Cabin Fever

needing a good weekend outside the confines of the district, a bunch of friends and i rented out a cabin in the shenandoah for a few days of hot tub relaxation. it allowed for friends to gather...play a few games...drink you libation of pleasure...taste the local wines...and rest the dc weary minds for a couple of days.

night one...a surprisingly fun drive through a blustery winter evening ended with patrons of my car being fearful of driving into the woods with a classic horror film beat down pickup truck following us down winding mountain roads. though it did eventually veer away, what started out as a cheap scary movie allusion quickly turned into a muted, but genuine fear felt among all riders. but alas, we ended up at our assigned cabin in hot tub heaven and proceeded to hot tub and play drinking games until the wee hours of the morning.

day one...a day of wine tasting and vineyard frolicking. our caravan of two cars hopped from winery to winery. making stops at fox meadows winery, to linden vineyards, to narmada winery where we finished off our day reliving our childhood days on a playground as we watched our friend's dog chase down sticks and tennis balls.

night two...we finished that day with burgers and shrimp, our poor man's surf and turf. with everyone exhausted from a day of wine-ing, the night seemed to end earlier than most nights i've spent in dc. but surprisingly, that was a very welcome night's sleep.

day two...pack up and clean up. check out at 10...and we were back on the road. no sooner had we left our diamond shaped urban prison for the rolling hills of the blue ridge mountains were we back, ready for another week on the grind.

but for a few days, a quick drive westward, and in the company of good friends, one can escape and just have fun the way it's supposed to be had.

Brotherly Love

no no...this really has nothing to do with my brother, whom i do love very much and is doing well in shanghai.

this is about a random weekend trip i made out to philadephia to visit a few friends from san diego. being my first trip out there in my nearly four years on the east coast, i was fairly excited. though it probably wasn't smartest to head over there in the dead of winter.

but whatever, off i go...just a quick weekend trip to see the liberty bell, independence hall, old told philadephia, constitution center, reading terminal...you know, the standards. but coming from a city full of historical importance, i did find it ironic that the only thoughts i had while standing inside independence hall was about the movie "national treasure"...typical.

it's okay though, the purpose of the trip really was just a quick break from the district, to visit some old friends, and to enjoy some good philly cuisine...which i did, here, here, here and here. overall, a pretty decent day and a half. a nice little escape out of my tiny little city.

Citronelle

not being made of money (or work in the private sector in this city)...a visit to citronelle is definitely only called for on a special occasion. and as a send off to my very good friend and fellow foodie, my ucsd travel buddy, and former roommate, ting, before she leaves the district, i felt this a very worthy chance to spoil myself with some of michel richard's delectable cuisine.

opting for the 3 course dinner prix-fix as opposed to the promenade gourmande, i chose the mosaic to start, the venison as the entree, and finished it all off with the napoleon for dessert. throw in an amuse bouche as a little appetizer and another for dessert, and i left with my belly stretched and my taste buds satiated.

i would have to say that the amuse bouche was a very welcome starter. it included bites of quail egg topped with ikura, a salmon tartar wrapped in pickled jicama, and a mini cupcake with creme fraiche icing...all of which i quickly popped into my mouth followed by "holy crap...this is great" comments after each morsel. though i would have to single out the quail egg as the best of the three.

as for the venison, you must enjoy the gaminess of the meat to fully appreciate this dish. so if you already have trouble with lamb, stay away from the venison. as someone who has a rather indiscriminate palate for food, i rather enjoyed the dish...leaving me with my only criticism that there wasn't enough of it to go around. served with a cabbage cannelloni and a very succulent gravy, i was almost tempted to just lick the plate clean...but felt the inappropriate for the standards and class of a place like citronelle.

and to finish it all off, a creme brulee napolean. and i'm usually not a big fan of desserts (or sweets in general), but my first taste was immediately followed by another "holy crap" moment. the puff pastry that divided the vanilla creme brulee slices were perfectly flaky...the assortment of fruits that covered the dish were fresh and exquisitely paired with the passionfruit sauce. i must say, dessert usually being the course that surprises me the least, this one stood out.

so after the rave review, why only a 4-star rating you ask? even though the food was great and the service was top-notch, it is difficult to justify the costs even for a foodie like myself. there aren't many things that i'm willing to unconsciously drop large sums of money on, and food is one of them. but it is still without a moments pause to think that you have to be prepared to shell out a couple of benjamins if you want to savor the experience that is michel richard. personally, i'm glad i came, but it would take another momentous occasion to bring me back. i'll stick with his much more accessible and equally delicious central for my standard monday evening meals.

