~teaganita

Spago

Last night I had the most delicious meal of my entire life. I almost hesitate to say that, cause I’ve eaten a lot of meals, but I don’t remember ever leaving a meal so completely satisfied yet not overstuffed, and feeling like every bite (and drink) I had was perfect.

My mom made a reservation for the 3 of us (me, Mom, & Dad) at Spago Restaurant in LA. The original Wolfgang Puck restaurant, my mom warned it was going to be fancy. I was hoping that meant delicious as well, and I was not to be disappointed.

The night started off well with probably the best Cosmopolitan I’ve ever had. So smooth, with a light citrus tinge, I could barely taste the alcohol (but don’t worry, I only had one…) I had a fig and prosciutto salad with goat cheese to start. De-li-cious. It melted in my mouth, yet not one taste was overpowering another. A few slices of olive bread, then walnut bread, then olive bread, all so perfectly sweetened their was no need for butter.

Then came the main course. I ordered the Wild Alaskan Halibut (both my appetizer and entree were suggestions of our pretty awesome waiter, Ben). I’ve never had fish like this before. It was flaky, and moist but not dripping. I could feel the texture of every piece, even though it was dipped in a light sauce with a corn and chorizo salsa. I felt myself thinking about what I was eating in every bite, searching for hidden flavors. I’ve never done that before, but the food was that good that I needed to figure out how this magical miracle was occurring in my mouth.

The whole meal was accompanied by a Wild Rock Sauvignon Blanc (Sauvignon Blanc is my favorite type of wine, for anybody who wishes to buy me wine in the future ) So of course the alcohol buzz delighted my tastebuds as well.

However, it was not over. There was dessert. And there was a raspberry souffle. I love souffle, and rarely have it (obviously because its usually offered only at very fancy restaurants, which I don’t frequent.) Raspberry with dark chocolate and the perfect crust. Ahhhhh my mouth is watering thinking about it.

Every bite, every morsel was perfect. I loved the entire meal, and even though I had 3 courses and 2 drinks, I didn’t feel disgustingly full. Granted I didn’t eat too much today from the aftershock of all the food I ate last night, but walking out of the restaurant, I didn’t feel the immediate need to run 10 miles to burn off all the calories like I usually do after eating a 3 course meal.

Moral of the story: If you’re ever in LA (specifically Beverly Hills), can spare a few bucks (OK, a lot of bucks), and want the best meal ever, go to Spago.

family, food | 24.08.2008 23:45 | No Comments

Hollywood

Hollywood is a crazy place. Crazy people dressed up, walking around, wearing costumes from the movies, Bugs’ Bunny has a star in the walk of fame next to Robbing Williams… it’s just a completely unrealistic experience. I never actually understood how much the movie industry, something revolved around creating fantasy and fiction worlds for us to escape into, can impact real life.

On the plus side, I got to take a picture in front of the Beckham residence. They were hosting a party at the time; I totally would have walked in and attempted to get a picture with the real thing except for the fact that that probably would have led to me getting arrested. Guess this is good enough… maybe next time

culture | 24.08.2008 23:29 | No Comments

different views

I drove to LA this weekend to see my parents, who were in town for my mother’s friend’s son’s wedding. Long story short, her son became an Orthodox Jew (from his originally conservative Jewish upbringing) when he moved to LA. Part of the whole wedding weekend was a temple service Saturday morning. My parents and I decided to go; a lot of the service was supposed to be in honor of Adam (the son), and I’m always open to learning about new religions.

Well, I definitely wasn’t expecting what I experienced. I knew that part of the Orthodox life is to sustain from using electricity, driving cars, etc. from sundown before the Sabbath to sundown of the Sabbath. I don’t see anything wrong with this, and I respect their decision to remove themselves from the modern life for 24 hours. My parents and I even walked to temple Saturday morning (although we did drive to a different hotel for drinks the night before…)

Anyway, before we went to the service, we were told that men and women sit in separate sections of the church. OK, to me this is kind of bizarre, but I can deal with it. However, turns out that women not only sit in a separate section, but in this particular temple, we sat in the back, behind a gate. Now that pissed me off. I’m not a huge feminist, but little boys are allowed to run around up front near the arc while grown, mature women need to sit separated in the back? Really don’t get the point of this, and it was not my cup of tea.

The other part I found strange has nothing to do with Orthodoxy, but rather the practice of religion. Apparently there isn’t really a set time you have to be at temple… people just show up whenever and say their prayers. This could be at 9, or 10, or even for some people, 10:45. Meanwhile, the service is already underway, the Torah has been removed from the arc, and services are being performed. So some people are standing, saying their prayers, while other are listening to the Torah readings. Also, people are chatting amongst themselves, getting up, leaving, coming back, standing up, sitting down… the whole thing just seemed disorganized and not focused around a central service. It was very distracting with all the background noise and music, and I just didn’t understand why it was permitted. Isn’t the purpose of attending services, of any religion, to devote your time in prayer and attention to God? It just seemed like people were distracted by other things, which seemed to defeat the purpose of attending a religious service

Needless to say it was an interesting and baffling experience. I thought myself pretty open to other religions, which I still do, and I respect everyone for his/her personal beliefs. There were just small details of the service that I couldn’t get my head around. If anybody can clarify any of the details for me, please comment or email me. In the meantime, I don’t see myself attending another Jewish Orthodox service in the near future, but it was definitely worth experiencing once.

(P.S. I’m really sorry to anyone who’s offended by my terribly uneducated version of the services or any proper terminology… know that this post is in no way meant to offend anyone but rather express how differently I saw the service, having grown up a Catholic.)

family | 24.08.2008 23:03 | No Comments

lyrics

“Many the Miles”, by Sara Bareilles

There’s too many things that I haven’t done yet
Too many sunsets
I haven’t seen
You can’t waste the day wishing it’d slow down
You would’ve thought by now
I’d have learned something

There’s too many things I haven’t done yet
Too many sunsets I haven’t seen

music | 24.08.2008 22:46 | No Comments

21

I finally got around to watching 21. I’d read the book, Bringing Down the House, so I wasn’t really in a rush to watch the movie, plus I’d heard mixed reviews about it. So here’s mine.

First off, in terms of being entertaining, I thought it was a good movie. If you want a more factual account of card counting and being beaten up by Vegas thugs, read the book. Perhaps the movie was a little more enjoyable for me than most… I will admit I actually laughed out loud at a lot of the nerd jokes, and the scenes of Boston made me happy. And to be honest, I think it wasn’t too bad a portrayal of MIT… through Vegas. Oddly enough, the high stakes, high stress, teeth clenched, sitting-on-the-edge-of-your-chair kind of feeling every time the characters were in Vegas isn’t too much different from the daily grind at MIT. You always wonder if you studied enough, can you beat out everyone else (and the Institute) on that next test, where you fall on the curve. Obviously strip clubs aren’t exactly the reward you get for getting an A on your test, but I think if someone were to ask me what MIT was like, I’d say the Vegas scenes minus all the glitz. So add together those winter snow scenes and the high stakes pressure of Vegas and you’ve nailed it on the head. Pretty pleasant, huh?

Surprisingly, though, I’d say Ben’s drive and determination to win, no matter what the cost, is also the kind of mentality it takes to get through MIT. While being a genius makes life easier, the cut-throat, throw yourself into the fire personality is kind of required to succeed.

A few myths that I also have to clarify. First off, if Ben actually had a 4.0 GPA, he wouldn’t have gotten into Harvard Med school. We’re on a 5.0 scale… so technically, he would only have a B average. Secondly, none of those interior scenes were shot inside MIT classrooms. Sorry for all those that thought you might get a glimpse into MIT. I think there’s a policy that no movies can be shot on campus (thats why you only see aerial views of MIT)… in fact, Good Will Hunting also contains no interior shots of actual MIT classrooms.

Thirdly, if people as hot as Kate Bosworth and Jim Sturgess actually went to MIT, it would be a much happier place. And everyone would probably have a 4.0 average.

21, Boston, MIT, cinema, movies | 20.08.2008 23:24 | No Comments

sausage sauce

Some of you might know that I rave about “sausage sauce”, which is actually a really simple recipe that tastes wonderful. I figured I would share it here so others can enjoy the amazingness of sausage sauce

Ingredients:
1 package Italian sausage (sweet or spicy, your choice)
2 cans diced tomatoes
1 package Good Seasons’ Italian Dressing
1 package rigatoni pasta
Parmesan cheese, for garnish

Directions:
Brown sausauge. Do not drain fat. Add diced tomatoes and package dressing. Simmer for 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, boil water for pasta. Cook according to directions.
Drain pasta, return pasta to pot.
Pour sausage sauce on top of pasta, mix well.
Serve with Parmesan cheese.

Makes great leftovers and even better when served with garlic bread and salad.

food | 18.08.2008 21:16 | No Comments

so true.

luckily I haven’t encountered a cop yet.

and because it makes me laugh:

VW Rabbit 2.5, eva | 12.08.2008 22:21 | No Comments

the mountains

I first fell in love with the mountains in March. As Kjirsten and Haley drove me around Fresno to give me a tour of the town after my interviews, Kjirsten casually said, “Oh, you can see the mountains today.” As I looked out the window, I discovered why I would be able to live in Fresno. The snow capped peaks of the Sierra Mountains were visible in the distance, looming, waiting, such a stark contrast against this flat, stretching town. And only 2 hours away.

My visit to Yosemite last weekend proved my instincts right. After spending two weekends in Fresno, I decided that the way to live in Fresno is to leave on the weekends. Luckily, my good friend Ben Pope asked me if I wanted to go to Yosemite and hike Half Dome on Sunday. Jumping at the chance to get out of town and hang out with somebody besides myself, I drove up Saturday night to Merced to visit Grandma L. and meet Pope. The journey continued Sunday morning at 4 AM, when we woke up to drive to Yosemite Valley. Eva handled the roads well, and the gradual change from flat farmland, to rolling golden hills, to granite cliffs in a matter of two hours was astounding. We started hiking at 7:30 AM, leaving behind the car and civilization.

I’ve never really been hiking before. I mean, I’ve gone on walks in the woods with my parents, some longer than others, but I would consider this the first time I’ve gone out with a backpack and intended to spend the entire day wandering into the wilderness. It almost felt like I was getting lost, and yet I knew exactly where I was. There was such a huge degree of separation from the world I’ve been living in, such beautiful sights that I had never seen before, and cliff upon cliff upon cliff. And of course, the looming Half Dome.

I didn’t really know what I was getting myself into, but it was totally worth it. A little encouragement from bpope when I was shaking on the cables didn’t hurt. Standing on top of Half Dome at 9000 feet, I really didn’t want to leave. Actually, I spent an hour up there before forcing myself to go back down, vowing to return at the next possible opportunity.

Ever since returning back to the car I’ve been dreaming of going back to the mountains. Its kind of like I’ve had a taste of paradise, and everything else seems so dull now. So next weekend is going to be either King’s Canyon, Sequoia’s, or Toulumne Meadows, or Cloud’s Rest. Anybody want to come? Warning, I’m slightly crazy and may want to do more than one of the above

P.S. For more pictures than you care to see of rocks, go here

CA, Fresno, Half Dome, Yosemite National Park, beauty, eva, people, travel | 12.08.2008 21:52 | No Comments

on they Olympics

“Sports shouldn’t have anything to do with a ball.”

-Tom Key, avid sailor, on why he wouldn’t be watching the Olympic games

**this does not reflect my personal view, but I found the circumstances and bluntness of the quote hilarious.***

Uncategorized | 8.08.2008 23:43 | No Comments

my bike!

has arrive safely!! It made it all the way across the US. I’m so excited. Now I just need my shoes and helmet to come and then I can start riding again! Definitely ready to start cycling again… I think my body has started the slow recovery from the CT Challenge century ride. Muscles are still a little weakened, but running in the afternoon really doesn’t work out too well when it averages 100 degrees, and I can’t force myself to wake up in the morning to run; I just don’t perform well and its not a pleasant experience usually. The guys at the bike store were really nice, gave me a few brochures, and hopefully I can turn this cycling thing into a socializing thing and start to meet other people that are crazy like me

Fresno, cycling | 7.08.2008 21:40 | No Comments