Monday, December 21, 2009
Friday, December 18, 2009
A Chinese Feast
Last night I was treated to a very special dinner. Winnie’s father had offered to cook for me, making my favorite dish of beef and egg over rice.
Beef and egg has been a favorite of mine for so long that I don’t even remember how it even came into my life. All I know is that I haven’t had it in a very long time. The last time I remember having it was when I was about to begin labor and sent Stan all the way to Chinatown to get an order for me. I ate it even though by the time he came back with it, I was having regular contractions.
I was never able to reproduce it myself. It always came out like scrambled eggs and beef. So Mr. Moy finally took pity on me and invited me for dinner and oh…what a dinner!
He was a chef at his own restaurant and growing up and being Winnie’s best friend certainly had its advantages. For class trips, Winnie would not bring the boring ham and cheese sandwich...no - she would bring fried chicken wings and I was the one to share it with her. O’glory days.
So the date and time was set. Kathy joined me along with Winnie’s mother, sister Connie and her husband, Peter. Apparently Winnie’s father wrote out a whole menu and started the soup base the night before. All I wanted was the beef and egg. This was going to be something to behold and it was.
As soon as Kathy and I walked in the door and said our greetings, we were ushered to our seats and given bowls of winter melon soup accented with dried scallops, Chinese mushroom and tiny pieces of chicken. The broth was clear and light and on the frigid night that it was, this was very welcomed.
I asked to see the chef make the beef and egg and he said it would be the last dish made. As we sat drinking our soup, the dishes started to make their appearances. First up…savory chicken “gai kew” with baby bok choy and black mushrooms,
then tender nappa cabbage and dried shrimp. A beautiful bowl of perfectly cooked shrimp in lobster sauce followed along with flavorful spare ribs in black bean sauce.
Shrimp in lobster sauce and nappa cabbage
Spare ribs in black bean sauce and roast pork (cha siu)
An order of roast pork from Noodletown. Then came thick glass bean noodles flavored with bits of bacon and onion. We were all oohhing and ahhhing…and eating and eating and eating!
Glass noodles
When the beef and egg dish was about to be up, I ran into the kitchen and watched the master. For some reason, I never thought to add hot water or broth as the “gravy”….I always thought the runny eggs made gravy automatically. Now I know.
I haven’t seen Winnie’s parents in years so this was a wonderful opportunity and certainly a delectable way to see them. I walked out totally satisfied and laden with doggie bags. And better yet, I’ve been invited again and again. Something about once a month. Hooray! Lucky me.
Winnie, Esther, Kathy & Connie (photo taken by Peter)
Beef and egg has been a favorite of mine for so long that I don’t even remember how it even came into my life. All I know is that I haven’t had it in a very long time. The last time I remember having it was when I was about to begin labor and sent Stan all the way to Chinatown to get an order for me. I ate it even though by the time he came back with it, I was having regular contractions.
I was never able to reproduce it myself. It always came out like scrambled eggs and beef. So Mr. Moy finally took pity on me and invited me for dinner and oh…what a dinner!
He was a chef at his own restaurant and growing up and being Winnie’s best friend certainly had its advantages. For class trips, Winnie would not bring the boring ham and cheese sandwich...no - she would bring fried chicken wings and I was the one to share it with her. O’glory days.
So the date and time was set. Kathy joined me along with Winnie’s mother, sister Connie and her husband, Peter. Apparently Winnie’s father wrote out a whole menu and started the soup base the night before. All I wanted was the beef and egg. This was going to be something to behold and it was.
As soon as Kathy and I walked in the door and said our greetings, we were ushered to our seats and given bowls of winter melon soup accented with dried scallops, Chinese mushroom and tiny pieces of chicken. The broth was clear and light and on the frigid night that it was, this was very welcomed.
