How Unlucky Can One Get?

Yesterday was the unluckiest day in my life!

I had a PTO yesterday (Friday, 3/28/25).  The sun came out and it looked like a pretty good day to relax.

Nope!  I logged into work to do some month-end stuff and ended up working the entire morning.  I was cool about it because work is work, and I still had half a day to myself.

Well, things went downhill in the afternoon.

I went grocery shopping and planned to be home early to make a nice dinner. I dropped my phone while scanning a discount code.  It dropped and landed on the bottom of the refrigerator that was full of lunch meat.  No problem, I will just pick it up.  But guess what?  My phone disappeared!!  Somehow, it just vanished right before my eyes!

I couldn't believe it. I removed all the lunch meat from where I dropped the phone to look for it.  IT WASN'T THERE!  Where can it be?  Could it fall through the grills and end up at the bottom of the refrigerator? I asked the Store Manager to help. She said there is no way to take apart the unit but she tried to pry it open to see inside.  Nope, the phone wasn't in there.  She then called my phone. It didn't ring! Oh My God!  That was the craziest thing ever.  How could the phone just disappear right in front of my eyes?

I ran home to use the "Find My Phone" to see if I could locate it.  The phone was offline.  So that meant someone had it and turned it off. How?  When?  Could it have been picked up while I was looking for the Store Manager?

I, of course, set the phone to LOST immediately and went to get a new phone (and the thought of $$$ flying away hurt).

Then guess what?  On my way to the Apple store, a car scraped my back fender while I waited at the light.   I got off the car and was pissed,  WHY NOW?

The guy first tried to deny scraping my car, then said he would pull over to exchange info.  We were in heavy traffic at the lights, and I didn't want to inconvenience others.  So I followed him.  When the light turned green, guess what?  He took off!!

I was so mad that I actually laughed out loud.  What a day!  What next?  Yes, I would have taken a photo of his car and license plate before moving my car. But, I DIDN'T HAVE A PHONE!!

Anyway, as sucky as it was, I went to the Apple store with a smile on my face.  The Apple guy was helpful and got me a new phone quickly.  However, he could not activate my phone because I have AT&T!!  He said, sorry, AT&T needs to active my phone number on the new phone,  He said there was an AT&T store two blocks down.  Two LONG blocks, I may add.  When I got there, guess what?  The AT&T store is closed permanently!  They moved!

Ugh!  What next? I took a deep breath and drove to another AT&T store. I told the AT&T guy that I had a very bad day and I needed him to make my day better.  He was empathetic and activated my phone without trying to sell me add-ons. Thank you!!

I finally got home around 6pm.  I looked at my new phone ane still could not grasp the day's events.

It was such a bad day for me, but you know what?  I look at the bright side:

1.    My iPhone is still offline. It will be a paperweight if anyone turns it on. The phone is useless to anyone other than me.

2.    The scrape on my fender was not that bad.  I probably would not file a claim anyway.  The guy who ran away will get his karma someday.  I wish him luck.

3.    I was able to restore my data on the new phone and had my life back on track.

4.    I had a bottle of wine in the fridge, and I toasted myself for making it through this day.

Yes, I had a miserable day yesterday, but bad luck will not bring me down.  I am still kicking today.

The Day When the Sky Turns Orange

September 9, 2020 is an unforgettable day in the history book of year 2020.

People in the SF Bay Area woke up to a dark morning.  No sun. No light,  No usual bird chirping.

I thought I woke up too early. It could not be so dark at 6:30am in the morning!! I went back to sleep.  Woke up at 7:45am and the sky was still dark.

I went outside to check things out.  Our street was eerily silent.  Everything stayed still.  My street cats were waiting for me outside.  Their biological clock told them it was breakfast time but I was sure they thought it was supper time.  They ran away after finishing their meal.  I think they went back to sleep.

The smoke and ash from all the wildfires in Northern California drifted above the clouds instead of hanging below.   It is so immense that it is actually blocking out sunlight and turning the sky a shade of ominous orange.

