My all-time favorite cornbread is the one that can be found at Boston Market. It’s soft and moist without being too crumbly. It’s sweet and has lovely little crunchy bits that make it wonderful to bite into. I absolutely love everything about them, from the taste to the texture. Whenever I go to Boston Market, it’s hard to resist buying half a dozen of them for snacking on. They’re big enough to get me by between meals, yet not too much or too heavy. They’re truly wonderful things! Too bad there aren’t very many Boston Markets in this part of the world. In fact, I only know of two (and thank goodness one is in my current hometown of Valencia).
Sometimes I like to sit outside and eat my Quizno’s, with the traffic on Sepulveda whizzing by. And every time that happens, curious and hungry birds are there, waiting for me to share some of my food. These two were particularly bold in demanding I feed them!
He sat across from me, carefully watching for his potential lunch.
A bit of a model, eh? Check out the classic over-the-shoulder glance. Perhaps he was trying to impress me so I'd feed him. 😛
I decided to share some of my bread and he nearly got within arm's length.
He made it very clear what he was waiting for. Quite persistent!
Yesterday my friend and I tried to go eat at a restaurant half an hour before its closing time, only to be turned away because they close the kitchen an hour early. What?!?! That is ridiculous. Most meals only last about 40 minutes or so. I absolutely hate when restaurants stop serving food way before closing time. I once ran down to a place I wanted to eat at and made it 20 minutes before they were supposed to close, only to have the doors pretty much shut in my face. And here I thought restaurants would want to maximize the amount of customers they serve, but I guess going home is far more important.
What really bothers me about this is that it’s so misleading. Do I always have to plan on showing up at least an hour before the listed closing time, even if I only plan on a quick meal? In last night’s case, we even called at 10:15 and asked when they close that night – they told us 11. Why didn’t they bother to tell us that, oh by the way, the kitchen is closed?! It’s not like we were asking when they usually close. We asked when they were closing that night. Hint, hint, we wanted to eat there TONIGHT. Those hours of operation are unreliable.
I think there should be legislation that forces restaurants to list their opening hours as when they stop serving new customers (and listing when they actually kick the customers out of their shop would be optional). After all, we’re going there to eat, don’t we have a right to know at what time we won’t be able to do so anymore? Restaurants should not get away with tricking people into thinking they’re open far more than they actually are. It’s like this one boba place that I’ve heard doesn’t even serve boba until at least half an hour after opening. They should have to note that on the door with their opening times! After all, much of the draw of their store is the boba. People don’t just go to get any old drink; they could do that somewhere else that’s probably open earlier anyway.
So if you ever open a restaurant, please take it upon yourself to do the responsible thing and let people know if your food isn’t served until half an hour after your doors open or if it is no longer served an hour before your doors close. It’s vital information that’s typically far more relevant than when those doors lock and unlock. Thanks.
I was watching this video of Aimee Mullins about adversity, and the thing that struck me, strangely enough, was not her main message, but the moment when she spoke of “childlike curiosity.” I do agree with her message and the powerful way that language sets a precursor, as well as the strength of the human spirit. So I suppose that’s why everything else she said didn’t hit me the way that the reference to curiosity being childlike did.
Why did that part stand out? Well, because I wondered why attributes like wonder and curiosity and innocence are so often described as “childlike.” It’s as if we no longer recognize that adults can be like that and when they are, it’s a rare thing. What’s wrong with “adult-like” curiosity? What has happened in our society that makes everything children do so great and everything that adults “grow into” so bad? Actually, I think that’s exactly what happens because of society. Because we have this sort of structure, at a certain age, things like responsibility and maturity take hold. Expectations develop into more serious ones and we lose much of our freedom to do what we want, enjoy as we like, and not worry too much.
The good thing is that it seems our culture is more and more tolerant of “childlike” activities in adults. After all, records of generations past make them seem rather rigid, but that could just be because what is recorded is not the playful silly moments shared, but the serious and “important” moments had. Nevertheless, I still do feel that generally we are heading towards habits that allow more carefree expressions from older people. I just hope that soon we can progress to such a point that people who sing in public because they are happy aren’t given strange looks as if they’ve lost their minds. Or that fully-grown men and women can get child’s meals without feeling shameful.
