Day Dos

Although B was unable to join me on this trip (don't you hate it when work gets in the way?), I'm not without travel companions. Three of my friends from Seattle are along for this Big 5Six adventure. (For one of them, it'll actually be her Bigger 6Seven trip. Antartica will be her last continent to have set foot on.) In the past I've journeyed solo, but in my opinion, like a meal, it is infinitely better to share the experience.

So on the morning of my first full day in Argentina, Naomi, Carol, and I met at Plaza St. Martin to take a bike tour through the south side of the city. Awaiting us was Xavier, a short, trim yet stocky gentleman and what looked to be a hodge-podge of bicycles recently allocated from your local garage sale. Nevertheless, we each chose our metal steed and donned on our helmets (safety first!).

I don't consider myself a cyclist, but I have ridden extensively through the US. And let me tell you, there is nothing in the States that matches the first 10 minutes of utter chaos that is biking in downtown BA in Monday morning traffic. Aggressive drivers + cobblestone roads + unfamiliarity with local bike ettiquette = harrowing experience. Regardless of the risk though, we pushed forward.

The tour itself was a great way to see the city. As we pedaled our way south, the architecture of the neighborhoods (and the level of wealth associated to it) began to change. The south side of the city is known to be rougher, poorer, edgier. But in the heart of this area is a vibrant neighborhood called "La Boca". With the brightly painted buildings, streetside tango buskers, and stalls of arts and crafts, this area attracts tourists like a Pooh Bear to honey. It was here Xavier gave us some time to get off the bike and wander the streets.

For me, the best part of La Boca wasn't the sight seeing. It was participating in a truly authentic Argentinian social experience: "mate" (ma-tay). Similar to green tea, Mate is a drink comprised of ground up leaves and hot water, and the flavor is strong and bitter. It is steeped in a cup often made of ceramic, wood, or most often, pumpkin. From the vessel, a metal straw with a strainer attached at the bottom runs from the vessel. Once steeped, the cup is given from the host to guest. The guest drinks from the straw and finishes the cup, then passes it back to be refilled and handed to the next participant. Xavier explained that mate was a very social experience- just friends sharing time and beverage together.

Once we finished the mate, we mounted up and headed back north. Buenos Aires is very flat, therefore the pedaling was at a leisurely pace. We finished at Plaza de Mayo. For those of you who either are history buffs and/or Madonna movie fans, you would like to know that the balcony which Evita addressed the crowds was in this very square.

After we had finished our tour, we decided to run a couple errands and grab a bite to eat. We ended up at the oldest cafe in the city. It's clientele was a balanced mix of locals and touritas. The decor was elegant, the food satisfying.

With our appetites quenched, the three of us decided to return to the hotel for a well earned siesta and meet later for dinner. Dinner in Buenos Aires tend to be much later than most Americans are accustomed to. The restaurants typically get busy around 10pm. With this in mind, we agreed to meet at 9. Unfortunately our first choice was closed, so by the time we arrived at the second choice "El Primo" (a parrilla recommended by Xavier) dinner was in the full swing.

Many parrillas will offer a "mixed grill" that a group can order -- various cuts of meat (primarily beef, but with some pork as well). Since Greg and I had not experienced this yet, we ordered it for the table. Included in the heap of meat were pieces of sirloin, ribs, ham, flank, skirt, chorizo sausage... tasty and popular picks. But the asado also included some less popular selections (by American standards) such as kidney, sweetbreads (we had the thymus/throat variety), and blood sausage. All of this is served on brasero, a charcoal fired mini-grill. I am proud to say that our table ate almost everything (and even like some of the "variety" meats). A quick review from me: 

Kidney- texture was like pork, taste similar to liver; I did not like it.

Sweetbread - texture and taste reminded me of pork tenderloin. I enjoyed it.
Blood Sausage - unlike it's European counterpart, it did not have much grain to firm up the sausage. Instead, it's consistency was like a dough type pudding, flavored with spices. It wasn't bad, but I wouldn't crave it either.