My photo was taking at 10:49am this morning but it could have been mistaken for 10:49pm.   It is about 12:30pm now and it is still unbelievably dark outside.

I cannot image what is like to be close to the fires,  My heart is with all those who are stuck in the fire zones.  I hope you are safe.

Folks are posting incredible shots of this strange orange day.  As scary as it is, it is an incredible once in a life time phenomena that we are experiencing today.

As we go about our daily routine in darkness, we should also think how we can help to protect our environment.  Wildfire may be a natural occurrence but the cause often is manmade.  Today is a preview of what the end of the world would look like.  If we do not do our part and effect change, this day can become permanent.   What will happen if we wake up to a dark morning everyday?  No sun.  No heat.  No life.

It is Fall! Summer is Here!

"The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco."

Every time I see or hear this phrase, I see gray sky, chilly wind, cold damp air, buildings and hilltops and bridges hiding in thick fog.

Who made that famous quote anyway?  Nope.  Not Mark Twain.  As a matter of fact, this quote wasn’t even directed at San Francisco originally.

According to Quote Investigator, James Quin, an actor in London, made this remark when he was asked whether he ever had a bad winter in the 1700s.  Mark Twain used the Quin quote in an 1880 letter while complaining about the weather in Paris.*

 

The modern phrasing of this saying was initially directed at Duluth, MN in the early 1900s.  Over a span of 100+ years, many cities were attached to this quote. This includes Milwaukee, Two Harbors, Grand Marais, Puget Sound, Buffalo, Minneapolis and, of course, SAN FRANCISCO!*

So what does this all mean?  It means that we get to enjoy two summers in a year.  One cold.  One hot.  And that is beautiful.

Happy Fall Equinox!

* Source from: https://quoteinvestigator.com/2011/11/30/coldest-winter/

Good Bye 2018

My take on 2018: Life is like homemade yogurt:

1. Keep things simple (just need milk and active culture). 

2. Slow down and appreciate (it takes 10 hours to incubate).

3. Have fun (add whatever toppings you like).

4. Enjoy the moment (yummy and healthy).

5. Do not give up (if you fail making it, try again).

6. Be kind and generous (don’t eat all by yourself).

Thank you 2018!

Street Cat TNR - A Year Later

Below is a repost of what I put on the Nextdoor community last week (08/12/18).  My post brought out folks who have been doing TNR in the community to talk about their experiences.  So touched to learn that there are many folks who care about animals and the environment.  My post also generated discussions around TNR, and my successful attempt encouraged some to look into doing the same in their neighborhoods.  I am happy to know that I have made a difference.

BE PART OF SOLUTION NOT PROBLEM!

Dear Neighbors, I started trapping feral cats on my street last September (first trapping 9/10/17) and to date, with help from a cat rescuer, we have trapped 27 cats on my half of the street alone. We trapped the last kitties, #26 & #27, this morning. For the time being, all the cats around here are sterilized and vaccinated. My neighbors and I noticed a significant difference. We have FEWER cats (the number went down from 24 to 12 or so). The ones around keep to themselves. Less meowing, fighting, spraying and roaming. Both humans and cats are happier now. I encourage you, who want to do something about the feral cats in your neighborhood, to look into TNR. There are many wonderful organizations that will help you. I have learned so much about cats and rescues from them, and gained much respect for all animal rescuers out there. You must have a big heart and passion to do what you do day in and day out. ❤️ ONE unsterilized female cat and her offsprings can produce 225 cats in two years*. I’m happy that this cycle is broken on my street. I will continue to monitor and trap new cats that try to move in, but they will most likely be chased alway by the resident cats. A big THANK YOU to my neighbors who have been supportive of my effort in this past 11 months. It is truly a community effort. * Some more statistics on feral cat reproduction rate: http://www.solanoferals.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=60&Itemid=65

An Accidental Cat Whisperer

I don't consider myself as a cat person.  I have never owned a cat and don't know much about cats.  Yet, I have become a guardian for the community cats in my neighborhood.

