! Shout Out !

Yo yo yo yo! This is a shout out!!!


To: my Mom, brother, Grandpa, Auntie, cousins and family for being wonderful people who continuously give me love and make me feel super special in this world.


To my friends. I am blessed to have such extraordinary people in my life. You know who you are. 


To: 101 Cookbooks (more importantly Amanda Bradley) for introducing me to the Okonomiyaki, or the deeeeelicious Japanese Pizza which I like to impress people with (http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/japanese-pizza-recipe.html). This website is loaded with other tasty and healthy recipes (SF, represent!)


To: Martina, my host sister, for exposing me to all sorts of fun and interesting German traditions, like last nights's Kohl and Pinkelfarht tour!! An unforgettable route, meal, and dancing to a combination of German pop and American randoms (incl. Bryan Adams).

Clockwise: grönkohl (green cabbage), kartoffeln (potato), schwinefleish (pork slab?), bratwurst, pinkel (wheat mixed with bacon, groats of oats or barley, beef suet, pig lard, onions, salt, pepper and other spices. Think German haggis). 

The exact composition of the pinkel recipe is guarded as a trade secret by the different butchers and therefore varies from village to village.

Mmmm...

A Tribute to Produce Produced Around the World

H 

is for the Heirloom Tomato 

I bought in Oakland, CA.

P 

is for the most Perfect Pickle, 

or the Jewish half-sour pickle. It is perfect because it captures the most delicious stage of the cucumber-to-pickle maturation process. 

Although technically not a vegetable any more, these were enjoyed at the world-famous Katz Deli in the Lower East Side of New York City.

B

is for this Beautiful Broccoli

my Aunt Pam grew in her garden in Grass Valley, CA.

A

is for that Absurdly phallic Avocado 

we found in Montezuma, Costa Rica. 

Compliments to master preparer, Marie-Claude (from Quebec, Canada).

 Y

is for the Yellowtail

Tayana and I saw at the Civic Center farmer's market in San Francisco, CA.

M

is for Bitter Melon 

(or Momordica charantia), the funny-looking wrinkly, groovy and spiky cucumber that Tayana and I also came across. Weird. 

 B 

is for Bells,

 brightly beaming in the beige baskets below (San Francisco, CA). 

P 

is for Paris the Pretentious Pineapple,

 Hawaii's hippest, coolest most "with it" pineapple. 

The pineapple on the right is definitely NOT with it.

C 

is for Crazy-Cool Catalan Cauliflower,

 and a bit of Romanesco, to the left. 

These violet femmes were found in Barcelona, Spain at the incredible La Boqueria on La Rambla.

O

is for Oyster Mushroom.

Fungi amazes me sometimes. These Neptunian delicacies came from the Montclair Farmer's Market (love) in Oakland, CA.