Sichuan Pavilion in Washington, D.C.

Sichuan Pavilion is one of the rare restaurants located in the city with some authentic Chinese food. You can tell that it is authentic by the ethnicities of their customers: all asian. The owner really tried to make this restaurant as Chinese-themed as possible: Chinese calligraphy on the walls, Chinese paintings, panda figured tables, and traditional clothing for their waiters and waitresses. Their teacup was one of the most interesting teacup I had ever seen. It was so colorful that it dazzled my eyes.

We had steamed chicken dipped in spicy sauce and scallion. The sauce was light on the tongue and the chicken did not standout as much.

Flounder fish in soup with cilantro. This was delicious. The fish was tender-- melts right in your mouth. The soup was spicy and gives you a good hit of spice. The addition of cilantro adds extra flavor to the dish. Winner of the meal.

This last dish was called second-roasted pork. Apparently people re-cook pork by incorporating this ingredient into a new dish back in the days. The pork would turn out to be more flavorful. Also the precious meat would not be wasted. However, compare to the flounder, this dish did not win us over. The pork seem over cooked due to the technique used. 

Happy Hour at Black's in Bethesda, MD

Black's bar and kitchen is a fancy bar that I passby going to work every day. The only thing I could notice before I stepped into this place is that it has a very nice outdoor seating at the front entrance. In the middle of the outdoor area, there is a small water reservoir with lights installed at the bottom. When it gets darker, the light disperse its beams through the water so that water waves would be amplified around the seating area. Cleaver!

Coworkers and I went there for their happy hour. It was then that I noticed that they have Chesapeaks Bay oysters on the happy hour menu. They go by half pounds ($6.75) and pounds ($13.5) everyday from 4pm to 7pm. I went ahead and got a pound of Chesapeaks Bay oysters. They were very fresh. The provided sauces -- cocktails sauce with ginger and vinegar both go great with the oysters. We finished them in seconds, only wanting more.

Saigon Saigon in Pentagon City, Virginia

Saigon Saigon is a restaurant that we decided to go after a fun shopping day. My friend describes this restaurant as "a Vietnamese restaurant that is pretty good, but not the best". I'm pretty sure with Eden Center as a competition, other vietnamese restaurant would have a hard time climbing to the top of yelp ratings. 

It is a pretty small restaurant with ethnic interior design: fish tank, bamboo fences, asian instruments, etc. They also had a small bar with no happy hours available. With small light candles on each table, this place seems like a casual place for friends to catch up.

Crispy spring roll with duck sauce. This was delicious, partially because this is one of my favorite Vietnamese appetizer. Crispy outer shell paired the pork and vegetable fillings was heaven in my mouth. I was impressed.

This is the classic pho noodles again! They were not as good as the ones I have had in Eden center, but keeping in mind of the fancy location of this place, I would say this food experience was pretty satisfying.

Sardi's in Gaithersburg, MD

Sardi's is a restaurant chain that gives you addictive Peruvian chicken with very little money. Me and company were able to get it as take outs and enjoy it at home. The charcoal coded chicken was imbedded with flavorful juice. The meat was tender with the right amount of seasoning. We paired the chicken with black beans, pepper, and rice -- the perfect combination for a tasty and lazy dinner. The green pepper paste was a bit too much for me to handle. Although they don't look so spicy, they have some hidden powers within them.

We also got plantains for some extra carbs. They were sweet, roasted to the perfect level. It was an awesome dinner.

Too Graphic

Lauren is sitting on the sofa of Josh's office. In her hand is Josh's laptop. She scrolls through the PFD files on Preview, taking notes as she reads. She is nervous, she doesn't know what to say to Josh, she hopes that Josh would lead the conversation.

Silence was hovering the whole room. Minimal arm movements make the sounds of giants. Both of them are quiet, as if they have never crossed path.

"Can you help me with this part right here?" Lauren murmurs, not even dare to make eye contact with Josh. He moves over, starts explaining the logic behind sugar molecules and their ability to form linkages. Lauren tried to focus on what Josh is saying. But she hasn't heard his voice in a long time, hasn't been in the same room with him for a long time, and hasn't talked about things in a non-personal matter with him in a even longer time.

