Coffee, Culture and College Basketball

And macroecon...but that would have ruined my alliteration.

Earlier this week, in an attempt to avoid anything that involved an annuity, an 8 page paper and GDP, I decided to instead peruse food blogs for some culinary inspiration. And then I thought... why turn to food blogs when I have a mini-food library in my room?



Count em. 29 cookbooks. I'm not sure how this happened. Or when.

Believe it or not, I actually have made at least 1 thing from most of these...except for this one:



And for good reason. I'm usually adverse from buying restaurant cookbooks because they sometimes tend to be overcomplicated and fancy. As if sushi is not complicated enough. But, this is my absolute favorite sushi place on Maui, and I stumbled upon this book at Costco. This was one of those fun-to-look-at-but-never-really-use cookbooks. I mean with recipes such as, "Poached Keahole Lobster Salad of Waimanalo Micro Greens, Strawberry Papaya and Creamy Tarragon Vinaigrette" or "Roasted Hawaiian Lehi, Sansei Spicy Crab, Roasted Eggplant and Sweet Potato Tian and Sweet Carrot Emulsion"...how could you not feel somewhat intimated? I don't even think they have strawberry papayas on the mainland, anyway.

But surely, there's something I could make from here. So I settled on the spicy tuna roll and grilled veggie rolls. It's about time I get back in touch with my Japanese culture...at least for a day.

So first tings first. A requiste trip to Mitsuwa Marketplace to pick up some ingredients. Interestingly enough, Mitsuwa was having some sort of anniversary sale. How fortuitous. My cashier apparently only speaks Japanese, and proceeds to engage me in convo:

Cashier: "Nihongo ga wakaru?" which means: "Do you understand Japanese?"
Me: "Anooo...sumimasen...chotto wakarimasen...", which means, "Umm...no, sorry, I don't understand Japanese"...in Japanese!
Cashier: Confused look, but forced a polite smile.

Sigh. I basically told this lady that I didn't speak Japanese...in Japanese. I realized this a little late. She then proceeded to tell me that I was eligible for a gift...well, at least I think that's what she said.

Here's a quick look at my interpretation of sushi:



From L-R (top): sushi rice, sliced cucumbers, grilled eggplant, roasted bell pepper, grilled shiitake, shiso leaf, sliced omelete, shabu-shabu style beef. (bottom): nori, maki su (bamboo mat), spicy tuna mix. Intense prep as you can see.



From top: spicy tuna roll, grilled veggie roll, beef roll

Now, I know what you're thinking...beef??? I was feeling creative. It's kinda like a bento with beef poached in shoyu-sugar, egg and cucumber. And the verdict? Well, it was quite the ordeal, and not without it's failures. My first spicy tuna roll was too fat. Not pictured, but eaten. And, those inside-out ones (uramaki) are considerably easier to make than the traditional maki with the nori on the outside. Surprising.

Would I do this again? Hmm...well, let's just say I have a new appreciation for sushi chefs. I'm more of a musubi maker.

But before this sushi fun, I had to get down to business with this macroecon nonsense. And it really is, too. I mean, my professor looks like Grandpa from the Munsters. Talk about credibility. The good news is that my pending study session had me looking for a new coffee location. Something more boutique than Starbucks and more legit that Lee's, but still has free WiFi. I found this place in Tustin called The Lost Bean , a cute organic coffee and tea place with ample seating and free internet. I think we have a winner.

The coffee here is pretty yummy, but keep in mind, this is coming from someone who only drinks coffee at restaurants or when in a dire state of sleepiness. I'm not a fan of the 'bucks because their coffee has this perpetual burnt taste to me. And Lee's...well...let's just call that "coffee", or carmel colored paint thinner with condensed milk.



And they have yogurt parfaits! My fav. They also have an extensive selection of teas. I sampled the "Black Hawaiian", which was pretty fab. Not to sweet, but a nice fruity flavor. I also had the Honey Vanilla Latte before I left, and I really liked it. A lot. It has a nice round sort of flavor. And the optional outdoor seating was an added bonus.

And after all that caffeine infusion, I was totally ready for some March Madness. Yesterday's games were a little blah...nothing too interesting. But today's Villanova/Pittsburgh game completely made up for it. Soooo exciting!!! People on the floor and everything. Between the lead changes and the caffeine, I could scarcely contain myself. And! 2 more games tomorrow. I can hardly wait!

For my fellow UCI Anteaters...bet you didn't know an anteater could do this. Actually, I didn't think you could keep them as pets.