I asked to see the chef make the beef and egg and he said it would be the last dish made. As we sat drinking our soup, the dishes started to make their appearances. First up…savory chicken “gai kew” with baby bok choy and black mushrooms,
then tender nappa cabbage and dried shrimp. A beautiful bowl of perfectly cooked shrimp in lobster sauce followed along with flavorful spare ribs in black bean sauce.
Shrimp in lobster sauce and nappa cabbage
Spare ribs in black bean sauce and roast pork (cha siu)
An order of roast pork from Noodletown. Then came thick glass bean noodles flavored with bits of bacon and onion. We were all oohhing and ahhhing…and eating and eating and eating!
Glass noodlesWhen the beef and egg dish was about to be up, I ran into the kitchen and watched the master. For some reason, I never thought to add hot water or broth as the “gravy”….I always thought the runny eggs made gravy automatically. Now I know.
I haven’t seen Winnie’s parents in years so this was a wonderful opportunity and certainly a delectable way to see them. I walked out totally satisfied and laden with doggie bags. And better yet, I’ve been invited again and again. Something about once a month. Hooray! Lucky me.
Winnie, Esther, Kathy & Connie (photo taken by Peter)
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Where Everyone Knows Your Name...
I like a neighborhood restaurant that everyone knows you. There are a few places that are like that for me.
Sgt. Garcia’s in Forest Hills comes to mind. I had been going to the Mexican restaurant since I opened my business on Austin Street way back in 1991. My partner, Daniel loved this place and we would dine there once a month if not more. The chicken wings, fajitas and their margaritas are fabulous.
One freezing winter morning, I was about to head to my office in my full length mink coat. I noticed a gentleman approaching me and I was wary…unsure if he would condemn me for wearing fur but instead, he complimented me on how beautiful I looked in my coat. I thanked him and didn’t realized he was George, the owner of Sgt. Garcia’s until the next time I went to his restaurant and he came over to apologize for possibly frightening me. We became fast friends. Even after he sold his share to open a French Bistro , I remain friendly with his partner, Manny who bought out his shares. Both would stop at the table…welcome me and make sure everything was in order. I like that kind of attention.
Then there’s my sushi place in Rego Park. Unfortunately it’s changed hands many times over the years but the servers who knew me, would immediately bring water and tea which were my usual request. And even with the new staff, they keep getting to know me since I’m in there so much. I'm due a visit..probably next week.
I was stopping at the local Chinese coffee shop for iced-coffee so often that the lady would just start making it as soon as she saw me. Then she would asked if I wanted a roast pork bun which was something I would also get.
The Sister’s Birthday Club consisting of Winnie, her sister, Connie and my sister Kathy plus myself were celebrating Kathy’s birthday. We saw the movie, The Blind Side and went to the Tick Tock diner across the street from the theater after the show. I had been there a few times prior and after suggesting the place a couple of movies ago, we have made it a favorite. Although it was our 3rd time there, it was the 2nd time we had the same waiter and he remembered us! We were there this past August. Winnie was so excited, she hi-fived him!! We got a platter of dill pickles and cole slaw…as an extra something something. Now that’s what I’m talking about!!
Then there’s Kathy’s experience. When she first moved to Brooklyn Heights and was living on her own, she went to Burger King every night and got her usual Whopper - extra pickles. She stopped when the counter person recognized her and recited her order before Kathy even opened her mouth. She was mortified. Poor Kathy…she sure did love her Whoppers.
Sgt. Garcia’s in Forest Hills comes to mind. I had been going to the Mexican restaurant since I opened my business on Austin Street way back in 1991. My partner, Daniel loved this place and we would dine there once a month if not more. The chicken wings, fajitas and their margaritas are fabulous.
One freezing winter morning, I was about to head to my office in my full length mink coat. I noticed a gentleman approaching me and I was wary…unsure if he would condemn me for wearing fur but instead, he complimented me on how beautiful I looked in my coat. I thanked him and didn’t realized he was George, the owner of Sgt. Garcia’s until the next time I went to his restaurant and he came over to apologize for possibly frightening me. We became fast friends. Even after he sold his share to open a French Bistro , I remain friendly with his partner, Manny who bought out his shares. Both would stop at the table…welcome me and make sure everything was in order. I like that kind of attention.