I took action because the growing street cat colony in my neighborhood is concerning. Although the cats help control the rodent population, they should not become a nuisance to the neighborhood. Overpopulation of cats creates an unsanitary and unhealthy environment as well.

Neighbors complained but no one took action. So, I started looking into how I can be part of the solution. Through research, I found that the most effective way to combat feral cat overpopulation is by performing TNR (trap-neuter-return). But how do I go about it? How do I trap a cat? Where do I bring them for neutering? What do I do with the cats afterward?

Working with Homeless Cats Network, a non-profit cat rescuing organization, I learned to trap and care for the cats. A wonderful cat rescuer showed up on Day 1 with 5 traps. We trapped 8 the first weekend. The next week 7, then 5 then 3, etc... in all in the past 6 months, we have trapped and neutered 23 cats.

In addition to being neutered, these lucky cats also received shots, checkup and were micro-chipped. The cat lady brought them back to the neighborhood and. They officially became managed cats.

It is such an rewarding experience. I am still feeding and trapping the cats because I have to make sure the cycle is broken. It will be a ongoing thing.

For now, these feral cats and the neighbors are coexisting peacefully. I don't think I can ask for anything more.

Northern Lights, Fairbanks, Alaska

Northern lights (aurora borealis) is a natural light display in the Earth's sky, predominantly seen in the high latitude regions (around the Arctic).

According to Wikipedia, "auroras are produced when the magnetosphere is sufficiently disturbed by the solar wind that the trajectories of charged particles in both solar wind and magnetospheric plasma, mainly in the form of electrons and protons, precipitate them into the upper atmosphere (thermosphere/exosphere) due to Earth's magnetic field, where their energy is lost."

In plain English: the light that's visible to our eyes is a result of electrically charged particles colliding in the atmosphere.

For this reason, there is no guarantee that you will get to see auroras. And even if you see it, there is no guarantee that it will always be as dramatic and brilliant as seen on postcards.

On the night that we went on the tour (12/28/17), it was forecasted to be a level 2, which meant low activity. Nevertheless, the sight of beautiful emerald lights appearing in the night sky, was breathtaking no matter how faint.

I'm so happy that I was able to capture it with my camera.

How about those colors?  Green is the most common color of auroras. When particles collide with oxygen, yellow and green are produced. Interactions with nitrogen produce red, violet, and occasionally blue colors.

Was it worth staying out in minus 17 degrees Farenheit to view the auroras?  You bet!  And I would definitely do it again.

Thank you Mother Nature!

On the Road Again

  

(The view from my office window)

After eight and a half years with my current employer, I've decided to move on.  My last day with Paul Capital will be tomorrow, April 30, 2015.

It has been a fun ride with PCA.  I started at the time of its boom.  I had a chance to learn about hiring in this mega $$$$$ earning field.  The compensation package design was an eye-opening experience for me.  But hey, I got used to it.  After all, we are in the investment services business where transactions are valued in hundreds of millions and/or billions of dollars.  I got a chance to dive into international HR.  That was such a valuable experience and the best knowledge I picked up from this gig.  I trained myself not to impose US labor standards onto other country's labor practices.  Some country's labor laws are actually more stringent than the US.  I had a kick learning to appreciate Brazil's pro-labor compensation to employees (yes, love those vacation allowances) and HK's 20 some-odd public holidays per year.  UK is stingy but sure loves their regulated paid leaves.  And if you work in France, considered yourself one of the luckiest workers in the world!

After eight and a half years, I got restless and felt plateaued out.  Although I'm over the hill (age wise), I still feel like an Energizer Bunny.  There is still so much to learn and absorb.  I wanted a change.  JOB GOD must have heard me and dropped an opportunity on my lap -- literally.  A recruiter, whom I met last year, called me out of the blue regarding a Director level HR opportunity.  I met with seven folks and they offered me the position within two weeks.  It happened quite suddenly.  I had to make a decision very quickly whether I was really ready to leave this comfy zone and venture into the land of unknowns in the name of promotion.  Decisions.  Decisions.  Decisions.  At the end, I decided that going out there is the right direction for me.