Overall, the meal was very good. Both the waitress and the owner were patient with their gringo guests, and we all left the restaurant with our bellies full. But as much as I hate to admit it, I was starting to get "beefed" out -- I had beef 3 out of  4 meals in BA so far. I was ready for something different. Fortunately, in a city such as Buenos Aires, you don't need to look to hard to find something delicious to eat.

The Journey Begins... (Day 0-1)

Hola from Buenos Aires! It is currently 6:15pm local time in Buenos Aires (update: it was 6:15 when I started this post). I've been in the country for about 30 hours, which incidentally is also the amount of time it took to get here. So to get us started, here's a recap of Day 1 of the Big 5Six.

Saturday morning, at 4am PST, dark and early, B and I braved the slick, frost covered roads and headed south to Seatac International Airport. Traffic was nonexistent (as was any daylight) so we quickly reached our destination. After checking in my luggage, we spent our final hour together for the next couple weeks over a warm cup of hot chocolate (me) and Mango-ey Odwalla (her).

Soon it came time for me to go through security and catch my flight. The first leg was to Dulles International Airport. It was uneventful, with the only surprise being the snow covered tarmac that welcomed our plane to the airport. Fortunately for me, it did not play any part in my second departure (7+ hours later) to Buenos Aires. After killing time by surfing the web, chatting with B on the phone, eating dinner, and watching a movie in the terminal, my fellow passengers and I boarded the 767 as scheduled. Ten red-eye hours later, we touched down in the flat, green lushness of Buenos Aires.

I've travelled around the world to multiple countries, and gone through multiple immigration and customs checks. I've learned the key to going through the process is simply to be patient. No matter how tired you are, as long as you expect the system to take another hour or so, you'll be fine. BA was a perfect example of this. They had three lines -- one for nationals, another for diplomats and families with young children, and the third for everybody else. Yesterday, when we arrived, the latter group was the largest by nearly triple. Yet they only had 3 custom agents assigned to our queue. In turn, the line snaked around the customs room. By far, it was the longest wait in customs I have experienced in the past decade.

Nonetheless, once through customs, immigration was non-existent, and before you could say "Nothing to declare", I was in a taxi heading to my hotel.

Buenos Aires has 13 major neighborhoods (I think). My hotel is located in the north side of the city, in areas called Palermo. Palermo is dotted with grassy parks, modern hotels and hip restaurants. Funny enough though -- these were not the reasons I chose the hotel. I picked it because it was ranked high on TripAdvisor and the price was right. Only later did I realize that I was in cool area. (Luckily for me.)

Anyway, once I arrived to the Dazzler Juncal, I quickly showered to wash away the "travel grime" that had accumulated over the last 8000 miles, and proceeded to go to the Recoleta neighborhood. Where Palermo is known to be a middle class area, Recoleta is known as one of the wealthiest neighborhoods. Perhaps the most well known feature of the barrio though is the Cementerio de la Recoleta. This cemetary encompasses mausoleums entombing many BA's influential families and powerful individuals. The most famost resident is that of Eva Peron, of "Evita" fame). Walking through the cemetary, one experienced equal parts of fascination and morbid curiosity.

When we finally decided to leave the cemented crypts and dusty coffins, we lightened the mood by strolling through the adjacent church and nearby art and crafts fair.

The last thing I wanted to talk about are the "Parrillas" of BA. These parrillas are known for preparing one of Argentina's best known products: BEEF. In this country, you never have to utter the question "Where's the beef?". Just look around, and you'll see/smell/taste it everywhere. We're not just talking steak either. We're talking about all parts of the cow. Offals (kidney, tripe, blood sausage) are prepared as often as the tenderloin steaks and beefy ribs. So it was fitting that my first two meals in the country were at parrillas. I had a rib-eye for lunch (and only a ribeye, no side) and a sirloin for dinner (with many, many sides). Both the steaks are flavorful and tender. Traditionally, Argentinians prefer their meat dry and well done, but many restaurants cater to the American tourist by cooking it to a medium rare. If there was nothing else in this country besides the beef, I would still love this place. After all, Argentina epitomizes "Beef, it's what for dinner." (Sorry, couldn't help using one more tag line.)