Thanksgiving

the tradition continues...pre-thanksgiving feast 2010 was another success. again missing my coveted sous chef, i took on more of the responsibilities myself. and i was very pleased with myself when everything worked out.

but the main reason for this post is to rave about the utility and benefits of a good brine. and stealing alton brown's recipe, i thought the turkey turned out great...probably one of the best i've ever made.

anyways, now that the thanksgiving weekend is over and the leftovers are still being consumed, i'm already excited for the next time i get to feast.

Nostalgia

there have been a lot of change these days...birthdays, weddings, new jobs, new lives. but an invitation that arrived in the mail several months ago indulged me in a few days of the past. an old friend from years past was getting married...and i happily took this opportunity to see some great friends from a former life.


i've never been great at maintaining old friendships. my modus operandi is to develop a great group of friends everywhere i go...claremont, san diego, dc...but somehow i tend to only have the capacity to hold onto a handful of lifelong friends and regrettably, i lose touch with lots of others. and after making this trip back to california, seeing some of my old friends, i realized that i really missed that life.

dinner with lil sibs, drinks and a impromptu visit to napa with a great friend, reminiscing with old roommates, and wedding date with an old crush...it was all just a little bit surreal.

maybe it's hearing what all my old college buddies have been up to in the years that have gone by, or realizing i'm at the age when friends of mine start getting married and having kids, or that i've taken responsible steps to improve my career/life even if i'm not as confident about it. but as much as i move around and go down paths i never thought i would have, i still have to think...change is hard.

Excess

as august winds to a close, so does my month of indulgence and excess. not once before had i thrown way so much prudence to ensure that i enjoyed my brief hiatus from the breakneck atmosphere of capitol hill. having endured months of endless hours and interminable days, i relished the idleness of august recess and reveled in the laxness of summer office hours.

with the context settled, i can remember upon the many moments where i chose comfort over practicality, luxury over caution, and self-indulgence over reservation. from enjoying a couple of high quality cocktails at the gibson to a fresh set of egyptian cotten sheets to several delectable meals to a weekend of immoderation in vegas, i had excess funds and time and i lapped them up.

apologies for not having described my opulent vegas experience in a more timely fashion, but i was distracted by my other vice...eating. as it was restaurant week, i again allowed myself to indulge in the grandeur of master chefs and edible works of art. with my eating partners in tow, ting and i marched into adour and siroc while theresa and i brunched at blacksalt.


but not to distract from the initial intent of this posting, a brief recap of a great weekend. despite being a captive of the jetblue terminal of jfk, there was little to complain about. not being a neophyte to vegas, i am less enamored with the glitz and the excess of vegas, but this trip definitely set a new mark. i have always enjoyed vegas in the context of a college student, stretching dollars by cramming scores of people into tiny rooms and pre-partying with shots poured into paper cups and clubbing in the midst of hundreds of others on a dance floor. and i've always had fun...but this was different, this was vegas done right.

although the housing situation still missed the spot (as there were fiscal constraints beyond my control), the rest of the trip met my laughable "baller" standard. but it did include all the extra amenities...table service at the mix lounge and body english, buffet at the wynn, limo rides, and the ability to disregard any restraint at the tables (to an extent...i, after all, didn't win the lottery prior to the trip). but to finally be able to spend a few extra dollars to truly enjoy the luxuries vegas is known for and not feel the immediate fiduciary gag reflex was a relief not felt before...and i definitely delighted in that opportunity.

but beyond my own self-accomplishment and indulgence, i was happier still to know my friends...many vegas virgins...had a great time themselves. happiness is always exponentially expansive if it is shared with others...and my ten friends definitely compounded the festivities of an already exuberant weekend.

so as the final hours of august recede and the work period of september creeps up, i can only reminisce and recollect on the memories...but i will continue to ponder and predict the appeasement of my next craving, whatever it may be.

Recess

after many months of 60+ hours weeks, roller coaster days of political jostling, and endless meetings of attrition with our republican counterparts...it is finally recess here on the hill.

as our members left washington without a health reform bill out of committee, they went home to face angry mobs screaming about death panels...