What's ahead of me?  Who knows!  That's the challenging part that keeps me going.  What's at the next turn?  What's up ahead?  We will find out when I'm on the road again.

Wish my luck peeps!

Pho-Pho-Pho!

Pho is judged by its broth.

Have you had cloudy broth?  That happens when you don't tend your broth.  Baby the broth and skim the top constantly to keep the broth clear.  Yes, it takes time but you will be rewarded with a beautiful pot of broth.

Have you tasted "meaty" broth?  Want good soup?  You need to boil the bones first to get rid of that meaty flavor.

So I think I know the mechanics of broth making.  But, how the heck do you get those exotic flavors infused in the broth?  Inquiring mind wants to know!!

Not satisfied with eating out, I decided to challenge myself with pho making.  After couple of tries, I slowly grasped the flavor and the taste.

First of all, you need the right ingredients.  Pho broth is infused with all kind of spices.  Variation in portions of the spices results in different combination of flavors.  I think that's why some pho taste better than others.

Secondly, the secret is in BROILING the ginger and onions until they are dried and charred at the edges.  In my first try, I did not broil them long enough so the flavors were not released.  In my second try, I let it broil for a good 20 minutes until the spiciness of the ginger and the sweetness of the onions permeated from the oven.

Put all the ingredients in a pot of water and let it simmer.  OK... I shamelessly added in a can of beef broth - just in case - for added flavor.

Let the broth simmer for 3 hours.  It needs love and tender care.  Don't let it boil too quickly because you don't want the broth to become muddy and you want to be patient in picking up the impurities to keep the broth clear.  So, pick an afternoon when you are relaxed and have the time to baby the broth.

So far I made pho twice.  I learned from my mistakes and I actually improved quite a bit by the second time -  I used less water; I added more spices, and I let the ginger and broil longer.  I am by no mean making professional grade pho, but I think I have earned some bragging rights with my family and friends.  Tee-hee...

Surely you can use pre-mixed pho broth powder but where is the fun doing that?  Part of pho making is the uniqueness of your broth flavor.  Add a little bit of this and a little bit of that, and your pho will be different from others.

Go ahead, make pho your way.  Have fun.

***

Here's the pho recipe I found online:


Pho spices:
1 TBL coriander
6 cloves
1 cinnamon stick
1 cardamon pods
5 star anise
1 TBL fennel seeds


- Pre boil beef bones (leg, knuckle the best) and other meats. I added beef tripe and tendons.
- Broil 4 gingers and 2 onions for 10-15 min
- Prepare 6 quart water. Put all ingredients in and let it simmer for 3 hours. Put the spices in a simmering pouch so it's not all over the soup.
- Season with salt, pepper, sugar. I added some rice wine and threw in couple of bay leaves.
- I used the thinly sliced beef sold in Chinese supermarket.
- Prepare the fresh condiments and the rice stick noodles.

Spare (Me Some) Ribs

There are different types of ribs: spare ribs, baby back ribs, short ribs, prime ribs, etc...  And, there are many ways to cook ribs: roast, bake, grill, fry, steam, braise, or make soup. It's fascinating how many dishes can be created with just ribs.

I have three favorite rib recipes.  They all happen to be Chinese/Taiwanese dishes.  All three dishes require marinating the ribs beforehand and deep frying them first.  With different seasoning, you get different flavors.

