Bitter Melon with Fish at B&M Restaurant "Oh no not fu gua (bitter melon), do I have to eat it?" That's what I groaned as a kid. My parents grew vegetables in the back yard and when it was bitter melon season, we saw it on the dinner table. This gourd contains quinine which gives it the bitter taste. Kids start eating just the meat cooked with the melon until they get used to the bitter taste. Then at some unknown future time and place, they realize they like it. B & M Mei Sing is a downtown restaurant on 2nd Street between Market and Mission - open only for lunch. Originally located across the street in a small storefront, it has since moved across the street into a larger 2 story space. They have devised a unique system of getting your food to you fast. They take two numbered chips and give one to you to place at the table. The other chip goes onto a countertop marked with squares. Each square represents a dish to be prepared. A person on the other side of the counter looks at the chip and calls out the menu item to the cooks. When the food is ready, there are runners taking the food and chip looking for you. When they are on a roll, your food can be ready by the time you pick up your silverware and tea and find a seat. B&M seems to be a favorite of office workers and postal carriers - a really good sign. The place is well maintained and fast. A not to be missed experience!
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VW Bug The old VW bugs linger on and people who love them somehow manage to keep them running. This person did more then just keep it running. It's as the saying goes, "cherried out". I had been thinking about the Japanese aesthetic term , "shibui", a term that has fascinated me for over 20 years. In the last few years, the term shibui and wabi sabi have been discussed a lot in the design community. Hard to explain, but something shibui has a quiet reserved quality that continues to reveal itself over time. It's something you won't tire of in a few months. The opposite quality of shibui in Japanese is, "hade" or something bright and attention grabbing, but may not hold your interest over time. Shibui is a quality I like to see in buildings because buildings unlike today's fashionable clothes, stay around a while. While the old VW bug was designed to be simple lines and unassuming and might be considered shibui, this Volkswagon with its glowing metallic lime green paint, bright chrome trim, and fancy wheel covers has definitely moved to the hade side. Daikon - Watercolor Magic6/9/2011 Chris paints with a fine eye and hand. There are pieces of her work all around in stacks and piles and its easy to take them for granted. Some of her finest are ones done a few years back when she did a series of water colors of Asian vegetables. To a bit of my dismay, some have gone away to grace someone else's home.
This one is of radishes that are eaten in China, Korea, and Japan and most commonly known by the Japanese name, "daikon". Daikon in Japanese means large root and that is exactly what it is. The muddy brown wash on the white body of the daikon shows its origin in the earth and the nutrient seeking tendrils at the end are fine details painted with finesse. The Dancing Phoenix Emerges5/26/2011 Cleaning out the garage is like being an archeologist. I come across bits and pieces of my history, but I don't know the details. I found this pin in a box and showed it my Mother. She said it was hers -- acquired in Hong Kong in the 1930's. It is a carving of a Phoenix. Long hidden in the dark, it is now in the light free to dance again. Legend tells us a phoenix only appears during times of peace, prosperity, and happiness. Surely its appearance is an auspicious sign! I gave it to my daughter Katie because her Chinese name is fung mo or dancing phoenix. At nineteen she has a striking resemblance to her grandmother at the same age and just like the pin, she is emerging into the light. Now it is a part of her history. Chinese Steamed eggs or water egg in Chinese is simple comfort food. There are two ingredients - eggs and water. Mixed together and steamed. I haven't mastered the technique. Mine come out a complete mess. Made correctly they have the smooth texture of custard or soft jello. The top is smooth and flawless. Most cooks always use the same bowl to steam the eggs as the shape of the bowl also affects the final result. Chris learned some techniques from my Mom and she now makes this dish occasionally. Spooned over hot rice, it is comfort food. This last time, she used a deeper bowl. The result was good, but as you can see the top was not flat and has interesting bumps accented by the soy sauce added afterwards. Next time, a more shallow bowl and a shorter cooking time may need to be the adjustment. Life is a process of trying and trying and hopefully moving in the right direction. Neon Enlightenment5/16/2011 San Francisco Chinatown is not what it seems. Its ersatz exotica is built over a layer of beaux arts style buildings from the post 1906 earthquake era. Look up above the tacked on pagoda eaves and you will see classic western detailing. The Buddha Lounge at 901 Grant Avenue has one of my favorite neon signs, its red neon beckoning for a drink and a transcendent experience on a dark lonely night. They say enlightenment can be found all around you even in a cup of tea. I first learned about Zen Buddhism from reading D. T. Suzuki, the author most credited with bringing zen philosophy and practice to the US. He might agree that indeed enlightenment could be found here in the neon sign -- or perhaps Dean Moriarty would be inside seeking enlightenment in a shot of whiskey. After all, City Lights Books is just a stones throw away. The Asian Art Museum San Francisco5/15/2011 Standing Buddha Korea Silla Dynasty Yesterday I accepted an invitation to enter the three year docent training program at the Asian Art Museum intensifying a life-long interest in Asian Art. I went for an interview on April 22nd. They interviewed candidates in groups of three using pre-set questions. Afterwards I went with one of the interviewers to the Korean Galleries to pick an object and give a "Mock" presentation. I gave a presentation on this Buddha trying to remember what I knew about the historic Buddha and Buddhism. Buddhists believe that life is just an illusion and the word illusion triggered a memory of the Jimmy Ruffin 1960's Motown hit with the lines -- Love's happiness is just an illusion, Filled with Sadness and Confusion -- I didn't mention that though. Training starts this fall.