Then there’s my sushi place in Rego Park. Unfortunately it’s changed hands many times over the years but the servers who knew me, would immediately bring water and tea which were my usual request. And even with the new staff, they keep getting to know me since I’m in there so much. I'm due a visit..probably next week.
I was stopping at the local Chinese coffee shop for iced-coffee so often that the lady would just start making it as soon as she saw me. Then she would asked if I wanted a roast pork bun which was something I would also get.
The Sister’s Birthday Club consisting of Winnie, her sister, Connie and my sister Kathy plus myself were celebrating Kathy’s birthday. We saw the movie, The Blind Side and went to the Tick Tock diner across the street from the theater after the show. I had been there a few times prior and after suggesting the place a couple of movies ago, we have made it a favorite. Although it was our 3rd time there, it was the 2nd time we had the same waiter and he remembered us! We were there this past August. Winnie was so excited, she hi-fived him!! We got a platter of dill pickles and cole slaw…as an extra something something. Now that’s what I’m talking about!!
Then there’s Kathy’s experience. When she first moved to Brooklyn Heights and was living on her own, she went to Burger King every night and got her usual Whopper - extra pickles. She stopped when the counter person recognized her and recited her order before Kathy even opened her mouth. She was mortified. Poor Kathy…she sure did love her Whoppers.
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
A Day with Lupe
As anyone who knows me…I am not a “pet” person. I grew up with animals because of my sister, Kathy. Living on my own and raising Nikki, I never wanted a pet and Nikki never really asked for one. The closest we got to one was her turtle “Neon” which she won at a fair and surprisingly, lived much longer than they are known to.
Yesterday, I babysat Tom & Nikki’s dog, Lupe. I am used to little dogs…like Kathy’s Ginger… a cute, sweet and usually calm Shih-Tzu. She loves her "Aunt Esther".
Ginger
Lupe is a pitbull/jack terrier mix and he is excitable, curious and leggy but thinks he’s a lap dog.
Lupe
As soon as he saw me, he wanted to be all over me but we were in the car and he needed to stay put. But he tried. When he quieted down in the back seat, I drove to different stores to run my errands. He would look out the window either to the left or the right and you could see he was checking everything out. When I went into a store and took longer than 5 minutes, I came back to see him sitting regally in the driver’s seat as if he was ready to drive off.
At my home, he sniffed out everything he could but never knocked anything over which always amazes me. Oh wait...he did almost knock something over...me!
Lupe giving me some love
He knew his food was in the kitchen and he would wander in there and start moaning. Once or twice, he tried to jump up and grab the bag. Lupe is very expressive - you could just see he is always thinking and when he had been bad and I scolded him, he would look at me sideways, head and tail down, giving me a wide berth.
I got him some jerky treats which he apparently loved because he knew they were on the dinning table and his quest to get them was priority. But each time I caught him and he would have that guilty look in his eyes.
It was funny when he burrowed in a corner of my sofa and fell asleep between the cushions and pillows on his back with his legs straight up in the air. He loved being petted and scratched and massaged. He fell asleep again by my side as I rubbed his head and sides.
Zzzzzzzz
In essence, he was easy to care for if I was able to keep him occupied, like with a rawhide bone or the new toy I got him. But I still liked giving him back.
Tom said he asked for me in the morning...yeah...I knew he would miss me!
Lupe with his new Xmas toy
Yesterday, I babysat Tom & Nikki’s dog, Lupe. I am used to little dogs…like Kathy’s Ginger… a cute, sweet and usually calm Shih-Tzu. She loves her "Aunt Esther".
Ginger
Lupe is a pitbull/jack terrier mix and he is excitable, curious and leggy but thinks he’s a lap dog.
