Pho: Vietnamese Noodle Soup

Many people know that there are many types of Asian noodle soups, such as ramen and udon, but I am here to talk about pho. Pho is a Vietnamese noodle soup, with the noodles being made from rice, and they are long, rectangular, and flat, coming in various sizes. The broth is made by soaking chicken and a special mix of herbs for a few hours. The amount of meat that you put in is up to your choice, whether you just like piling on the brisket, or just like no meat in it, the soupcan go both ways and still taste fantastic.

Hoisin and chili Sauce with some garnishes

These two things are just the basics for pho, the main thing that adds taste and uniqueness to pho are the garnishes and sauces. The three main sauces that you use to make your pho tastier are usually hoisin sauce, chili sauce, and fish oil, though it might not sound all that good, these are all essential to the taste of the pho. The hoisin sauce make the soup saltier and richer, the chili adds spice for people who love hot foods, and the fish oil adds saltiness to the noodles. For the garnishes, I only like to use sparsely, but pho experienced people, like my mom, just love to pile and pile on the mints and herbs. You would add mint leaves, so the pho would smell good, and add lemon juice to make the soup sweet. All of the mints and herbs however are green and white onions, Thai basil, bean sprouts, many different mints, and chili pepper (I think this is going a little overboard). It takes about 5-6 minutes to finish gathering and collecting the ingredients, but the effects are amazing. The soup should have be a brownish or reddish tinge, depending on whether you put more chili sauce or hoisin sauce, with white rice noodles soaking in your delicious broth, and the light, beckoning scent of the pho and the mint. The taste of pho is something that I cannot describe in words, but something that you should experience yourself.

Pho with some garnishes

Early Happy Halloween ^-^

-Chocolate Rabbit

The Steeping Room: Restaurant and Tea Lounge

They have a sidewalk cafe
along with indoor seating!

The Steeping Room is a small cafe located in the Domain in North Austin. Their main attraction is the amazing variety of tea they offer. Even if you normally never drink tea, I would definitely suggest ordering a pot at the Steeping Room. I personally enjoy their fruity and black teas the best, but if oolong or green is your cup of tea, they have that as well (please pardon the pun, I just couldn’t resist). Also, they have several other tasty beverages if tea isn’t really your thing.

Specifically, I recommend The Empress’ Cup,a rose flavored tea which is absolutely divine. It really is fit for royalty. I also enjoy their Blueberry and Lychee teas.

The Steeping Room also serves breakfast in the mornings and brunch on Sundays. (I’ve never been for breakfast, but the menu looks awesome.) Also, they serve light snacks to be eaten with a cup of tea, and larger items for a full meal. And then of course, there are the sweet treats. The selection changes from day to day, but generally they have scones (delicious!), cookies, cakes and cupcakes. Everything is simply delicious!
Check out their tea listing, and the food menu for more info.

The Domain, as you might know, is a slightly upscale strip mall, so the Steeping Room attracts a very smart crowd. When headed to the Steeping Room, dress up a bit! Take some time out of your day to enjoy a relaxing cup of tea, and I promise, you will not regret it.

Scones. Yummmm.

Photos courtesy of Laura Taylor (flickr).

The Best Way to Make Your Own Pizza

I can safely say that everyone likes some form of pizza. However, everybody likes different topping, and it can be quite expensive to purchase a number of toppings--but there is an alternative and it is really fun:make your own. This may be an old idea for some people, who buy pre-rolled, half-baked crusts at the grocery store for around ten bucks. However, I recently discovered another cheaper and better way of making pizza: buying the dough from a pizza place. Yes, it does require a bit of planning, but it is great. You can have any size pizza of any thickness and you don't have to pay for it to be delivered. So what's not to like? Plus, you can have multiple toppings, and you can even make calzones (they take longer to cook though)!!!

This guy can catch it with one hand!!!

But I haven't even gotten to the best part...you get to throw the pizza dough yourself. It doesn't take much practice. All you have to do is balance the circular dough between your fists and spin it as you throw it into the air. Catching it is not particularly difficult, but try it over a table the first few times. All in all, it is some of the best fun you will have while cooking, and it doesn't require you make the dough from scratch.

Pumpkin Bread: Just About the Most Delicious Stuff Out There

Photo credit to Rox Sm.

