Bye Bye Miss American Pie

Who Moved My Cheese?

That's how I felt this entire year. Everytime I stopped for a second it seemed everything around me had changed. I do take responsibility for creating a lot of the change myself though. Since I was little my mother always said that I had "chan di" (directly translated from Vietnamese as "feet go"). This meant that I could not sit still for long and always had to be actively doing something or going somewhere. How little she knew how right she really was.

If you've followed this blog then you probably already know what I mean about this year. I left the security and comfort of a job and industry I knew very well, graduated from business school, moved out of London, started a new job in a new industry, and started focusing more on my cooking. These are the major changes that I had control over but I was subject to so many other changes as well. I had two grandparents pass away, graduated business school during a terrible economy and job market (as I know many of you have), and had several people enter and leave my "urban family". With the flurry of activity and changes in 2010 at least I can say I was true to my theme for the year of doing. For those who don't know, I like to have themes for each new year versus having resolutions.

Reunited and it Feels so Good

Last weekend I finally moved into my new flat in San Francisco. That meant that I was finally reunited with my clothes which have been seen sitting in a shipping container somewhere and my things that have been in storage since I moved to London.

The item that I was most excited to see again was my Kitchenaid stand mixer. Some people think it's a waste of space to keep in on the counter but I actually do enough baking to make carrying this mammoth appliance around a real hassle. Tonight I was very happy to finally dust it off, plug it in, and watch it whirl. It was a slow start but after a few minutes it was like the good 'ole times again.

My first baking project was a peach frangipane. I've never made one before but I was at the Ferry Building farmers market yesterday and found some amazing peaches from Frog Hollow Farm. I've really missed fresh California fruits and vegetables. I'm proud to say that I made my own flaky pastry crust and frangipane filling courtesy of my Tartine recipe book. It's sitting on the counter cooling so I won't know the end result until tomorrow morning. That just gives me more time to think of what I'll make next. Well there are a bunch of dry farmed early girl tomatoes from Dirty Girl on my counter. Looks like tomatoe sauce is up next.

I'm Leaving on a Jet Plane...

It was exactly 3 years ago today that I boarded a plane from San Francisco to London. It is ironic that now I am flying back on this same date but there is some symmetry to it as well. The past 3 years have been nothing short of amazing particularly because I finally felt settled with a sense of community around me. As I look back I am astonished by how many things have changed and how many new experiences I have had. I am especially thankful for all of the interesting people I have met as they really have all left a mark on my life in one way or another. I am grateful to all of you who have let me be a part of your life as well. 

As I embark on my new journey, I would like to raise a glass to all of you who have helped make the last 3 years so memorable and remarkable! Keep in touch and watch this space...

Doing by Discovering

In the spirit of doing for this year I have been trying to do a bit of discovering. As I've mentioned in previous posts, I'm a west London girl but I've been exploring more of the sites in east London each time daring to go a bit further past Liverpool Street Station. To me, the east side of London is like the Mission District of San Francisco. It is an up and coming area that is still rough around the edges but slowly becoming gentrified with cafes, organic food stores, and vintage clothing shops. You will typically find artists, designers, musicians and young upwardly mobile yuppies living in these neighborhoods. My favorite term for them, borrowed from Alice Waters, is ambitiously hip.

I have discovered some great finds by venturing out this way though. Authentic banh mi (Vietnamese sandwiches) at Broadway Market, THE burger at Hawksmoor Restaurant which I had to reserve ahead of time in case they ran out again, and a £30 dress from The Laden Showroom which features young and independent designers. Perhaps next time I will find myself discovering new finds "south of the river".

A Weekend in Food

A couple weekends ago it seemed that I traveled far and wide, for (you guessed it) food. My journey began on Friday night when I traveled all the way to the east side of London. My friends have decided that the demarcation line in my head between east and west London is Liverpool Street Station and I am definitely a west London girl. What got me to the other side of town was Galvin La Chapelle. This is the third restaurant by famed London chefs/restauranteurs the Galvin brothers and it is beautifully set in the chapel of an old Victorian school. I was amazed how Galvin La Chapelle had the closest resemblance in terms of size, space, décor, and atmosphere to a San Francisco restaurant. I really felt like I could be walking into RN74, Boulevard, or Range. The food did not disappoint either offering daring twists on French classics.