So there you have it... Day 1 of my southern adventure. It was a memorable day: I stepped onto my fifth continent, dined on delectable meat, and visited the final resting places of Buenos Aires' rich and famous of years' past. All in all, it was terrific beginning for the next fifteen days.

Prep for the Big 5Six

According to my countdown app on my iPhone, I have 11 more days until I leave for my Big Trip to Antarctica and Buenos Aires, Argentina . Rather than waiting for my upcoming adventure to commence before I started writing, I thought now might be a good time to provide some insight into how I'm preparing for this trip. I hope you don't mind.

First of all, I've been trying to brainstorm a name for this excursion. A few ideas I've been kicking around: Antarctica & Buenos Aires (ABA), Argentina/Antarctica Adventure (AAA) Spencer's Adventure Down South (SADS), but I think the front runner is the "Big 5Six" trip (this will be my fifth and sixth continents). Of course, if you have any suggestions, I'd love to hear them.

Like most big trips, much of my planning took place months ago. I secured my spot for the Antarctica tour back in January, made the flight reservations in March, and the hotels rooms in BA and Ushuaia have been booked. Also, since the Antarctic portion of this vacation is traveling with a touring company (Quark Expeditions), much of the logistics have already been taken care of.

All that has been left has been doing some research on Buenos Aires and Antarctica, and to figure out what to pack.

This trip is unique because I need to pack for both winter and summer locales. Obviously, Antarctica will be chilly, but BA will be in the low 80's. In that regard, it feels like I'm packing for two trips. Therefore, over the past month or so, I've been compiling a list of things to bring. Most of it is the regular stuff (clothing, toiletries, shoes for each climate) focused for each continent, but there are a couple things for Antarctica specifically that I've added to the list in researching this trip that I normally wouldn't bring. One, a dry bag. This will be used for the Zodiac rides we'll be taking to and from ship to land. It will line the inside of my backpack, and I consider it my $20 insurance policy for my camera gear. The other item is removable shoe insoles. Since we'll be trudging around Antarctica in Wellies (aka rubber boots), the insoles will help with comfort and warmth. It's things like this that I wouldn't have thought about had I not done some homework.

The last item that I need to bring for this trip has to do with my camera gear. However, it's something that can't be stored in my backpack or duffle bag. In doing my research for this trip, I've learned that I need to go armed with the knowledge of how to use all my camera gear and ideas of what type of photos I want to shoot. That may seem like common sense to you, but in all my travels, I've never done any prep on how to use certain features of my camera/gear, nor have I planned photo shots ahead of time. Hence, this lesson is particularily important for this trip since I have a new camera body. So I've spent a couple hours here and there familiarizing myself with the new functions of my D300s. After all, I would much rather fiddle with the settings of my Nikon while at my house than for the first time in the midst of a penguin colony. And as for photography ideas - I've been taking note of wildlife and scenic photographs that I like over the past couple months, and have a sense of what I want to do once I step foot on the ice/rock/penguin poo. I have even set up my tripod in various stances to determine different camera angles.

So overall, I feel like my prep is coming together. Sure, I still have 11 days before I leave, but I've already begun to pack in the past week. (You should see my bedroom. Half of the floor has been taken over by this Big 5Six trip.) Why so early? Partly because by nature I'm an early packer, and partly because I wanted to see if I could fit all my gear into a duffle bag and roll-on case. I think I will be able to, but I haven't actually tried yet. We'll see how it goes.

Garfield would have like it.

I know, I know. It's been forever since I lasted posted anything. Well, my excuse is that life has been busy, and I haven't spent much time thinking about what to write. So instead, I'm going to post a dated blog about baking. I wrote this almost a month ago, with the intention of posting it with pictures. But since I haven't gotten to editing the pics yet, for now you'll have to make due with only text. I guess that's why we have an imagination, right? Thanks for understanding. :-)

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I don't bake much. But last week I did it three times. Not sure why -- perhaps the comforting warmth of the oven is more inviting during the rainy days of fall. More likely though, it's that I was craving something homey, comfy and satisfying. So I decided to try to make a lasagna and a homemade chocolate cake. Today's post will be about the former and I'll save the dessert for next time.