• Hello! So, as my mom is the only one in our family who has the slightest talent in baking and the like, I asked her a while ago for her recipe for pumpkin bread (which, surprise, surprise, she always makes around Halloween time). She sent me a recipe that she usually follows, and sometimes she adds chocolate chips (which I never complain about). This recipe, if you can manage to bake the bread well, usually comes out with a rich pumpkin bread with a moist texture. Apparently it is also a relatively healthy and low-fat recipe for pumpkin bread.
• 
  
• Ingredients:
• 1 cup(s) (packed) light brown sugar
• 2 large egg whites
• 1 cup(s) pure pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mix)
• 1/4 cup(s) canola oil
• 1/3 cup(s) low-fat plain yogurt
• 1 teaspoon(s) vanilla extract
• 1 cup(s) all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup(s) whole wheat flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoon(s) baking powder
• 1 teaspoon(s) ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon(s) ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon(s) baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon(s) salt
• 
  

Directions: Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Then combine the brown sugar and egg whites. Add pumpkin, oil, yogurt, and vanilla extract. In another bowl, mix all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, and salt together. Add flour mixture to pumpkin mixture and stir. Don't over-mix (this can be a mess). Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake for 45-50 minutes (the handy-dandy toothpick trick helps: see if the toothpick comes out clean if you stick it in the bread and, if it does, it's ready). Let it cool.

For the nutrition details and further reviews (as well as conversion factors if you would like to mess around with the serving sizes), please visit here. There are many other interesting Halloween recipes that I stumbled upon when looking at this recipe.

• 
  
• Happy Halloween!
• Lily

You Can't Beat Beet's

Raspberry Cheesecake!  

Beet’s Living Foods Cafe, that is. Beet’s Cafe features vegan and raw foods, a diet which the owner Sylvia Heisey believes is both healthy and has life-changing benefits. While you may be squirming at the idea of a completely raw meal, the food at Beet’s is quite amazing.
 
Being a quirky Austin restaurant, they have some very interesting menu choices. There is a spectacular variety of salads and appetizers to choose from, all of which are worth your while. For the entrees, Beet’s offers “ELT”s (Eggplant-Lettuce-Tomato) to Cha-lu-pas, to Raw Reuben (a dish that frequents the 5 star reviews on Yelp and other review sites). Even the drinks menu is so diverse: they have everything from mocha frappes, to “green berry” smoothies to beet juice. Check out the entire menu here.

The food of course is amazing, but it really pales in comparison to the desserts. The chocolate cheesecake? Oh. My. God. It is to die for. I’m not even kidding. The first time I had it, I started off skeptical... I mean, uncooked cake? But after the first bite, I was hooked. Beet’s has daily desserts which often include a new cheesecake flavor (strawberry, raspberry, green tea...). Also, the raw/vegan ice cream is very nice. If you want to try your hand at making raw cheesecake, try this recipe.

Both the ambiance and food of Beet’s Cafe leave you feeling happy and energized. After a meal at Beet’s, one can't help but agree with owner Sylvia: good food=happiness. 

Tip: Use your Go Local card to get 10% off your total!

Photo credits to digiyesica (Flickr). 

Baguette House, a Vietnamese Sandwich Shop

The Baguette House is a small restaurant that is walking distance from Short n’ Sweet. The Baguette House is a Vietnamese cuisine restaurant that sells banh mi. Banh mi is the Vietnamese word, for the French word of baguette. Banh mi came into existence when the French colonised Vietnam, and mixing the ingredients of French baguettes and pate, with native Vietnamese ingredients such as cilantro and hot peppers.

A typical French baguette is a long, lean piece of bread. Banh mi is a sandwich made of a shorter kind of this bread, typically 8-10 inches, that is buttered, and is spread with pate, a paste that is extremely grounded meat. Then, cold cut slices of pork and Vietnamese sausage is placed in the sandwich. Cilantro, slices of cucumbers, pickled carrots, and peppers are added on top of the meats. This is an average banh mi, as there are many different types such as barbecued pork, fish, vegetarian, and chicken.