The stranger-like atmosphere is something Lauren is not used to. Just about two month ago, they were close like anyone could ever be. The things that happened afterwards was something so catastrophic that Lauren purposefully blocked it out of her memory. Yet the scars still remain, in fact, it has not yet completely healed. Streams of memories resurface every now and then, like nightmares, but real.

Lauren returns the laptop back to Josh. "Thank you." Lauren starts walking towards the door. Josh caught up tightly behind. It is still silence, the same silence she faced two month ago. This seems so familiar. Lauren tries to think of something to say to break the silence. But nothing is coming up to her mind. 

They walk on until departing separate ways. 

"I'm gonna go." Josh turns around and starts walking.

It hurts, just like last time. Her tears are about to run down, throat starts to hurt. Her mind quickly seeks for other things that would occupy her thoughts; she looked down on her phone contacts for other people that would make her nights better. She reached out to her door with lighting speed and jumped under the sheet cover of her bed.

I am going to be very busy tomorrow at work, I better be prepared for it. What's good on TV? Eric...where is Eric? She looks down on her cell phone contacts, and dials Eric's number.

Stressed out at work

Usually work stress does not come at you all at once. For me, it is more of a gradual increase. Piles of tedious things build up along with a number of deadlines one by one. Other times work stress is due to my own fault of procrastination - leading to catastrophic break downs after work and the urge to get away from work as soon as possible. Dealing with people and make sure all of the sudden request and loads of work were being taken care of immediately is quite stressful. It adds a lack of control to work place that can easily put people off place. I am pretty sure this is a process that anyone go through once they start their full time job, unfortunately it was too late before I started taking preventative action.

There are about three ways for me to de-stress after work: go shopping, play piano, workout. So far those activities have taken a major block of my time, and is on of the most enjoyable time of the day. I had never through I would dislike work, knowing that fact that I am slightly workaholic. However, I guess work stress can make a workaholic into workaphobic (not a word).

2 Amys in Washington D.C.

2 Amys is known for their neopolitan pizzeria. A few years ago the neopolitan pizzeria striked up food fever in the US, just like tapas. However, I believe the neopolitan pizzas are less over rated than tapas. It is a one-size pizza, and you don't have to share it with others -- how nice is that. Further down north west side of DC is this low-key restaurant, sitting right next to Giant and a locally well-known Mexican restaurant. 

What I had was their classic 2amys pizze. It has thicker crusts surrounding a thin layer of hand made flour dough with fresh marinara, tomato, and mozzeralla cheese melted on top. 2amys also provide special menu on a daily basis based on the fresh ingredients available. To me, that does not seem like a good thing because what if I started liking a dish what was only offered on specific season and specific days?

These pizzerias were served with forks and knives. It made me feel overly civilized eating the small pizza with utensils. And I gotta say: those utensils are pretty hard to use on pizzas.

Kogiya in Annandale, Maryland

Kogiya Korean BBQ was a place also recommended by one of my good friends in D.C. We went on a cold winter day -- the best time for Korean BBQ. Because this place is located in Annandale, a town known for its large korean population. 

The interior of Kogiya reminded me of Honey Pig Gooldaegee Korean Grill -- metal tables, over-sized fume-hoods, and BBQ smells floating everywhere. The difference between Kogiya and Honey Pig is that Kogiya offers all you can eat where as Honey Pig orders by dishes. 

The Bonchan offered from Kogiya was almost as good as the ones offered from Honey Pig. And yes, I think Bonchan from Honey Pig is fantastic. We went for the all you can eat, believing that we can make a good kill after starving ourselves for a couple of hours.

Meat! -- The only complaints about Korean BBQ is that you actually have to wait before they are served. For some reason it took a long time for those beef and pork to be fully cooked.

Marinated chicken!

Iced Coffee for dessert. Unfortunately I did not go for this coffee since it was caffeinated. Overall it was a great Korean BBQ place, but since I did not have high standards for Korean BBQ, this comment practically isn't worth that much.

Huong Viet in Eden Center, Viriginia

So I came upon this place through a friend's strong recommendation. A friend who is super picky about food, a friend who has lived all over the world and tasted the locals of many places. He told me about Eden center, an asian oriented strip mall featuring restaurants and bakeries that gear towards the local Vietnamese population in Virginia. 

