Not so yummy, yummy

The last few days have been cold and dreary, so when Manoella asked where we should meet for dinner, I suggested Yummy Yummy in the Sunset for warm Vietnamese noodle soup. I remember the last time I was there (I just wandered in off the street after a work event) I had a tasty bowl of pho. I wanted that again.

When I stepped inside this time, the restaurant was warm and smelled of sauteed crab. It was a heavenly change from the blustery cold. Manoella was already there (I was about 15 minutes late because I took the wrong bus and then had to walk a dozen blocks). I perused the menu and decided up on the bun rieu, which is rice noodles in a tomato based soup with seafood.

My mom used to make this for me and my sisters when we were younger. I remember waking up late on weekends and there would be a giant pot of the soup simmering on the stove, noodles in a colander on the counter, and lettuce and cilantro on the kitchen table. We'd help ourselves to noodles and soup. The soup would be orange with bits of ground pork, egg, shrimp, and crab meat (sometimes including the crab roe, my favorite part), and it was delicious.

My sister's godmother who lives in San Francisco also makes this. When I visit her and her husband, she'll usually ask for me to stay for breakfast and she'll have a bowl of bun rieu waiting for me or some other tasty Vietnamese dish. I think her bun rieu is actually better than my mom's; the flavors are more intense without being salty. The last time I was there and she had this for me, I asked her how to make it. She said it was easy: cook some chicken broth with tomatoes and add seafood or whatever else I want. It seemed too easy and I haven't made it yet.

I suppose I had high expectations of this bun rieu from Yummy Yummy. But knowing what goes into it and how it can be made, I couldn't see how it could go wrong. But this bun rieu was wrong. Wrong is maybe too harsh, but it wasn't good. The soup tasted salty but not of salt. Perhaps there was MSG (I can never tell) and it left me really thirsty. There were both canned tomatoes and fresh tomatoes, which I thought was a little weird. There were also half-moon slices of Vietnamese pork cake, which I had never seen in this before. There were only three fresh shrimp. And, the pork was made into meatballs, which had a strange, intense fish flavor. However, the noodle soup did help in getting me warm, I'll give it that much.

I left Yummy Yummy disappointed. I don't think I'll ever trek that far out into the Sunset to eat there again. I suppose it's time for me to start experiment with making bun rieu myself.

Heart attack in the wings

It has been years since I've been in Hayward. Back in my college days, I worked as a teaching assistant for a writing program for middle school students. I drove from Berkeley to Hayward five days a week for several weeks to help these young ones become budding (or at least better) writers. I don't remember much about those days or the time spent in that East Bay city.

Years later, I returned to Hayward for a conference about college financial aid. I wasn't really looking forward to being bored out of mind sitting through the most non-exciting presentation of material I already knew. But, I was looking forward to going to Val's. To me, that would be Hayward's saving grace.

I had read about Val's maybe three years ago in "I Like Eating." And, when I was on a hunt for the best burger in the Bay with Lenna, I remembered Val's. But, before we actually got in the car to make the drive across the Bridge and along the 880 South, I discovered that they are closed Mondays. I was heartbroken. So, when I found out that my coworkers and I would be heading to Cal State East Bay for this conference, I needed to convince them that they wanted to have lunch at Val's too.

I made the first mention on the drive there. I wasn't driving, so I had to sell it. "This is the best burger in all of the East Bay!" I proclaimed. Then, I told David, my officemate and who also likes food more than usual folk, who was also at the conference. He read Yelp reviews during the financial aid presentation. And, we were able to convince others that they wanted to eat there too, though I was nervous at the unwieldy size of the group and how long it took everyone to get moving. We only had 1 hour and 15 minutes for lunch. This was no time to dilly-dally, and I felt a little like a bitch for walking speedily ahead of everyone.

We piled into two cars. I didn't think far enough ahead to get direction, but David had his Blackberry with GPS and logged in Val's address. I was in David's car with Patrick driving, and the other car followed us. We headed down the hill, and, even with GPS, we weren't sure which was to go. David called Val's to get directions. The lady on the phone laughed at him. "Ha, I can't help you. Good luck finding us. We have really good burgers." Huh? He called again and she recognized his voice. "Haha! I can't direct you. But, our burgers are awesome!" We tried following the GPS though it made no sense. We made a U-turn, drove back up the hill, and turned left into a dead-end street.

This was no good. Disappointed, we decided we wouldn't be able to find it in time and drove back to the campus to eat there. David said that, after reading all those reviews about how fabulous Val's milkshakes are, he wanted to find Val's after the conference. I made sure to tell him that I wanted a ride back to San Francisco with him.

We found our way to the campus' food court, which consisted of a sandwich counter and a Panda Express. I don't know why, perhaps I was so distraught by not being able to eat at Val's that I opted for Panda Express. I don't think I've ever eaten at a Panda Express. I had no idea how to order or what to order, and had to watch three of my co-workers place theirs order before I knew what to do when I stepped up to the counter. I chose the fried noodles with kung pao chicken and eggplant with tofu. They looked like the best options.

