Happy National Donut Day

Yep, it's that time of year again.  National Donut Day!  Oh never heard of it?  Me neither.  But if wikipedia is to be believed it started back in 1938.  Thank goodness I have social media to let me know about national celebrations of fried dough.  I celebrated National Donut Day a day early, by drinking some lovely Four Barrel coffee and enjoying my donut at Dynamo Donut's outdoor patio, which I also did not know existed for the almost 4 years I worked in the area.  I was in the area by chance, but I'm sure glad I got that donut  now (I was feeling a bit guilty at the time of consumption) because now I have pictures for National Donut Day #FatKidFTW

Traditional Japanese Restaurant Storefronts

Japanese restaurants really know how to put up a store front.  Even before you walk in, you begin the experience and you feel like the food will be amazing.  Don't these pictures of the restaurants make you want to eat there?

Kyoto Day 3, Fushimi Inari Taisha

One of my most favorite places to visit in Kyoto is Fushimi Inari Taisha, a Shinto shrine famous for their thousand torii, or "gates".  Much like Antelope Canyon, you can't really take a bad picture here.  The grandeur of it all is breathtaking.

Can't afford to sponsor a torii?  Write your wishes on these mini gates and maybe the Shinto gods will answer your prayers.

You can hike through these gates for hours and it would probably look much the same (except the crowds will thin out).  But you don't have to go too far to get shots without people in them.

One of my favorite things about this place are the food stands right outside.  Grab some traditional Japanese mochi snacks (below) or get the karaage (Japanese fried chicken) which was perfect!

From the Fushimi Inari train station to the the shrine, there are several shops along the way.  The first senbei shop that you see (closest to the train station) is a 3-generation shop where you can see the current generation making the senbei using traditional irons over a stove.  His parents now are the salespeople and they were super friendly.  When we bought some senbei, they gave us a free sample from their imperfect senbei pile.  It was still warm and it was delicious!  I can't recommend this place highly enough.  Also if you don't know what senbei is, it's basically the original fortune cookie (tastes like the best fortune cookie you've ever had), but minus the fortune.  You can read up on the history here.

Monday Muse

Bear with me as I try a new type of possibly-cheesy semi-regular posting, which I'm calling Monday Muse.  Since I believe in the wisdom of books (ok sometimes it's just food for thought), but even I don't want to read the lengthy book review blog posts I've tried in the past, I'm going to share my favorite quotes from these books.  So for my first installment of Monday Muse I present Dr. Viktor E. Frankl: Holocaust survivor, psychologist, and celebrated author of Man's Search for Meaning.

For the meaning of life differs from man to man, from day to day and from hour to hour.  What matters, therefore, is not the meaning of life in general but rather the specific meaning of a person's life at a given moment....One should not search for an abstract meaning of life.  Everyone has his own specific vocation or mission in life to carry out a concrete assignment which demands fulfillment.  Therein he cannot be replaced, nor can his life be repeated.  Thus, everyone's task is as unique as is his specific opportunity to implement it.  As each situation in life represents a challenge to man and presented a problem for him to solve, the question of the meaning of life may actually be reversed.  Ultimately, man should not ask what the meaning of his life is, but rather he must recognize that it is he who is asked.  In a word, each man is questioned by life; and he can only answer to life by answering for his own life; to life he can only respond by being responsible.

5 Things Friday

1) I had never heard of this movie before but it was pretty good: This is Where I Leave You.  It stars Tina Fey, Jason Bateman, Jane Fonda, the Philly governor from House of Cards and Adam from Girls (and there's also Tom's annoying friend from Parks and Rec and the older woman on Nashville and some other famous people).  The best things about this movie are the overall casting and the scenes with Tina and Jason (surprisingly I think this is the first movie they did together and they're so awesome together).

2) After watching the outrageousness that is the business of chicken farming (below), I've decided to a) buy chicken NOT produced by Pilgrim's, Tyson, Sanderson Farms, or Perdue; b) and instead buy chicken from Pitman Farms (aka Mary's Organic Chicken); and c) donate to small farms through BarnRaiser (crowd funding for farms and organizations promoting clean eating and responsible farming).