Banh Mi

The Baguette House is an excellent place to visit if you want to try a taste of Vietnamese foods, there you can taste thach, or Vietnamese jello, or sample some banh bao, Vietnamese steam buns. Another mixture between French and Vietnamese cuisine is a patty shell. Patty shells are croissants stuffed with Vietnamese ground pork and herbs. The Baguette House is a good and fun place to go to for lunch, after stopping by Short n’ Sweet to get your drinks, you can stop by and buy a sandwich, but beware, you might not understand what some of the staff are saying sometimes.

Photos Courtesy of Yelp

Sweet Tidings

-Chocolate Rabbit

Bring Your Own Shopping Bag: A Grocer's Ploy

When you shop at a grocery store, what is is the first thing you think about? Probably what you want to buy, and how much it is going to cost. Chances are, you aren't thinking about your shopping bag. However, many grocers are now encouraging customers to bring their own shopping bags to "help save the environment." Nice idea, right? But is it really. When considering this, you have to think about two things--cost incentive and the actual environmental impact. Most people, when evaluating environmental impact think about reducing how much of something they use--but there are two other factors: reusing and recycling. Plastic shopping bags are not always immediately thrown away, many companies now make waste bins that can use plastic shopping bag lining. So instead of throwing away plastic bags, why not reuse them? You will otherwise need to buy trash bags, and they won't have two uses.

The incentive to grocery companies is very important as well. First of all, they save money if you bring your own bag. Second, they gain the support of environmentalists that favor the use of reusable (cloth or burlap) shopping bags. On top of that, they make money selling them to you with a huge markup. None of this benefits consumers, and in fact, it negatively impacts them because they must buy shopping bags as well as trash bags (which they wouldn't get without plastic shopping bags).

Another thing most people don't consider, is that the reusable bags need to be manufactured also, and this too has a negative effect on the environment. Why would you pay for a reusable bag? It is a ploy by supermarkets to make more money.

A Bag That Isn't Green

Why You No Eat at Asia Cafe?

Please excuse the pathetic photography; photo credit to me.

Tofu and sea food. Yum.

Here goes another rant of mine, this time centering on the local Asia Cafe.

A few years ago, this restaurant started off at the back of an Asian grocery market, mostly invaded by elderly Asian parents shopping at the market for their weekly dose of tofu. Well now, it's still filled with plenty of people, but there is much more diversity, and a much nicer setting. The owner of the restaurant was a single mother, who had come to the United States with just enough money to start a little home-run business shipping Asian foods. My mother knew her (as all of the Asians in Austin seem to have a magical telepathic social connection to each other).

When our family used to live in Spicewood, and when there used to be an H-E-B and an Albertson's nearby the store, my parents would stop by after buying some groceries for dinner. They have pretty good authentic Asian food, which is actually quite hard to find nowadays. I believe they opened up another location, but we've never gone there.

So, after taking boring math tests during the weekends, my dad will sometimes go pick up some dinner while I sit there struggling with trying to remember how to find the derivatives of trigonometric functions. And it's really nice having something to look forward to. This last weekend, my dad ordered the Spicy Fish dish (excuse me, but this is what you get when you ask me to translate things) and the tofu with seafood. Warning: unless you are absolutely confident that you can handle spicy food (which I still am not quite accustomed to, even after years of conditioning), you will still need some water to eat the fish. It's some crazy stuff.

More food. This time, it's spicy.

Photo credit to me.

These are shrimp and leek dumplings. You should try them.

Photo credit to Lily.

So it goes.

(Having just finished my Vonnegut novel, I'm sorry I could not resist.)

Thanks

Lily

Short n' Sweet: A Vietnamese Cafe

Short n’ Sweet is a Vietnamese cafe that I went to this weekend, it’s a little shop that houses great drinks and desserts. The walls are colorfully painted with colorful bubbles that cover all four walls. Also adorning the walls are various fan arts and drawings, the cafe also has t-shirts and a large painting of their “mascots”, two cartoon characters, a girl and a boy, called Short and Sweet respectively. The walls are lined with many jars, each labeled in Vietnamese, and containing a different and unique snack. I would suggest asking the counter clerk before trying them, since most of them are extremely bitter, excessively sour, or burn-your-mouth spicy.

