Oat milk chocolate bars at Trader Joe’s

My thoughts on food and “the way it should be” has definitely evolved over the last couple decades. I used to be firmly in the “traditional flavors and methods” camp of dishes like dim sum or banh cuon… until it suddenly hit me one day that food, just like culture, is constantly evolving, and it changes with times. And there’s nothing wrong with that. The best chefs in Hong Kong are constantly experimenting with different yum cha dishes to “touch the heart,” and those experiments then eventually reach places like Australia and the U.S., where the dishes get replicated in dim sum houses for the Chinese diaspora and those who love Cantonese food. Vietnamese people did not always have access to ovens, but when they did, they started making dishes like ga roti, or Vietnamese-style roasted chicken with Vietnamese seasonings. And it’s absolutely delicious. Is it “traditional”? Maybe it wasn’t traditional a hundred years ago, but now it’s readily accepted as Vietnamese cuisine.

I also used to freak out a little inside when people would ask me about vegan baking. Frankly, it just didn’t sit well with me. Other than health or ethical reasons (because those things, clearly, were not always enough…), why would you forgo eggs and butter? The idea of having a croissant made with vegan butter or no milk in my “milk chocolate” made me feel very, very uncomfortable for a while. But then, I finally saw the light when I started trying delicious vegan cheeses and vegan baked goods from bakeries and farmers markets stands that I enjoy, and I realized that deliciousness was, in fact, a possibility in baked goods without butter or animal products.

So that’s what led me to the Trader Joe’s Fearless Flyer, where I learned that they’d been selling oat milk chocolate bars for some time now. And their latest item is an oat milk chocolate bar with crispy rice and cocoa nibs. So I decided to pick up both to try. Old me never would have entertained this back in high school or college. But today’s me does and happily tossed it into my shopping cart. Are they as rich as milk chocolate? No. But they are both very tasty and and satisfying. They definitely can satiate a chocolate craving. And I’m happy these options exist for those who either are lactose-intolerant or who are just for whatever reason avoiding dairy. I don’t fit into either of those camps, but I am in the camp of trying and exploring new, potentially delicious things.

Another holiday season arrives, and so does the English toffee!

Once Halloween comes and goes, all the stores in sight will have their Christmas / holiday decorations up. And I always get excited when Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s get decked out for the holidays. I love seeing all the seasonal edible specials that pop up and what may be new and interesting to try.

One of my fondest memories growing up was always seeing the endless amount of chocolate, popcorn, and other treats my family was gifted during the holiday season. Although I was never a huge fan of the big popcorn tin, I always did enjoy having it in my presence and occasionally picking at it. And although I never verbalized it, the one candy I always loved were the tiny English toffee bricks coated in chocolate and covered in ground almonds. I think the brand was Almond Roca, always easily recognizable by its signature pink tin, and for whatever reason, we always, always had it. I still remember my grandma, who was a sweets fanatic (and obviously so since at the end of her life, she was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes), was obsessed with the Almond Roca. I used to sneak one or two pieces whenever she wasn’t looking.

Well, Trader Joe’s has their version of this English-style toffee on their shelves every holiday season, and I’m no longer hiding the fact that I absolutely love this stuff. I never buy candy for myself pretty much ever unless I am traveling and see an interesting chocolate or something related. It will be my new personal tradition to purchase this one candy for myself at this time of year, every year as long as it’s available. It’s part nostalgia, but it’s also because this stuff is so freakin’ good. The indulgence is worth it. And Trader Joe’s makes it a relatively inexpensive indulgence!

Daylight Savings Time ends

Well, we have gone through yet another Daylight Savings Time period ending with a young Pookster in tow. She seems to have adjusted fairly well. While she is, expectedly, waking up “earlier,” it’s all been pretty good and hasn’t had much of an effect on her mood in a negative way. She actually seems more chipper and happy than usual.