I was terribly wrong. Everything was greasy, especially the tofu and eggplant, which were sponges of oil. I could only taste grease and salt. Halfway through my Styrofoam box of food, I decided I couldn't eat that anymore. Even if I did seem like a food snob in front of my coworkers who were readily eating this food that they normally would eat, I didn't care. I couldn't put this into my body. I threw used napkins into my box and put all my leftover food in the trash. I would rather be hungry than continue eating that. I think the food also gave me a headache, which I suffered as I sat through a presentation on student loans.

After the conference, we all caught back up with one another in the parking lot. I made my way over to David and told Kirk that I would be riding with him. We asked if anyone else wanted to come to Val's. There was hesitation. "We just ate." "I'm still full." "How long will it take?" "How will we get there?" The part of me that hates being in a group because it can sometimes take forever to come to a decision just wanted to leave and to tell them that they didn't have to join us at Val's, that they were free to do whatever they wanted, that they could go home right then. Though I think some of them thought the idea was ridiculous, they said that they would come too. I started to feel a little guilty; what if Val's sucked? The eight of us climbed into three cars and tried to find Val's, again.

This time, David was lead driver and I, as shot-gun passenger, was the director. After a little bit of a non-direct route through the residential areas of Hayward, we made it to Val's. I was excited! Finally, I was there and it was a cute as could be! It looked like something straight out of The Wonder Years.

We squeezed into a booth and ordered. I ordered just the Baby Burger with cheddar and tomatoes, but made sure to ask if I could have some David's milkshake and onion rings and Nancy's fries. David's and Nancy's milkshakes came out first. I had some of both, and they were creamy and thick, though not so thick that I couldn't get it up my straw. Patrick's and Kirk's root beer floats came out next. They were impressive. A huge scoop of vanilla ice cream topped with whipped cream and a cherry was balanced on the rim of a glass contained root beer. After a few photos, they both tried to figure out how to get the ice cream into the glass without making a mess. Both made a little bit of a mess.

Then, came the food. My Baby Burger was still very sizable. It was a touch pink in the middle, as I wanted it to be, and dripped of juice. It was a good burger, a classic diner burger with no frills or fanciness, but it wasn't the best burger I've ever had. David's onion rings, though, were great. They were crisp, not greasy, and the onion didn't pull out when bitten, leaving just a ring of batter. Nancy's steak fries were also very good with a nice crunch on the outside but with flaky, almost soft and creamy, potato inside. And, the waitress and everyone else inside were so kind. The waitress even called us kids.

After our second meal in three hours, we got back into the cars to drive back to San Francisco. As we were getting off the freeway, David and I were trying to figure out what to do in the hour and a half until our work social. It wasn't enough time to really go home and relax first, so we decided to go to happy hour at O Izakaya Lounge and invited others to join us.

I really like O Izakaya. First, it's basically across the street from the office, which couldn't be more convenient. Second, they have an awesome happy hour, with $3 beer, house sake, and well drinks (happy hour also used to be on Fridays, but they shifted the days to Sundays through Thursdays, not quite as fun). Third, the food is good (and, food also has happy hour prices).

After a Hefeweizen and two little cups of sake, I made my way over to the staff game night with my coworkers. I think I must have been a little drunk because, after telling myself that I was full and didn't need anymore food in me and was already disgusted with myself at how much junk I ate for one day, I had three small slices of pizza that was provided for the social. I played Apples to Apples continually contemplating if I wanted a fourth slice but fought against it.

It was my most unhealthy eating day in a long time: greasy Chinese, a burger, fries, onion rings, milkshake, beer, and pizza. I did, however, have a diet Coke.

Koren food and coffee combo

Last night was not a good eating night. Because I go to my economics class right after work, I usually have dinner at about 5:30. For my dining pleasure, I take my meals at the food court at the Westfield Center, in other words, the mall food court. Sure, this food court is a cut above the rest. There is no Hot Dog on a Stick. There is no Sbarro's Italian Eatery. There is no Panda Express. Though there are teenagers, they are outnumbered by the less obnoxious older tourists, students, and working people.

I like having my pre-class dinner because I have a variety of options (almost all of them not disgusting and not too unhealthy) and, because the dining section is so large, I can usually find a spot, tucked away from the rest of the crowd, where I can eat in peace and doing some reading.

I went to the Korean food place and ordered the barbeque chicken plate, which comes with rice, clear noodles, brocolli, and kim chi. I carried my tray over to a table for eight, which was away from the other diners, and empty. I pulled out my New Yorker and started in.

