Sometimes you feel like a 包 (bun).
At Szechuan House bakery, at the intersection of 6th and H Street, N.W., I picked up some pork buns and egg tarts, dim sum staples. At $1.25 a piece, these are a little pricey for Chinese pastries, but they are very tasty. Sometimes when I'm in Chinatown, I just want something small to nibble on that won't clash with Tsingdao, or I want to bring home something that I know my parents will enjoy. When I'm on the red line and I have a hankering for a bun stuffed with butter and sugar, or a sandwich of roasted pork, this place hits the spot.
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Rogue States Burgers - Saucy
Do half-pound patties of beef make your heart palpitate a little? Do you like truffle oil? If so, hie thee to Rogue States in Dupont. I see this smart-as-a-whip establishment as proof that Sarah Palin doesn't own the term "rogue" anymore.
Can this revolution-themed upstart prove itself in a corridor that already boasts Fuddruckers and BGR?
Each of Rogue States' seven kinds of burger uses hormone-free beef that is so juicy, you will be glad for the aluminum foil. If only they came with plates. The burgers are grilled to order, and you can specify whether you want yours to show any "pink" on the inside. All the burgers, except for the Pardon My French (which contains truffle oil), are $7, Every burger comes with complimentary toppings like perfect tomatoes, lettuce, and onion (grilled or raw). Cheese, mushrooms, and bacon are extra. The $9 lunch special (burger, drink, regular fries) is a nice deal that lasted me several meals. (Did I mention these burgers are huge?) This is not a place for a big group (the tables are kinda cozy) but it's good nonetheless.
Can this revolution-themed upstart prove itself in a corridor that already boasts Fuddruckers and BGR?
Each of Rogue States' seven kinds of burger uses hormone-free beef that is so juicy, you will be glad for the aluminum foil. If only they came with plates. The burgers are grilled to order, and you can specify whether you want yours to show any "pink" on the inside. All the burgers, except for the Pardon My French (which contains truffle oil), are $7, Every burger comes with complimentary toppings like perfect tomatoes, lettuce, and onion (grilled or raw). Cheese, mushrooms, and bacon are extra. The $9 lunch special (burger, drink, regular fries) is a nice deal that lasted me several meals. (Did I mention these burgers are huge?) This is not a place for a big group (the tables are kinda cozy) but it's good nonetheless.
Friday, March 19, 2010
Obama Sighting
Today en route to the Metro, my cabbie and I found ourselves in at a standstill. Oh no! I thought. Another accident or a police holdup. Turns out that traffic stood still for Obama's motorcade. I had just listened to his Patriot Center Speech on healthcare reform in the cab, and he was actually headed my way. When I saw everyone else on the short stretch of road get out of their cars, so did I. I stood by the side of the road and watched as two police and a series of tinted-glass cars passed by. A photographer rode by and took photos of us all lined up along the road. Oh, to see the President once more. I have not been in an Obama-group since his inauguration. His van passed by, and I made his profile out vaguely against the tinted glass.
Although Obama is the leader of the free world now, he was once just an ordinary guy with a nice smile. A brilliant guy who also happened to be in the right places at the right time, but still, regular guy, great smile. I still wish I'd had the gall to approach him at the Hyde Park Coop when he was just Prof. Obama. Come to think of it, it couldn't hurt to just smile more in life.
I met another star on the train - an eight-month-old with a fantastic disposition. He was quiet when his Mom was quiet, and inquisitive when his Mom talked to him. Chub everywhere - this small dude had cheeks that would make a bulldog jealous. He smiled at everyone on the train. His mom turned to me and said, "He thinks everyone who boards is his friend." He strained to touch people that passed him by. "He's trying to make that woman across the aisle smile, but she hasn't yet. But he's still going to try." I told his mom that he was certainly a people person. "Oh yeah," she replied. He turned to me. I think he knew I was talking about him. "You're very friendly," I told him. He took some time to study me with his steady eyes, grab the pages of the book I was reading, which I'm sure he would like to nom a little, and gave me a big, toothless grin. Some people just got it.