3) I really want to do a tour and tasting at St. George's Distillery in Alameda.  Anyone with me?

4)  And I found this amazing shop in Bernal Heights last week, which only opened about 2 months ago.  They sell small batch artisanal goods and I'll be doing a more thorough write-up of what they have and what I bought!  Shop there and then eat at one of my favorite Italian restaurants in the city, Vega!

5) Anyone else have Mad Men withdrawals?  It's not the best solution but try watching Happyish on Showtime.  Specifically, episode 4 which coincidentally not only aired on the same day as the Mad Men series finale but also reference the same Coke ad from 1976.  Just be prepared to endure some off the wall, truly crazy people delusions.  The modern ad man's world? Plus it stars the Steeve Coogan from The Trip (also a good watch).  

Kyoto Day 2

These pictures below were taken at the ending of the first day.  At night the riverside really starts to have an almost celebratory festival feel, with the lighted lanterns and people enjoying the outdoors.  

The next morning we had a breakfast buffet at our hotel. The above picture was the view from our window seat in the dining area.  A really tranquil view for eating!  The Hyatt Regency really is one of the best places to stay in Kyoto.

On the way to our first stop, I took a time to take a picture with the sidewalk since the tile work was so unique.  Also pictured below is my new favorite travel bag, my Mansur Gavriel bucket bag in canvas.  It can hold endless amounts of stuff.

First stop was Kinkakuji, or the Golden Pavillion (that's the admission ticket above).  It was beautiful but the throngs of tourist and the fact that it was rebuilt in the 50's and then regilded in the 80's made it feel less historically accurate and more like Disneyland's Cinderella Castle.

Outside of the temple were cute stores selling cute things.

Within walking distance is Ryoanji, a temple famous for it's Zen rock garden.  I think the idea is to quietly observe the garden in mediation, but I had the interesting experience of visiting during peak school field trip hours.  And so I was completely surrounded by middle school students who were incessantly counting the number of rocks out loud. They say that you can only really see 14 rocks from any one point on the veranda, but would be able to see the 15th after attaining enlightenment.  Guess I'm not enlightened yet since I only saw 14 rocks as well.

The other side of the veranda was equally beautiful.  Right around the corner was this lush green landscape, which I'm sure is even more gorgeous during the spring and autumn seasons.  It would be such a joy to be able to watch the changing of seasons from this place.

Inside the temple was one large room, with screen door dividers, so the whole space could be completely open to the outside.

The grounds surrounding the temple were also breathtaking.  Summer was in full force and there were just so many shades of green.

Except the one tree here that was confused and thought it might be autumn.  But it does give you an idea of what this place looks like during the fall months, all shades of red.

Thoughts on a Memorial Day Weekend

Last night we were driving home from a friend's house when we passed Golden Gate National Cemetery, a military cemetery in San Bruno.  It was a foggy night and from the freeway I could see a lone spotlight softly lighting up the waving American flag, which was doing a slow ripple with the wind.  

And it was one of the most beautiful sights I've ever seen.  

I'm not what you would call a patriot and I don't usually feel American pride.  I also don't think America is the best country or that the American government always does the right thing.  But looking at that flag I felt a momentary keen sense of love for my country.  I love that American and Americans for the most part strive to be better or be in a better situation than they are currently in, and that there is hope that that's possible.  We are taught to believe that theoretically we could do anything and be anyone.  And even if this is not absolutely true, it's beautiful to live in a country where that could possibly be true.  And with these vague notions I begin to understand why some solders would give up their lives for our country.  And so on this Memorial Day I quietly thank not only my fellow Americans who lost their lives but also to my fellow American who are still actively serving our wonderful nation.