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...and medicare benies telling government to get out of their health care, us lowly staffers got to enjoy some time to ourselves. our lives have finally returned to some semblance of normalcy, if only for the dregs of august. but speaking as one of those individuals who has lost all friends and social life to late night briefings and arguments with lobbyists, i look forward to leaving the office early enough to see the sun, to sit at happy hours, and to actually venture away from the city (vegas in 8 days!).

so as the days wear on, i urge time to slow just a bit more so i can enjoy a few more moments of peace and relative tranquility before congress returns to their politico bubble...before the health reform debate resumes full force...before we see if our work the past year will bear the fruits of our labor. so before all that happens, let me enjoy a few more weekends in the vineyards of virginia, or on the golf courses of maryland, or just at the bars of dc...just let me live.

It's Just Grape Juice

after months of grueling 60+ hour weeks, it's always a gift to enjoy weekends at home instead of at the office. so when this past saturday rolled around, i jumped on the opportunity to hop in a car with a few friends and drive out to the vineyards of virginia.

clearly, with carolyn at the helm, the day was planned down to the minute. which was great for me as i could just sit in the car and relax as i sip on local wines and nibble on crackers.

with pit stops planned at four different vineyards (chyrsalis, three fox, naked mountain, and linden), it was a full day of tastings.

now i'm not a wine connoisseur by any means, but i enjoy a few glasses here or there, and it was more about the escape than it was the wine (though i did end up with a few bottles to take home). i was expecting to see rolling hills, rustic greens, and the asymmetry of grapevines spanning the grounds...and for the most part, that is exactly what i got.

speaking to my coworkers, these are the moments that keep is sane throughout a legislative sausage making process that has consumed our lives these past few months. whether it be a dash up to ny for a triathlon, some time spent with the children, an escape to wine country, or just a day at home...i've found these moments to be grounding and a replenishment of the mind and body.

typically, i generally find that copious amounts of alcohol will normally do the trick for me; and not to say there wasn't enough wine to go around, but it was the atmosphere of the country air and the dry, crisp breeze that seemed to have swept any thoughts of markups, legislative dealing, republican reluctance, or partisan agendas to a distant bubble of thought.

the words of the winemaker at our last stop has stuck with me the past day, and i'm sure will be a good reminder to maintain sanity and live in the now as opposed to a future that doesn't exist yet...

it's not about what it should be, it's just about what it is.

Belated Birthday

happy birthday United States

i apologize to the netizen world about my severe neglect of my little spot of the blogosphere. there have been some things that will be worthy of posting when i get the chance...but for the most part, i've just been grinding through life.

i've been mixing things up with new locales to venture to and a few interspersed rounds of golf...but the underlying majority of my life has and is still consumed by the never ending health care debate and its roller coaster personality.

but i was able to enjoy the past weekend of festivities...after all, the government must be off for its own birthday. after holing in the first year i was here, being drunk and belligerent in columbia heights last year, i figured it was standard procedure as a dc-ist to experience the fireworks on the mall at least once in my tenure. so that is what we did this year...a little bit of pre-party at jane's and then a venture to the mall.

it was surprisingly easy to get in, crowds were abound but manageable...and a testament to jaclyn's optimism and experience, we were able to find a spot on the steps of the lincoln memorial. and after a rousing game of hearts, the show began...and here are just a few momentos of the experience.

Minibar

this posting is clearly long overdue, but i've been quite busy and haven't had much time to indulge on one of the best meals i've ever had in my life. thanks to ting, i was lucky to have sat in chef jose andres' minibar to a tasting.

eating at places that like, a amateur epicurean like myself regrets never having gone to culinary school. good food comes in many different forms...home cooking, the classic bbq, ethnic cuisine, fusion...and then there's imagination put onto a plate, poured into a bowl, or mixed into a drink. that is what minibar is made of...that is what was prepared right in front of your eyes...and that is the essence of taste that you put in your mouth.

i won't run down all 28 dishes that consisted of that night's tasting, but i will divulge on some of my favorites.

beet tumbleweed i've always been a fan of beets, but this took it to a new level. this was basically a fried string of beets molded into the shape of a disparate tumbleweed that happened to breeze into my mouth.

bagels and lox don't be fooled, this isn't your standard bagel, cream cheese, and lox...instead, it was a cone of crisp breading, filled with creme fraiche, topped with salmon roe. ideally the best breakfast bite.

zucchini in textures possibly the best dish of the night, this is zucchinis done three ways: the bottom layer a savory paste of carmalized zucchini, next a spread of individually plucked fresh zucchini seeds, topped with a sweet and tantalizing zucchini 'glue'. perfect texture meets exquisite flavor.

kumquats & pumpkin seed oil this pre-dessert looks exactly as it tastes...tart, sweet, and the ultimate palate cleanser. at the end of the savory portion and before the sweet, nothing could have freshened the tastebuds better than this dish.

it's difficult to only single out these 4 dishes in 28 amazing plates, but to describe them all would result in my having to replace my computer as i'm sure the drool over my computer would have fried the motherboard.

if you ever get the chance to make a month-in-advance reservation for one of the 12 seats a night, you MUST experience this. expensive...of course. but for a foodie, nothing could have been more orgasmic.

