Congrats to mahster on blue belt.

Congrats to Eric on his blue in BJJ. Outstanding job.
Mahster.com - I'm so Blue!: "I'm so Blue!
Monday, 01 January 2007

"Finally blue!I'm so blue, blue, blue . . . Not as in being depressed, but as in finally getting a blue belt in Brazilian Jiu-jitsu!" -- mahster

Cabbage for PR

Well, as I roll through my photos from Taiwan I came across one I took for PR.
I know you love cabbage. So, here you go. A cabbage farm I saw in Xin She. Just for you, my friend.

Cold weather??? Hot Buttered Rum!!!

Well, this is my second attempt at this post. I lost the first one to my switch to the NEW blogger.
So, let's see if I can recapture the emotion.
If you are not in So. California , let me fill you in.
It's windy here. Really windy. I thought I would go down to the closest bevmo.com location and check the beer selection. I saw some Boddington's and smiled. "Hey there old friend, long time no sip", I said. But, then I saw Boddington's neighbor, Bass Pub Ale and my eye wandered. "You, doing anything tonight. I am not really with Boddington tonight", I wispered. I put Bass into my cart and headed toward the door. But, just then, I saw my old mistress from the Orient, Harbin. Yes, after more than a decade, out of nowhere, she just appeared. Harbin had not touched my lips since 1994 in China. My friend PR and I were travelling in China. It was at a now forgoten eatery on a small row in a working area of an industrial town.
Here she was. She whispered to me: 嘿， 先生， 你看起来很面熟。 你想跟我喝一杯 吗 ？
Oh... That old temptress.
Well, that was all it took.. I decided right there that I was dumping Bass and taking Hharbin for a ride.
Nothing is a sure thing. And opportunities come when you least expect it.
Suddenly, I saw a fling I had in Oregon. HOT BUTTERED RUM!!! Nothing is like Hot Buttered Rum. Oh... When it is cold and you want to feel warm inside.. Nothing is like HOT BUTTERED RUM. I dumped Harbin faster than you can say " 对不起 ". I was already hopping into that tub of HBR mix in my mind. I got home and heated a fine mug. Added 2 spoons of HBR mix and some piping hot water and an ounce or so of rum. Oooohhhh... That wafting aroma hit my nose like cheap perfume mixed with the sweat of a young woman in a dance club when she sits down to talk after a long set. This was going to be good. And when she hit my lips, I was not disappointed. She warmed me to the core.
Cold weather??? No problem. I am spending the night with Hot Buttered Rum.

Cooking for family... OR... something different for everyone.

Well.. My sister Judy and her husband came over for dinner tonight. I like hanging out with Judy a lot. I felt like cooking dinner for everyone. The problem was that no one could agree on anything. I did not want to eat any meat as I had fish and pultry 2 days in a row. That's a lot for me now.. Judy was on board with veggies but likes her food very plain. Her husband Brian won't eat vegetarian unless he is tied up or you trick him. My Dad was in the mood for fish... So... I was off to Trader Joe's.
Here's what I made (sorry, forgot to take photos).
Judy and I got steamed brown rice, sauteed carrots and yellow squash in olive oil with a little salt. Stir fried Kale and other greens （青炒) and yellow cord (I tried roasting one piece in my little toaster oven for fun.. It was pretty good.
Also, I made myself a curry bean stew.
For Dad, fish and chips. But, I supstituted hash browns for the chips.
Brian got chicken taqitos with cheese, guacamole and salsa.
How's that for a family dinner? My mom was too sick to eat or I may have
tried to recreate the wonderful sesame tuna steaks I made a couple days ago. I used a sauce I brought back from Taiwan called 生菜涼麵醬 made by 綠主張 brand. I added some soy sauce, garlic and a little wine. Then broiled them to perfection (well, I over cooked them just a tad). I am also enjoying the 麻油辣椒醬 my auntie gave me to bring home. MMMmmmmmmm.....