Want woos and ahhs?  Try these:

台南的排骨酥 (Tainan Crispy Ribs in Soup) - This is a Taiwanese dish that my mom taught me to make.  It has a distinct flavor because the marinating sauce has a touch of five-spice powder.  You need to deep fry the ribs until very crispy then put the ribs with fresh daikon in a pot.  Cover with enough water and cook under medium-low heat until the daikon is soft and cooked through.  A bit of 當歸 is needed or the dish won't taste right.  It's a classic Taiwanese comfort food especially when you are cold and hungry.  A bowl of 排骨酥 will hit the spot.

京都排骨 (Mandarin Ribs) - Every kid I know likes this dish.  It's probably the catsup.  After you deep fry the ribs, you stir fry it with a sauce made of soy sauce, catsup and sugar.  Coat the ribs with this tangy sauce, serve with white rice and watch kids devour them.  Think of it as Chinese BBQ ribs.

無錫排骨 (Braised Shanghainese Ribs) - This is the newest recipe I've tried.  The ribs are cooked in a flavorful sauce until the sauce is all evaporated.  Like other dishes, the sauce contains ingredients that make it unique.  This sauce uses star anise and dried orange peel.  Yap, that's the secret.  It's a tasty dish.  I can't wait to try again.

Lastly, don't forget the good old BBQ Babyback Ribs.  So American, so satisfying and so good!

Under the Spell of Kitchen God

So last week I got a nice 4-day weekend thanks to the Independence Day falling on a Thursday.   Ahhh... a nice long weekend.  What do I do.... what do I do...

Well, I cooked up a storm like I was under a spell.  Did the Kitchen God point at me while I slept?

Thursday

I started with making the most coveted dish: 台南肉燥 (braised pork belly) in the morning.  Dicing pork belly was the hardest part but someone had to do it (me).  This dish took a whole day to make but it was well worth the effort at the end.  The aroma, the taste, the presentation, the satisfaction of achievement.  Hey, all hard work forgotten.

台南肉燥

Friday

I prepared the duck legs to make confit.  Got 6 duck legs from Golden Gate Meat Company on Wednesday.  I'm getting gutsy.  I started with 2, then 4 and now I'm doing dinner size of 6!  I rubbed those legs with herbs and spices and let them rest in the fridge.  I'll come back to them on Sunday.

I moved on to baking two loaves of milk bread and making two daikon cakes (because the recipes were enough to make two each).  While at it, I also braised a beef tenderloin (五香牛腱)for Robert.  Yap, all on my little stove/oven at the same time.  I gave myself points for multi-tasking.

The milk breads came out super wonderful.  I bow to the bread god who created this recipe!  The secret is a roux (mixture of flour and milk/water) that is to be made and chilled 24 hours in advance. It's then incorporated with the bread dough.  It somehow makes the bread soft and moist.  I haven't figured out why but heck, the formula has been proven and I'm not going to ask questions.  Just follow the recipe!

Making daikon cake is tricky and the outcome is a little bit unpredictable.  The size of the daikon will affect the ratio of water to rice flour mixture.  Too much liquid, it will be mushy; too little, it will be chewy.  I never know what I'm going to get.  I was lucky this time.

For Friday dinner, mom taught me how to make an easy Tainan sticky rice dish (米糕) using the braised pork belly as the topping.  Soak long grain sweet rice (not short grain) first then cook like regular rice.  Pile the pork belly sauce on top, sprinkle dried shredded fish for an authentic Tainan taste.  Check out the photo...  isn't the color just gorgeous?  I can improve the texture of the sweet rice though.  I think it came out too soft and sticky.  I probably soaked it for too long.  Note to self: soak just 30 minutes next time.

Saturday

I took a little break spending some quality time with my doggies.  I was tempted to make some doggy cookies but I got lazy.  Oh, I did make a banana bread for Carli in the morning.

Sunday

I was back cooking. I made Vietnamese pho broth!!!  Yes, I did!!  This was my second attempt.  Learning from past mistakes, I used more spices and less water this time.  The broth came out beautifully after 3 hours of simmering.  I prepared the traditional pho condiments: bean sprouts, chili pepper slices, fresh basil, cilantro and lemon (sorry I forgot it's supposed to be lime).  It did taste like the real thing.  Oh My Kitchen God, did I really make pho???

