Ever since I can remember, I've been infatuated with food. I was an adventurous and a curious child; I wanted the good stuff, and I knew it sure as heck wasn't on the "Kids' Menu!"I realized my obsession with food only in the recent years. But often times I look back on places that I have been and a large part of those memories involve none other than...food.
Where?
Born in Seoul, South Korea, I had the pleasure of being able to savor the authentic goodness found on every street corner. I still dream of the hot steamy flat tops filled with rice cakes bubbling in the spicy sauce. I miss the loud and obnoxious barbecue restaurants with the scent of grilled meats wafting in the air. Oh boy, I can go on and on...
Then my family relocated to Manila, Philippines. Many plop into my mind as my mouth waters from dreaming of Filipino food, but nothing beats the crackling skin of a well-cooked lechon with the peanuty gravy. I also can’t leave out sticky-sweet pork barbecue skewers on the streets and the banana ketchup that went so well with fried chicken.
After the Philippines, I also spent a few months in Indonesia where street carts made fried rice filled with chili peppers and cabbage topped with fried kropok crackers right as you were waiting for your food…and I miss the intensely sweet coconut juice sold in clear plastic bags tied with a straw sticking out.
And in December of 1999, I moved to… Wisconsin. I know, how random- but with family connections, the great Midwest is where I ended up. To be honest, most of my early years in the States were filled with junk food. McDonald’s, frozen chimichangas, the good ol’ pizza rolls, and a lot of trips to the “grand” buffets. I really didn’t complain. I was 12years old, and those piping hot pizza rolls were (still are) oh-so-delicious!
Then for college, I moved to New York City. It was there where my eyes were opened to a newer and a more sophisticated style of dining. The options were limitless, and although I was on a college student budget living in Bushwick, I was able to explore the great NYC thanks to street carts and Restaurant Weeks. I dearly miss my chicken and rice carts, and the sweet mango mayo at Pomme Frites. I can’t resist half off sushi at St. Marks and the soup dumplings at Joe’s Shanghai…So where does cooking come into play?
In 2006, going through an "identity crisis" before leaping into my twenties, I discovered how therapeutic the time in the kitchen could be. Nothing compared to the calmness that cooking brought to me after a long stressful day. In the kitchen, I put all my worries aside and concentrated only on what I would put on that plate. From the basic Korean recipes from my mom, I also had to ramble through the Korean pantry to cook something for my "Italian-American" boyfriend Matthew, all the while trying to satisfy my younger sisters' non-Asian food cravings.
So here I am,Since I was never best at keeping the good ol’ diary, I’ve created this blog mainly for my kitchen ups and downs, but also my adventures in food with the people that I love.
Thanks for stopping by!
XO,
Ahris
