>Singapore Sling, motley guises

Feeling a bit nostalgic about a cornball tropical island. It was my island once, and I wonder if it was actually cool back then when I lived there decades ago. I can't remember drinking anything called Singapore Sling (being a good kid, yes I was allowed a taste of any alcoholic beverage of my own choosing,) but sure, I think the cocktail does capture the island's spirit, in a cool retro way. I did revisit the revamped metropolis (pictured right at Raffles Hotel where the famous cocktail was invented) but I'm afraid things were no longer the way I remembered... In any case, Imagine yourself on a sultry evening, sitting on a period stool, dressed in thin floral batik, watching the palm trees sway in the monsoon wind. What's the "correct" recipe? (Pictured right, courtesy of Christ tell, is a proper Raffles serving.) Well, who cares which version of this drink you are holding in your hand? The true Singapore Sling is an elusive idea anyway...

>sake (酒) bars in Korea, makkoli (막걸리) bars in Japan

So sweet.

We are used to seeing these rival countries bicker with each other. Nowadays, something is definitely up. Young Japanese and Koreans are, gingerly, discovering each other. They are, for one, discovering each other's drinks.

Sake bars (사케바) are becoming increasingly popular in South Korea, and makkoli bars (マッコリバー) are becoming increasingly popular in Japan.

Never mind that these are mostly apples and oranges. Well, apples and one crab apple? Okay, rice and rice, but makkoli refers to just one kind of liquor, unfiltered, cloudy, sweet, sour, mild, comparable to nigorizake (濁り酒) but with a lot less alcohol and almost too many flavors. "Sake" pretty much refers to all Japanese....um, sake, well beyond the scope of this single entry.

>green soup with roots and flowers, Ubuntu Napa

To see a world in a grain of sand
And a heaven in a wild flower,
Hold infinity in the palm of your hand
And eternity in an hour.

-William Blake

Microcosmic. Alchemic.

When I beheld this plate (pictured above) mom ordered at Ubuntu, I searched for the right words. You must surely remember your childhood days when you thought, fleetingly, you could live on air, water, and flowers. You mean you never did?

Cool pureed soup of escarole & roscoe's asparagus
-spring roots & flowers, black garlic coulis, nettle ice
(Here's the enlarged "before" picture which shows a big mound of nettle ice)

Flowers don't last, and they are not meant to last. Forget the philistine concept of fashioning them onto a dinner plate. It seems a sacrilege to try to preserve the moment by snapping a picture of them. With modern technology at our (a novice's, in my case) hands, that's exactly what we are doing. Constant, futile attempts to root infinity in the palm of our hands. And what else, really, can we be doing?

Some prefer nettles, and so do I.

>웰빙 "wellbing","luxual","slowbie" fast food, Kraze burger

The "well-being" or "wellbing" (웰빙) movement is an enormous economic and cultural trend in South Korea. When it's applied to food, the core idea is to opt for healthful, fresh, organic (유기농) choices and enjoy them in style and leisure whenever possible. Meat, vegetables, fruit, candy, rice cakes, you name it. (American beef? No thanks!)

A few English-sounding words seem especially well-suited to this "wellbing" concept. For example, 럭셜 "luxual," 슬로비 "slowbie," as in, "That slowbie looks amazingly luxual savoring his wellbing Kraze burger (크라제버거)!"

Kraze Burger, Korea's confident answer to MOS burger (モスバーガー), may not be the undisputed king of wellbeing burgers, however. Any number of humble regional burgers might welcome the chance to vie for that title.

Contestant #1... from Jeju, 30cm, HERB BURGER... and contestant #2...

>gnudi di ricotta di pecora, nude ravioli with sheep's milk cheese

Who can object to generous portions of homey comfort food? Gnudi, no less. Meaning "nude" in a Tuscan dialect, I'm told, pronounced "nudie". Nude, because it's unrobed of its usual pasta covering.

Made famous at Spotted Pig (served with brown butter and sage, pictured right), gnudi at Mia Dona is served with truffle butter sauce, mushrooms, crispy speck and sage (pictured below). It was early in the evening at Mia Dona, but it was still odd to see the rail car-narrow room partially empty. Recession, I know. The long hall is divided up smartly into three distinct spaces, however, and the inner and middle sections were actually all seated, so it didn't look as desolate as my photo might suggest.