Although Obama is the leader of the free world now, he was once just an ordinary guy with a nice smile. A brilliant guy who also happened to be in the right places at the right time, but still, regular guy, great smile. I still wish I'd had the gall to approach him at the Hyde Park Coop when he was just Prof. Obama. Come to think of it, it couldn't hurt to just smile more in life.
I met another star on the train - an eight-month-old with a fantastic disposition. He was quiet when his Mom was quiet, and inquisitive when his Mom talked to him. Chub everywhere - this small dude had cheeks that would make a bulldog jealous. He smiled at everyone on the train. His mom turned to me and said, "He thinks everyone who boards is his friend." He strained to touch people that passed him by. "He's trying to make that woman across the aisle smile, but she hasn't yet. But he's still going to try." I told his mom that he was certainly a people person. "Oh yeah," she replied. He turned to me. I think he knew I was talking about him. "You're very friendly," I told him. He took some time to study me with his steady eyes, grab the pages of the book I was reading, which I'm sure he would like to nom a little, and gave me a big, toothless grin. Some people just got it.
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Coco Avant Chanel: Madamoiselle, votre carriage vous attend
I just finished living through Audrey Tatou's beautiful eyes in the film Coco Before Chanel. I saw her transformation through her expressions, which shift as gracefully and imperceptibly throughout the film as a flower opening in still-frame, from pinched and, shall we say, "realist", in the beginning scenes as a destitute saloon singer, to dreamy and yearning as a kept woman with a man she does not love, towards her first encounter with true love, and then her bittersweet, quiet success. Watching her expressions slowly open to radiant joy is like watching a sunrise.
The film keeps alluding to her breakthrough, movable designs. Yet Tatou resists praise. Her character's contrarian approach to fashion and society, her self-imposed vow of solemnity and dry wit, reminded me of so many brooding hipsters I pitied in college. Yet I admire her so much for it. Her Coco chooses to embrace the visual economy of clothing that her initial poverty once forced upon her. Her habit of black is inferred to be a layover from days in a nun-run halfway home. She accepts, to a degree, the too-precious nickname of Coco, which she greets with rolling eyes - it's the name of a pet, not a lady. Watching Tatou watch others, with her know-it-all silence, is the chief joy of the film. I don't know if I love the writing of the film, but by God, I love watching everyone act with their eyes.
Of the real Mlle. Chanel, I know little except this: A famous couturier, Paul Poiret, a far bigger name than Chanel at the time for his costumish outfits, once asked her whose funeral she was attending in her all-black ensemble. She reportedly replied, Why yours, Monsieur. I have always imagined that woman to be the sharp sort. The film confirms this assumption, but softens the edges when Mlle. falls in love. Of course, in love she falls on the worst luck.
I associate things Chanel with the bittersweet. To me, a woman in Chanel might be an iconoclast seeking respectability (so fitting that Lady Gaga wore a Chanel suit to her Barbara Walters interview recently.) When I think of the suits, the bags, the perfumes, I think of the austerity, the compactness, the self-sufficiency that each item exhibits. There is nothing extraneous or wanting. It is not a style that invites another's touch. It is the best camouflage for a pariah who has overcome her sense of shame or inadequacy, because there is nothing inadequate about Chanel. Who mentions now Mlle's lifestyle as a mistress, and the lover of a Nazi officer late in life? No one.
There is a line in the film, Coco Avant Chanel, where her first lover tells her, Good, you're ready for Nietzsche. I like to imagine that Mlle. Chanel did eventually pick up some Nietzsche. In his crazy/genius work, Thus Spake Zarathustra, Nietzsche introduces the ubermensch, or superman. But his message of overcoming shame applies to women as well, and I interpret Nietzche to have some moments where he does not totally disparage women as a whole. Nietzsche says, and I think Mlle. Chanel would agree with him, "Ask the women. The women have always known this: A little more, a little less - So much in life depends on so little." The fine balance of style - that sense of more or less - is what Mlle. Chanel got so right. And that is why I think people want to hear her story. The more bittersweet, the better. I am relieved to know that the world's most perfect designer was, at some level, human.