Kyoto Day 1

We got to Kyoto in the late afternoon, after catching an hour and 45 min ride on the Shinkansen (the bullet train).  California definitely needs to finish making the bullet train from SF to LA pronto!  It makes travel so much easier!  After checking into our hotel (my favorite is the Hyatt Regency Kyoto), we went to the downtown Gion district and had dinner by Kamogawa (the Kamo River).  During the summer seasons you can enjoy dining outside, Japanese style (aka sitting on floor) on large patios facing the river.  And that's exactly what we did!  (or you can always grab a beer and sit on the river banks, which you can see lots of people opted for as well).

The narrow alleys lined with restaurants...

...and shops selling Japanese ware for the tourists.

Al fresco dining!

Wouldn't be right to dine outside on a beautiful evening without beer!

Last day in Tokyo, Next stop Kyoto!

I'm actually already back in Japan but I'm behind on my posts, as usual.  I went over my data limit with the pocket wifi and hotel wifi reception was unreliable so I wasn't able to post fantastic (and large) photos like this, of my donut.

Mister Donut makes the hands-down best donut.  Since they're partially made with mochi rice flour, they're perfectly chewy.  Also, they aren't too sweet like American donuts.

No need to go to Paris for Laduree macarons.  Just go to the 2nd floor of Mitsukoshi in Ginza.  I don't know how they do it but their macarons are perfectly soft and crumbly without being mushy.

And this is my favorite place to rest and check email, the third floor of the Apple store in Ginza.  In the summer, it is the only air-conditioned and comfy-seated place (and the only place with free wifi) that won't kick you out.  I've seen guys take naps here while they wait for their wives to finish shopping.

And view from Grandma's house.  We had a family lunch there so I ended up shopping nearby.  Since Ginza is within walking distance from my Grandma's house we end up going there quite a bit.

Day 2: Omotesando

There are always new places to shop in Japan, and Omotesando Hills is one of those newer super modern luxury malls.  Don't think I bought anything this day but it was fun to just ogle all the pretty goods.  The mall itself was architecturally interesting, where one floor just led down to the other (the use of escalators is optional), kind of like one long spiral ramp. 

Love it, super Japanese chic!

toys toys everywhere!

An outpost of Magnolia Bakery!

Niwa Hotel and it's surroundings

Hotel Niwa is located in the Kanda district of Tokyo, a quiet neighborhood that's home to a ton of used bookstores and some Nihon University campuses.  The front of the hotel had gorgeous and serene greenery.

One of the bookstores had vintage French and American fashion mags.  So chic! 

And the best thing about the Niwa Hotel was their Japanese and Western breakfast buffet.  

Day 1 in Japan part 3: Ginza

After Shibuya I went to Ginza where I went to my 2 favorite stores there: The flagship Uniqlo store (12 floors of Uniqlo!) and Dover Street Market (to see what the avant garde are wearing these days). 

Miu Miu

An outpost of Louis Vuitton

Some Dover Street Market art

And had some Japanese snacks along the way back to the hotel.

Day 1 in Japan part 2: Muji, Loft, and other stores in Shibuya

Some of my other favorite stores in Japan are Franc Franc (a home goods store), Loft (another department store like Tokyu Hands that has a little bit of everything), Muji, Parco (a trendy clothing department store), and Tokyu FoodShow (in the basement of Tokyu Department Store).

Bathing Ape, not my style but a fun store to walk around in.

Muji and Loft!

Decorative bowls made from paper.  Fun but useless!

Below is that famous crosswalk in Japan, the one with a ton of people.  There were also a lot of tourists taking pictures and video.  Snapped this while I was waiting to cross.

Gorgeous flowers at the entrance of the Tokyu FoodShow.

There's a grocery store down here along with a ton of prepared foods.

$100-$150 melons!

Day 1 in Japan part 1: Tokyu Hands, Shibuya

After a cramped 11 hour flight from SF, I finally made it to Tokyo and I couldn't wait to check-in to our hotel (I'm here with my mom).  We're staying at the Niwa Hotel in the Kanda district.  The rooms are small but clean.

For the first day I went to Shibuya and Ginza to get all my omiyage (souvenir gift) shopping out of the way (and of course I did some shopping for myself too)!