The real test of this generally is during her one afternoon nap, and she also managed to go through that well, too, having napped an hour and fifteen minutes mid-afternoon today. I was able to get my step count in by pushing her around Hell’s Kitchen in the stroller, while also exploring all the new interesting restaurants that have popped up just south of us: Nan Xiang Xiao Long Bao Express, a Sichuanese pickled stewed fish restaurant, and two fried chicken fast casual spots, one Japanese and one Taiwanese! More food to eat, and more places to push the stroller while Pooks naps!

Julia

In the last month or so, Chris and I have been watching season 1 of Julia, an HBO TV series about Julia Child. It focuses primarily on her life once she and her husband Paul moved to Cambridge, after she has published her first cookbook, and is starting her television series. I always thought Julia Child was an interesting, quirky person, and clearly she is a role model for so many. But I never really got into her until we started watching this show. French cooking has never really fascinated me at all; it’s always come across as a bit stuffy, too complicated, and something I’d rather eat out than make at home. I guess I am sort of her target audience because her goal was to make French food attainable in the American kitchen. I still feel that way, not necessarily because I think it’s too complicated, but because it’s just not a cuisine I’m fascinated enough by to want to make at home. And when I think about it even more, outside of our time traveling in France, we rarely even eat French food. It’s quite expensive in restaurants, and it’s not really something we crave.

But there is one place that we do enjoy, and it’s Cafe Triskell in Astoria, Queens. Chris stumbled upon this cute little restaurant in Astoria while researching places for us to eat at during our Saturday city excursions, and it really does remind us of those cute quaint cafes in France. The food is simple and unassuming, and the prices are right. While we were sitting there today eating mussels and crepes while fending Pookster off from eating too much butter and sugar crepe, I kept wondering why we couldn’t have a cute little spot like this in our own neighborhood. Either way, I’m so into Julia Child now that I’ve even checked out a virtual copy of her memoir, My Life in France, from Libby, and am currently reading it. I think the thing I love about her the most, other than her enthusiasm for cooking and her optimism, is that she saw the beauty in the tiniest things, the things that most people wouldn’t even notice. And I really appreciate that about her because I try to do the same.

“Curbside” pickup at Sephora goes awry

Ever since the pandemic, “curbside pickup” seems to be a very popular option for people who just want to order online and pick up in-store without doing any shopping. As someone who really does not enjoy going to malls and browsing, and absolutely hates trying on clothes, this would generally appeal to me. However, it doesn’t always work out when you designate what you want, choose the location of the store for in-store pickup, and then you get an email hours later stating that said-item, which was supposed to be in stock at the store, is no longer there. Sephora has a sale until November 6, so I thought I would take advantage of it… And while I did, I only was able to successfully get 1 out of three desired items. What’s the point of doing in-store pickup and shopping online then? At that rate, I might as well just shop in the store, ensure they actually have what I want, and then buy! It felt like a total waste of time even going on the site. I got a cancelled order message twice in the last two days for two different items, so I am not a fan of the current state of Sephora online ordering/in-store pickup.

Exercise programs and how they don’t always fit

For several years, I was an avid subscriber to Aaptiv, which is marketed as fitness with a “trainer in your ear.” It had programs like running, walking, elliptical, yoga, pilates, core, strength training, etc., in pretty much every length of time desired, as well as different instructors and music types. I stopped my subscription early last year after Kaia was born, as I was on an annual subscription and just decided I could work out on my own during my postpartum/breastfeeding year. I wasn’t really trying to lose weight or anything similar last year; I just wanted to stay active.

