Several news outlets are reporting the death of a Wal-Mart employee who was trampled to death earlier today. To all the people involved in that early morning rush: Was it worth it? Has consumerism taken such a hold over you that being first to spend was worth taking someone's life? I hope you never forgive yourselves because you're retarded. And gay.
Serves eight, maybe?
Stir in one cup of soy sauce and 3/4 cup vinegar. Add black pepper and bay leaves. Toss in three packages (each < 1 lbs) of pork chunks (the one with the fat). Heat to a rolling boil, and then let simmer for 5 hours or more until the meat is tender. Usually it will "fight back" like rubber if it isn't done yet. When it is done, it will just collapse to a poke and be very soft. Stir occasionally. Best eaten next day, stored in a refrigerator (marinating, I guess).
Untested suggestions: at least one glove of garlic per pack of pork. Boil with vinegar only and then stir in soy sauce when tender.
Alternatively, be sure to mix the liquids thoroughly first, then add in the meat (regarding the first method).
The one gem that kept me going so far has been Baluchi's Masala down in the Financial District. Every time I eat Indian food, I feel like I'm being blessed with God's grace, no joke. And I'm not even that religious.
I prefer food to be easy to eat, and Indian food seems to be just that. It's usually very ugly and sloppy looking, but it doesn't detract from the experience at all since it's so tasty. Give me a bowl of rice, meat, and some sauce, and I'm a very happy boy.
As I recount my culinary-cum-religious experience to my roommates, I remember how I was just inhaling the food like I was a little kid. Eating is very serious business. And it was at that moment I transcended the dish and attained the state of 'nom nom nom'.
I admit, that's a terrible title. The angle I was going for was, if there were a sixth Spice Girl, her name would be Relational Spice. And in addition to spreading Girl Power, she would posit, what if the relational database engine and operating were one in the same?
These are the kinds of things you think about when you're bored in class, day two of SQL Server training.
I just came back from the first annual concert of the Voices of Gotham, a new vocal group spun off the Big Apple Chorus.
It's always good to see a few familiar faces. I was a member of the Big Apple Chorus for a hot sec, but I could never shake that certain parts didn't mesh well with what I was looking for. Regardless, it was a night full of passion and talent, and I was really happy to see that New York City has such an active vocal scene.
I briefly considered joining, but I'd want to train up to it first instead of walking into it cold.
Tonight I went to the totally-not-worth-it Japanese sushi bar Haru with a cool coworker.
There were two red flags, even before we ordered. One, there weren't any Asian customers. I've learned from my parents that a good test of any ethnic cuisine is the presence of people of that ethnicity, aka "the ethnic test". Two, our waiter didn't speak much English. His accent was very fobby and abrasive, which soured our good mood. The only saving grace was the cool looking albeit fake jellyfish in tanks of water overhead.
The sushi was not worth the $80 we spent between us. I'm not a connoisseur of sushi, but I do know what I like. My latest fixation is with duality. Soft and crunchy, or hot and cold if you're lucky. The parts I liked a lot: the spider roll, smoked eel, and spicy salmon. The parts I didn't like: the Boston roll and sea urchin. Sea urchin is a favorite of my coworker's, but he agreed this particular one wasn't as good as he's had. That's probably the most uncool thing he's ever done, recommend me sea urchin. It was mostly bland and had a slight aftertaste. Bleh.
To top it off, the staff was really aggressive in turning tables, which made it difficult to unwind and spend some quality time with awesome coworker.
My review of Haru? Not worth the price, and a severe lack of Asian folk.
Tonight I went to Yeah Shanghai with people from both the Internet and real life. I was surprised at how smoothly the night went, mixing social circles like that. The only bump in the road was when one of my e-friends tried to describe what Stormwind was and I had to jump in and translate. Warcraft aside, it was good food, good friends, and good times.
The one criticism I have of Yeah Shanghai is the serving size of the soup dumplings; although delicious, they were significantly smaller than the soup dumplings I've come across prior. For a decent meal with soup dumplings, I also recommend Grand Sichuan, a spot favored by two of my previous employers.