The film keeps alluding to her breakthrough, movable designs. Yet Tatou resists praise. Her character's contrarian approach to fashion and society, her self-imposed vow of solemnity and dry wit, reminded me of so many brooding hipsters I pitied in college. Yet I admire her so much for it. Her Coco chooses to embrace the visual economy of clothing that her initial poverty once forced upon her. Her habit of black is inferred to be a layover from days in a nun-run halfway home. She accepts, to a degree, the too-precious nickname of Coco, which she greets with rolling eyes - it's the name of a pet, not a lady. Watching Tatou watch others, with her know-it-all silence, is the chief joy of the film. I don't know if I love the writing of the film, but by God, I love watching everyone act with their eyes.
Of the real Mlle. Chanel, I know little except this: A famous couturier, Paul Poiret, a far bigger name than Chanel at the time for his costumish outfits, once asked her whose funeral she was attending in her all-black ensemble. She reportedly replied, Why yours, Monsieur. I have always imagined that woman to be the sharp sort. The film confirms this assumption, but softens the edges when Mlle. falls in love. Of course, in love she falls on the worst luck.
I associate things Chanel with the bittersweet. To me, a woman in Chanel might be an iconoclast seeking respectability (so fitting that Lady Gaga wore a Chanel suit to her Barbara Walters interview recently.) When I think of the suits, the bags, the perfumes, I think of the austerity, the compactness, the self-sufficiency that each item exhibits. There is nothing extraneous or wanting. It is not a style that invites another's touch. It is the best camouflage for a pariah who has overcome her sense of shame or inadequacy, because there is nothing inadequate about Chanel. Who mentions now Mlle's lifestyle as a mistress, and the lover of a Nazi officer late in life? No one.
There is a line in the film, Coco Avant Chanel, where her first lover tells her, Good, you're ready for Nietzsche. I like to imagine that Mlle. Chanel did eventually pick up some Nietzsche. In his crazy/genius work, Thus Spake Zarathustra, Nietzsche introduces the ubermensch, or superman. But his message of overcoming shame applies to women as well, and I interpret Nietzche to have some moments where he does not totally disparage women as a whole. Nietzsche says, and I think Mlle. Chanel would agree with him, "Ask the women. The women have always known this: A little more, a little less - So much in life depends on so little." The fine balance of style - that sense of more or less - is what Mlle. Chanel got so right. And that is why I think people want to hear her story. The more bittersweet, the better. I am relieved to know that the world's most perfect designer was, at some level, human.
South of the Border!
Today I received a postcard from Kel depicting South of the Border, which bills itself as an "oasis" near the highway. Of the many tourist traps of the East Coast, South of the Border is one of the proudest and biggest. I think any attempts to explain it or its longevity will fall short of a true explanation. I have never seen such a giant sombrero.
http://www.thesouthoftheborder.com/
http://www.thesouthoftheborder.com/
Cafe Saint-Ex: Sharing the Love
Cafe Saint-Ex has a special place in my heart.
Wavy flashback mode!
It was the summer of 2007. When I first saw the vintage bi-wing propellers on the walls at Cafe Saint-Ex, I was intrigued. My friends thought the vintage bistro feel was nice, but I knew when I saw the propellers that the place was named after Antoine de Saint-Exupery (pardon the lack of accents), WWII aviator and author of Le Petit Prince. The protagonists in his books, like their author, often flew planes into the unknown. For two years, a quote from the Little Prince adorned my fb wall like a talisman: "L'essential est invisible pour les yeux. On ne voit bien qu'avec le coeur." Msr. de Saint-Exupery was the writer your man could smell like. (For those familiar with Guerlain, the cologne Vol de Nuit is named after one of his books.)
