"Pho?" written by Jbeatty on estrip.org

09/15/07 02:32 - 55ºF - ID#41116

Pho?

Of all the Asian soups that I am hopelessly addicted to, Pho is by far my absolute favorite. I love this soup so much that I want to take a trip to Vietnam just so I can have my fill of street Pho. So after a morning of centripetal force fun and getting a bad haircut I decided to treat myself with a little comfort food. I decided to go to 99 fastfood but I really had only a general idea of where the place was so I never ended up finding it. Instead I stumbled upon Saigon Bankok and had lunch there.

So anyway the Pho at Saigon Bangkok is really good. As usual it was a massive bowl of rice noodles, rare beef, meatballs, onions, and cilantro, bean sprouts, lime and a sauce that was 50:50 hoisen and tuong ot. I was a little disappointed that it didn't come with any Thai basil on the side but after taking a few bites I didn't miss it all that much. The broth was perfect. I have had some Southern Vietnam versions where it was a little sweet, and honestly I think it sucks that way. The best thing about Pho is how cheap it is. A bowl of it would probably satisfy two hungry people and it usually costs around $6 or $7.

I also had Goi Cuon as an appetizer as well, It was really delicious although I like it even more when they add fresh mint, but no mint for me this time. I would definitely recommend this place to anyone. The service was pleasant, fast and unpretentious. I will be heading back to try some of their other selections especially since I noticed they have Banh Xeo there!

Permalink: Pho_.html
Words: 288
Location: Buffalo, NY

09/12/07 07:22 - 62ºF - ID#41065

Food Porn

In a successful attempt to avoid my studying this evening I decided to make one of my favorite dinners. Balsamic Chicken with Swiss Chard. Ok so admittedly, it isn't quite the caliber of "food porn" but it sure does taste freaking good.

Missing Image ;(

Permalink: Food_Porn.html
Words: 46
Location: Buffalo, NY

09/10/07 04:27 - 72ºF - ID#41036

An open letter to my transient neighbor

Dear Asshole,

Thank you very much for the 3:30am wake up call this morning. I don't normally set my own alarm for this time due to the fact that I usually like to continue to sleep till 6:30am. I found your wake up call (starting your Cousin Eddie like death trap of an RV outside of window) actually more effective than my normal means of starting the day. I may have slept right through had you not revved the engine for what seemed to be about a minute. I'm not certain which part I enjoyed more, the sudden heart attack inducing scare at 3:30am or the smell of your exhaust that poured into my apartment and prevented me from sleeping for the next half hour. The part I really like though is you didn't start your vehicle for the reason of moving it. No you just went ahead and shut it off when you were all done. I'm not sure how long we will be neighbors for since you only moved in Friday night. I also don't know whose power supply you were hooked up to on the outside of my building either. In any case I will be certain to reciprocate if indeed we are still residing in the same neighborhood at 3:30am tomorrow.

Sincerely,
James

Permalink: An_open_letter_to_my_transient_neighbor.html
Words: 217
Location: Buffalo, NY

09/09/07 10:07 - 67ºF - ID#41022

The Cav

Ok so my car is a piece of shit. But the fact that it still runs is reason enough to not purchase a new one. I have a goal of getting it to at least 200,000 miles before I replace it. I'm not sure if that will happen considering the Cavalier I had in high school died at 120,000. But my friend who has helped me fix it more times than he cares to remember sent me a link with the message "this is totally your car". It's pretty accurate right down to the door and perpetual domelight.

Permalink: The_Cav.html
Words: 99
Location: Buffalo, NY

09/08/07 03:24 - 76ºF - ID#41006

Dishes

I really miss having a dishwasher. This is the first apartment I have had in 7 years that doesn't have one. I think if I were allowed to give up one domestic duty for life it would definitely be washing dishes, although laundry would come in a close second.

lizabeth writes at 01:43:48 09/11/07 - Comment #24242: The "laundry" of which they speak is what I am probably going to be doing on Wednesday, just FYI. I'll take any quarters you care to contribute to the cause.

Also, I'm going to cry if the next place we move into doesn't have a dishwasher.

john writes at 12:00:04 09/11/07 - Comment #24240: What is this "iron" of which you speak?

And for that matter, what is this "laundry" of which you speak?

tinypliny writes at 02:35:27 09/09/07 - Comment #24168: Hehe. @libertad: Even if you iron wrinkles in, the shirt or whatever "looks" ironed. I like to believe that its the thought that counts. The ironing thought.

tinypliny writes at 02:33:31 09/09/07 - Comment #24167: And I like laundry days - I guess because I love the smell of detergents in the apartment and clean clothes and bedding. I also like ironing - though I rarely wear ironed clothes. I am just lazy.

tinypliny writes at 02:31:28 09/09/07 - Comment #24165: Wow. I never had a dishwasher and I somehow don't like the idea of waiting for the dishes to be washed by a water-gobbling machine. Washing dishes by hand is much much quicker and it gives me time to collect my thoughts or listen to radio.

libertad writes at 09:17:36 09/08/07 - Comment #24134: your air quality should be better because most dishwasher detergents cause a dangerous vapor that stays in the house for hours.
I hate ironing, but love laundry. Ironing to me is so frustrating. Usually I end up ironing wrinkles into the clothes and it takes forever to get them out. I suppose it is an art and i jsut havne't gotten it yet.

fellyconnelly writes at 08:56:40 09/08/07 - Comment #24132: um. half the time i cook AND do the dishes. but that is beside the point... :)

jenks writes at 05:28:15 09/08/07 - Comment #24119: yeah, a dishwasher is the only thing my apt doesn't have that I wish it did. But like Lauren said- even when I DID have one- it often was used more as a dish-storage-cabinet. I do hate doing dishes though. And i hate laundry probably even more.

lilho writes at 05:28:05 09/08/07 - Comment #24118: ive done laundry maybe three times in the last three months. i go until i run out of clean underwear and then sometimes, i use is as an excuse to go buy new ones, so i can prolong the laundry even more. id much rather do dishes...

carolinian writes at 04:17:00 09/08/07 - Comment #24115: I've never lived in an apartment with a dishwasher, so I'm used to it. I don't know what I'm missing, and that's probably a good thing. I think a dishwasher has been on my list of things to get "when I make it big.".

