanks Clare, this was fun. That Vegemite would just have continued being a paperweight at work, if not for your encouragement.

Another song just popped into my head:

We are happy little Vegemites as bright as bright can be,
We all enjoy our Vegemite for breakfast, lunch and tea,
Our mummy says we’re growing stronger every single week,
Because we love our Vegemite,
We all adore our Vegemite,
It puts a rose in every cheek!

A Big Thank You!

July 31, 2005 mmm-yoso Road Trip, San Francisco and Silicon Valley, yoso-silly

To Jo, for providing a wonderful home for Pepper, and her wonderful family. I’ll leave all of the pictures and reports for her to post on her site. Also milgwimper for the great info and conversation. Jo and Mills took me on a shopping tour of Mountainview and the surrounding area – when we left, the sun was up, we got back at 9pm! I had a blast, and there were lot’s of laughs! – Pusit….

Thanks to Mike; he makes a mean cup o’ joe. Jo I still think you need to raze the kitchen and build a coffee drive thru!

Of all of the places we visited, it was Dittmer’s that made the biggest impression. They have the "best Wurst"! Friendly Staff and great service, I’ll be back!

Dittmer’s Gourmet Meats & Wurst-Haus Inc
400 San Antonio Road
Mountain View, CA 94040

Here’s a picture of Pepper in Soledad, sorry, bad joke….at the Soledad filling station.

Yoso Silly: Brand Loyalty Part 1

July 28, 2005 mmm-yoso yoso-silly

I was having dinner with a group of Ex-Pat Hawaii people a few nights ago, and during the conversation, we were talking about some of the traits that people from Hawaii have; and I blurted out "brand loyalty". Most people who grew up in Hawaii have pretty much developed a strong brand loyalty to either one specific brand of a product, or to one of a few "local" brands of a specific product, mostly through some kind of indoctrination, and almost all with some kind of cautionary anecdotal tale. So I started naming some products and we got into a lively discussion……

What kine Mayonnaise?

Everyone said Best Foods. This brand is so ingrained, that if someone put a jar of Hellman’s in front of me, I wouldn’t buy it. It could have the same label and be essentially the same product, but I still wouldn’t buy it. Why? Because it’s not Best Foods. As one of the guys said; "have to be Best Foods, have to be….."

What Kine Shoyu (soy sauce)? Immediate answer – Aloha Shoyu!

Aloha Shoyu has been around since 1946, you can read a brief bio here. This one runs deep, really deep, there are recipes that specify Aloha Shoyu. In my household if I brought home the wrong shoyu, I’d die an ugly death. I know Yamasa tastes about the same, and honestly I don’t think I could tell the two apart in a blind test. But I’ll still drive to LA for my Aloha Shoyu if necessary. We still use Kikkoman, but mostly for sashimi and sushi.

Here’s an interesting one. All the younger guys didn’t even think about it. But to this day the only canned tuna I can eat is Coral. I’ve been brainwashed to associate all other tunas to "cat food", and believe me this belief is so strong that I’ll get nauseated at the thought of actually buying any other brand of canned tuna. I realize that Bumble Bee Seafoods produces Coral along with a myriad of other brands, but the only canned tuna that will touch my lips is Coral.

The Missus loves this packaged curry with tuna from Trader Joe’s, but I can’t bring myself to eat it, because I know the tuna’s not Coral. Yes, I know, I need major help…….

And what about the infamous:

I wouldn’t be caught dead opening a can of Treet, that would be sacrilege! I know I’ve eaten Treet many times, especially in plates from lunchwagons. But still you gotta have standards! A guy I once knew told me, "I don’t eat meat that rhymes with feet!". "But meat rhymes with feet." "Eh, dis’ is my rules, ok? Dat don’t count!" Same guy used to eat peanut butter and kimchee sandwiches, but well, at least he has standards, you know? Oh, and I love the little "classic" under the SPAM on the can, or as Reid would state – Spam®. Makes me think of Coke and Classic Coke.

I’m sure there are existing Marketing studies and books, but I’ve yet to see anything on brand loyalty in Hawaii. If you know of an article please let me know. For now I’ll just be Brand Loyal Me. I’m sure everyone has some product that they are loyal to, beyond all logic and reason, I’d love to hear what you all have to say! Coming up is Part2 – There was a time I believed that Corned Beef only came in cans…..

Well, gotta scoot, Pepper & I are on our way to Mountain View, CA as you read this. I’m stopping in LA on the way back. I’m hoping to have a few "postable" items on my return. We’ll miss you Pepper!

Yoso Lazy:Kim Chee & Rice – Very, very, nice…

July 14, 2005 mmm-yoso yoso-silly

It was a very tiring day, feeling mentally drained (doesn't take much actually), I didn't want to think too much….even "what's for dinner". The weather's been hot lately, and a bit more humid than usual. I wanted something spicy, but not hot in the temperature sense. So I headed to Zion Market, and picked up some Kim Chee. And had just Kim Chee and rice, and it was soooo good!

So I had, and I hope Sarah fromThe Delicious Life will correct me, if I'm wrong or inaccurate. Oi Sobaegi – stuffed cucumber Kimchee, stuffed with chives, and with the distinct taste of garlic, this is my current favorite. Napa Cabbage Kimchee (Baechu Kimchee), the strange thing about this was that there was a very strong fishy scent, I had heard that fish paste, or fermented fish was used, but I had never really noticed until today – but it wasn't fishy in the least bit. Good, not great. And lastly Namul, too mild, and just ok. But all perfect with a hot bowl of rice. Delici-yoso!!!

Local Kine Stuffs in San Diego – Redondo’s

July 2, 2005 mmm-yoso Local Kine Stuffs in San Diego, Markets & Grocers, yoso-silly

I had been told of this a while back – you can actually get Portuguese Sausage (Da’ Hawaii Kine – OK!) here in San Diego. Though it’s not Purity Brand, which is my favorite; in a pinch Redondo’s will do. For those that don’t know, back "home" in Hawaii, this is a staple – even them "Golden Arches" places sell Portuguese Sausage, Eggs, and Rice!

Orient Bowl Market on Convoy; formerly First Korean Market, stocks Redondo Portuguese Sausage ($3.99) and Hot Dogs ($3.79).

I know, that’s kind of expensive, but if you need it, you need it!

This is the same strip mall North of Jasmine Restaurant, that Dumpling Inn is located in. I’ve also seen S & S Saimin on a previous visit. All items are frozen, but I’ve had the Portuguese Sausage and it tasted ok.

Orient Bowl Market
4625 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111