But on a hot Saturday night, this was not exactly a place for literary reverie. To the dance floor! I played wing-woman while a lucky friend chatted up the lady he would date to this day. She must have been sent by an angel. What a happy place in my memory.
Back from wavy flashback mode!
So when it came time to meet some ladies from my alma mater for dinner, I gave Cafe Saint-Ex a second look. While the servers were a bit harried, the dinner atmosphere on a Monday night was mellow. The tables sat small groups - most sat two or three people each. In a place with such flattering lighting and Euro-bistro decor, it's just a good, semi-intimate space for catching up.
Of the three entrees our table ordered, two of them were stellar. A platter of perfectly-seared, buttery tuna rested on a bed of risotto that tasted faintly of cumin, saffron, and thyme. The rockfish was equally divine - both fish were not only rich and smoky tasting, but they left a clean finish on the mouth. Truly a place for pescetarians or others who are willing to forego red meat for fish - it's a wise choice. To be fair,the one disappointing dish, the chicken tacos, was technically an appetizer. Lukewarm chicken pulled with a green dressing and mangoes on two bland but hearty tortillas were a nice twist on the old chicken salad combination, but I wished for more spice, more kick in my tacos. These were as bracing as a bridge game. To round off the meal, we ordered some sweet potato fries ($5) which were on the thin side, but nicely toasted and sweet.
Dessert had some sleepers. The caramel pot de creme (exactly what it sounds like) arrived in a demitasse-sized ramekin (just small enough) with a nice dulce de leche finish. Very soothing stuff. The tangerine cheesecake was a manageable size. It was creamy and firm, with just a hint of citrus as an afterthought and a triangle of peanut brittle no larger or smaller than the slice of cheesecake itself. I think the brittle was a thoughtful touch, giving an impression of orange rind. The cheesecake's tangerine aspect was not as bracing as I'd like, but this is a place with mellow flavors. The real standouts are the gingersnap ice cream sandwiches, which pair a buttery firm duo of ginger cookies against a zesty, citrus ice cream. It's a dessert that tastes like springtime. My friend declared that, despite her earlier assumptions, she could indeed finish those sandwiches on her own. There are desserts that wake up one's senses, and this is one of them.
Excellent noms. Does its namesake proud.
Food 5/5
Drinks N/A
Decor 4/5
Location 5/5 (short walk from U Street Metro Station)
Worthy of 5 noms.
Wavy flashback mode!
It was the summer of 2007. When I first saw the vintage bi-wing propellers on the walls at Cafe Saint-Ex, I was intrigued. My friends thought the vintage bistro feel was nice, but I knew when I saw the propellers that the place was named after Antoine de Saint-Exupery (pardon the lack of accents), WWII aviator and author of Le Petit Prince. The protagonists in his books, like their author, often flew planes into the unknown. For two years, a quote from the Little Prince adorned my fb wall like a talisman: "L'essential est invisible pour les yeux. On ne voit bien qu'avec le coeur." Msr. de Saint-Exupery was the writer your man could smell like. (For those familiar with Guerlain, the cologne Vol de Nuit is named after one of his books.)
But on a hot Saturday night, this was not exactly a place for literary reverie. To the dance floor! I played wing-woman while a lucky friend chatted up the lady he would date to this day. She must have been sent by an angel. What a happy place in my memory.
Back from wavy flashback mode!
So when it came time to meet some ladies from my alma mater for dinner, I gave Cafe Saint-Ex a second look. While the servers were a bit harried, the dinner atmosphere on a Monday night was mellow. The tables sat small groups - most sat two or three people each. In a place with such flattering lighting and Euro-bistro decor, it's just a good, semi-intimate space for catching up.
