Luscious

Is it me, or have chefs been thrusted into the "sex symbol" status as of late? Cooking can be very sensual and expressive, but I've known a fair share of chefs who are anything but. Try manic, rude, arrogant, spastic and weird. I guess whatever twists your noodle. Enjoyed New York restaurant critic Gael Greene's write-up on The Daily Beast about the secret sex lives of chefs.

OMG

Went through my phone and scrolled through my recent calls. You'd think I was dating someone who has a toll-free number. No, folks, that number belongs to Delta's customer "service" line. It has been 10-plus straight days of long, taxing phone calls to Delta. I wasn't born with a silver spoon, but I hardly think that air travel is this difficult, especially if it just involves pressing a button that says "save."

Sad Week

What sad news we had this week. It's still so hard to believe that Michael Jackson is dead.

Frontline/WORLD Iran: The Stem Cell Fatwa

My friend, Jonathan Schienberg's piece on stem cell research in Iran. Please also read sidebar story on Iran's juvenile executions.

On Second Thought...

Maybe I shouldn't have went to the gym so late tonight; now I'm having a hard time falling asleep. Knew I wanted to turn in early tonight, but my trip to the gym got delayed by phone calls. Not a bad thing actually, since something one of my friends said really got me thinking.

"It seems like every time you mention him, it's always something bad. It's never anything good."

Many second thoughts now...
I need to stop putting myself into situations where I end up sabotaging, hurting myself. Funny how we DO hold the power to make ourselves happy, miserable, sad, ecstatic. (I'm worth it...you are not.)

Thought of The Day

"...And go out
And just loose it all

I feel stressed out
I wanna let it go
Lets go way out spaced out
and loosing all control..."

Oh Ikea

To the European couple in front of me in line at Ikea tonight:

Thank you for not offering to let me go ahead of you even though I only had one item, and you had about 50 small, odd items. I know you two were very excited to find an "EE-key-ah" in Palo Alto (East Palo Alto to be exact -- that's right, it's in the 'toh), but I would have appreciated it if you had offered to let me ahead to so I could pay for my one futon cover. I especially liked it when you didn't know how to work the ATM machine and your gazillion items used up all the cash register tape.

Sincerely,
I'm over it...I just wanted to blog about it. :)

Just Stop

Finally realized why I check my Facebook less frequently now:

1. Status updates
2. Conversations on "Walls" and those little "comment" boxes.

Per #2: Really people? The fact that you have to broadcast your long-drawn convo's for everyone to see makes me think you're that person who talks really loud on your cell phone in public or just loudly in general. Why don't you email the person? Or better yet, pick up the phone.

I always thought the purpose of the Wall was a quick hello! Shout out!...and the purpose of "comment"...umm, yeah, it's is to comment on something. Comment on a photo, on one of those overly-annoying apps or quizzes, etc.

I don't think Facebook was intended for status updates. That's what platforms like blogs and Twitter are for. People know what they're going to get. I just get turned off when I log on to FB and immediately get inundated with "I combed my cat" and "I am bored" or "so and so is in (fill in the city)."

Decisions, Decisions...

I have several big ones to make, but am procrastinating. I need to make them because they are looming over me and distracting me from moving forward. Perhaps they're not as major as I make them out to be, but my highly-analytical brain is doing just that.

Let's Not Fight...

Let's not fight, I still love you New York City. How can I resist the fact that on every street corner in every borough, I can find the most fabulous slice of pizza here.

And let's not forgot that no bagel is a New York bagel unless it's from New York. The "bagels" I get here in California are round pieces of French bread with holes in the middle.

Finally, I can always rely on you to provide me after-hours nourishment. Whether in a restaurant or in front of a food cart, I can always find something warm to put inside my hungry stomach when it's after midnight. I don't have to resort to chain restaurants that serve 24-hour breakfast if I want to eat late. I love you New York.

I Love You, But...

Having put out there that I love NYC, I'll admit that it isn't the most amazing place in the world. I think it's impossible for one place to hold that omniscient title. One thing about NYC that drives me bonkers -- at times -- is how it's kinda behind on certain trends. First off, as a food-lover, I don't understand why NYC still doesn't have good Chinese or Mexican food. And before all you people get your panties in a bunch, you're talking to a CHINESE person who grew up in one of the most heavily populated Mexican populations outside of Mexico. NYC has great good from all over the world, but honestly, never had "take my breath away" Chinese of Mexican. The kind that makes me...well, for those who have been around me when I've eaten great food, you know my reaction.

Okay, secondly, I hate how New Yorkers think ramen, Chinese dumplings and Vietnamese sandwiches are the latest food trends. they're NOT. I know the NYT, Time Out and that other dreaded publication has written about these three dishes, prompting self-professed "foodies" (I hate that word, and I shudder as I typed that) and other people (I got nothing) flood the East Village, downtown, SoHo for these Asian staples. On my recent trip to NYC, my friend and I were discussing lunch, and she suggested to me the newest and latest food rave. "Banh Mi"... but she pronounced it "Baaaan-Mee." Okay, seriously...San Francisco ate ramen, banh mi and dumplings 10 years ago.

"Manhattanhenge" photo via jonbell on Flickr. Taken 5/31 on 42nd and 3rd.