A Day at the Getty

Last Saturday, I spent the afternoon at the Getty museum with a new friend. We had a lovely time viewing the new Rembrandt exhibit, visiting my favorite painting and soaking up the SoCal sunshine in the gardens.

The Getty holds a very special place in my heart because it was there that I spent countless hours in early 2009 trying to make one of the most important decisions in my life- deciding to retire from competitive swimming. I remember driving to the Getty after classes, sitting alone in the gardens or at a table on the grounds and writing thought after thought, list after list, of reasons for and against retiring. In fact, it was at the Getty that I made the decision to close that important chapter in my life and retire from a sport that I had such a long love affair with. Visiting the Getty evokes that confusing and emotional time in my life, but I am ever thankful to the Getty for providing a space for me and my thoughts.

Anyway, here are some pictures I took during my day at the Getty.

My friend, who is an architect in training, doing a sketch of the Getty Gardens. It was very interesting for me, with my untrained eye, to see his point of view on architecture and art in general.

The Gardens.

A group of Asian G-pa's and G-ma's enjoying some shade. This scene cracks me up to no end and I can barely explain why. Something along the lines of the way they are dressed, their demeanor and well, I love grandparents! (I have a weird sense of humor so I apologize)

Grilled Cheese Truck

Even though I've written my fair share of radio shows about the food truck craze that has overtaken the streets of LA, I've never actually had the urge or motivation to track any of these mobile eateries down (*Gasp* How very un-foodie like of me!). However, when the good people behind the Santa Monica Food Truck Lot decided to organize a Haiti food truck fundraiser, I figured it was high time I discover first hand what the buzz is all about and also give back while doing so!

Held this past Saturday at the TLofts in West LA, the food truck fundraiser featured 25 of the city's most trendy food trucks. Having done my research on the participating trucks, I knew what I wanted to try and bee-lined for the Grilled Cheese truck (which btw had one of the largest crowds). Standing in line I was having trouble deciding if I wanted to grease it up and go with the cheesy mac melt or be a little more frou-frou and go with the gourmet sounding harvest melt. In the end, I did myself proud and got both (with the help of a friend of course).

First order of business was the cheesy mac melt which consisted of creamy mac and cheese topped with tender BBQ pork, caramelized onions and sharp cheddar all sandwiched between two slices of toasted bread. In other words, a mini heart attack waiting to happen. This is the kind of food you crave after a night out on the town- late night greasy food that clogs your arteries with each bite you take. While the bread was perfectly toasted and the cheese and BBQ pork combination was down home American comfort food, there was nothing new or surprising about this grilled cheese. Perhaps had I grown up snacking on grilled cheeses, this sandwich would have evoked some childhood nostalgia. However, since I ate fish ball noodles and tao sar paos growing up, the verdict on the cheesy mac melt would be yummy but nothing special.

Next up, the harvest melt with roasted butternut squash, gruyère cheese, agave syrup, thyme and a balsamic reduction. Now this sandwich, let me tell you, was something else. The flavor combinations of the harvest melt were perfect and I simply melted away (pun intended). The woodsy overtones of the thyme coupled with the sweetness of the agave syrup and balsamic reduction elevated this sandwich in a way that is hard to describe, but easy to appreciate. I'm already drooling just thinking about it and have already begun an online search for a recipe to replicate it at home.

All in all, I will say that my virgin food truck experience was a delicious one. The harvest melt did the trick and I walked away a convert, believing that great food can come from a truck.

Details:

The Grilled Cheese Truck or follow them on twitter

A Few Of My Favorite Things

Being a (former) cyber hermit, I've never been one to leave comments on blog postings, click the "like" button on facebook statuses (yet alone comment), twitter or even admit that I sometimes cyber stalk people (Yes friends, I sometimes silently stalk you, which I guess is even more creepy than just "normal" cyber stalking... oops). Now don't get me wrong, I've read blogs, utilized FB and even considered twittering but I've basically never felt the need to make my presence known or to connect with anyone via the internet. However, since I've recently declared 2010 the year of trying new things...