Speaking of, why is it that small portions are only allowed to those under a certain age? It’s like the problem with McDonald’s Super Size meals – when you offer larger portions, people will get them*. And when they get them, they try their very best to finish the portions in front of them. So why not just offer smaller sizes and alleviate this pressure that people have looking at their uneaten food? I think we still stuff ourselves full much of the time because of our hunting and gathering days, when food wasn’t so easy to come by. Nowadays, it’s far too easy to overeat, and judging adults who want to get a “child’s” meal is part of the problem.
Personally, I believe in expressing your joy. People sometimes find me too enthusiastic or hyper when I am happy and excited. Generally, they enjoy it, though they are wary and wonder if I’m just a bit cuckoo. But why is that? Why can’t I burst into song because it was playing in my head? Why can’t I be giddy over the smallest victories? Why can’t I jump around and share my positive emotions? Well, I can. Just not without being judged. And that’s ok, I’m used to being judged. When I’m happy, I’m happy and I’ll show it if I want to. I think more people should.
I hope that people will learn to stop putting up the walls around themselves and open themselves up the way they did before society taught them otherwise. I think that’s what people mean when they refer to those childlike qualities. It’s freeing yourself from the bounds that society puts you in, even if just a little. Let’s not become drones and make all the motions going through life without experiencing and enjoying the way we did before the clamps started to pin us down.
*The issue of portion size and the poor eating habits is up for discussion in a future post – ironically, I just watched another TED video, this time about America’s (and now the world’s) eating problem.
As I was getting lunch at Kaya today, I noticed their chopsticks resemble the pair I have in my To-Go Ware set. It reminded me of the day when Panda saw them and asked me why they were warped. Months later, when another friend came back from grad school in the East Coast, he saw them and asked the exact same thing. -____- Whereas I and our other friend, a history major, saw them as artistic, they saw them as warped. Wow. A lesson in the differences between North and South campus majors!
See the gentle curving to give them more character?
At UCLA, North campus houses most of the humanities and social sciences and South campus houses most of the life sciences and physical sciences. The School of Theater, Film, and Television is as north as you can get, while the School of Engineering is in the southern half. We often joke about this separation, but in this case, there truly is a disparity between the way we interpret things. North campus majors recognize the beauty and elegance of a twisted shape; South campus majors recognize a purposeless deformation. Ultimately, we’re looking at the same thing, but our differing opinions of the chopsticks’ design would easily lead to a scenario where I buy them, only to have Panda return them as he wondered why I bought them at all. It’s funny, isn’t it, how differently we view the world?
I’ve been looking through some of the Bloggie nominees and I found that I have no interest in the food or travel blogs. Ironic, since I love food and travel! But I think that is precisely the problem, actually. Rather than looking at pictures and videos of other people enjoying eating delectable dishes and fantastic adventures, I’d much prefer to be the one doing those things! So maybe it’s in part jealousy, but mostly it is just the fact that I’d rather go discover it myself. I don’t want to live vicariously through these other people having a great time when I could be the one loving life like that.
Food blogs are great for those who want to be shown new foods to try, how to cook cool things, or just love to look at food. Food blogs are not good for those who want to discover the great edible things out there themselves, don’t care much for cooking, or see images of food and must go eat. Now. Can you guess what type I am? I absolutely love to take pictures of my food and share it with my friends. I quite like seeing their pictures. However, reading a blog with pictures and extensive descriptions takes up too much time when I could be at a restaurant or little street stall, munching away. So though they could come in as a useful reference if I’m really having trouble finding something to eat (ha!), food blogs are generally not worth the effort to me (except in times when I miss something and just can’t find it in LA, or whichever city I’m in).