Got there super early so there weren't that many people and some of the shops weren't open.  But thankfully one of my favorite department stores was open: Tokyu Hands

There's 7 floors and 3 connected buildings of all kinds of random goods.  It's everything you can think of except clothes and shoes.

So you can keep track of all the calories you're burning while shopping.

One of my favorite floors: stationary and pens!

Every coffee utensil you can think of.

Extensive crafting sections

Leather for making your own leather goods.

I list my other favorite shops in Shibuya in part 2!

Where to Eat: Udon Mugizo, Terra Cotta Warriors, Orenchi Beyond and Dragon Beaux

Living in San Francisco has really brought out the foodie side of me and I'm blessed to be living in such a food-loving city.  And best of all this city has just amazing Asian food.  So here is Where to Eat, the SF Asian Edition.

First up is the semi-new Udon Mugizo in Japantown.  The noodles are supposedly made in house (they have a fancy machine out front to make the noodles, but we were there on a slow weekday and so the noodles weren't in production).  And the noodles were quite good! I like eating udon noodles cold since that way you can really enjoy their texture throughout the meal (no mushy noodles at the end).  Portion sizes were pretty small so if you're a big eater, get a set meal with both a rice bowl and a small udon bowl.  

The picture up top is from Terra Cotta Warriors (after we've all has a couple bites) and this is one of my top favorite Chinese restaurants in the city.  They serve Northern Chinese cuisine so there's a lot of spices and Szechuan peppers (but the nice thing is that they don't overdo it on those tongue-numbing peppers).  My favorite dishes are the Shanxi mianpi (signature house made noodles in a spicy sauce, the dish on the right), the pig ears with cucumbers (dish in the middle), and the preserved egg with tofu (the dish in the foreground).  Another good dish not pictured here is the spicy noodles with ground pork.  I would go every week if I could!

Orenchi is a popular restaurant down in the South Bay and so they recently opened a sister store here in the Mission called Orenchi Beyond.  This is the Orenchi bowl, but I prefer the Orenchi Beyond bowl which is a bit richer and garlickier.  And the best part of this restaurant?  No long lines!!  Who knows if it will still be this easy to get into in the future but go while this place is relatively still unknown.

And the most recent place I've eaten at is the sister restaurant to Koi Palance called Dragon Beaux (why Chinese people chose a name with a silent "x" is beyond me.  I guess they were trying to be fancy.)  Anyway the food was delicious!  I'm not a huge dim sum fan, and that's mostly because of the exorbitant wait times at most places.  But there is a minimal wait time at this place (so far, and on top of that I went on a weekday lunch so there was zero wait time--even better).  So it makes the dim sum taste that much better!  My favorite dishes so far were the fish and shrimp dumpling and the juicy pork (xiao long bao).  

Turnip mush (not sure what the real name is but thats what it was), not bad actually.

XLB

goji berry and tea jelly, very refreshing

egg custard tart...I loved it!

Anyway I'll be in Japan this week and I'll try to do some real-time (or more like semi-later-time) blogging from my phone when I'm there.  Have a good week y'all!

Trying to be a Minimalist when I love fashion

photos from Apartment Therapy

I'll admit it, amongst my friends I'm known as the Consumer, the Shopaholic, the Big Spender, etc.  But the irony is that I am also constantly trying to simplify my life.  I love pinning (on Pinterest) those minimalistic closets (like the one above), houses, decor, and fashion choices.  But the truth is I'm quite the maximalist. When I'm following a trend, even a trend as broad as It-bags, I find that I have to get the "best" one if not all of the best ones.  

Do you think I have enough bucket bags there?  Don't worry I didn't keep them all.

This leads to always over-flowing closets, which I'm also always cleaning out.  And after awhile I start feeling like a mouse on a mouse-wheel: getting nowhere fast.  Well there are no magic solutions to this push-pull of wanting things and wanting to simplify.  And I'm sure this is what a lot of women in the western world feel, why else would there be so many blog posts and articles about simplifying?  I know there is no way in the world I will stop buying stuff.  And I know I'll want to keep adding pieces to my wardrobe because I don't see myself stagnating in just one style.  