Of the three entrees our table ordered, two of them were stellar. A platter of perfectly-seared, buttery tuna rested on a bed of risotto that tasted faintly of cumin, saffron, and thyme. The rockfish was equally divine - both fish were not only rich and smoky tasting, but they left a clean finish on the mouth. Truly a place for pescetarians or others who are willing to forego red meat for fish - it's a wise choice. To be fair,the one disappointing dish, the chicken tacos, was technically an appetizer. Lukewarm chicken pulled with a green dressing and mangoes on two bland but hearty tortillas were a nice twist on the old chicken salad combination, but I wished for more spice, more kick in my tacos. These were as bracing as a bridge game. To round off the meal, we ordered some sweet potato fries ($5) which were on the thin side, but nicely toasted and sweet.
Dessert had some sleepers. The caramel pot de creme (exactly what it sounds like) arrived in a demitasse-sized ramekin (just small enough) with a nice dulce de leche finish. Very soothing stuff. The tangerine cheesecake was a manageable size. It was creamy and firm, with just a hint of citrus as an afterthought and a triangle of peanut brittle no larger or smaller than the slice of cheesecake itself. I think the brittle was a thoughtful touch, giving an impression of orange rind. The cheesecake's tangerine aspect was not as bracing as I'd like, but this is a place with mellow flavors. The real standouts are the gingersnap ice cream sandwiches, which pair a buttery firm duo of ginger cookies against a zesty, citrus ice cream. It's a dessert that tastes like springtime. My friend declared that, despite her earlier assumptions, she could indeed finish those sandwiches on her own. There are desserts that wake up one's senses, and this is one of them.
Excellent noms. Does its namesake proud.
Food 5/5
Drinks N/A
Decor 4/5
Location 5/5 (short walk from U Street Metro Station)
Worthy of 5 noms.
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
How Clean is Your Water?
When I moved back to Virginia from Chicago, one of the first things I did was brush my teeth. Compared to the rusty-tasting water I'd resigned myself to in a charming but older building in Chicago, the tap water in my home was pure sweetness. But is there a real difference in the quality of water between the suburb where I grew up, and the city where I lived?
According to a study conducted by the Environmental Working Group, the water utility in Fairfax County, VA ranks at No. 8 nationwide in terms of effectiveness, based on the number of chemicals detected and other criteria. The EWG reports that Fairfax County Water found at least six contaminants in drinking water found to exceed existing health limits, including barium and chloroform. Chicago, IL is #34 in the EWG's rankings. The EWG lists 14 contaminants, including lead, arsenic, and radium, found by the Chicago Department of Water Management to exceed existing health limits.
Health limits for a contaminant and legal limits which determine a water authority's compliance over time can differ.
The Fairfax County Water Authority's 2009 report on drinking water asserts that while the contaminants listed in EWG's report were found in drinking water, the water authority is still in compliance with guidelines on the presence of contaminants.
Many of the substances found in drinking water in many urban areas, including progesterone and various pharmaceutical substances, are highly regulated in doses for medication, but are not held to any guided amount in drinking water. In 2008, a representative of the EPA stated that "We recognize it [pharmaceuticals in drinking water sic] is a growing concern, and we're taking it very seriously," when the Washington Post released a story about pharmaceuticals in drinking water.
Yet two years later, the EPA and the federal government have yet to issue guidelines on the regulation or the removal of pharmaceuticals from drinking water. The removal of drugs from water then falls to water authorities, which hopefully use ozonation to break up organic compounds, a process that is more effective at removing medication from water than chlorination. The Fairfax County Water Authority states that more research is needed to understand the impact of low-level medication in water on human health in order to develop better solutions to removal and prevention.
While more research might be needed, I wonder how much long it will take before any new regulation on water pollution is actually in place.
According to a study conducted by the Environmental Working Group, the water utility in Fairfax County, VA ranks at No. 8 nationwide in terms of effectiveness, based on the number of chemicals detected and other criteria. The EWG reports that Fairfax County Water found at least six contaminants in drinking water found to exceed existing health limits, including barium and chloroform. Chicago, IL is #34 in the EWG's rankings. The EWG lists 14 contaminants, including lead, arsenic, and radium, found by the Chicago Department of Water Management to exceed existing health limits.
Health limits for a contaminant and legal limits which determine a water authority's compliance over time can differ.