Growing up in a Chinese family, the only baked lasagna we ever had was either from Costco or heading over to a friend's house for dinner. It's not that we didn't like lasagna -- rather, it was simply we are Chinese, and my parents primarily make Chinese food. So instead of spaghetti, we had chow mein. Instead of fondue, we had hotpot. Instead of meatloaf we had... well, whatever the Chinese equivalent might be (can't think of anything). So as you can see, Italian food was not a staple in the Chan kitchen.

I'm not sure what inspired me to try to make lasagna now, but it seemed like a good idea. After checking various cookbooks and online, I settled on yet another Tyler Florence recipe. (I think B thinks I might have a man-crush on him. Sadly, it might be true. But only in a cooking-type aspect.)

After gathering up the ingredients, I browned the beef and pork mixture with the softened onions and garlic.

Next, I added the spice blend.

After this was done, I got to start the assembly. First I started with the sauce, then noodles, followed by meat, and finally cheese. Repeat. A couple notes. One, the recipe called for traditional uncooked lasagna pasta. I cheated, and substituted it with the "no-cook" type. Also, upon Tyler's suggestion, I added pasta "brackets" to the ends of the baking pan. He says it adds structural stability.

Once the assembly was complete, I had a monsterous beast of a lasagna. My guess is it probably weighed 7-8 pounds. I put the beast into its heated cave (er, I mean oven), and set the timer for an hour. As the time passed by, the smells of baked goodness wafted over the kitchen, and into the living room. Definitely a homey, comfy and satisfying smell.

When the timer finally beeped, I checked the lasagna. The top layer of cheese wasn't browned yet, so I put it in for another 10 minutes. To my chagrin, 10 minutes later, what was a gooey topping because what I have come to refer as "cheese leather". The cheese had transformed into a brown and chewy cap. Now, many people actually enjoy this (B for one). I say good for them, but personally, it's not my favorite. The upside is that B was happy to eat whatever I didn't.
Other than the cheese leather though, the lasagna came out well. The no-cook pasta was soft and cooked through. And as for the brackets, I don't think it was needed.

So there you have it. A Chinese boy baked his first Italian lasagna. Would I do it again? Probably, but it won't be a regular occurence. For all the tastiness of the dish, I think I still prefer my homemade bolognaise over the lasagna. Just as satisfying, with a third of the work.

Goodbye Green Bean. We will miss you. Until we meet again.

Friday morning I found out that one of my beloved coffee shops burned to the ground. At roughly 4am, the Green Bean Coffeehouse in Greenwood caught fire. Hours later, it was in total devastation -- the roof has collapsed and all within had seemingly been lost.

I first heard about the fire on the radio that morning. No mention of the Green Bean; rather a short notice stating that 85th St was closed due to a three alarm fire. It wasn't until I received an email from a friend that I learned the tragic news. Since then, I've slowly gathered updates via various posts on Facebook, online articles from local news sources, and information from friends who were there.

For those of you who don't know, the Bean and I had a long history together. A few months after it first opened, I began volunteering there as a barista. I spent two years watching the shop grow into a neighborhood favorite, meeting the locals, and pulling shots of espresso. But most of all, I witnessed the amount of community and love that was fostered in that cozy place. People came in for the lattes and scones, but left with a daily dose of care and hospitality. "Sit long, talk much" wasn't just a decorative quote on the wall -- it was the cafe's mantra.

After the fire, everything in the Green Bean was destroyed. Everything but the soul of the place. Those pieces still live in the hearts of the staff, volunteers and customers of the beloved Bean. Over the next few weeks, I am sure there will be ample discussion on what to do next. I know the community will come together and the legacy of the GB will continue. After all, that is what the Green Bean does. Draw people together.