Dethroned

after months of talk and buildup, we finally had our curry cook off this past week. 4 cooks, many friends, tons of curry, one friendly competition. it was quite a gastronomical feast.

sadly, i didn't take any pictures of the evening, that probably would've helped conjure the images desired of delicious curries. for our competitors, we had two south asians (gowri and nafis) throwing together their native indian and bangladeshi curries, and two east asians (carolyn and myself) throwing down on some thai curries.

as for my curry...i created an amalgamation of two recipies. after a trial attempt last week, i was fearful that my dish would not have that oomph to make it in this battle. but after a week's worth of thought, i did come through with the perfect balance of spice and sour. after making the curry soup itself, i only had one more ingredient for completion...the shrimp (the essence and also the downfall to my dish).

unfortunately, i made the very dumb amateur mistake of cooking my shrimp too early...leaving it chewy and overcooked when the competition actually began. so with that gigantic and completely avoidable mistake in hand, i sadly did not win this inaugural food competition (more disappointing is that my dish was thought to be in tight competition had it not been for the shrimp). that title, curry champion, went to my good friend nafis...who's one goal was to dethrone me as top chef. and though he probably wouldn't challenge me to anything else, i do tip my hat at him for taking me down this instance.

Traditions

so i had a reflective, pensive, and fairly depressing post written while i was sitting in the sardine can of a plane on my way over to shanghai, but i've decided not to post that one. instead, after having settled my tired legs, rested the mind a bit, and consumed copious amounts of delicious foods, my mentality has shifted slightly.

yes...i'm still a little bummed that this year, unlike the recent years, i am not visiting shanghai while leaving a part of me at home. though not carrying that guilt is freeing, there is still a void to be filled.

but enough of the weepies...its a new experience to share this trip with my family and friends that i have made over the years, and an old friend that seems to tag along with me wherever i go (i'm looking at you kevin!). since this trip is still in its nascent phase, there have not been many pictures to post or stories to tell, though i'm sure those will be forthcoming. so in the mean time, i hope everyone had a great christmas wherever they were and that their holidays are spent merrily amongst family and friends.

Thanksgiving 2008

keeping with tradition, kevin and i hosted our pre-thanksgiving holiday feast. typically, this meal is a chance for friends to gather and enjoy each others company in a nice holiday setting before everyone scattered to their respective homes.

maybe its my slowing metabolism, my chronic laziness, the lack of gym time in my schedule, or the growing amounts of liquor i have been consuming...but i have recently added a little extra plushiness to my waistline. normally, i'd be disgusted at my gluttony, but its thanksgiving, my favorite holiday of the year (and yes, only because of the food).

so to indulge ourselves, we had a nice gathering with a LOT of food...turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, ribeye with gorganzola cream sauce, pork chops and apples with bourbon glaze, tossed salad with homemade pomegranate citrus dressing, mac n cheese, african chicken and rice stew, candied yams, stuffing, green bean casserole, cranberry sauce, and lots of cornbread with honey butter...and desserts of pumpkin cheesecake, layer chocolate pistachio cake, and pecan tarts.

if that hasn't got your mouth salivating yet...you can just look at these.

delicious...

Yes We Did

we stood in the face of history this election, and with the support of over 63 million Americans, we took one giant leap forward. this greatness of this election was not how barack obama was going to solve the problems of the economy, of health care, of energy, or the wars...but it was about the resurrection of the American spirit that has been drowned out by years of disappointment, corruption, and failures. but now, there is new hope, new energy, new passion flowing downward from the white house and into the fingertips of all Americans...we have found the change that we seek.

for me, it was simple to understand the moment and impact of this election and what it will mean for me and the rest of the world, but for those who were unsure, here's a great reason why we voted for this man.

watching the results with my fellow hopefuls across an array of televisions, it was an unbelievable feeling to see state after state turn blue, to see that check mark next to barack's name. and after pennsylvania and new hampshire got called, we were on the cusp of making history, only needed one of the many previously red states to turn blue...and with one quick flicker on the television screen, a riotous cheer, high fives and hugs to friends and strangers alike, we saw ohio turn blue and the race was over. and the rest was history...a phrase never more befitting the moment.

