budget

La Super Rica in Santa Barbara

November 24, 2013

It’s been a particularly hard week on all fronts. Work, life, and the start of winter have all bombarded me at the same time. I guess it’s just that time of year right before the holidays when everything comes together like a perfect storm. It’s never easy, but this year seems particular harder. I do admit, I tend to dwell on the negative when I’m feeling down. I’m no pessimistic, but I also don’t think I’m a beacon of optimism. I spent a good portion of the last few days in a gloomy cloud, until I finally gave in and let myself have a little meltdown. It wasn’t the prettiest of pictures, but I felt a lot better afterwards. None of my problems have washed away, but my attachment to them have…a little bit. Sometimes I forget that I’m still (fairly) young, and need to grow up more. When I reached my mid-twenties, I put a lot of pressure on myself to know and be everything I wanted to be. I’m still learning, which means I also have many more mistakes to make…I guess I’m just going through some growing pains.
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US Open 2009

September 3, 2009

I don’t follow many (actually any) sports with the exception of one, tennis. My sister introduced me to to the sport a couple of years ago and have been hooked ever since. If you live in New York or are a tennis fan you probably know that the US Open is held here in the city (yes, Queens is part of New York City) at this time every year. It started this past Monday and will continue on for two weeks.

So how is food related to the US Open? Well, like at any event or amusement park, food is overpriced and very expensive at the Open. When you’re hot and thirsty, $5 for a cold bottle of water is necessary but can also feel like money down the drain. I’ve made it a habit of spending no more than $10 to $15 at the Open and I thought I’d share with you what I do.

First of all, I always bring a couple bottles of water and drinks in my bag. I freeze them the night before so that they stay cold throughout the day. This year I decided to make my own beverages instead of buying power drinks. I made a thin smoothie by blending frozen berries with some water. I also made a minty, amateur lemonade by squeezing a couple of lemons, adding sugar and lots of mint. The berry juice was delicious but the lemonade wasn’t spectacular, however both were refreshing.

Half frozen

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Cold Black Bean Soup With Noodles

August 23, 2009

Korean summers are excruciatingly humid and hot. Temperatures will rise above the 90s and for a few weeks monsoon season hits so it rains cats and dogs. Fortunately, throughout my life I have only spent a handful of summers there. I love being there and it’s where I call home, but summer is just not its best season.

One great thing about summer in Korea though is the cold noodle soups. They’re cool, refreshing, and very flavorful. The most common and popular cold noodle soup is probably, naengmyun, 냉면. It is made with buckwheat noodles and a cold broth garnished with julienned cucumbers, asian pear slices, half a hard boiled egg, and pieces of steamed pork belly. It’s a bit complicated to make naengmyun from scratch, which is why they sell packages of naengmyun “kits” in Korean/Asian supermarkets. Everything is included, so all you have to do is boil the noodles and pick your garnishes.

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budget

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