So here are some rules I've found useful in keeping myself in check:

1) Have a uniform, your go-to outfit so that you don't have to think too hard on what to wear on a daily basis. And when evolving your uniform, just buy one item at a time). 

2) If you don't love love it, don't buy it.  If you just kinda love it, leave it!  And never buy anything because it's a good deal or it's cheap.  Those items never work out.

3) But do buy it if you love love it and know you'll wear it.  But if you take it home and don't find yourself wearing it within the first week, return it.  If you love it, you'd find a way to incorporate it in your daily life immediately.  [This doesn't quite work if you buy clothes for an upcoming occasion, but in that case don't buy something way in advance.  If you find you don't wear it, try to return it or at least sell it on eBay].

4) Make eBay (or your favorite equivalent) your best friend.  eBay and I've been tight for almost a decade.  eBay relieves some of the guilt on purchases that I couldn't return.  If you don't do eBay, you could always go to a place like Crossroads or Buffalo Exchange (but I find them quite picky or extremely snobby sometimes, and the rate they give you is nowhere as good as what you can get on eBay).  There's other sites like Poshmark, Thredup or Tradesy, though I'm not too familiar with them.  And the key is, as soon as you think you are over a piece of clothing, sell it!  Sell it while it's still in style.

5) The one in, one out rule does help.  Sell/get rid of something when you buy something of the same type.

6) If you wear something and don't feel great in it or see a picture of you wearing it and you go "ugh", sell it/get rid of it right away.  You probably won't feel great wearing it a second time around (but you could try, and if it still feels "ugh" definitely get rid of it).

7) If you have some spare time and you find your closet or drawers overflowing, take the 5-10 minutes to find something to get rid of.  Have an ongoing donation/sell it pile.

8) Just don't go shopping (in stores or online).  Go watch (or re-watch) Chef's Table on Netflix instead!

What do you guys do to keep your closets manageable?

How do you like my first blogger-y blog post?

Do you like these blogger-y questions on the bottom here?

5 Things Friday

1) I've just started watching Chef's Table on Netflix and this documentary series is fantastic!  It's created by the same guy who directed Jiro Dream's of Sushi.  The storytelling is amazing and quite touching. And the visuals are just stunning.  This is the next wave of chef superstars, thanks to the exposure from David Gelb. If you're a foodie, go watch it now!

2.  I found this entertaining:

3. I don't have a green thumb by any means but I do get satisfaction when I'm able to keep a plant alive long enough so I can eat it!  Last year I grew kale and lettuce and so this year I'm going back to kale.  But a peach tree we planted several years ago finally looks like it has some fruit!  I hope we have some tasty peaches this year.

Kale sprouts!

4.  Once upon a time, a good friend suggested I do a fashion blog since I'm interested in the topic.  But I'm not comfortable taking modeling shots so I decided to start a fashion instagram account instead.  It's my vanity project.  It mostly centers around my bag obsession (which I find never leaves me no matter how old I get... what can I say, I'm a bag lady).  If you want to follow, the account name is daly.style (inspired by my love for Daly City, lol no actually I just couldn't think of a name).  

5. And if you haven't read my last post yet about great mothers, go read it (and then tell your mother how great she is)! Not the least because I accidentally deleted the main body of the post and had to type it up twice!  There seems to be a trend of me accidentally deleting things on SquareSpace: it happened to me on two separate occasions this week.  Gotta be more careful.  Anyways have a great weekend and Happy Mother's Day to all the moms in the world (that read this blog)!

The Science Behind the Impact of Great Mothers

A scientific study that may show that great mothers can make all the difference:

[Dr. Stephen] Suomi has found that, just as with humans, rhesus monkey mothers are extremely important in shaping the attitudes and behaviors of their offspring; the first six months of bonding and nurturing are critical.  Just how critical? "We did studies looking at monkeys whose genetic backgrounds suggested that they would be naturally anxious and fearful, and we cross-fostered them with mothers who were supportive and there for their kids.  And those kids did beautifully when they grew up.  They grew highly social.  Thy got used to looking to others for help, and they ended up at the top of their dominant cycle."