One of the blogs that I frequent is My Favorite Things. Yesterday, readers were invited to share a little about themselves by answering 4 simple questions. I'm obliging and here are my answers.

1. Name an author you love:

I've been in a classic sort of mood so, Jane Austen is the first name that came to mind.

2. Books you Love:

Well the Austen collection obviously, The Little House on the Prairie series (it's a childhood thing, you gotta give me that), Cookbooks (my latest favorite being Everyday Harumi by Harumi Kurihara), Wicked, ummm...I hate it when you're "put on the spot" and you can't recall any of your favorite things.

3. Something that always excites you:

Christmas!!!

4. Something you hate:

Jogging/Running, whatever you want to call it. Even though I was an Olympic athlete the thought of running makes me want to hurl. I only run if I am being chased.

Monkey Bread

Growing up in Singapore, I'd never come across Monkey Bread, yet alone heard of it. I first encountered the idea of Monkey Bread when a good friend mentioned that her step-mom makes a killer monkey bread. Killer? Monkey? What? I was intrigued.

This past Christmas season, I decided that it was the perfect time to take this 'mysterious' Monkey Bread into the kitchen. Let me tell you, Monkey Bread, worth the hype! The results were simply delicious (almost sinful) and the smell alone is to die for.

Ingredients:

2 Cans of Buttermilk Biscuits (Non-Flaky Ones)

1 cup Sugar

2 Teaspoons Cinnamon

1 stick of Butter

1/4 cup Brown Sugar

A Bundt Pan

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees

Open both cans of biscuits and cut each biscuit into quarters.

In a 1 gallon ziplock bag, combine 1 cup regular sugar with 2 teaspoons of cinnamon. Shake to mix.

Drop all of the quartered biscuits into the zip lock bag. Seal and shake vigorously to coat each individual piece with cinnamon-sugar. Don't worry if you have extra cinnamon-sugar, that's okay.

Arrange pieces in your bundt pan and build layers as you go. Some recipes called for greasing your pan but I figured that since I was going to drown the biscuits in a gallon of butter (see next step), I would be safe.

Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, melt the stick of butter with 1/4 cup of brown sugar (light or dark). Stir over medium heat until well mixed. Pour mixture over layered biscuits.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes or until the crust is a deep dark brown. Cool for 15 minutes before turning out onto a plate. Pull apart (or if you want to be civilized, use utensils) and enjoy!

The Moment Jars

Illustrations by Kim Fox

Every year, the Team at Th!nk Creative Inc, an Orlando based advertising agency and creative services provider, collaborates on a creative book. The Moment Jar is their latest illustrated storybook about a man who has been collecting the Moments in his life in jars, literally, and storing them in his basement.

In addition to the book, there is also a website where anyone can go and share their own moment by adding a special moment jar to the virtual collection. Browsing through the website, there are moments in Spanish, in Italian, and even in languages I can't place. There were moments about having kids and others about being a kid. Moments about falling in love and also about falling out of love. Moments of birth and of death. There were moments that brought tears to my eyes ("I realized I was finally going to be adopted and have a family") and others that made me laugh ("If you liked it then you should have put a ring on it"). I thought it was definitely noteworthy to see that there weren't any moments about money, possessions or material goods.

After visiting The Moment Jars website, I came away feeling closer to the community of faceless people who posted and shared their special moments with me. In return, I added to the virtual collection by putting my special moment into a jar.

The Moment Jars are a sweet reminder that the most precious things in life aren't found in stores (but ironically in jars?).

To purchase the book or to share your special moment, visit The Moment Jars

Brunch At Tavern

I've been dying to dine at Caroline Styne and Suzanne Goin's Tavern since it first opened its doors to the public last May. Last weekend, I finally managed to make my way down there for a brunch date with a friend.

