Out with the Old . . .

At the end of every year, people indulge so that they can start the new year fresh with promises of eating healthy and exercising more.  I am more of the moderation mindset when it comes to food, so instead of pounds upon pounds of cookies, layer after layer of cakes, and dozens upon dozens of chocolates, I decided to make crackers and dips as gifts.  First, pecorino olive oil whole wheat crackers.

A quick toast and spin and toast in a 450 degree oven, I had nearly a bucketful of thin, crispy, crunchy crackers full of olive oil and whole wheat goodness. Using a fine, Italian extra virgin olive oil and a lovely Italian pecorino, the crackers turned out hearty with just a touch of cheesy goodness. I boxed them up and paired them with some homemade bruschetta and cheese balls (the cream cheese kind, not the crunchy Utz kind).  I spent a lot of the holiday season digging up old recipes I picked up in elementary and middle school.  Who knew that summer recreation program recipe from 2nd grade or that random Spanish Academy recipe would come in so handy all of these years later.

For those with a sweet tooth, I went for a homemade graham cracker.  A recipe that calls for two tablespoons of vanilla extract catches my attention.  The apartment smelled amazing for a couple of days after the first batch.  Thank you, Smitten Kitchen, for such an amazing recipe.

Graham crackers are always delicious with cream cheese, so why not make a lovely cream cheese dip to pair with them.  When I lived in the South, pumpkin cheesecake dip was always served with graham crackers during the holidays.  Instead of brown sugar, I used 1/3 cup of agave syrup and used neufchatel cheese instead of cream cheese.  Tangy, spicy, and sweet, the dip really satisfies the sweet tooth without putting on those pesky holiday pounds.

Stay tuned to see what other recipes I pull out from my childhood.

From JFK to Shanghai-Pudong

Thursday, June 30, 2011

Luckily, the subway ride from work to the airport is direct – an A express train from Manhattan to Queens is a surprisingly fast ride.  I find two open seats tucked away in an unwanted corner and quickly shove my suitcase in the space slightly too small for adult-sized legs and sit down before the train jerks into motion.

I arrive well before the appointed time to meet at the China Eastern airline counter.  A bevy of beauties in plum-hued, velvet track suits are waiting together for the rest of the contestants to arrive from Flushing.  We are wholly in the way of other passengers, so we try to adjust our formation with no luck.  Once the rest arrive, we start checking in one by one.  Checked baggage must be taken to the separate baggage security checkpoint to be x-rayed and, hopefully, placed in the correct cargo hold.  The girls are between the ages of 17 and 25, all wearing over-sized sunglasses and probably overheating in the velvet track suits.  Once we’re all checked in, we make our way to gate security.  After one or two incidents with inexperienced flyers and short-fused TSA agents, everyone safely gets through security, and we make our way to the gate not too far away.

Finding a seating area for 27 people was no easy feat, but we found a space at an inactive gate to all sit together.  I slowly introduce myself to some of the contestants and chaperones, warning them that I would be taking photos and writing about the experience throughout the trip.  I fill my empty water bottle at the nearby water fountain and start unpacking the remainders of my Korean-Japanese fusion bento box from Soma by Nature.  Passersby ask me where I acquired my food and mention that they didn’t realize that they were allowed to bring food through security.  Food is fine as it is normally in a solid state.  It is the beverages where TSA gets you.  Surprisingly, I was allowed to bring my empty water bottle through security.  Some of the others were not so lucky, which is more of what I expected.

After taking off almost an hour and a half after the posted time, I get a chance to break out my laptop and listen to music.  I start typing up a few paragraphs for this blog post and get accused of being a workaholic.  Is it work when you enjoy writing and documenting about your food and travel?  Well, if it is considered work, then sure, I’m totally a workaholic.  This will be my first time in the Mainland.  My 13-15 hour flights always end in Taipei or Kuala Lumpur.  This time, I will be arriving in Shanghai.  If the pilot can make up the time lost on the ground, I just might be able to meet up with college friends after settling into the hotel.

The flight attendant wheels the drink cart down the aisle.  I ask for ginger ale, and my request is met with a blank stare and a blurt of “gin and tonic” in the form of a question.  My traveling companions suggest I just ask for a 7-Up, which I do.  The Chinese flight attendants had never heard of ginger ale.  The girl across the aisle tells me that there is no ginger ale in China, and that the flight attendants probably only spend a few hours in New York sleeping in a hotel room and are marched back to the terminal on a flight home to China with very little exposure to American culture.  Though I do not find it out of the realm of possibility, for a culture that uses a lot of ginger in their cooking, not having even heard of ginger ale was still a bit surprising.  What else have Mainlanders not experienced?  Are they kept in the dark about cream soda and root beer as well?  I have traveled all over the Northern Hemisphere, and yet, this is the first time I’ve met a plane full of flight attendants who haven’t heard, seen, or had ginger ale.  Something you don’t necessarily think about as a first world luxury, I guess.

We landed with little ceremony, a lot of delay, and some confusion. We boarded our tour bus and made our way to dinner . . . a very late dinner at 11pm. Tomorrow, we start the rest of our adventures like finding a Chinese Construction Bank so I can get some cash and buying a SIM card so that I don’t pass out next time I see my mobile bill. There isn’t free internet in the rooms, so everyone has been braving the relentless mosquitoes for a bit of free wifi. It’s 2AM, so it’s time to head to bed.

Just glad to not be on a plane or bus anymore