Now that I’m actually trying to get into better shape and lose some weight, I’ve been looking at a number of different workout programs. Some have been on YouTube. I temporarily have a three-month free trial subscription with Apple Fitness (it’s fine. I like the kickboxing, running, and yoga programs. But their strength training programs are so cliche and too focused on weights). Others have just been videos I’ve found on Instagram that I’ve bookmarked. And of course with all this activity, I’m constantly getting targeted for new workout apps. Most of them echo what I’ve been watching, following, and doing: low impact strength training, low impact cardio, little to no weights. Since my knee and hip have been feeling funny after strenuous runs, I’m toning down the amount of running I’m doing and focusing on pre-conditioning before any run. But what I’ve realized I’ve always hated about a lot of strength training videos is that they focus on weights, weights, and weights. The heavier the weights, the better! And the trainers are always so bulky. But I don’t want to look like those trainers. And the truth is that I don’t even like using weights. The most weight I carry now is 2.5 pounds, and I really don’t want to do heavier weights because I just do not find it enjoyable. Not to mention that I don’t want to bulk up. And I hate it when trainers insist that I won’t bulk up. We all know our own body types; I have a body type that can bulk up very easily, especially in my arms. I just want to rely on my own body weight and tone from there. And now, it seems like more workout apps are doing this, which is great to see. There are ones that are pilates focused, others that are dance focused. One interesting one I found (but am definitely not doing) is a combination of ballet and dance fitness. But now that I have all these interesting choices to trial, the next question is: which one am I going to choose?

Mice in the old house

My oldest cousin, who lives in the Bay Area, had a quick work trip to New York this week, so I suggested that he come over for dinner given Kaia’s short window between daycare pickup and bedtime. I prepared dinner and used his visit as an excuse to bake a seasonal dessert, so I made my much-awaited pumpkin spiced mochi muffins (which I actually had on my list of things to bake two years ago right before Kaia was born, but I clearly lost track of time). After he landed, he dropped off his bag at his hotel and came up to our apartment. He also had Joe’s Pizza delivered, which somehow excited Pookster. She’s only had a taste or two of pizza in her entire existence, yet somehow she immediately knew this was pizza and that she needed to have it ASAP, saying “Want pizza! Want pizza!” over and over until I cut her a slice and removed most of the pepperoni. Oh, toddlers!

We talked about work, travel, and home. I asked him how the house was (the one his mom shares with my parents). And he told me something I had no idea about: there are MICE in the basement again! The last time I heard about mice being in the house was before the foundation was redone, so around the time our grandma passed away in 1995. He said that they hadn’t made their way up to the second or third floors but were in the basement. And my dad had told him that he’d already caught SIX of them. That completely grossed me out.

It annoyed me to hear that there are rodents in the house. The obvious thought is the lack of hygiene as a result of these pests. But the other thing I thought about was all the endless clutter that my parents and my aunt have stored in the basement. The more clutter and crap there is, the more places the rodents will have to hide and shelter and make the basement their home. All of this just makes for a worsening situation. And I am pretty certain that they are doing nothing to clear the clutter and prevent these issues since the entire basement is a filthy, disgusting, dilapidated disgrace. I feel embarrassed just thinking about how that space looks.

I’m sure my mom never told me because she knew I’d say all of this. And she’d use the excuse that she’s “disabled” and doesn’t have the ability to clean it up. Because of course, it’s all just on her to do these things. The never ending cycle of insanity, angst, and torment in that god-forsaken house.

Halloween in New York City – door to door in an apartment building

Every year since we’ve moved into this building, Chris and I have embraced paying it forward and passing out candy to trick-or-treaters in our building. We usually buy our massive bag of candy in August or September from Costco. We also are usually pretty generous about how much candy we give. While many apartments or houses may just give one or two pieces of candy, we’ve given handfuls of candy to kids who stop by. Part of the reason for that is that we have SO much candy, and I definitely don’t need more candy lying around this apartment to tempt me. The other reason is that the candy assortments are rarely all types of candy we enjoy.

Well, apparently this year, our building management screwed up. The building manager was out on vacation the last week and a half, and it slipped her mind that Halloween was on the day after she came back from vacation. Nothing was socialized about which units would like to sign up to pass out candy to hopeful trick-or-treaters, so no one even had the ability to sign up until yesterday, which is such short notice to have a sign up sheet set up… and then to actually SHARE that sheet with all parents who have kids participating. So when Chris stopped by the lobby to see the list of apartment units participating, it looked like there were barely even ten units signed up. And at this rate, it’s unlikely that many units with hopeful children even knew that our building was even participating in trick or treating at all!!