I have had a number of pho noodles in New York, Maryland, and Washington, D.C. But people always tells me that there are more authentic pho noodles somewhere down in California and Virginia. Well, I took the chance to try it at Huong Viet, and it was amazing.

We had their Cha Gio (Fried spring rolls with duck sauce), which was crispy and fresh. The pho noodles with chicken and egg noodles, which I see as a variation as the classical pho, was surprisingly good with tender chicken strips and chewy egg noodles. Their classic pho noodle with beef broth and pork, unfortunately, was almost as good as the ones I had in Maryland.

Cha Gio

Egg noodle in chicken broth



Rice noodle in beef broth

Library of Congress in Washington, D.C.

The library of Congress is not a restaurant, and no I am not blogging about food today. But sometimes when one is tired of studying in one set environment, one tends to search for a brand new environment. Friends and I stopped by the main reading room inside the Madison building of the library of congress. After going through a series of security check, obtaining an identification card that are only used to enter the reading rooms, checked our coats and bags, we finally stepped into the main reading room. It reminds me of the center of a cross in catholic churches. We couldn't help but looking up at the arched vaults and the sculptures of gods that were overlooking at us. The environment was very serious, so serious that is was almost distracting. It was a beautiful room, but it definitely takes some time to get use to.

Raku in Bethesda, Maryland

A friend and I stopped by Raku in Bethesda Row at 10pm after some golfing. I have heard mixed reviews about this place.

Person A: Try their Chilean Seabass, it is only of the best dishes I have never had. I wish I could just order this dish as take out there everyday.
Person B: It is a chain, and the Raku in Bethesda is not as good as the ones elsewhere.
Person C: I heard from a friend that is not good, there are more authentic Japanese restaurants in Bethesda.
Person D: They are some awesome sushi!

Therefore, before I visited this restaurant, I remember this place as the restaurant with the most varied reviews. Also I had the longest time finding this place because they are smashed in between many other outdoor restaurants on Woodmont Avenue. Finally I spotted a small asian lady standing at the entrance of the restaurant, and this is it!

We sat down right before the kitchen was closing and ordered the Vegetable Shoyu Ramen. I am sorry to say that I did not enjoy it, the flavors did not stick out, and vegetables were almost raw. Next time I am going to go for the Chilean Seabass.

Patience is Virtue

"Patience is virtue."

This is what my friend told me the other day when I was expressing my confusions and concerns about my life. I am pretty sure that I have heard about it many times from other methods: people, TVshows, stories, etc. It is one of those things that I hear and believe it is obvious. It is also one of those phrases that rarely has came up when I actually needed a reminder.

"Think about it: you pretty much need to be patient for your whole life. You want to become whatever you want to be, but it doesn't come over night. You have to be patient and work for years and years to establish that goal."

I am not sure whether it is the way that she phrased her explanations, but I felt so enlightened after all of these words even through it's something anyone can come up with themselves.

Sichuan Jin River in Rockville, Maryland

Sichuan Jin River is a place we came up when we were desperately looking for places to eat. We knew we were located around the DC area, we knew we can't have too high to an expectation for authentic Asian food. And just like any Chinese restaurant, this place just makes me want to get out with its 99 cent store style ceilings and hipster yellow walls. 

Obviously the owner of this restaurant did not spent too much time on the interior decoration for this restaurant. I think he/she was hoping the food will make us go back. We went for which ever dish that stroke our fancy, especially the weird ones that we do not make on a daily basis.

Chili Bean Jelly Salad

Seafood with Tofu and Vegetable soup

Stir Fried Water Spinach

A bucket of rice! Cutest buck of rice I have ever seen.

Sichuan Style Pig Intestine

Sichuan Style Flounder

I really enjoyed my time with those dishes, especially the stir-fried water spinach -- tender and crispy, can only be done with industrial powered stoves. The food in this place is Americanized, but those slightly altered tastes were enjoyable.

Innate Disgust

I was flipping through science magazine the other day. My mind was not fixated on one particular thing, eyes were just glancing over pictures and diagrams to see what can grab my interest. I encountered a picture of the Chinese primier, Li Keqiang, talking with visiting intellectuals inside one of those governmentally built conference rooms. I stared at the picture of the famous Science editor-in-chief sitting on the typical red arm chair, facing Li. My anger began to rise.