If you try to pick without knowing what you're eating, then it is similar to Russian Roulette

They have three circular menus behind that counter which you can pick from. The three main types of drinks that they serve there are smoothies, pearl drinks, and slushies. The cup sizes are cleverly named Short, the smallest, Sweet, which is medium sized, and Big Boy, the largest cup. My favorite drink to order there is the strawberry slushie, which is very sweet and sour. Their signature drink however, is one of the most interesting drinks that I have ever tried; it is called the Crazy Drink. This drink is composed of many different and complex yummy ingredients. I would attempt to describe what exactly makes up this delicious drink, but even after many years of going there, I still cannot pinpoint all of the ingredients exactly. When you first receive it, there are many different colored objects, with colors ranging from blue to pink. There are also pearls, small marble shaped dots, and much, much more. It is essentially chaos in a cup. When you take the first sip, you get a sip of the sweet, tea based water, which is then cut off by the arrival of the other components, which are meant to be chewed. Some have the consistency on gum, and take a while to swallow; others seem light and airy and dissolve in your mouth. The entire flavor of the drink all together is hard to describe besides sweet and savory, and especially addicting.

The Crazy Drink

Short n’ Sweet is a very good place to go if you want to sample some Vietnamese drinks or snacks. The staff is friendly, and the atmosphere of the restaurant is happy and playful, you should come down and try some drinks for yourself to see. You can see the location, contact information, and reviews here.

The three menus ( the 4th one is ice cream)

Photos Courtesy of Yelp

Have a sweet day!

-Chocolate Rabbit

Treat Yourself: Berry Austin

Berry Austin is the definition of Austin food culture. Here's the odd thing though--its a frozen yogurt shop. Yes, yes, you may be thinking of Amy's Ice Cream, but Berry Austin certainly gives it a run for its money.

When you walk inside, there are at least five or six people, regardless of the time of day and season. Murals cover the walls, and there are a few guitars upon which there are a number of guitars made from welded license plates and hundreds of old CD's and records. The tables are made by covering a number of odd, everyday items (like puzzle pieces and marbles) with a layer of clear plastic...and yes these (as well as the awesome guitars) are for sale. The effect is mesmerizing. So mush so that they have devised a Scavenger Hunt for the items across the walls. This is actually quite difficult, and takes, on average, between ten and twenty minutes to complete. If you do well, they have a leader board behind the register so all your friends will see your time. As a matter of fact, I hold the top spot for the twosomes (and that is actually true :) ).

All this, and I haven't even mentioned the yogurt. It is fantastic. There are all the everyday flavors like chocolate, vanilla, and red velvet cake--but they change the other flavors daily--so it will be different the next time you eat there. The specialty flavors include things like coffee, mango, berry berry, kiwi, guava and many more! They are wonderful--but even better are the toppings. Unlike ordinary restaurants where you are charged by topping, Berry Austin charges by the weight of the yogurt and the toppings--so you can have as many as you want. Basically they give you a bowl and you add all the frozen yogurt and toppings yourself (don't get carried away!). The toppings aren't ordinary toppings--ooooh no. They are everything from cereal, to cheesecake, from brownies, to chunks of fruit, and even (my personal favorite) Mochi--which is a Japanese rice cake that is a bit like a marshmellow (they have those too).

Mochi (tastes better than it looks)

All in all you would be hard pressed to find a restaurant with as much Austin culture as Berry Austin (which for the record, is better than Amy's by quite a bit, despite being less well known).

Staving Off Peanut Allergies

Peanuts and walnuts. Yay.

Photo credit to Vizzual.com

Having a sister who is allergic to peanuts, I was surprised to find a recent article about an experiment discovering a possible peanut allergy cure. As the peanut allergy is one of the most common food allergies, the common and widespread use of peanuts in everyday foods makes it particularly dangerous.

And how do they cure this peanut allergy, you ask. Well, it's something along the lines of making your immune system just look dumb. Technically, it's not peanuts themselves that are dangerous to people that are allergic; it is actually the immune system's reaction to peanuts, which we know as anaphylaxis. It's not extremely common, as the National Institutes of Health estimates 15,000 to 30,000 anaphylaxis episodes in the United States every year, and 100 to 200 deaths. But there's no treatment available for these allergies, and severe reactions can include sudden constriction of the airways, a drop in blood pressure, shock, and eventually loss of consciousness or even death. So, as none of that sounds particularly comfortable or safe, scientists have been rummaging around for a way to shut down these allergies.