Stories of Life and Food (and Pizza)

During my sabbatical, I've been catching up on things that-I-like-to-do-that-I-never-really-have-time-to-do-while-working. Teaching myself photo-editing, playing video games, and reading. They are some of the activities that I find leisurely and relaxing.

Most recently, I read "A Homemade Life: Stories and Recipes from My Kitchen Table" by Molly Wizenberg. I first learned about Molly from her blog "Orangette". I discovered her blog back while working at my old job. In the latter months, the work day often was a bit slow, and I passed my time reading various technology and culinary blogs (they were independent of one another). In many ways her blog is what I aspire mine to be. Not neccesarily because of the popularity, but more because she draws you in with her stories of food and life. I would love my blog to have the same traits -- that I can share my tales and photographs of my travels and food related adventures with you, the reader.

Anyway, few months ago, Molly penned some of her life stories and published them onto the pages of a book. And at the end of each chapter, she includes recipes from the particular experience. Much like her blog, her book is a breezy yet insightful look at some of the experiences that have shaped her food related life.

I tell you all of this is because I just finished reading her book a couple weeks ago. (I would have probably finished it sooner, but B book-napped it while I was in the middle of it, and managed to finish it before I really could tell it was gone.) Both B and I really enjoyed it. But one of my favorite things about the book is that with the recipes that Molly's included in each chapter, not only can we read about the experience, but we have the opportunity taste it as well. And that makes for an unique literary experience.

So if you're looking for some light reading, I recommend "A Homemade Life". Be warned though, you might want to eat something before cracking open the book. Otherwise, you might be hungry afterwards.

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PS- In case that wasn't enough, I have one more reason to be a big fan. Recently, she and her husband opened a pizza restaurant in Ballard called Delancey. And it's my new favorite pizza place. Her husband Brandon, much like many from New York, has a deep love of pizza. So much so he decided to research some of the nation's most iconic and popular pizzas, and develop his own. The result? The best pizza crust I've ever had. It's smoky and slightly charred from the wood-fire oven, thin but not cracker crispy, with a bit of chewiness that I love. Top that with some fresh ingredients, and you've got a pizza winner. Mmm... just thinking about it makes me want to go back again. If by chance you go and visit, I highly recommend the homemade fennel sausage. Plus there is an appetizer of the best ever fresh mozzerella. I can't remember the name, but WOW. Order them both. You'll thank me later.

Cozy Day in Seattle

Fall has officially arrived here in Seattle... This isn't entirely bad -- I do love the sunshine here in Seatown, but something can definitely be said for autumn in the Pacific Northwest too. The leaves are turning golden hues and rosy reds and there's a crisp bite to the air. In response, t-shirts have been replaced with fleece jackets, iced lattes with hot mochas, and AC with crackling fires.

Speaking of the latter, B and I decided to wrap up our Sunday yesterday with a cozy fire and even cozier meal. We had a bunch of tomatoes from the garden (which by the way, anybody out there have a recipe for green tomatoes?) and a bagful of leftover hot dog buns from Saturday's football tailgate. With a little help from Mr. Tyler Florence, we were able to tranform these ordinary items into a warming, roasted tomato soup.

First we converted the hotdog buns into croutons -- typically I like my croutons a bit more dense, but the airiness of these actually were nice in the soup. The crutons are the Robin to the soup's Batman. It plays an active role in the dish, but it was definitely the sidekick of the duo.

With the tomatoes we threw the batch into the oven at 175 degrees for almost two hours. Depending how much you like it roasted, feel free to cook it longer or turn up the temp a bit higher. Afterwards, we pulled them out, combined them with some sauteed onions and garlic, chicken broth, and butter. After simmering for 30 minutes, we zipped it in the blender and WALLAH! (is that how you spell "wallah"?)(update: With a twinkle in her eye, B pointed out it's not "Wallah", but rather "Voila". I knew she was a smart one.) : Tomato soup fit enough for a king. Or two food lovin', hungry people.

Don't let the amount of time involved intimidate you... It's pretty laid back. Most of time is either roasting the tomatoes in the oven or waiting for the soup to simmer. During that time you can watch a movie, clean your room, knit something, or play some video games. But if you're really in a hurry, you can crank the heat to 450 degrees for 20-30 minutes. And believe me, the end result is well worth it!