i was truly in shock as we returned to my place to watch the final push, the west coast numbers...where my homestate of california put him over the top and cnn, msnbc, and even foxnews had to call it...Barack Obama declared the next president of the United States.

i will never forget this moment in my life, where i was, who i was with...as i'm sure neither will any of you.

november 4th, 2008

Life 3.5

there have been many things that have been traversing through my unusually occupied mind these days. having recently grown into another year of existence and received an offer to enter the working world, i have realized that i have advanced into another phase of my life...phase 3.5

phase 1 was obviously childhood and the teenage years...progressing through the k-12 years, ignorantly believing my high school sweetheart and i were destined to be together, when figuring out an excuse to stay out later than 11 was the task of trickery and genius. phase 2 would be the college years, when freedom and independence were first experienced and a forage into adulthood was at my fingertips. phase 3 would be my post-collegiate/grad-school year(s)...i throw in the obligatory (s) only because i'm including my brief stint in china which i give full credit into landing me where i am today. had it not been for the escape of my san diego bubble, who knows what meaningless position i would be in now.

so here we are...at phase 3.5 = still in school, working, but not yet paying ALL the bills and hoping i can avoid that as long as possible. i mention this, as i have ostensibly used many more words than necessary to get to this point, because i started this blog with the intention of posting some details of my birthday and hopefully trick you into checking out some photos. but i guess looking back, i must have lost your attention somewhere between teenage angst and arbitrary description of phases...so now, without the glitz of pictures or funny anecdotes to keep your attention, i'll just sign off as is.

with a quick thanks to all those who wished me a happy birthday and for those who were lucky enough to celebrate it with me at nafis's and marvins

Good Ol' Days

back in the last year of my high school career, my good friend lance and i were paired together in a senior-easy A-joke tv productions course. keeping in line with the tradition of several other friends who had taken the course in previous years, we decided to extend the Secret Agent Man series. here is what ensued...

excuse the quality, back in those times, we rendered the videos onto VHS (yeah, right?)...and also excuse the humor, we were in high school.




and here is another "dream sequence" video...same disclaimers apply.

Georgia Brown's

continuing down the line of reservations i have made for restaurant week puts us at Georgia Brown's for some good ol' homestyle southern food. and on a frigid monday evening, some hearty country cuisine sounded perfect to keep inner body temperatures high.

double dating with ting and matt allowed the four of us (nam stayed the extra day to eat dinner) to indulge in multiple dishes...though somehow matt and nam ended up with the exact same orders. turning attention to my own decisions...

fried green tomatoes stuffed with cheeses sitting on top of a lemon-cayenne mayo...and it definitely tasted as good as it sounded. though it wasn't what i imagined it to be...hearing the word 'stuffed' conjures images of something plump and oversaturated (like the shrimp crépe mentioned before), but this was more of a slice of green tomato layered in cheese and deep-fried. but if you're like me, cheese and deep-fried is really all that matter.

my entrée choice was a toss-up until the moment of truth. droplets of sweat...okay, more likely drool...were splattering the table top as our kind waiter swung his gaze toward me. but finally, i chose the low country shrimp and grits w/ andouille sausages over a heap of veal fetticini. and though the veal was a specialty item, i couldn't have been happier upon seeing my dish placed in front of me. the shrimp was perfectly cooked and sat atop well-flavored grits, all absorbing the flavors of shrimp and andouille jus.

for dessert, a red velvet mini bundt...still nothing topping the decadent flavors and appeal of extraordinary desserts...this cupcake-isque cake did satisfy my sweet tooth after the two hearty dishes before it.

the large portions and quick service, if not just the unlimited cornbread and biscuts...would definitely draw me back to Georgia Brown's. with our country food craving quenched, the four of us begrudgingly rolled out of our seats and back into the blistering cold of the DC night...but at least with stomachs full of southern soul.