The interior of Tavern, designed by Jeffery Allan Marks, conjures a sophisticated and sleek updated English watering hole. I could not decide which I loved more, the subdued sage green walls of the elegant foyer, papered in patterns of birds and branches, or the exposed brick in the glass-roofed main dining area (complete with olive trees and leather chesterfield sofas). Definitely a photo-op waiting to happen.

To begin our meal, my friend and I split the Cornmeal Berry Shortcake which was light, tender and perfectly tart. My favorite part of the shortcake was the cornmeal, which provided just the right amount of crunch.

For our main course, my dining companion and I both got the Tavern "Benedict" with Prosciutto and lemon (I know, I know, we should have ordered something different so we'd get to taste more but neither one of us would waver on our choices!). The meaty prosciutto mixed with hot shots of perfectly poached eggs topped with a sprinkling of paprika was heaven in a bite. The addition of the meyer lemon was a delightful twist on this dish and the frizze lettuce provided a nice texture in contast to the runny eggs.

For dessert, we ordered the Asian Pear Coupe pomegranate sherbet and ginger verjus granita. In theory this dessert would have been the perfect ending to my meal because it promised to be light and refreshing. Presented in a glass, the sherbet was already melting to the point of watery and the ginger granita lacked that oomph that I've come to expect from anything made from ginger. The addition of fresh pomegranate seeds and asian pear was a nice thought but did not add much to the dessert.

Before leaving Tavern, I had to check out the Larder, the more casual deli style portion of Tavern. Too stuffed to get anything substantial, I settled on a Chocolate Salted Caramel Macaron. The last macaron I had was from Bouchon Bakery in Napa Valley and I foolishly expected Tavern's macaron to hold a flame to it. Alas! I was severely let down. The cookie shell of the macaron was soft and lacked the crispy bite I was expecting. Moreover, the inside was more runny that chewy. Needless to say, I won't be going to Tavern for my macaron fix any time soon.

Details:

Tavern

11648 San Vicente Blvd

Los Angeles, CA 90049

310 806 6464

The Adventures Begin

On the first day of every new year, my family has a tradition of sitting down together, reviewing the past year in retrospect and then sharing our goals for the upcoming year, a sort of family re-grouping and goal setting time. I know this is a little nerdy of us and yes I'll admit it really is. I mean one year we even had worksheets with columns, categories and sub-categories prepared courtesy of Pa T (love u Pa!). But if I were being honest, I quite enjoy and even look forward to this tradition, it makes me feel closer to my family and I've always believed that
1. sharing your goals with others makes you that much more accountable

and

2. knowing where someone came from and where they're heading can tell you so much about a person

On that note, here is my overarching goal for 2010: I resolve to journey on an adventure of self-discovery, finding and redefining myself outside of being 'the olympic swimmer' (well ex if we're being specific). To not only allow myself to be more vulnerable but to also take chances on other people. To carve out a cultural space of my own and to celebrate incessantly in the good and simply discard the bad! To be less of a hermit, to stop being lazy and get out more. To give more 'ayes' than 'nays' to the social invites I receive. And finally, but just as importantly, to have even more fun with Food & Wine while doing all of the above!

Adventures of a Cultural Nomad was created to be a tool in this process, a vehicle of self expression and reflection. It is a chance to put a little more of myself on display and my hope is that by using social media to write for an audience, I will be forced out of my comfort zone, into a space where hopefully the self I want to be (or at least will be, because does anyone really know who they want to be?) will be waiting for me!

So let the adventures begin! I must say that I've been fortunate enough to have already lived a lifetime of experiences at my young age, but this is one adventure that is extremely important to me and one that I'm nervously excited for. Thank you for coming and sharing this space with me. While I do not quite know where this adventure will lead me, nor what Adventures of a Cultural Nomad will evolve into, I appreciate the company.

xo!