Back to the duck leg confit.  Confit is another one of those food that takes love and tender care.  I brought the chilled legs back to room temperature then deep fried them in 200 (F) degree extra virgin olive oil for 90 minutes.  This meant someone (me) had to stand by the stove checking the oil temperature and moving those legs around.  After frying, the legs were stored in the oil and back in the fridge.  They will be ready for consumption after 7 days.

Duck Confit

So, folks, what do think of my 4-day weekend?  All the food was devoured by Sunday night (except the duck confit).

The Kitchen God gave me a good challenge and I think I met it.  OK, I didn't make any new dishes but it was a good practice to make them perfect.  I would do again.

Bon appetit!

Happy 2013!!

So on January 1 2012, I set off to start my project 365.  One picture a day.  Now, how hard could that be?  Well, it was harder than anticipated.  I only had taken 208 photos for the project.  Oh, and 2012 was a leap year so there were actually 366 days.

So, I didn't do well.  I had excuses but ultimately it was my own doing.  It took determination, dedication and discipline.  I didn't own it.  Oh well, what happened happened.  I just have to make sure that I don't repeat myself going forward.

Nothing is easy even if it's the simplest task if you are not determined to keep it up.

Though an incomplete project, I've learned something.  Spotting beauty around us.  Beauty is everywhere.

No, I will not try this Project 365 thing again.  Once is enough but it was a learning experience.

Happy New Year Everyone.  Make everyday count!!

If You Can't Beat Them, Join Them.

I broke down and bought a kitchen scale today.  Yes, I accepted my defeat and gave up manual conversion from metric to the US measurement when it comes to cooking and baking.

All these years my little 5-cup-and-spoon measuring set serves me just fine.  As a matter of fact, I still have the yellow plastic measuring set that mom bought me for my home-economic in junior high back in the 70s.  I never would have thought measuring ingredients is such a complicated task until I start playing with recipes that call for metric measurement.

At first, I thought I can just use the conversion chart and save money not getting a scale, but I see things are not so easy.  The US system measures volume while the metric measures weight.  So, bad news: 1 cup of water does not equal to 1 cup of milk and not 1 cup of oil.  Worse: 1 cup of white flour does not equal to 1 cup of wheat flour and not 1 cup of sugar.  Worst yet: 1 egg is not always 1 egg.  See what I mean???

OK, I know that the US is the odd ball in the world of measurement.  While other countries have adopted the metric system, the US, Liberia and Burma have not (knowledge perused from Googling).  Recipes and chefs say the metric measurement is more precise than the US measurements but it's working fine until I have to use metric recipes!

How I wish that there is an automatic conversion app that would just show everything in cups/ounces and table/teaspoons depending on the ingredients at a click of button.  Of course life won't be so simple.  Even if I convert recipes with minimal effort, I will still have to deal with measurement such as 1.27 cup or 4.5768272 tsp.  Now, how the heck will I ever be able to measure that?

So I conceded.  I bought a kitchen scale and will get to know my grams and milliliters (or cc).  I just have to accept the fact that a 45g egg is not just any one egg.  I will have to weigh it and find this precised measured out egg all in the name of metric.

Mom's Pork Chops (台式排骨飯)

I made mom's pork chops over rice for dinner tonight and bragged about it on Facebook.  I got few ooos and ahhhhs and requests for the recipe.

Most of mom's dishes have no written recipes so it's great that I'm actually documenting as I cook through her memory.  So here goes... my mommy's pork chops.

Thin cut pork chops – can be bone in or boneless.

1 large onion

1 bunch of sour cabbage

3 -4 cloves of garlic sliced

red chili peppers
green onion, ginger and garlic for the marinade.

