Weekend - 週末 – zhōu mò
I love weekends! Especially weekends during the summer season. The days are much longer and the weather is warm, it allows me to spend lots of outdoor time with the family. In our family, we also like to take little weekend trips to just get away. Recently, we went up to the Berkshires with some friends and took the kids bike riding. It was so much fun we hope to do it again soon.
In the streets of Barcelona, just steps away from Las Ramblas, one of the most famous streets in the city, I came across this little eatery called Wok to Walk. The place is tiny, and is what most people would call a “hole in the wall”. To me, some five thousand miles away, it was a treasure! (yes, I was craving for some simple Chinese/Asian fare after 10 days of tapas and various fancy food on the cruise ship)
The decor is modern, in an Ikeaish Northern European minimalistic kind of way. On one side is the open kitchen, with 3 wok stations, and built in faucets directly above the wok for easy cleaning. Next to the stoves are the ingredient counter, which offers fresh vegetables such as broccoli, mushrooms, and bean sprouts. In addition, there are also chicken, beef, and shrimp.
The concept is really simple, for about 5 Euros, or $7.50, you get a stir fried rice or noodle with eggs, basic vegetables, and a choice of 8 different sauces. For an additional 1 or 2 Euros, you can add chicken, beef, shrimp or tofu to the dish. Brown rice and wheat noodles are also available as choices.
My favorite sauces are Shanghai, Bangkok and Saigon. Both noodles and rice was made in front of us in about 1 minute, and came out piping hot and delicious. Even my pickest eater enjoyed his plain egg fried rice with Shanghai sauce without vegetable.
So, the next time you are in Barcelona, be sure to check out Wok to Walk. For those of you who don’t have plans to visit that city, not to worry, there is one in the Village, right by NYU in NY city. I haven’t had a chance to visit, but I can only imaging the mouth watering food there waiting for me to eat. For more locations, you can visit Wok to Walk’s website. Bon Appetit!
Museum – 博物館 – bó wù guǎn
In honor of the reopening of The Museum of Chinese in America in NYC, I thought we should learn what museum is in Chinese. Visiting museums is always a big hit in my family. My kids love the Childrens Museum for all the hands on exibits, they also love the Museum of Natural History for that big Dinosaurs display. Even at the Museum of Modern Arts, they were able to amuse themselves with the big helicopter inside. We will be going to this newly reopened MOCA soon. I am sure they will take pride in knowing all the famous Chinese Americans!
To learn more, you can also read a review in today’s NY Times.
Designed for easy portability, these collapsible chopsticks are made from recycled white ash wood from baseball bats. An alternative to disposable chopsticks, they have stainless-steel and brass stems that unscrew for storage in the included pouch.
These are not only stylish, they are also great for the environment. So the next time you order Chinese, enjoy it with your own carry on chopsticks.
In anticipation of my dumpling party with Jennifer 8. Lee this afternoon, I’ve researched a little more about this very articulate and funny lady. Appearantly, her parents named her after JFK airport, not its President namesake. Her younger sister Frances, and younger brother Kenneth complete the initials. According to Lee, JFK was the airport her parents landed when they first moved to America, kind of like the Ellis Islands of the late 1800s and early 1900s. Lee graduated from Harvard before becoming a reporter with the very prestigious NY Times.
This video clip from Ted was done as part of her book tour for The Fortune Cookie Chronicle, and it’s a talked titled “Jennifer 8. Lee Hunts for General Tso.” It is really funny and insightful. I hope you enjoy it. Be sure to tune in tomorrow for a recap of my visit to my new found idol!
In the NY Times Art section yesterday, they introduced the new location of Museum of Chinese in America. Their new home is on the edge of Chinatown in New York City, at 211-215 Centre Street.
One of the most thoughtful and interesting details I am intrigued by is the two entrances designed by Maya Lin (who also designed the Vietnam Memorial in Washington). The two entrances symbolize the museum’s twin mission: helping Americans to understand the Chinese culture better and vice versa.
Their grand opening ceremony is scheduled for September 22nd this year. I will be blogging more about this, so stay tuned.
I’m not sure if there is a connection between Holiday Inns and Chinatowns, but somehow, it seems there is a Holiday Inn Hotel in a lot of the Chinatowns I’ve visited. Growing up in California, there is one on Figueroa in Los Angeles, and one on Kearny in San Francisco. Both of these hotels are in the heart of the Chinatown. Now that I’m in Montreal on vacation, I saw yet another Holiday Inn here in Montreal’s Chinatown, and it makes me wonder if there is a connection between Holiday Inns and Chinatowns. Did Holiday Inn offered the best deal? It really doen’t matter, but rather it’s kind of cool. This one in Montreal is particularly pretty and unique. It’s got two Pagoda tops on the roof!