Lupe
As soon as he saw me, he wanted to be all over me but we were in the car and he needed to stay put. But he tried. When he quieted down in the back seat, I drove to different stores to run my errands. He would look out the window either to the left or the right and you could see he was checking everything out. When I went into a store and took longer than 5 minutes, I came back to see him sitting regally in the driver’s seat as if he was ready to drive off.
At my home, he sniffed out everything he could but never knocked anything over which always amazes me. Oh wait...he did almost knock something over...me!
Lupe giving me some love
He knew his food was in the kitchen and he would wander in there and start moaning. Once or twice, he tried to jump up and grab the bag. Lupe is very expressive - you could just see he is always thinking and when he had been bad and I scolded him, he would look at me sideways, head and tail down, giving me a wide berth.
I got him some jerky treats which he apparently loved because he knew they were on the dinning table and his quest to get them was priority. But each time I caught him and he would have that guilty look in his eyes.
It was funny when he burrowed in a corner of my sofa and fell asleep between the cushions and pillows on his back with his legs straight up in the air. He loved being petted and scratched and massaged. He fell asleep again by my side as I rubbed his head and sides.
Zzzzzzzz
In essence, he was easy to care for if I was able to keep him occupied, like with a rawhide bone or the new toy I got him. But I still liked giving him back.
Tom said he asked for me in the morning...yeah...I knew he would miss me!
Lupe with his new Xmas toy
Sunday, December 13, 2009
Gilda
Today , Dec 13th would have been my girlfriend, Gilda’s 52nd birthday but then, she didn’t even get to see her 40th birthday. My lovely friend died of breast cancer at the young age of 36.
I met Gilda the summer of 1975 when we were attending a summer program at NYU. It was a small class and my first foray into college life. I still remember clearly seeing her for the first time. There are people in your life that seem to always have been there…not really sure how they came into your life. And then there are the ones which the memory is stamped on your brain forever. Gilda was definitely the latter. I was the second person in the classroom. Mark Rayo, another life-time friend was already there. We always joked about that moment since we know exactly what we said to each other. To break the ice, I asked him for the time and he told me. As other students drifted in, murmuring greetings, it was fairly quiet and everyone was low-keyed not knowing what to expect. Then a girl sauntered in, worn jeans tucked in Frye boots, a gauzy peasant blouse and a kerchief wrapped around her head, slapped her large tapestry shoulder bag onto the desk and yelled out “Hi!”. It was jarring but exhilarating. Like that moment when everything is black and white and now we were in Technicolor. My first thought…”Wow…I will never be friends with her…out of my league”.
Gilda was the proverbial “one of a kind”. She exuded the kind of person I wished to be. Just comfortable in her own skin and not scared of “being”. She spoke up and out and laughed a huge laugh. When we broke for lunch, a group of us wandered out to Washington Square Park and stood around getting to know each other and of course, Gilda took up most of the air. I was at once, dismayed and enchanted. Part of me wanted to be “the one” but knew I didn’t really have the “chops” and certainly not in the face of this colorful stranger.
Cut to a year later. We had a year of NYU under our belts and that core group from that summer program was still a tight-knit group. We had classes together, lunched and studied together and sought each other out during breaks. Gilda, Mark, Cindy, Andy, Wayne & me.
During a dude ranch trip, Gilda hooked up with Adam and I became an integral part of their relationship. Adam was living in a NYU dorm on 10th Street whereas both Gilda and I commuted to classes from home, Forest Hills for her, Chinatown for me. I loved Adam for Gilda and I was there from the beginning and became a confidente for both of them. We became super close. I spent a lot of time at that dorm which came full circle when that became Nikki’s freshman residence.
Their blossoming relationship was an essential turning point in my relationship with Gilda. The truth of the matter was that the Gilda everyone saw and loved and admired was all a façade. In the light of her burgeoning love for Adam, her mask came off and she confided all her insecurities to me. She showed herself as “worldly” but she never had a boyfriend until Adam. This was, to say the least, a shock! This gorgeous dark haired, dark eyed beauty who always looked like an exotic Gypsy to me was actually shy and sheltered. Years later I would find out that she had even more secrets about her family life that broke my heart.
