linguine with white clam sauce

...or if we're being precise, that's thin wheat spaghetti in the picture. thin wheat spaghetti with white clam sauce doesn't quite have the same ring nor did it have the same taste or texture or joyousness.

it was all i could find in the pantry though.

i must try to be better prepared in the future.

i've gotten quite good at guessing which foods the geek will and will not like and i was quite certain this dish would fall on the dislike list. even the geek agreed with this prediction.

we were both surprised and amazed when he ended up eating an entire serving. i was shocked when he said he really liked it.

i'm still not sure how he came to eat a bowl of this in the first place. he must have been feeling adventurous - or really, really hungry. either way, it's now one of our go-to dinners.

appreciating art

unexpectedly.

::haymarket, lincoln, nebraska::

how can you tell your dog has been up to no good? #3

 you come home to find a dog that has either become a vampire or inadvertently left a tiny bit of kleenex evidence on her face.

second time's the charm oatmeal

the first time i tried this oatmeal it was meh. in all fairness, i did not do the recipe justice.

for one thing, i didn't realize we were out of real maple syrup. we only had sugar-free maple-ish syrup that the geek accidentally bought a while back.

it also didn't help that the only berries we had on hand were fresh strawberries. when baked, they kind of just dissolved into flavorless mush. (sorry strawberries, i really didn't set you up for success here).

the meh-ness was my bad. i should have planned better, so with a big bag of rolled oats still in the pantry, i vowed to give the recipe another shot.

the second time i made this oatmeal, i planned ahead. real maple syrup? check! berries that bake well? check!

and you know what? it was delicious!

the bigger surprise? the geek loved it.

he loved it so much that it is now on the short list of foods that he actually requests.

he loved it so much that he's looking forward to eating it tomorrow...even though the forecast says it will be in the 80s and we're sitting here with all the windows open and the fans blowing. (north carolina, i miss you and the air conditioning we had in our home there).

once the weather begins to cool, i bet he'll fall even deeper in love with this oatmeal.

my favorite sweet and savory snack (hearty bread + fig jam + beecher's cheese)

this is more of a recommendation than an actual recipe.

get a slice of hearty bread and toast it.

generously spread some fig jam on your toasty bread.

now top it with shaved beecher's flagship cheese and enjoy!

can't find beecher's in your local market? substitute goat cheese, blue cheese, white cheddar, or manchego.

on memorial day...

We cherish too, the Poppy red

That grows on fields where valor led,

It seems to signal to the skies

That blood of heroes never dies.

-moina micheal, 

who began the practice of wearing a read poppy to honor those who died serving our country

looking forward to the weekend

longingly.

shanghai, china

a few weeks ago, i visited shanghai for the first time. except for a three-week pre-grad school backpacking adventure, all my other trips to china have been exclusive to beijing.

over the years, i'd heard great things about shanghai from others- it's so modern! it's amazing! you'll love it! i could not wait to experience the city for myself.

after a 2 hour flight to los angeles and and 14 hour flight to shanghai, i arrived! gazing out the window during the 45 minute ride from pudong airport to my hotel, i was amazed to see a gigantic ikea. oh blue and yellow building, how i wish i had time to visit. nothing says souvenir like an assemble-it-yourself 'lack' end table.

on my few days off from work, i ventured out with some colleagues to enjoy the city. but as a resident said- 'if you want history, go to beijing.'

well said.

shanghai definitely lived up to its modern reputation.

exhibit a. the bund sightseeing tunnel.

we stepped into a transporter that looked like my toaster and experienced a completely random audio-visual extravaganza. as a dude's voice recited two word phrases like 'molten magma,' 'shining star,' and 'blue basalt,' the lights and props changed to reflect the words...at least to the extent that those random phrases could be visually expressed.

what a bizarro way to get across the river!

exhibit b. the shanghai world financial tower

questions my colleague was asked at the ticket counter...

1. are you older than 60? (umm...no.*yikes*)
2. is today your birthday? (no.)

so apparently if you're over 60 or go on your birthday, you get a discount. if not, you pay 150 RMB like we did (~$25).

after watching the model replica of the city go through a day-night cycle, and watching an 'informative' video about the building, we rode a super-duper fast elevator to the 94th floor. we walked around the observation floor, then took a short ride to the 100th floor to experience the views out the windows and through the clear floors.

exhibit c. the grand hyatt

the hotel lobby is on the 54th floor of the jin mao tower, so my ears popped every time the super-fast elevator took me there. in my room, the window coverings and room lights are controlled via the bedside control panels. snazzy but not ideal when you're jet-lagged. it took me 5 minutes and many button presses to realize that the bathroom light switch was actually on the wall.

out trip was not just full of modern wonders though. we did get to see some history and culture when we visited yu gardens.

 is it me, or do the dragon's teeth look new?

outside the walls of the garden, the shops were definitely less cultural. starbucks anyone?

we got a little more culture when we visited the silk museum (read: tourist trap). it was interesting to learn about the silk-making process.

i was very tempted to buy a silk quilt- they really do have a compelling sales pitch which ended with show us a very decompressed quilt to illustrate how simple and convenient it would be to pack in a suitcase. the duvets were also quite lovely.

this piece of silk art (and its $$$ price) left me speechless. wow. and it's two-sided, just so you know.

beyond those two places, it was really hard for me to remember that i was in china. it was not surprising to feel this way in the french concession...i mean, the name says it all.

on the bund, the buildings reflected diverse architecture.

on nanjing road, the stores were ones we have across the u.s.

granted, the haagen-dazs there was a lot classier than the ones we have here. they have waitstaff!

still, there were small reminders that i was far from home. like when i looked down and saw this...

 or when i looked up and saw this...

and most definitely when i saw this...

the food there was fantastic. i even made it to a din tai fung for their famous dim sum. the menu was more extensive than the one we have in bellevue.

and finally, some pictures that make me smile. 

the flower wall at the bund...

the phrasing on these coin purses...

i think he's a cream puff...

crazy roses...

a restaurant with 'toilet' in its name...

and the knowledge that there is a chip flavor that is called 'american classic.'