(photos also courtesy of roboppy, MidtownLunch)

>Roditis and Negoska wine, dashed Άνθος τ' όνειρό µου

Michael Psilakis, formerly of Onera ("Dreams", Όνειρα) on the Upper West Side, has been offering diners a somewhat unfamiliar concept of high-end Greek fare in the form of Anthos ("Flower", Άνθος) in Midtown West.

I had high hopes for this Greek restaurant, since I adore Greek food. In summary, it is sad to report that food here is no more special than the more reasonably priced casual fare at its cozy (Italian) sister restaurant Mia Dona. However, you'll be all right as long as you remember that "Greek fine dining" is still an oxymoron. Also, be prepared not to be disappointed if they've run out of the braised lamb shank.

And my choice of wine soured the meal as well. I am really not a picky drinker, but the Greek wines, Roditis/Moschifilero, Skouras, Peleponnese, 2007, "bright wine distinguished by its floral characteristics," and Negoska, Angels peak, Macedonia 2006, "rose wine with undertones of strawberry," were downright... awful.

>bánh mì sandwich, cleaned up and ready for recession

Warning: for you foodie people in the know, there's nothing new here. This is
1) a public service announcement mostly for the folks on the East Coast
2) recession food idea #1
***
Have you ever declined something potentially good precisely because it was too cheap?

For instance, you've looked down your nose at humble bánh mì/bánh mỳ sandwiches because they cost a mere 2 bucks?

Hygiene issues? Have you ever read a headline, "Man dies from bahn mi poisoning"?

When your wallet feels light, you'd still rather do a Subway sandwich? (Bleh.) You poor souls, please do try Lee's Sandwiches. It's a chain, a sanitized and modernized version of mom-and-pop-hole-in-the-wall Vietnamese shops.

Mind you, these are not as good as the real mom-and-pop-hole-in-the-wall stuff, some of which taste as good as anything anywhere costing ten times more. Still, a sandwich here is at least as good as one from Togo's at half the price.

Pictures are from a light dinner at Lee's in San Francisco's Tenderloin district. Read the numbers on the receipt. (Cream puffs are on another receipt, not pictured. And please excuse my bite. I had to try my dessert first.)

I don't feel poor yet (knocking on that wooden table!) but there's something wonderfully satisfying about a good cheap meal.

>sambal terasi with Rijsttafel

Too bad the Clinton visit to Asia is mostly seen through the lens of the traditional media, where the world revolves around (is boxed in by??) terribly important issues such as nuclear proliferation, climate change, trade agreements, fight against terrorism and world peace.

It's not a bad thing that I often see Indonesia through the sentimental lens of memory. I can trigger it somewhat instantly with Bengawan solo, for instance.

I spent most of my teenage years in Singapore and its surrounding countries. Indonesia was a short hop across the straits. When soulful chants wafted from mosques, it mattered very little to me what religion the sounds signified. I was moved by their lyrical charm, just as I was with Gregorian or Tibetan chants. (I'm thankful my parents have never been religious.)

***
And of course, who would forget the tantalizing aroma of spices accompanied by red-hot equatorial heat?

The most unforgettable pungency is that of terasi ("trassi"), dried shrimp paste, equivalent to Malaysian blacan/belacan. That and hot "cili" peppers.

If I want a shortcut to these flavors, bottled sambal terasi does the trick, I was later told in America. Just a tiny spoonful, it improves the flavor of any dish, a kind Chinese-Indonesian lady told me; yes, try it in Dutch Rijsttafel dishes.

Alas, I have never been able to reproduce the feel of a grand tropical Rijsttafel feast. Even at Indonesian restaurants here. Perhaps you can't simply bottle the essence of a place and time.

In any case, I can still say, aku cinta kamu, Indonesia.

>tomato daifuku トマト大福

I've always wondered about the kind of space the idea of "tomato" takes up in people's brains. Technically a berry, it is a rather ambiguous fruit. (Vegetable??) Whimsical yet grounded. I mean, would you name your bank "Tomato Bank" if it didn't sound practical? Possibly a bit of a fad at the moment, or possibly here to stay, tomato is a joyful presence everywhere, from confectionery to nabe. Viva tomato!

Great fortune series #4: トマト大福 (tomato daifuku) トマト = tomato 大福 = great fortune