BLOG PUBLICATION

OMG MY FOOD BLOG GOT FEATURED!!!!

So a few days ago I decided to check the status of my blog, and was blown away by a sudden ONSLAUGHT of views. What had happened?? Apparently, this:



I can't believe it! My blog got hosted on a site!! It's been about one and a half years since it was born, and I can't believe how far it has come. Through the fails and successes, the stresses of medical school, the long lapses where I all but gave up on cooking...it's finally being published! Oh nomz...

It's been truly touching to have my blog written about, and I really want to thank my readers for the support they gave me. In case you ever read this, Kate Statton, you are the best! Thanks for finding my blog and posting about it; it shows that the hard work I've put into it has actually had some effect in the world wide web.

I've got a few new recipes to put up, but I'll post that in my next entry now...Oh, and in case anyone is interested, here is the link to my blog's moment of fame!

Taiwanese Beef Noodle Soup (Niu Rou Mien)

Yesterday was one of those very rare occasions where I had access to a car while living in the heart of Philadelphia. So long as you are not the one dealing with traffic and angry drivers, having a ride is WONDERFUL. You forget how cheap and diverse food is supposed to be when all you hatve within walking distance is really just SuperFresh and Whole Foods. Well, Reading Terminal Market is a nice option to have, but it still can't beat the chaotic heaven of an Asian market.

I have actually wanted to put this recipe up for a while, and I've made it a few times before. It's just not very often that I go through with it because I am generally not a big fan of meat, so unless I have someone to eat it, I find that this dish usually goes to waste.

If you ever meet a Taiwanese person, he/she will literally swear by this dish. I'm serious...they are extremely protective of their beef noodle soups!

The glass - half empty or half full?

Today I was pretty down. I was low on sleep, work was stressful, and I just felt like lying on my bed and being emo.  Sometimes, we just like to build our hopes and expectations so high because it feels so nice to hope and dream and pretend that the fairy tale ending is just around the corner. Which is dumb because it hurts all the more when you turn that corner and find that unforgiving brick wall instead.

But I had a long talk with my friend, and I came to realize something: at the end of the day, it all really does not matter. Because that's just life. You get loads and loads of crap, and out of every 100 of them you may just find that one little nugget of gold. Maybe. But that's ok...it's enough to fuel that stupid senseless hope you can get so high off of, enough to keep you going through the never-ending crap of life. And that little nugget of gold at the end is enough to compensate for all the crap you get the rest of the time.

And really, what else can we do? We're humans with human fallacies and faults and mistakes. So all we can really do is continue to grope blindly in the dark, tripping over our feet until we finally get it right. But really, how am I going to know what I really want in life if I don't try new experiences? It is our very mistakes that make us who we are. And from there, we learn what is right and what is wrong, and then we pick ourselves back up off the ground and move on with no regrets. If anything, we've gained, not lost, in wisdom and newfound confidence.

And honestly...I need to stop complaining about my luck. I've found a cheap home in the best location possible, when so many others haven't. I've gotten into a legit medical school when so many others have been rejected. I've found myself not one, but TWO awesome paid internships, one which I had the option of rejecting on a whim and the other which can lead indirectly to me finding a potential job next year with the specialty I am actually interested in - when so many others can't even find unpaid volunteering opportunities. Yet, somehow, I am still not happy. Somehow, I still have the audacity to complain about my luck.

So after all that (all of which took place at a bar over loud pulsating music, oddly enough), I decided to go home feeling much happier with myself. There's always some point when you realize that you are being ridiculous, and it is then you tell yourself that it's time to feel awesome instead.

Chocolate covered Fortune Cookies!

It's Father's Day again! Unfortunately, unlike last year, I won't be home to celebrate with my dad. It's kind of a shame because my dad is a sucker for things like that. My mom is more low-maintenance in this department (she's all practicality), but Dad has always been the softy.

Sooo...with the help of a friend, I came up with an ingenious idea for this year's Father's Day. I sent a care package - with a giant chocolate covered Fortune cookie!!! FYI, give fortune cookie makers some props because the damn thing is a lot harder to make than it looks. But after a few failed attempts, I got the hang of it and started having quite a bit of fun with the folding. It got to the point where even the friends on my floor couldn't finish them anymore, there was just too much chocolate and cookie everywhere. Oh by the way, expect a messy kitchen if you ever undertake this endeavor. Especially with the chocolate - melted chocolate is always bad news on a clean counter top.