I wasn't sure whether it was my innate disgust towards the Chinese government, or my dislike towards Chinese art and decorations -- I felt uncomfortable. I didn't like the say he was sitting, it reminds me of those Chinese politicians who slowly lost their sense of humanity once they gained power. I didn't like the fact that there was always women in the background of every picture of Chinese politicians, it reminds me of the polygamy that the Chinese society used to practice. I didn't like the fact that the room was overly glorified with colors of gold and red, they symbolize the conceited and narcissistic mind of people who treat themselves as emperors.

I was absolutely disgusted.

Storm Coming Ahead

Have you ever seen the storm coming, and were forced to cut some good times short? This past Saturday I was at a rooftop with friends in Navy Yard, Washington, D.C. As we were leisurely chilling in the pool, binging on barbecued ribs and chicken, those clouds you see below quietly swept over our heads. Before we could notice, winds were blowing at 50 miles per hour, plastic plates and party cups were jumping off the building, and barbecued smoked were smoking us. I took this photo for the city scene as we ran into our own safe caves.



Bright car lights dominate the city streets with the sun just about to shine on the other side of the planet. For some reason, I find it especially calming about those clouds. They seem like the climax in a movie, that would only lead to the greater goods afterwards. They put down a mark that leads to a happier ending, because only better things comes after the worst.

Confusion

For many times I have been confused from all aspects of my life: what to do at work, what to do with my interpersonal relationships, what to do with my family, what to do with life. I tried to think, of a good way that would yield the best outcome. But then the more I think, the more I became hesitant of what to do. The more I think, the more I become confused. In the end, I started to procrastinate. I hold off the things that are most important to me last, fearing to face the success or failure that results from my actions. In the mean time of procrastination, I cannot help but worrying things that has not yet been taken care of, closures I have not yet received, minds not yet settled. This is an on-going cycle that is going on in my life. And everytime I have gotten through these obstacles, I believe that I will handle these situations a better way. In fact, I have not improved. I still face problems with over interpretations, overwhelming worries and un-necessary focuses.

I understand the world is not black and white, and there are no right and wrong. But wouldn't things just be much easier if one can find a way to draw the clear boundaries of everything?

Sitting Down

How many times, out of our busy lives, do we actually sit down and think about something. We pause for a second, avoid all the busyness of street crowds, ignore those additional work tasks our supervisors just dump us, and pretend that we are just by ourselves. This happen more often to me during lunch time on a Wednesday, or morning breakfast time on a Sunday. Just a cup of milk or tea, a mellow story book, and a semi-comfortable armchair. Let the sunlight go through the windows you are sitting next to, let nature tell you their definition of the truth. What is life about? What is happiness about? Sadness, confusion, and anger? Are they worth it? What can our actions say about ourselves? What do we really want to do with our limited youth? What more is out there in space? These are the questions that often pop up within our minds, but rarely do we actually hold on to this over-board question and attempt to find out our answers.

It is hard to have time for ourselves, especially in the twenty-first century, under the over-exploration of media connections. Since when does it sound uncool to have minimal contact over the virtual world of Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram? Since when is it strange to not know what hashtags are now more than a number sign? Since when has people started staring on their phones constantly? Since when has people started to ignore another human being sitting right next to them?

No matter how difficult it might seem, I cannot deny the fact that social media is currently as large and powerful as it can ever be. It's like realizing that America is no longer the superpower. Harsh truth like these are things we are constantly fighting to accept on a daily basis.

Cold Tofu

Ingredients needed:

- Silken Tofu

- Scallions/Green Onions

- Hot pepper oil or Sesame Oil

- Soy Sauce

- Garlic

Take silken tofu out of the box, cut into thin pieces, transfer onto a dish. Chop up garlic and scallions into small pieces. In a separate skillet, heat up soy sauce and hot pepper oil (replaceable with sesame oil), add garlic and scallions, toss for 1 minute under medium heat. Pour sauce over silken tofu.

You can add red pepper flakes on it too if you are really into spicy food.