·      Pound the pork chops to break down the fiber

·      Marinate pork chops in soy sauce, sugar, green onion, ginger and garlic.  Leave overnight but no more than 48 hours (you don’t want the chops to become too salty)

·    Flour the pork chops and deep fry.  Set aside

·    Thinly slice onion

·      Wash and rinse sour cabbage.  May want to soak it for 15 minutes so it’s not too sour

·      Saute red chili peppers in hot oil, add onion

·      Cook onion until soft, add salt and pepper

·      Add enough water to cover onion, bring to a boil

·      Adjust taste with salt, pepper, sugar, soy sauce

·      Add the pork chops, turn down heat and let simmer

·      Saute garlic and sour cabbage

·      Add sugar, salt, pepper, and a little bit sesame oil.  Set aside

To serve, put pork chop on top of rice.  Ladle onion and sauce over.  Add sour cabbage on top.  Enjoy!

來碗台南肉燥

台南肉燥(braised pork belly meat sauce)  is synonymous with the City of Tainan.  It's like sourdough bread to SF or beignets to New Orleans.  It's a dish that make you homesick.

In Tainan, you can eat 肉燥 anytime and anywhere.  I remember the little eateries that sell nothing but 肉燥 noodles.  They are inexpensive and served in small portions.  Whenever people feel like, they would just stop, order, finish in two gulps and move on to their next place to be.  It's a staple, a street food and it's part of life in Tainan.

Not here in the US though.  You have to search high and low for a place that makes it.  You will drive far for a bowl of 台南肉燥米粉 or 肉燥麵.  But most of the time, you are disappointed because it just doesn't have the right taste.

台南肉燥 is special not because of the ingredients but of its authentic no-other-place-but-here flavor.  It's made of simple ingredients: pork belly, mushrooms, dried shallot, garlic, soy sauce, salt, sugar, white pepper, five-spice powder and a little bit of licorice powder.  The hard part is how you combine the stuff in the right proportions.

Mom's 肉燥 is legendary.  She has mastered this delicatessen (along with other Taiwanese foods) thanks to her growing up in Tainan and the cooking tips she picked up from Grandma.  Mom has not been able to make any of the special dishes that everyone longs for since her stroke.  Never fear though, enter Suts, who is determined to pick up where mom left off.

Mom is happy that I want to cook all the special Taiwanese foods and she is passing on all her cooking knowledge.  It's amazing that she remembers all the ingredients and the little details.

What do we need to do first in making 台南肉燥??  Slicing and Dicing.  The pork belly needs to be diced into 1-2cm cubes.  Can't grind it because you don't want to break up the meat tissue.  You can't use ground meat because it does not have the consistency of chopped meat, and it does not have the belly fat. You see, one of the attractive flavor of this sauce is the pork fat.  Each little dice should have some fat and lean meat.  So, a two-pound pork belly will take about 2 hours to dice.  Warning: YOU WILL NEED A SHARP KNIFE!!   cutting through the layers of the pork belly is not an easy task, especially when you get to the pork skin.  But, someone has to do it.

Next, you must have dried red shallots.  Not the deep fried ones, not the fresh ones.  Without this ingredient, you can't even make anything that has the word "braising" in Tainan cuisine.  Mom always has a stash on the bottom of the freeze but our stash is getting low because we have not had it replenished since her stroke. I've put an urgent request to cousins back in Taiwan to send some.  Can't imagine cooking without it.  Ugh!

Then, you need lots and lots of chopped garlic.  I used about a whole head of garlic for two pounds of pork.  Oh, can't forget the mushrooms.  Dried mushrooms have more flavors than the fresh ones so soak them and dice them too.  Ideally, the mushrooms and the meat dices should be equal in size.

Other ingredients include soy sauce, sugar, salt, five-spice powder and mom's secrete ingredient: licorice powder.  You need to have good powders, don't get cheap ones because they don't have the pungent flavors.  Mom got hers from Chinese medicinal shops.