So here's how it breaks down: Monkeys that were born with the more resilient genes essentially did fine with any type of mother.  The monkeys that have the social anxiety gene, raised by anxious or nervous mothers, grew into anxious adult monkeys.  A decent mother produces somewhat anxious adults, but a great mother can turn a baby genetically programmed to be at risk for anxiety into a healthy adult.  With her nurturing, her child can overcome the genetic blueprint...Those so-called "genetically challenged" monkeys when raised by those great mothers, don't just turn out fine, they actually excel.  They thrive.  They become stronger, healthier, and more confident than their peers. They become superstars, if they have superstar moms.

Suomi had uncovered what a few other researchers are starting to understand.  Some genes make monkeys, and humans, not more vulnerable to the environment, but more sensitive to the environment.  There's a big difference.  Suomi has come to see the monkeys with the anxious gene as sponges, absorbing the worst, but also the best, of what they experience.  In scientific circles, the proposition of sensitivity genes is quickly gaining ground and was recently dubbed the orchid theory.  Most children, according to developmental psychologist Bruce Ellis and developmental pediatrician W. Thomas Boyce, are genetically like dandelions: hardy and able to thrive in many environments.  They go on to suggest that despite what we have thought for years, the non-dandelion children may in fact not be the weak ones.  Based on burgeoning evidence, the researchers posit that these children should be viewed as orchids: trickier to raise but if nurtured in the right environment, able to excel beyond even their sturdier dandelion counterparts.

-Excerpt from The Confidence Code by Katty Kay and Claire Shipman

I want to say thank you to my own mom for being a superstar mother.  Who raised a possibly orchid daughter into a resilient, confident, and happy adult.  Happy early Mother's Day and I love you Okasan!

And if you didn't want to read the whole thing, here's a video featuring the same researcher mentioned above, Dr. Stephen Suomi

Want to read more?  Here's an article from the Atlantic about it.

Where to eat: The Progress, San Francisco

I had a detailed and lengthy review written about this place, The Progress, but I accidentally deleted it (AHHH! Damn it!) so now I'm retyping it.  I apologize if this current post lacks details.  Anyway I had the great opportunity to dine at The Progress last week.  It is the sister restaurant to State Bird Provisions, one of the few restaurants in SF that lives up to its hype.  The Progress is getting there.  They had a lot of the same experimental recipes as SBP but some of the dishes were a miss.  But the good dishes were very hype-worthy!

The ordering style is like ordering dim sum in SF: write it down with a pencil and family style meals.

Starter plate, meh.  You have Malaysian style "beef jerky", fried mussels, anchovies, (weird tasting) mushy strawberries with sesame paste, parmesan crackers and radishes.

The best dish of the night by popular vote: shaved cauliflower and pig ears.  I <3 pig ears!

Razor clams, meh.

Overrated Roti.  It's on the 7x7 Big Eat list but it's definitely not list worthy.  Those pig ears should be on that list.

Lamb merguez (aka sausage).  It was delicious!

Beef, eh.  Not pictured here is the squab and that was amazing.  It came with chili paste and lettuce and you ate it like Korean bbq.

For desert I had the salted caramel floating island.  That was pretty good, especially with the strawberries.  All in all it was a good dinner.  I would definitely come back again to try the other items on the menu.  But if you're deciding between eating here, and eating at the original (State Bird Provisions) definitely go to SBP.  They're still working out the kinks here and not all the dishes are amazing. And thanks to my friend Vickie for doing all the planning!

3 Things Friday

1.  My new favorite thing from Trader Joe's

The artificial flavoring is amazing!  No really, it's so good I don't care what's in it.

2. I'm finally catching up and finishing the last season of Parks and Rec.  For awhile it was going a bit slow but this last season is pretty funny.  

3. Only in China: