Sunday, January 26, 2020

Birthday Special 2020 (and Chinese Year Year)

 Happy Birthday to Ariel and a happy Chinese New Year! With last year's cake being such a success, I made the same recipe again. Ariel came through with Mark Bittman's chocolate frosting as I was working on dinner. During dinner, Ariel said that 31 sounds old, but she feels young. I tried writing this on the cake, with some success, though I'm still working on my technique. 


With Ariel's birthday falling on Chinese New Year, we decided to have a few friends over for a Chinese dinner. This featured a few different dishes that have appeared on No Free Lunch. We started with chive pancakes, made with Chinese garlic chives. I rolled them out ahead of time, and stored them in a gallon bag with parchment paper between them.


The main dinner consisted of four dishes, shown in the photo above. First, eggplant Sichuan style, which is one of Ariel's favorites, and one I don't make often enough. Second, stir-fried rice cakes ("tongue depressors"), a Shanghainese classic for Chinese New Year. I made them with Chinese black mushrooms instead of pork. Third, stir-fried Shanghai bok choy with garlic, one of my favorite Chinese vegetables. Finally, we had hongshao ("red cooked") pork belly. This is a braised pork belly dish which Ariel and I both love. This particular recipe, from the Woks of Life, was supposedly Chairman Mao's favorite. I have been experimenting with different pork belly recipes recently, and I think this was my best yet. This will be a work in progress, but will surely show up on the blog eventually.

It was quite an undertaking to bring this all together, but it was a big success. While I was preparing the meal, I couldn't help but think about all the wonderful Chinese lunches and dinners we had around this table while it sat in my grandparents' house. We even used a few of their serving pieces. I hope this will be the first of many.

I usually take the birthday special as an opportunity to review the last year. In terms of the blog, I didn't post very many recipes this year, but the ones I did really reflect the way I am cooking these days amid a busy schedule. There's something to be said about simple braises that don't require actively watching the pot. Of course, 2019 was a very big year for us, with the wedding in July and our honeymoon in San Diego. I have a few more posts planned on that, which should be out soon. This year, I hope to get back to more frequent blog posts. Last night's dinner has gotten me thinking about diving back into Peimei's recipes, and getting back to the Chinese roots of No Free Lunch. Cheers to a great 2020. Gan bei!

Thursday, January 16, 2020

San Diego Part 3: USS Midway

On our fourth day in San Diego, we visited the USS Midway Museum. USS Midway entered service just after the end of World War II, and had a distinguished career spanning nearly five decades. The carrier saw significant action during the Vietnam War and later during the Gulf War. Midway became a museum after being decommissioned in 1992. 


We ended up spending most of the day there, exploring the ship and its exhibits. Nearly every aircraft to serve on U.S. Navy carriers can be seen on the ship, ranging from the World War II-era propeller planes on into the modern era, including an extensive collection of helicopters. What I wasn't expecting was an incredibly wide-ranging self-guided tour of the lower decks. We got to see where the sailors slept, lived, and ate. Midway's galleys were well-known for having some of the best food in the navy.

Buffet line at the enlisted mess


One of the more interesting aspects we learned about life on a navy ship was the strictly enforced class system between the ranks. We toured several different dining areas for enlisted men, chief petty officers, junior officers, and senior officers. Certain doors and hatches were labeled "officers country," indicating areas restricted to commissioned officers. There was also a special dining area where pilots were allowed to eat before changing out of their dirty flight suits.

Senior officers' wardroom

The various dining areas also had example menus posted. The officers' menu included:
  • Creole soup
  • Jamaican jerk chicken
  • Salisbury steak
  • Steamed rice
  • Au gratin potatoes
  • Mushroom gravy
  • Simmered peas and onions
  • Hot dinner rolls
  • Salad bar
  • Dessert bar

  • Junior officers' wardroom, with silver service on the left

The chief petty officers' menu included:
  • Surf and turf
  • Baked potato
  • Green beans
  • Salad
  • Pie and ice cream

The kitchen on the ship was truly immense. We saw enormous stew pots, pressure cooker, meat slicers, and more. 

Giant stew pots

We ended up spending most of the day on the Midway, and it was a great experience I would heartily recommend. In the evening, we walked around in San Diego's Old Town dined at Cafe Coyote, a venerable Mexican restaurant known for its freshly made tortillas and extensive tequila menu. 


We both enjoyed some sizable margaritas. 

Shrimp and fish tacos

Ariel ordered shrimp and fish tacos and I had chile verde (pork and tomatillo stew). 

Chile verde with housemade tortillas

This would be our last night staying in Little Italy before moving on to the next part of the trip. Next time, we get out of town for the day before settling in on Mission Bay. Stay tuned!