We saute the mushroom first.  Flavor it with soy sauce and sugar.  Add the shallots and the garlic next.  Remember to turn down the heat because the shallots and garlic burn easily.  Next, add pork.  Stir fry and add soy sauce for color.  Next, add salt, sugar and the spice powders.  Add water then more soy sauce.  Adjust taste.  Bring to a boil then turn down heat and let it slow cook for 1-2 hours.  About an hour into braising, add hard boiled eggs.
In an hour's time, the kitchen and the entire house will smell wonderful and everyone's stomach will start making noises.  Ahhhhh.... so good!!!

One last important thing to add to the dish: more minced garlic on top of the noodle.  Yes, if you're from Tainan, you will know this is is a must.

There.  That's our awesome 台南肉燥.  My ultimate comfort food.  it's also part of my childhood and it connects me to my family back home.

Have a good eat, peeps!

A Taste of Le Cordon Bleu

Thanks to all these coupons deals, I got to experience something different something new for half the price - the best part.

Few weeks ago, I did the wine bottling thing.  Last weekend, I had my first-in-the-life-time cooking lesson learning from Le Cordon Bleu chefs.  How cool is that??  There were quite a few cooking classes to choose from for $99 per 2 people (that's the great deal).  I picked Cajun/Creole because it was one of my favorite food.

The cooking class was at the California Culinary Academy.  I really didn't know what to expect. Is it like in the cooking shows?

I've never seen so many chefs in white chef hats before.  And those kitchens are amazing.  All kinds of pots and pans.  Everything is huge!!
The participants broke off to 3 groups of 18.  Each group in its own professional kitchen.  We then further separated into 3 work stations of 6.  We each had our own cutting board and an apron.  Boy, it was serious!

Chef told us that we will be making 5 Cajun dishes.  5??? In 3 hours???  Are you sure??  He gave us cooking tips, told us where things were, how to cut and cook certain way then he turned us loose.

At first, everyone looked kind of loss.  Where to start?  What to do?  Each team quickly formed a plan.  2 of our teammates tackled the gumbo, 2 was in charge of jambalaya.  My pal, Francis, and I took on fried oysters, a Cajun flavor coleslaw and a brand new dish that I had never tried before: Maque Choux.

What's a Maque Choux? How does it taste?  What does it look like?  There wasn't even a picture since it was a dish the Chef added on the fly.  OK, Maque Choux it is.  I love a good challenge.  And fried oysters!!  Man, I was loving it.

It was controlled chaos in the kitchen.  All the ingredients for each dish were prepared in advance including sugar, salt, spices, oil, etc... so we didn't have to frantically look for them.  That saved a lot of time.  So what did I learn?  Check what you need and have everything prepared first!!

The Chef and his assistant chef worked with us calmly. They must have seen people running around like chicken without heads way too many times.  I loved the techniques they shared and I appreciated the tips. I learned so much in a short 3 hours!!  

Q: How do you know the fried oysters are ready?
A:  It's ready when the oil is not dancing around it anymore.

Technique: Toss the oysters in the breading mixture with just three fingers.  If you handle the oysters too much it will warm up the oysters and make the coating less crispy.

Wow! how do you like that?  I can even apply the same technique to other deep fried dishes!!

Knowledge: Oh, I did not know there are so many different kind of roux.  And, I didn't know Cajun roux and Creole roux were different.  Did you???

Knowledge: Celery, onion and green bell peppers are known as the holy trinity of Cajun/Creole cooking.  Can't cook without these three ingredients if you doing Cajun/Creole!!

Time's Up!  After two hours, Chef started counting down time.  Man!  It was like the Iron Chefs!  We all hurried, plated the food, cleaned up our stations and brought them to another big kitchen to join others from the other kitchens.  When we saw all the food on the tables, we could not believe that we actually made all those food.  

Yes, we did it!!  It was a great morning and I walked out with an MasterChef apron, a certificate of completion and the satisfaction that I have pushed myself to another level.  Nothing major but it was also not a everyday feat.

I'll give myself (and others) a round of applause!