Researchers from the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine tried to create a peanut tolerance in otherwise peanut-allergic mice by attaching the source of the allergy (peanut proteins) to the blood cells of the mice. In an allergic person, the body would recognize these proteins as invading pathogens and trigger anaphylaxis.When the peanut protein was introduced into the body attached to one of the body’s own cells, however, the immune system learned to not attack these cells and the mice became temporarily “cured” of their peanut allergy.

Researchers say these findings could have future implications for treating food allergies, though this method has only been tested in rodents. A cure for food allergies in humans is not close at hand, cautions Dr. Clifford Basset, medical director at Allergy and Asthma Care of New York. “Bottom line: There is no cure for food allergies, at least in 2011, and in the foreseeable future. Its all about education, prevention and preparedness,” says Basset.

I say he's just being a little pessimistic. Or maybe I'm overly optimistic. Either way, there must be some way to safely treat peanut allergies, as it is still a little awkward to eat Kit Kat bars around my sister even if she claims that she hates them.

You can learn a little more about this possible cure from this article.

A peanut plant. I never knew they looked like this.

Photo by Joseph Hill

Thanks

Lily

A Local Incentive: Austin's "Go Local" Cards

A Go Local Card (photo by Kenny Li)

Austinites have an amazing way to support local businesses: in the form of "Go Local" cards. Available for a measly ten bucks, these cards entitle cardholders to good deals and ways to save money. Individual businesses determine the rewards they will give for the use of a Go Local card, but the rewards are always beneficial. (A common Go Local incentive is a 10-ish % reduction from your total.)

Contrary to popular belief, the Go Local card is not just for restaurants. While most participants in this program tend to fall into the food and drink category, other subdivisions include arts & entertainment as well as beauty. Several Austin boutiques offer special deals to Go Local cardholders; I would take advantage of this as Austin boutiques tend to be quite costly! The Austin Lyric Opera often gives cardholders discounts on tickets as well. Groups and organizations can also sell Go Local cards as fundraising. (Fun Fact: the LBJ/LASA class of 2012 is selling these cards at school events to raise money.) There are so many advantages to owning acard it seems foolish not to do so!

Not sure why to buy local? Here are 10 good reasons.

Most local businesses sell Go Local cards, or they can be bought online.

If you want more information, browse around the Go Local Austin website. There are FAQs and a complete listing of the businesses participating in this program. Also, they frequently update with current deals being offered.  


See you around town!

A Taste of India in Austin

Clay Pit Restaurant

Austin has always been characterized by its slightly hippie, “Keep Austin Weird” culture. In light of this, Austin’s international culture has never been significantly emphasized, but if you are looking for Indian cuisine, there are a couple gems buried around the city.

Clay Pit: Contemporary Indian Cuisine
Clay Pit is a stylish, upscale restaurant, located in downtown Austin,  in the heart of the UT campus. It has an excellent ambiance and very tasty food. It attracts a very stylish and smart crowd, so a smart-casual dress code is suggested. Keep in mind that Clay Pit is a slightly expensive option which would be perfect for a special night out. Visit their website here.

The ordering counter at Tarka.

Tarka Indian Kitchen
With a motto of Fresh, Fast and Flavorful, Tarka Indian Kitchen is more casual restaurant
owned by the same people who own Clay Pit. It is easiest to describe Tarka as almost an Indian fast food joint: they have more take-out options and speedy service. This is the best place to go if you want Indian food to-go, or are looking for a more casual atmosphere. You can find their menu and locations here.

Madras Pavilion
In stark contrast to the preceding restaurants, both of which boast of north Indian cuisine, Madras Pavilion is one of the best places in Austin for south Indian delicacies. The dishes are perfect for all you vegetarians out there. They are busiest at lunchtime, when you can enjoy their buffet as well as order things a la carte. And as always, here is their website link. 

Photo credits to Larry Miller (Flickr).

T & S Chinese Seafood Restaurant

T&S is a Chinese restaurant that I went to a few weeks ago. When you first enter through the doors, it looks like any other ordinary Chinese restaurant, large circular tables with plastic tablecloths, chairs with plastic seating, a fish tank in the reception area, with everything from the walls to the carpeted floors looking slightly old and worn down. But one of the many things that strike first is the line, which usually during lunchtime, fills up the room and well out of the doors. Another peculiar thing that you see when you are seated during lunchtime on Saturday, which I think is the best time to go there, are that there are many carts that are wheeled around the well placed tables, each with a different assortments of foods in small baskets or steamed metal bowls. This is dim sum, and food is served in this fashion every Saturday during lunch. All you have to do is look into the cart point to what you want, and how many, and the waiters will simply place it on your table, and mark your paying sheet with what you bought.