Travel blogs are great for those who can’t go and want to see what it’s like, don’t want to actually go but want to see what it’s like, or are about to go and want to see what it’s like in a new place. Travel blogs aren’t ideal for people who can travel (just not at this exact moment) and experience things themselves, don’t care about traveling at all, or want to find their way around a new city themselves. Though I can’t make it out to a far-away city right now, it’s certainly within my means in the near future and I like to not really know what it’s like til I get there and I look up places of interest, or talk to locals and recent visitors who can share their wisdom. I don’t want to spend my time hearing about other people’s travels because I want to be traveling.
Generally I’m obsessed with researching ahead of time, but when it comes to traveling, I am perfectly content with vaguely knowing what a country is like, showing up, and finding some really awesome experiences. I also seem to have random run-ins with locals. And you know what? I wouldn’t have it any other way. Once again, I find that I would prefer to just use these types of blogs as references (aka: “Hey, I want to go to [insert country/city here], I wonder what random things they have to do there?” *searches entries on travel blog and glances through titles and tags* “Ah, ok, got an idea, let’s go!”). Beyond giving me an idea of what’s available, especially obscure stuff, it doesn’t interest me to frequent those type of blogs. Let those people enjoy their travels and share it with those who want to hear about it! I want to go out and do it too, without tainting the experience with too much foreknowledge!
So really, it just comes down to me not wanting to live a vicarious life. Why do that when you can be the one sharing your experiences? As my friend Ninja once said, I want to live a life worth making a movie about (or writing a book about, in my case). You can’t do that if you’re too busy cooped up reading about other people’s lives! Not that those blogs aren’t great for certain crowds. I just find that I don’t belong in the particular group that reads food and travel blogs, that’s all. 🙂
What about you? Do you like to safely follow the lives of those more adventurous than you? Or do you prefer to go have the adventures yourself?
I have been really blessed when it comes to my weight. I’ve never had to diet and never been fat (though at times I’ve been fatter than I would have preferred). However, I’ve always had a “normal” BMI (fluctuating between 19.6-22.7) and I’ve always looked and felt perfectly healthy. And though I’ve never dieted, I have certainly lost weight kind of like I might have been, which was really random.
When I left for Singapore, I weighed 140 lbs, and when I came back five months later, I was 130 lbs. I didn’t notice a difference until I weighed myself at the doctor’s, when I went in for a check-up after getting sick (just to make sure it wasn’t H1N1). Actually, even then, I didn’t really notice a difference, but not long after, I suddenly realized the reason my pants had been loose and why I had needed to wear a belt more. Since then, I’ve lost another 5 lbs for no good reason and that’s where I’m at now. When I’ve eaten, I’m around 130 and when I haven’t, I’m at 125. I don’t watch what I eat and pretty much go with whatever I am craving, which mostly happens to be pickles, ice cream, kimchi fried rice, or (most recently) chili cheese fries.
I hit my peak when I was in England, at around 145. It was probably in part due to the cold (hey, you need some insulating body fat!), lack of movement, and just general unhealthy behavior starting from when I entered college. It wasn’t until I looked at how I look now, versus pictures of how I looked then, that I can see the difference. My face is rounder and plumper in those pictures and I probably fit my pants a lot better. After all, I bought a bunch of new jeans before going abroad and now they’re all quite loose.
I never realized how fit I was in high school until I got really out of shape in college. Whereas before I had track & field, swimming, and ROTC training to keep me extremely active, in college I lazed around eating great food and lounging on couches or my bed. I guess my natural weight is just around 140, since it seems I can maintain that very easily. Nowadays I linger at 125 and I wonder if it is because I can’t eat as much as I used to. As a kid, I was always a huge eater (and more of a snacker), so my metabolism was constantly on hyperdrive. I think that helped me not gain a lot of weight and now that my metabolism has slowed, my eating habits have shrunk along with it. I’m just glad I never had to discipline myself to eat well because I love my food too much!
My philosophy is simple: things change. Therefore, we are all on a lifelong journey of discovery. We should be flexible, questioning, learning, adapting, and growing. Always.
little fat notebook pays homage to Mead's "fat lil' notebooks" that I use to write down any thoughts that strike me throughout the day. I keep one by my side at all times. After all, inspiration waits for no one.