Ok, here's the recipe.

Roasted Tomato Soup

Recipe adapted from Tyler Florence

Prep Time:20 min

Cook Time: 2 hours

Serves: 4 to 6 servings

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 pounds fresh tomatoes (mix of fresh heirlooms, cherry, vine and plum tomatoes)
• 6 cloves garlic, peeled
• 2 small yellow onions, sliced
• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 quart chicken stock
• 2 bay leaves
• 4 tablespoons butter (we used this much, but in the future we'll probably halve it)

Directions

Preheat oven to 175 degrees F.

Wash, core and cut the tomatoes into halves. Spread the tomatoes onto a baking tray. Drizzle with 1/2 cup of olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast for 1.5- 2 hours or until caramelized.

With about 20 minutes left for the tomatoes, add the onions and garlic to a large stock pot. Saute the two until caramelized. (Tyler says to roast the onions and garlic with the tomatoes in the oven, but the first time I did, the onions burned. Not pretty, but definitely roasted. I like my method better.)

Remove roasted tomatoes from the oven and transfer to a large stock pot with onions and garlic. Add 3/4 of the chicken stock, bay leaves, and butter. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes or until liquid has reduced by a third.

Use a blender (immersion blender if you have one) to puree the soup until smooth. Be careful not to fill up the blender -- hot liquid expands/explodes. I know from personal experience. If the soup is too thick after blending, return to the stove and add the remaining stock until it's the consistency you want.

Add croutons (see below) and enjoy.

Croutons

Two hot dog buns, cubed. If you wish, you can butter and season, but we found it was fine plain.

Place on baking sheet, and toast in the oven for 30 minutes. This can be done near the end of the tomato roasting.

A Husky fan's trip to Notre Dame

This past weekend, a friend and I headed followed the UW Husky football team to South Bend, IN via Chicago. With the way the Dawgs have been playing the past couple weeks, my expectations were a mixed bag. Since beating USC, I know we have the skills and abilities to pull out a victory, but after our loss to Stanford last week, I did not have complete confidence that we would win. The outstanding question in my mind was which Husky football team was going to show up in Indiana. The only way to answer that question was to wait and see.

But first, a quick thought about Chi-town. Although I've been to the Windy City before, I've never really looked around. This time arounds we did get to spend a few hours on foot tromping around the downtown core Friday morning. In addition, we were able to catch a Cubs game at historic Wrigley Field as well. The city is great for photography. Perhaps it's because there seems to be so much around to see -- elevated trains, public art, old and new architecture freckle the cityscape. I would love to go back and spend a few dedicated days to exploring the city and surrounding areas. It's a fun city with vibrant energy.

I wonder what flavor this jelly bean is?

Next stop: Notre Dame

As for South Bend, we didn't really see a lot of it. We took an eastbound train from Chicago to the airport in South Bend. From there we proceeded to the Notre Dame campus.

Notre Dame Football. Love 'em, hate 'em, don't care... whatever your stance on the football program may be, you have to go. It is the embodiment of history and tradition. Everywhere you go on campus you are surrounded with the legacy and legend that is Notre Dame Football. From watching the players come out of Mass, to visiting the Grotto, to seeing Touchdown Jesus with his arms outstretched -- it is all part of the Notre Dame experience.

As for the game... well many Dawg fans' hearts were broken that day. But aside from the loss, WHAT A GAME. Duking it out through the wind and rain, thru four quarters and an overtime. Multiple lead changes and many defensive stops. And what of the question I had prior to the game? Well, the Huskies weren't perfect, but the team that defeated USC were the ones that showed up. They fought hard and with heart. It was all we could ask for.

Come and meet Jesus... Touchdown Jesus.

Inside the golden dome on campus.

Welcome to Notre Dame Stadium.

To see more pictures from the weekend, please go to http://picasaweb.google.com/photography.spencerchan/UWNDGame2009.