~The Sign~

The food at T&S itself is a marvelous and extraordinary thing in itself. But I will only be sharing with you what is served during dim sum, and even then, I don’t think that I could list everything they had for you, but I will try my best. There are about 5 food carts that are perpetually wheeled around the restaurant, mostly coming at a rest next to a table, or back in the kitchen to restock, with 4 of them containing appetizers and main courses, and the last holding the desserts, which I will go into detail later.

Shiny Food Cart~

On 2 of the carts, there are precariously stacked columns of glistening metal steam baskets, and on these are the varieties of seafood and other meats. Such as small shrimp wrapped in some rice paper or shrimp roasted balls with a crab claw sticking out for you to hold on. My personal favorites on these carts are the curry squid, which is roasted squid tentacles soaked in a salty spicy curry and is extremely tasty, and the taro cakes, which are fried taros and potatoes into neat rectangular prisms, with frequent cubes of meat.

On the next carts, the food is placed in a different manner, because on this cart, the foods are not as piping hot as the previous ones, but rather at a lukewarm temperature. On these carts are the rolled rice cakes, which are served with shrimp and/or pork, or even plain. Dumplings can also be found on this cart, with chicken and pork in shapes from triangles to small semicircles, all which have their own special sauces.

Delicious Nom Nom Nom

And on the last cart, which is my favorite one, are the desserts. On this cart, most of the sweet snacks are cold, such as the mango pudding, which can be served with condensed sweetened milk, and they come with a little umbrella sticking in the middle. The other desserts are baked and contain many interesting flavors, but for the most part, after a stuffing full meal, I like to enjoy a light, refreshing pudding.

To sum these things up T&S is an amazing Chinese restaurant in Austin, and even with all I have talked about is merely the dim sum, which takes place only once a week. I didn’t even get in depth with the dinner courses. So if you want to get the full experience, I guess that you just have to go there yourself. You can get reviews, location, and prices here.

Fishies!!

Have a Yummy Time!

-Chocolate Rabbit

Photos courtesy of Yelp

The Correct Way to Eat Sushi

Tuna Sushi

     As the SUSHI MASTA it is my duty to inform our readers on the proper technique required for eating sushi. You might ask yourself "why does this matter? What do I care if the restaurant staff don't like how I'm eating sushi?" There is a perfectly good reason why you should care: the sushi chefs will serve you lower grade sushi. You see, to a sushi chef (and I would know seeing as I am the SUSHI MASTA), it is insulting when you do not use good sushi manners and, chances are, if you are using bad sushi-eating manners the sushi chef can tell that you know very little about sushi. Then, they know, if they serve you lower quality sushi you won't be able to discern the difference. This does not mean that it is going to give you salmonella or make you sick, but it does mean that you will get less value for your money.

     For example, do you know how many grades of tuna are used to make sushi? Probably not--so let me fill you in. Tuna or Toro is considered the most prestigious and well loved of all sushi (with the possible exception of salmon) and has three main types used in sushi (these exclude albacore and other tunas with a distinctly different flavor) with different grades based on fat content. The most commonly seen in restaurants, and the cheapest, is yellowfin. Fatty yellowfin is considered superior to regular (for our purposes lets call it lean) yellowfin because it has a smoother texture. The next grade up is big eye tuna, which is slightly more expensive, and finally bluefin--which is about as expensive as sushi gets (with the possible exception of roe or caviar). How expensive is that? Well, a nice bluefin tuna could pull in hundreds of thousands of dollars on the market, so in the US you won't ever find it for less than 30 dollars a pound or 6+ dollars a piece depending on availability. Forthe best (fattiest) grades of bluefin,(rich) people in Japan will pay almost an unlimited amount of money.

