Still makes me cringe to hear someone call me a “foodie” or watch myself on camera, but loved my experience too much not to share. You’ll see the staff at simplethings and know why everything there looks and tastes so good. And yes, I ate the entire sandwich (another great stop on the LA tour) and stand by the fact that the caramel was an excellent surprise.
This week we met Christine Choi, LACMA’s communications manager, at simplethings, one of her favorite lunch spots near work.
Simplethings’ focus is on fresh-made sandwiches and pies, simple things indeed. But the basic offerings belie the fact that the people behind this restaurant and pie shop have been in the business for a long time. Carrie Cusack had been baking savory and sweet pies in Los Angeles prior to this venture, which opened late 2010.
Located in a bustling part of West Third Street, the restaurant also offers soups and salads. If you happen to be a lover of pie, or want a whole ton of it, they do custom orders.
I love this Christine! Takes me back to my neighborhood in one scene. And you look lovely as usual.
Source: socalfood
One photo before I get back to translation work. lavender brownies, made with love for Jen.
Red bean porridge — perfect way to start Sunday mornings in Seoul
Bawk.
Chicken. I’ve had more than my share these past couple weeks, and I think it’s safe to say that my Chicken Phase is over. During my Chicken Phase, I craved chicken like nobody’s business. As in for every meal. One day, I had chicken for two meals, and they were both dinner (but with different people and different restaurants, of course). When going out to eat with friends, I would coyly suggest trying out a new chicken place (as if I hadn’t just had it! hah!). When my cousins came over, guess what I told them we should eat? The apex of my Chicken Phase came one night when I was alone for dinner and looked at my dismally stocked fridge. I had a bright idea - why not order chicken!
Chicken and chips at The Frypan.
My favorite chicken place in Korea — Goobnae Chicken.
As I sat and tore through a box of delivery chicken at home that night, eating the way girls do when boys aren’t around, I kind of just looked at the growing mound of bones and realized that I wasn’t going to be craving chicken for a long, long time. It was a peaceful realization. I mean, I didn’t feel at all sickened or disgusted with the amount of chicken I had consumed, but I could just sense that my craving had been filled and was now maybe on the brink of overflowing.
Except the next morning I had the leftovers as breakfast. But really, Chicken Phase is over.
Which is good, since Seoul is so much fun for eating.
Tofu!
I really adore being able to buy freshly made tofu at my local markets. They are delivered every day from local tofu factories and are not packaged, so you just grab a plastic bag and slip in one of these blocks the way you would a zucchini.
I have heard that some people don’t like tofu, but who are these crazy folks?
very simply fried
Food!
Today I ate more than I had any right to, but I don’t have photos of my beautiful meals. Instead, I have these meal-for-one snapshots taken over the past few days.
Homemade zucchini walnut bread with coffee
I LOVE the green onion kimchi on the left. I’ve been eating it with almost every meal I have at home. The zucchini was leftover from the zucchini bread, and I added barley + flax powder to my regular white rice. Miam!
A reincarnation of the same meal, with a tofu-spinach-mushroom stir-fry.
This is the bomb. and I cringe slightly as I write that.
It snowed today! And yesterday!
I spent the weekend peacefully, with family members, (relatively) old friends, and new friends. Those weekends are usually the best, right?
I ate a ton. Probably enough for two people. It’s been a good week for me and food. We’ve been more intimate than ever, except for maybe in France. Also, I have a huge bin of kimchi fermenting on my counter. And one in my fridge. Maybe a kimchi party is in order. It could be the Invite of the Year — my aunties’ kimchi is that good.
I went to the traditional 김장 this year at my fave auntie’s home yesterday, and I got there just in time to see six Korean women all flurrying about in pink rubber gloves and with kimchi seasoning up to their elbows. It was a sight, and I felt happy to be a small part of it, the small part being swiping a kimchi leaf with my thumb and pointer finger every once in a while (to make sure it tasted good, of course). Afterwards we all enjoyed plates of fresh kimchi with pork (보쌈) and good liquor.
It was kind of perfect.
After not being home much the last couple weeks, it felt so good to have my thoughts to myself tonight. I read, wrote, watched Glee, ate ice cream, and was generally productive in a lazy way. I even cooked myself dinner even though last night I gorged (GORGED) on turkey, ham, yams, mashed potatoes, the works, and this afternoon I polished off a big plate of spaghetti bolognese and ciabatta bread at Hyundai Dep’t Store. Strangely, my stomach felt so happy and so awful at the same time. Until I had the nerve to make this kimchi jiggae, then it shifted a little more to the Awful side. Anyway, I still have a lot of kimchi left, and the stink has gotten to the point where I try my hardest not to open the refrigerator unless it’s absolutely necessary.
This humble feast was the first I made for myself in this apartment.
bean paste soup, rolled eggs, and the most delicious spicy pork.
ok, that spicy pork was pre-marinaded by one of my aunties.
