Tuesday, June 24, 2008
too close to home?
i picked up a copy of jhumpa lahiri's 'the namesake' from the library and began reading it a couple of days ago. while i recognize the beautiful storytelling and give the author her much-deserved credit for her talent, i'm having a really uncomfortable time as i flip through the pages. i think any story about immigrants always hits me deep. it leaves me with a heavy feeling in the pit of my stomach. i feel either saddened, embarassed, or angry when i read about the characters' struggles, the misunderstandings, the cultural barriers, etc. i felt the same way when i read 'free food for millionaires' by min jin lee. i guess some experiences in my life have left me still raw. don't get me wrong - i'm not claiming that i've been horribly treated as an immigrant in this country. i don't think i've experienced anything out of the ordinary for any immigrant of the '80s. considering the fact that i am first generation, i think i've taken to america quite well. in fact, i believe most everyone would agree that i'm now more american than i ever was korean. it's just that the handful of hard times will always remain with me. maybe one day i'll talk about those difficult experiences, and perhaps then they'll simply turn bittersweet.
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
culinary retreat
paul's been away at berkeley for a week now, and he'll be gone until sunday. i'm a totally codependent wife; i can't deal with this prolonged absence. so to pass the time more quickly, i decided to take a weekend trip to NYC, my favorite city.
i didn't intend on the trip becoming a major food fest. i thought i'd take in some touristy sites (because despite the NUMEROUS times i've been there, i'd never done anything truly touristy), hang with friends, and get in a good meal or two. well, the weekend revolved around food nonetheless, which i guess is not out of the norm for the restaurant capitol of america.
i'd read online that new york has the best sullongtang in the world, so of course, i had to try it. i don't know if it was the BEST in the world, but it was certainly delicious. my trip to little korea then led me to a frozen yogurt at pinkberry. i'm so sad that DC doesn't have its own pinkberry, and i hope that the powers that be realize what an untapped jewel of a market this is. for dinner, we headed to chinatown for joe shanghai's famous soup dumplings. generally, i'm wary of hypes, but joe shanghai did not disappoint. the soup dumplings were magnificent, and now i'm in a mad search for a DC establishment. during the weekend, i also visited sarabeth's, a cute little restaurant in the upper west side. aside from great company, i tasted the most marvelous pumpkins waffles (i know! pumpkin!). and of course, no trip to nyc is complete without a visit to magnolia for their famous cupcakes. throw in a bubble tea, some delicious cocktails, and a newly discovered love for lillet and voila - a perfect trip to NYC (well, almost perfect. the heat wave definitely put a slight damper on things).
this trip to new york, in a way, was also a farewell. i always thought paul and i would end up in the big apple right after paul's graduation. i had envisioned us spending a couple years in the city while paul finished his postdoc, getting the city life out of our system, then moving to a nice suburb to start an adult life.
obviously, circumstances led us to DC instead. while i am really enjoying DC, i'm always cognizant of the fact that it simply is not new york.
frankly, when i learned that new york was no long an option for us, i was pretty crushed, and i held that disappointment with me for the past six months. but it's time to let go and grow up. new york can't provide us with the kind of opportunities that have been presented to paul. new york can't give us a home with a yard. new york certainly can't give us the quiet stability that paul needs. and to be realistic, at 34, i'll want the suburbs a heck of a lot more than i'll want the hustle and bustle of new york city. so the new york train has passed the keller household. oh well. so i'll always be a visitor. i'll just have to visit frequently.
i didn't intend on the trip becoming a major food fest. i thought i'd take in some touristy sites (because despite the NUMEROUS times i've been there, i'd never done anything truly touristy), hang with friends, and get in a good meal or two. well, the weekend revolved around food nonetheless, which i guess is not out of the norm for the restaurant capitol of america.
i'd read online that new york has the best sullongtang in the world, so of course, i had to try it. i don't know if it was the BEST in the world, but it was certainly delicious. my trip to little korea then led me to a frozen yogurt at pinkberry. i'm so sad that DC doesn't have its own pinkberry, and i hope that the powers that be realize what an untapped jewel of a market this is. for dinner, we headed to chinatown for joe shanghai's famous soup dumplings. generally, i'm wary of hypes, but joe shanghai did not disappoint. the soup dumplings were magnificent, and now i'm in a mad search for a DC establishment. during the weekend, i also visited sarabeth's, a cute little restaurant in the upper west side. aside from great company, i tasted the most marvelous pumpkins waffles (i know! pumpkin!). and of course, no trip to nyc is complete without a visit to magnolia for their famous cupcakes. throw in a bubble tea, some delicious cocktails, and a newly discovered love for lillet and voila - a perfect trip to NYC (well, almost perfect. the heat wave definitely put a slight damper on things).
this trip to new york, in a way, was also a farewell. i always thought paul and i would end up in the big apple right after paul's graduation. i had envisioned us spending a couple years in the city while paul finished his postdoc, getting the city life out of our system, then moving to a nice suburb to start an adult life.
obviously, circumstances led us to DC instead. while i am really enjoying DC, i'm always cognizant of the fact that it simply is not new york.
frankly, when i learned that new york was no long an option for us, i was pretty crushed, and i held that disappointment with me for the past six months. but it's time to let go and grow up. new york can't provide us with the kind of opportunities that have been presented to paul. new york can't give us a home with a yard. new york certainly can't give us the quiet stability that paul needs. and to be realistic, at 34, i'll want the suburbs a heck of a lot more than i'll want the hustle and bustle of new york city. so the new york train has passed the keller household. oh well. so i'll always be a visitor. i'll just have to visit frequently.
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