     Now how does this relate to you? Well lets say you decide your going to splurge on a medium grade piece of bluefin tuna (one piece), and you have bad manners when you are eating your soup or other sushi at the sushi bar, and the sushi chef sees you. Now instead of getting a medium grade piece of sushi, you might receive a low grade piece of bluefin, or a medium piece of bigeye.

     Now you might be asking yourself "how do I stop myself from insulting the sushi chef with bad sushi manners?" Here is a list of tips:

1. DO NOT RUB YOUR CHOPSTICKS TOGETHER

     This is perhaps the most important. It is pretty much the worst thing you could do at a sushi restaurant.If you need to start a fire, they usually have a candle for ambiance.

2. Never put wasabi in the soy sauce.

     The sushi chef puts wasabi on the fish for you. If it isn't enough, rub a bit more on the top of the fish before dipping it in the soy sauce (or eating it plain).

3. Flip the sushi over when dipping it in the soy sauce or placing it in your mouth.

     The idea here is that you taste the fish and not the rice. Smart huh? If you are bad at using chopsticks, just use your hands. Sushi and Sashimi are both considered finger foods.

4. If you use chopsticks, hold them as high up as you can.

How to Hold Chopsticks

     In Japanese culture, holding the chopsticks low is for informal meals (like breakfast and lunch), and holding them high up is considered formal, because it takes more practice and is more difficult (chopsticks are a bit like holding a tea cup in England).

5. NEVER REMOVE THE SUSHI FROM THE RICE.

     Honestly, the sushi chef does not care that you are on a diet. Sushi is a low calorie food and is very healthy. If you disagree or don't want the rice, order Sashimi--that is what it is for.

6. Eat the sushi in one bite.

      The main thing here is to not cut it into two pieces--how could you anyway? With a spoon? Chopsticks? Good luck with that anyway.

7. Be courteous and kind to the sushi chef.

     Everyone is kinder when you have good manners, and the sushi chef will likely excuse any bad manners you might have shown earlier.

     Hopefully after reading the correct way to eat sushi, you will not be given substandard sushi at a sushi restaurant.

Week Two: I'm Slowly Getting the Hang of these Blogs: Coco's Cafe

Tapioca pearl drinks
Photo credit to Benjamin Munsayac

Why, hello..... again...

For today, I've had the great epiphany of ranting about another aspect of my busy life, which would, simply put, be Chinese School. Well, of course I'm not going to talk about Chinese school directly and risk the possibility of boring you guys to death, I'm going to talk about a something I guess you could call a tradition.

My dad has gotten into the habit of taking my brother and I, and my mom if she's not grocery shopping, to a lovely little restaurant around Austin called Coco's Cafe. It is a Pearl Drink shop (and if any of you don't know what tapioca is, you should definitely fix that) and a Taiwanese restaurant. There are two locations: one is located near the UT campus and the other (which happens to be located conveniently on the way to Chinese School) is near the Hong Kong Supermarket (which actually may have just closed down recently...).

So... The interesting stuff (as it seems that my rambling does get a little boring): My favorite thing to order at Coco's Cafe is (obviously) one of their pearl drinks. Seeing as I'm a boring person and I am not that picky of an eater, I usually just go with the classic strawberry and banana smoothie with tapioca pearls. But my dad (though I sometimes do not recommend listening to his eating suggestions) really likes the passion fruit smoothie, the avocado (yes, it sounds nasty; don't ask me) smoothie and the mango. I really like their noodles, especially any of their soup noodles. I personally really liked their pork wonton noodle soup, and as I am a picky eater when it comes to meat and Asian foods, I really do think that it is a nice entree. Something that my brother really enjoys is the green onion pie, which, I know, sounds kind of gross, but it's basically something like a really crisp pizza crust (almost) that's been flavored and seasoned with green onions. It's huge, and double-layered, so don't go ordering a full pie and try to finish it by yourself. There might be a little misunderstanding similar to the one we experienced on Twin Day for our lovely teachers.

I believe both locations are open around 10:30 AM every morning, during which they begin to serve from their lunch menus. Their homepage is here. I suggest you stop by sometime. At the location in downtown, since parking is so scarce, we often only go after having other events around the UT campus that day. The central Austin location has plenty of parking and is located in the middle of a shopping center that also contains a Target.

This is Coco's Cafe, downtown Austin, just across the street from the UT Campus.

Photo credit to Larry Miller.

Thanks

Lily