The Fairfax County Water Authority's 2009 report on drinking water asserts that while the contaminants listed in EWG's report were found in drinking water, the water authority is still in compliance with guidelines on the presence of contaminants.
Many of the substances found in drinking water in many urban areas, including progesterone and various pharmaceutical substances, are highly regulated in doses for medication, but are not held to any guided amount in drinking water. In 2008, a representative of the EPA stated that "We recognize it [pharmaceuticals in drinking water sic] is a growing concern, and we're taking it very seriously," when the Washington Post released a story about pharmaceuticals in drinking water.
Yet two years later, the EPA and the federal government have yet to issue guidelines on the regulation or the removal of pharmaceuticals from drinking water. The removal of drugs from water then falls to water authorities, which hopefully use ozonation to break up organic compounds, a process that is more effective at removing medication from water than chlorination. The Fairfax County Water Authority states that more research is needed to understand the impact of low-level medication in water on human health in order to develop better solutions to removal and prevention.
While more research might be needed, I wonder how much long it will take before any new regulation on water pollution is actually in place.
Monday, March 8, 2010
Attack of the Giant Safety Pin Bag
I have one thing to say to most accessories designers: Harrumph!
Yes, I am an accessories curmudgeon.
But this bag made me stop and smile for a bit. I may not love bags per se, but I do like a good visual quirk.
Some bags can drop from a compact square into an accordian design, in a parody of a pagoda. They can be giant demilunes of leather that are like big half wheels of cheese.
They can resemble orange bento boxes. All of these are bags designed by one designer, whose work is available at a lot of department stores that I don't shop at.
They can retail for a cool $300 apiece... on discount. Why is it that fashion designers appeal to woman's sense of wit, and yet assume the female sex to be completely irrational when it comes to spending? It does not make sense. :P
Friday, March 5, 2010
Thanks Dad!
Often when my dad wants me to watch a video on the internet, I resign myself to watching a variety show on CCTV. Often I am amused for different reasons than my dad is, because I cringe at the hairstyles, un-ironic '80's dress, and the puns.
Today is a happy exception. Enjoy!
Can your bird do this?
Today is a happy exception. Enjoy!
Can your bird do this?
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
The Most Boring Thing You've Ever Seen
Kel brought up an interesting point to me today, which is that boring one's readers to death is against blogging law. Like the laws of physics, blog law is "not policed but can definitely be broken."
I have not yet met a blog that has bored me to death. I like reading about people's stamp collections, makeup hauls, pets, political rages, and favorite online games. Boring me is a CHALLENGE.
But there are some people who are even less easily bored than I. When one of my brothers starts talking semiconductors, I only understand one in four words that comes out of his mouth. He is not boring to me, just incomprehensible. He is interviewing at a company that prides itself on innovation, efficiency, and all that is structurally sound. On that company's website, there is a list of cultural values that engineers at said company are encouraged to remember. Number four on that list is essentially to avoid wasting other people's time.
#4. Do not suffer fools. I say this lovingly: engineers are bored by fools. That is, when they are not explaining the world to those people and converting them (us) to the wonders of their respective fields.
What is the most boring thing on the internet? What is the most boring thing you've ever seen?
I have not yet met a blog that has bored me to death. I like reading about people's stamp collections, makeup hauls, pets, political rages, and favorite online games. Boring me is a CHALLENGE.
But there are some people who are even less easily bored than I. When one of my brothers starts talking semiconductors, I only understand one in four words that comes out of his mouth. He is not boring to me, just incomprehensible. He is interviewing at a company that prides itself on innovation, efficiency, and all that is structurally sound. On that company's website, there is a list of cultural values that engineers at said company are encouraged to remember. Number four on that list is essentially to avoid wasting other people's time.
#4. Do not suffer fools. I say this lovingly: engineers are bored by fools. That is, when they are not explaining the world to those people and converting them (us) to the wonders of their respective fields.
What is the most boring thing on the internet? What is the most boring thing you've ever seen?
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