My next stop took me to Oxford where a classmate/good friend lives.

Spring has Sprung!

Why the excitement over spring? Well it has been an atrociously painful winter. I don't think that I saw the sun these last five months except when I was out of the country. Also, April and May tend to be the nicest months of the year with 'guaranteed' sun while June, July, and August are a total gamble as to whether it rains, sleets, floods or is sunny.

Last weekend we made the most of the glorious change in weather by having a picnic in Primrose Hill. Primrose Hill is a park just north of Regent's Park and is also the name of the surrounding neighborhood. It was the setting for the mock 'Sound of Music' sequence in the opening scene of Bridget Jones: Edge of Reason. It is also a chic neighborhood with many celebrity residents such as Kate Moss, Jude Law, and one of my entrepreneurship professors (perhaps London Business School professors are overpaid). More importantly though, Primrose Hill offers one of the best views of the London skyline and is a serene out of the way park.

Are You a Mexican or Mexican't?

Before I start getting angry emails, my title is a line from the movie "Once Upon a Time in Mexico". A couple weeks ago I decided that I had had enough of the cold dreary London weather so I packed my bags and headed to Guanajuato, Mexico. Where is Guanajuato and why Guanajuato you ask? The state of Guanajuato is basically the center of Mexico and the city is about 400 KM north of Mexico City. I chose the city because it was warm, it offered me a chance to fill up on sorely missed Mexican food, but most of all because my good friend Dan is currently staying there.

Dan is a good friend from San Jose/Munich. We met in San Jose, however, didn't really become friends until he moved to Munich and I moved to London. Dan is learning Spanish and decided that the best way was to move to a Spanish speaking town for a few months and fully immerse himself. Lucky for me he chose the quaint city of Guanajuato and found a great host family to stay with.

Celebrating

I think that everyday that you're still standing is a day worth celebrating but this past Sunday there were extra reasons to celebrate. In eastern cultures Sunday marked the beginning of the year of the Tiger and in western cultures it was St. Valentine's Day. To commemorate new beginnings, love, and the meeting of cultures I put together a special dinner and invited some friends over to help me celebrate. This was also a good opportunity to flex a bit of culinary muscle and try out some interesting dishes.

The menu included:

- grueyere cheese souffle with a lambs lettuce salad (unfortunately not pictured)

- pan fried red snapper seasoned with five spice powder and served with chanterelle mushrooms and a port wine reduction

In the Blink of an Eye

I know I made the same comment at the beginning of 2009, but last year absolutely disappeared in the blink of an eye. As expected the executive MBA consumed nearly all of my time both in and out of class. The first year of school was challenging, grueling, and frustrating, but also fun, social, and insightful. I learned so much about myself through the program. I was also really blessed with a great class and it was bittersweet when our core group broke up at the end of November to start taking electives.

But moving on to 2010 and all that the new year has to offer. This year has already and will continue to be dominated by change. I have taken a leave of absence from work to be a full-time student, I am focusing on entrepreneurial courses during my electives, and I am finally going to be full-time in London instead of commuting 30 miles out everyday. As with last year, I am not interested in resolutions but hope to put a theme on this year. In 2009 I focused on connecting which I feel was time spent reflecting and preparing. In 2010 my theme will be doing. I have done enough thinking and planning and being a citizen of two worlds so now it is time to start doing.

Happy New Year to everyone and best of luck in all the things you plan on doing. 

They Did It!

One warm weekend in June last year Mags, Bernice, and I were hiding away in a magnificent suite in Calistoga for Bernice's annual birthday trip. Being the techies/workaholics that we are, we were lounging on the sofas taking advantage of the free wireless network. At the time Mags was trying out on-line dating and mentioned that there was a profile she wanted us to look at. In case you didn't already know, female dating decisions are quite often made by committee. I looked at the profile and found it very witty and interesting particularly one line that I'll never forget, "I have some baggage but rest assured it's safely stowed". Mags was hesitating about contacting the guy in the profile because she didn't fully match the description that he listed. I kept on telling her that there was nothing to lose by contacting him so she finally emailed him when we returned from our weekend away. Two weeks later they started dating and from the picture you can see how the story ended.

I couldn't be happier for them both although I'm still amazed at their story.