Cafe Bonaparte

with nam visiting for the weekend, it was fitting to enjoy restaurant week together, and that is what we did. with dc being one of those old historical cities with its cobblestone roads and its old brick row houses in quaint little areas like georgetown, it is fitting that there are small, home-y, old european-isque cafes sprinkled among the commercialized h&m's and banana republics.

and such a cafe can be found in Café Bonaparte. however, even with it's dimly lit, hole-in-the-wall, french inspired decor...it still exudes a sense of mainstream. probably because it is now filled by the clichéd artist or the snobby east coast prestige of georgetown undergrads...or just mainstream because food-loving folk like myself invade its private underground mystique. with all that said, this joint is definitely in need of reservations, or else be prepared to be outside for quite some time.

but we shall let the food speak for itself. my apologizes for not thinking about snapping a few pictures, but i hope you readers will take my word for it. having planned on a restaurant week style lunch/dinner...we went at 3pm so it was a little in between...but their dinner menu (which is extremely appetizing) wasn't available until after 5pm. taking a gander at their lunch set for restaurant week, we decided it might be more enjoyable to just order á la carte.

our opening french onion soup wasn't particularly spectacular, though moderately priced. nam's steak sandwich, however, probably isn't the best dish to order in a french crêperie, but we didn't want to overwhelm our senses with crêpes sense i was ordering a shrimp filled stuffed crêpe with a saffron cream sauce that was too decadent to pass up. but if there was a problem with the dish, the too much shrimp did factor into the over-saturation of seafood into an otherwise delicious meal.

sadly, service was not up to par. filled with perhaps room for only 60 or so patrons, there were only 2 overworked servers and being restaurant week, were probably a little overwhelmed. the wait for our waiter to stop by and inquire about desserts made the desserts themselves sound unappetizing and we left without enjoy the sweet side to balance the savory.

so a recommendation to you fellow dc-restaurateurs, Café Bonaparte is definitely worth a try. perhaps on a weekday where the attention of being "cool" doesn't attract such a crowd and you and a delightful french cuisine are the only two members of the party.

Quite the Week - Part 2

so to conclude the recap...

post obamatization, nam graciously organized a small little get-together for my 23rd birthday. ethiopian food...interesting, definitely tasty, but interesting.

seeing how it was only a 23rd birthday...and things can only go downhill from here...i kept it low-key and just had dinner and a few drinks afterwards. seeing how most of us had to wake up early for school or work the next day, i've come to the realization that i have officially become 'old'.

since the actual date of my birthday fell on a wednesday, nam and i had planned a trip to NEW YORK to make up for it. being as how neither of have ever been there, it was new experiences for the both of us. and being our first time...instead of packing normal clothes, we opted for the high white socks, fanny pack, and video camera in hand. and of course, we did all the touristy things...
finally escaping the confines of a 5 hour bus ride that left us cramped and groggy, it was a nice escape to be able to walk the paths of central park and sit with a view of the upper east side (you can see the apartment where carrie got stoned with the comic-book kid while eating kfc)

luckily our quaint little hotel room was fairly close to the the park and conveniently located near a subway stop...making it much more difficult to justify a new york cab ride...even though we could have found ourselves on cash cab, or unknowingly divulging all our secrets on another taxi cab confession.

instead, we continued on our journey through manhattan...scaling the empire state building for a view of the new york evening skyline...and finding ourselves taking pause in the congestion and clutter of times square. i know that isn't me in the picture to the right...but i just thought nam looked really cute in it...and seeing as how i'm not a complete narcissistic ass, i'm fully capable of posting pictures of non-me. besides, the concept of everyone else being out-of-focus only symbolizes the transient nature of the city...allowing only brief moments like this one for some reflection and momentary peace. yeah...load of crap, but whatever, she looks good.

but who can go to new york and not catch on the staples of the city...experiencing a broadway musical. and that is where watching a pale pre-pubescent dude show his ass and a nubile teenage girl flash a nipple are allowed. but hey...thats what you get when you put a group of young, sexually repressed teenagers on a stage and have them sing and dance their way through puberty.

and who leaves new york city without remembering both 9/11 and visiting lady liberty.

found in the extended version of this post...you will also find director's commentary on our trips to moma and the guggenheim. as well as possibly one of the best pre-theater dinners i've ever eaten in my life.

but as we shuffled our way back onto the tin-can of a greyhound bus, i made my judgments of new york...great place to visit, but i wouldn't want to live there. but i will be back...if not just for the food.

Beloved Sea Bugs

with chang making his return pit stop from spain, i felt it customary to at least show him some maryland delicacies...yes, the Chesapeake Bay crab.

with last minutes reservation, we were able to secure ourselves a dozen x-large crabs. and here is what ensued...
this is what a dozen crabs covered in Old Bay seasoning looks like

ting's indulgence

a best friend's feast

12 crabs...a pitcher of beer...a few scoops of ice cream...and large drinks from mcdonalds later, we finally made it home a little bloated, a little tired, a little disgusted with ourselves...but plenty satisfied