As I was eating and reading happily alone, a teenaged girl pulled up the chair two seats away and across the table from mine. She was eating ice cream with fresh peaches. Then, she called over to her friend who sat down across from me and they started chatting. What time do you get off work? Is that your dinner? You don't like peaches? What are your Halloween plans? Can you get me in for free? What time do you get off work? You've asked me that already. On and on, until they finally left about 15 minutes later.

I finished my meal, which was too much food for one meal but I was really hungry so I ate it all and then regretted it. Though it was tasty and filled my stomach, it wasn't amazing, but I wasn't expecting amazing from the mall. The grilled chicken was a little too tough and a little too cold. I didn't get as much brocolli as I wanted, though I did get three little cups of kim chi. It was a meal that did its most basic job.

I then went to get a small coffee from Peet's. Usually, I don't drink coffee in the evening; I have no need to. But, after the last economics class where I was struggling to stay awake and could see my hand drooping as I was making a failed attempt at taking notes, I had a need. I wanted to not be an embarassment and fall asleep in class. So, I drank my coffee.

When I got home from class, I knew something was wrong. I still felt full and could still taste the chicken and kim chi in my mouth even though I ate hours ago and followed it with coffee and gum. I think the combination of barbeque chicken, broccoli, kim chi, and coffee, along with the sheer amount of food I scarfed down, wasn't sitting well in my stomach, so I threw up. It was not pleasant. That'll be the last time I have that combination of food.

Fall soup

It's feeling more and more like fall in San Francisco. This morning, I woke up late and the sky was gray. I made my way to the Civic Center farmers' market, where all the vendors were wearing knit caps and scarves. I felt underdressed (and shivered a little) in my t-shirt and blazer.

I have a usual plan of attack when I'm at the market. I walk along all the stalls, just looking at what's available and what is looking best, then, I go in for actually shopping. But, it's a little tough to shop on Sunday mornings. It means I need to plan out my meals for the week and figure out if I'll be able to use what I buy before it gets gross. For foods that don't last too long, I either have to cook and eat them on Sunday (my Monday night economics class prevents me from cooking early in the week) or not buy them at all. Because of this, it means I usually end up just buying fruit.

Today, though, I had a plan. I was going to spend this cold, gloomy Sunday at home, cleaning all the dust bunnies from my house and making soup. And, because of the fall produce, I was going to make a butternut squash and carrot one. I picked up a three pound squash and a bunch of carrots, all for $4. I also bought some Asian pears, brussel sprouts, bok choy, persimmons, and two mini pumpkins for my office. I lugged my bag of goodies home and got to work.

I chopped up an onion and half of one left over from Scott's cooking last week. I sauteed the onions and a little bit of garlic in olive oil until they were soft and translucent. Then, I tossed in four carrots that I peeled and chopped and the round half of the squash that was also peeled and chopped (though not as easily accomplished as the carrots). I poured in Scott's left over chicken broth and some from a new container, added two bay leaves and a large (probably too large) pinch of dried thyme, sprinkled in salt and pepper, put on the lid, and let the soup simmer.

When the vegetables were soft, I pulled out my immersion blender (the best present ever!) and whirred away. My soup was too think--it looked like baby food--so I added more stock and whirred away again. I added more salt and pepper and some water (I added too much salt), and was done.

I had a hearty, healthy bowl of soup when I finished cleaning. It had a rich creaminess to it, even though there was hardly any fat, and was just what I was hoping for for a cold fall day at home.

My Daily Eats revived--for real

I'm reviving Susan's Daily Eats. I read some of my past entries not too long ago, and I became sad. Reading what I wrote, I remembered those meals and those places. I miss that. I miss having this as my journal.

This feeling became particularly apparent when I was walking through the Civic Center Farmer's Market two weeks ago. I had been going there fairly regularly Sunday mornings in the summer. I would pick up summer peaches, nectarines, and pluots. Two weeks ago, I noticed the fruits and vegetables change. There were still some pitted fruits, but there were also apples, butternut squash, persimmons. I could see the shift in season in the new produce. And, I had no outlet in expressing how wonderful it was to see this fall season show its way in food.

So, food blog is back! For real. I'm going to write regularly and post regularly. But, there will be some changes. No more will I be eating as indulgently as I once did. No more will there be posts about excessive beer and mac-n-cheese. No more will there be fried chicken offs and burger hunts.

Instead, there will be more vegetables and whole grains. In my quest to be more fit and less fat, I'm eating more healthily. I'm not dieting, per se. Rather, I'm being more mindful of the things I put into my body and what I need to do to work it out of my body. So, I am still eating burgers and pizza and drinking beer, but just not as much.

Also, because I think cooking healthily should be easy and fun, I'm going to try to include more of what I cook for myself. There won't necessarily be recipes, since I don't like typing out all that detailed information and think that you don't really need to stick to a recipe to make tasty food, but there will be general meal ideas and basic guidance on how to approach cooking it.

So, let's blog!