I guess yet again, we’re going to have a ton of leftover candy this year…

Toddler cuddles

Tonight, after reading some books together, I put Kaia to bed. As per usual, she asked for her blanket, then immediately insisted on “mummy blanket!” She refuses to have her blanket on her unless Mummy also has a blanket on her, too. So we’ve gotten into that rhythm together. Then, out of nowhere, as I was singing and rubbing her back, she declared, “Lie down Mummy! Lie down Mummy!” But I was already lying down. And so what I think she was trying to say is that she “wanted to lie down on mummy” because she immediately rolled over and landed on my chest. But she’s so long and big now that her body goes all the way down to my thigh. And of course, her stomach was resting against my bladder, so while I didn’t really need to pee before she got on top of me, at that point, I suddenly did feel the urge to pee. Kaia rested her chest on my chest and placed her head down against my head, And so we laid with her lying on top of me. She then started sticking her fingers in my mouth, wanting me to bite on her fingers. So we played that game over and over until she was giggling uncontrollably, and finally she rolled over onto her stomach, insisted on singing songs and rolling around… until about 8:45.

Yes, it took about an hour and 45 minutes from story time to the point when she finally fell asleep. Was it tiring and a little frustrating? Of course. But in the moments of her lying on top of me, insisting on “lie down (on) Mummy!”, and playing the biting game, I relished our time together and thought, “And this, too, will pass.” Soon, she will be too big to lie on top of me; she’s already pushing it now at 25+ lbs in weight at nearly 23 months of age. Soon, she won’t want to cuddle or even willingly give me hugs and kisses. Soon, she’ll speak in grammatically correct sentence structure and speak real, full on sentences. She won’t butcher her words or pronunciation the way I love hearing now (honestly, I am still mourning the fact that she says “mango” now and not “monga.” I am also a little sad that she says “noonulle” instead of “noodie” for the word “noodle” because it is more correct than it is not). These are the little moments that never get filmed or photographed, but I genuinely love them. Chris makes fun of me, but one little thing I do every night is: I always smell Pookster’s hair as she’s sleeping. I kiss her head, then I take a deep inhale when I smell her hair. I just love her smell. I have always loved Kaia Pookie’s scent. She doesn’t have that same fresh newborn smell anymore. She also doesn’t have the baby smell. But she has an evolving smell now as a toddler where when I inhale, I know she’s still my sweet baby. And no matter how big she gets, my sweet baby she will always be.

(Fruit fly) genocide in our apartment

In the last several years, we’ve battled a couple of small “infestations” in our apartment. Twice, we’ve experienced the teeny tiny cigarette beetles, which likely came in through a pantry item that was purchased. Twice, we’ve experienced a mini fruit fly infestation. Once, it was in our old apartment, and in the last couple weeks, I’ve noticed we’ve had fruit flies that just would not go away, even after I was killing at least one a day by squashing them. So I had to bring out the weapon of choice: apple cider vinegar. I used the same method in our previous apartment, adding a few tablespoonfuls of ACV to water, then adding a few drops of liquid dish soap to break up the water tension. These little traps in bowls laid out in areas where they like to fly are a sure-fire way to eliminate these pests. In the first week, we had already killed about eight of them. And after I replenished my last small bowl on the dining table, it already has six dead ones floating on top. In the last three days, I’ve seen zero fruit flies anywhere in the entire apartment.

“You’re committing genocide in this apartment!” Chris exclaimed, as he saw me peer over the bowl to see how many dead fruit flies were in it.

As far as I am concerned, this is not genocide; this is keeping our apartment pest free without using anything toxic. I am winning, and those pesky fruit flies are losing. That’s the circle of life.