Snap Crackle and Pop5/8/2011 This morning I was taking some wilted flowers out of this vase and I was looking at the celedon green crackle glaze, a glaze that was developed by Chinese and Korean artisans. My cousin calls it cracked glazed and when I think about it, its an apt description. The striking pattern was an accident in the firing process, but it became a desirable quality and potters tried to reproduce this effect. Today you can still find crackle glazed pottery and it is also used as a glaze for ceramic tiles. The ceramic tile on the right is manufactured by McIntyre Tile in Healdsberg, CA. San Dong House BBQ on Geary4/24/2011 Mom went to the dentist Friday to see how her implant was doing -- "just fine" the doctor said. It was lunch time so we went to lunch down a few blocks to 2nd Avenue and Geary to San Dong House BBQ. I'm not sure why it's called BBQ as I didn't see any sign of barbequed food. Geary is a 6 lane divided street with people rushing to and from the Avenues downtown. I've never noticed this restaurant in this formless section of the street, but I'm glad my cousin introduced us to it. It seems all the restaurants that originate from areas in China close to Korea have their own kim-chi like dish usually made with hot chile oil with perhaps a few whole chile peppers. This is the newest place we've found that has hand pulled noodles. We passed on the xiao-long bau as we had them the night before and ordered beef tendon soup noodles and sliced beef pancakes. The beef tendon had a wonderful soft texture and Mom loved them so much she couldn't keep her chopsticks out of the soup bowl until all the beef tendon was gone. Then she sort of giggled and said, "I ate it all". In the back of the restaurant is an open prep area and I spied the guy hand-pulling noodles with accordion-like motions. It's a technique hard to believe until you've seen it done. The dough is stretched and doubled over until you have many strands of noodles. The noodles a texture like no other and vary in thickness and width from one end to the other. Sliced beef pancakes don't sound too special, but everyone orders them. We decided to try them too. Soft wheat tortilla-like crepes are filled with thin slices of beef and cilantro and then rolled up jelly roll fashion and sliced. The slightly chewy texture of the tortilla forms matching layers with the layers and texture of the beef. A wonderful taste and mouth feel --happy thoughts indeed! Mom thought this place was noticeably better than Shanghai House that we ate at the night before. She usually declines the left-over take home packages, but this time she took them without hesitation. April 24th is Edward Mock's birthday. He was born in 1916 in the small central valley town of Fowler, California. He would have loved the food in this restaurant. Bruce Lee's Little Dragon Buns4/22/2011 Mom hasn't felt up to going out walking this week so last night we took her to dinner at Shanghai House on Balboa near 38th Avenue in the outer Richmond near the beach in San Francisco. The big storefront windows are an appealing feature to the simple interiors. You can immediately see if there are tables available when you drive by in contrast to the Shanghai Dumpling King restaurant down the street where you have to make the commitment to park and go in before finding out if there is a table. Shanghai House has the slight edge for having Spicy Chicken Wings. Both Shanghai Dumpling King and Shanghai House are known for their xiao-long bau - little juicy bit-sized morsels dumplings filled with pork, steamed in a bamboo basket and served with a ginger dipping sauce. The dough is beautifully pleated and swirled into a shape like lips puckered for a kiss, appealing in every way. Best if you eat them in a Chinese spoon to catch the juices that squirt out when you bite into them. One order brings ten. Service here is slow, but totally worth it. Why do I call them Bruce Lee's Buns? Bruce Lee's Chinese name is Li xiao-long or little dragon. AuthorCatagories
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