Although having my own washer and dryer and not having to run to the laundromat far surpases dishwashers on the priority scale.

lauren writes at 04:09:02 09/08/07 - Comment #24114: Yeah ok...try this. We HAVE a dishwasher, but don't use it because it takes us too long to fill it up to the point where I would feel justified in running all that water. And so, Felly cooks, and I do the dishes and place them neatly in my dishwasher to dry.

Permalink: Dishes.html
Words: 48
Location: Buffalo, NY

09/07/07 12:00 - 80ºF - ID#40980

The Honeymoon is over

In my years of being a waiter I have noticed certain traits amongst my coworkers. Wait staff tend to be alcoholics, have children, or they're drug addicts. Sometimes it's a combination of all three. This evening I finally figured out exactly whom I do not like to work with. Which out of 15 wait staff its only 3 thankfully. Surprisingly enough it's almost never the people who fit into these narrow generalizations that tend to piss me off the most. I have yet to figure out why this is however. I think Anthony Bourdain says it best; maybe these people have just never been "fucked properly" in their lives. Whatever the case may be I find it totally unacceptable to talk down to people you feel are below you. Why do some people have this urge to feel superior to others by insulting them and treating them like crap? What on earth could they possibly be compensating for? It's just a job, Schmooze your tables, make some cash, and go home! It really is that simple. The sad thing is it's not even me that I'm referring to, hell I've been called worse by better, I can take it. But what really irritates me is that the scumbags think that I agree with them. I guess I'm supposed to be in this club of talking shit about my less experienced coworkers. God I love restaurants.

Permalink: The_Honeymoon_is_over.html
Words: 233
Location: Buffalo, NY

09/02/07 10:50 - 69ºF - ID#40898

My dirty little secret

Smoking is one of the most disgusting habits on earth. Why the fuck I made the most ridiculous decision to start again beyond me. I smoked for 7 years and quit for 1 year, then I smoked for another 2 years and quit for 3 and 1/2 years. So here I am three weeks into my old habit. I blame it on a 50:50 mixture of boredom and stress. But really I should blame it on how fucking stupid I am! I haven't told any of my family because I'm incredibly embarrassed by it. So tonight I have decided that the two packs that I purchased tonight are it, No more for me. I can't wait for the headache to start Tuesday morning.

Permalink: My_dirty_little_secret.html
Words: 117
Location: Buffalo, NY

09/02/07 01:25 - 74ºF - ID#40891

Summer isn't dead yet...

but it's showing signs of aging.

It's only a matter of weeks before the Spaten Oktoberfest is on the shelves!

Permalink: Summer_isn_t_dead_yet_.html
Words: 28
Location: Buffalo, NY

08/24/07 12:35 - 79ºF - ID#40707

Summer Recap(picture purge)

Well I suppose summer is pretty much over for since school starts Monday. This summer has been an exceptional one for me. Although I guess I usually try to make the most out of my free time. So in sequential order here are the highlights of this season.

End of the school year I went to Malaysia with my friend Melissa whom I hadn't seen in 5 years. I ate lots of crazy delicious stuff, saw my first tornado(well water spout really, but it was still amazing), did my first canopy walk over the top of a jungle, visited my first sacred Hindu site, and saw the worlds largest twin towers.

Petronas Towers

canopy walk north of Kuala Lumpur

water spout in Palau Lankawi(its kinda hard to see)

Batu Caves, home of the Lord Murruga

Melissa and I at the Batu Caves

Claypot Snowfrog, with Chicken Satay

Fish Curry at an Indonesian Padang joint

Durian the "king of fruits"

banana leaf lunch in the Cameron Highlands.

the beach at Palau Lankawi

the view from our balcony

Tiger Prawn Curry, those things were the size of small lobsters!

yum yum Dim Sum.

something called a chickenfish

I helped my friends try to finish their addition. Including running electrical wiring, CAT6, Installed vinyl siding, plumbing, knocked out a wall and installed a Parallam support beam, insulation, and installed a high velocity AC system. Unfortunately no pictures.

Camped and boated at Lake George in the Adirondacks. We also climbed Rogers Rock, well we went the easy way up.

Rogers Rock from the water

Rogers Rock from the top

The boat I wasn't on

Saw the Police In Connecticut.

Sunset before the show

About 1 min before the show started

Last but not least I moved to Buffalo. Which I'm finding to be a pretty cool city so far!

Permalink: Summer_Recap_picture_purge_.html
Words: 338
Location: Buffalo, NY

08/23/07 08:59 - 80ºF - ID#40697

Kalbi

Tonight for dinner I made Kalbi. All modesty aside it was absolutely delicious. I got most of the ingredients from Sung's Oriental Grocery on Niagara Falls Blvd (between Sheridan and Main). It's a well-stocked Korean Grocery with plenty of hard to find items. The owners are also very pleasant and helpful. Maybe worth an (e:tinypliny) review.

Ok so I suppose I should be fair and critique my own cooking. The garlic I cooked with it sucked. But I stopped using it after the first piece of lettuce. It was the first time I have tried to make it, however I've seen it done literally, thousands of times. Fortunately I made way too much so I guess its Kalbi again for lunch tomorrow.

Permalink: Kalbi.html
Words: 127
Location: Buffalo, NY

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