In any case, showing her true self to me bonded us forever. When she decided to become an actress, I saw every one of her community playhouse productions and every walk-on part she got on TV. She was one of only two people that was able to immediately elicit a response from Nikki who was shy in front of strangers. I really loved this girl.
The last time I saw her was in LA. She had decided to move there for her health and career. Unfortunately the move didn’t help either situation. Her cancer returned and when she contacted me to let me know, I am so glad I made plans to go see her. Nikki and Evelyn came along and it was a wonderful visit. I lost her 3 months later. It was to say the least, devastating. I miss her everyday.
Gilda & me, her brother Rennie and Nikki in Santa Monica
I think of her today because of her birthday but also because I have felt many angels around me during this last week since my car accident. She was beautiful when I last saw her even though she was completely bald and I have a stunning photo of her in that state but I can’t locate it. I will post it when I find it.
I met Gilda the summer of 1975 when we were attending a summer program at NYU. It was a small class and my first foray into college life. I still remember clearly seeing her for the first time. There are people in your life that seem to always have been there…not really sure how they came into your life. And then there are the ones which the memory is stamped on your brain forever. Gilda was definitely the latter. I was the second person in the classroom. Mark Rayo, another life-time friend was already there. We always joked about that moment since we know exactly what we said to each other. To break the ice, I asked him for the time and he told me. As other students drifted in, murmuring greetings, it was fairly quiet and everyone was low-keyed not knowing what to expect. Then a girl sauntered in, worn jeans tucked in Frye boots, a gauzy peasant blouse and a kerchief wrapped around her head, slapped her large tapestry shoulder bag onto the desk and yelled out “Hi!”. It was jarring but exhilarating. Like that moment when everything is black and white and now we were in Technicolor. My first thought…”Wow…I will never be friends with her…out of my league”.
Gilda was the proverbial “one of a kind”. She exuded the kind of person I wished to be. Just comfortable in her own skin and not scared of “being”. She spoke up and out and laughed a huge laugh. When we broke for lunch, a group of us wandered out to Washington Square Park and stood around getting to know each other and of course, Gilda took up most of the air. I was at once, dismayed and enchanted. Part of me wanted to be “the one” but knew I didn’t really have the “chops” and certainly not in the face of this colorful stranger.
Cut to a year later. We had a year of NYU under our belts and that core group from that summer program was still a tight-knit group. We had classes together, lunched and studied together and sought each other out during breaks. Gilda, Mark, Cindy, Andy, Wayne & me.
During a dude ranch trip, Gilda hooked up with Adam and I became an integral part of their relationship. Adam was living in a NYU dorm on 10th Street whereas both Gilda and I commuted to classes from home, Forest Hills for her, Chinatown for me. I loved Adam for Gilda and I was there from the beginning and became a confidente for both of them. We became super close. I spent a lot of time at that dorm which came full circle when that became Nikki’s freshman residence.
Their blossoming relationship was an essential turning point in my relationship with Gilda. The truth of the matter was that the Gilda everyone saw and loved and admired was all a façade. In the light of her burgeoning love for Adam, her mask came off and she confided all her insecurities to me. She showed herself as “worldly” but she never had a boyfriend until Adam. This was, to say the least, a shock! This gorgeous dark haired, dark eyed beauty who always looked like an exotic Gypsy to me was actually shy and sheltered. Years later I would find out that she had even more secrets about her family life that broke my heart.
In any case, showing her true self to me bonded us forever. When she decided to become an actress, I saw every one of her community playhouse productions and every walk-on part she got on TV. She was one of only two people that was able to immediately elicit a response from Nikki who was shy in front of strangers. I really loved this girl.
The last time I saw her was in LA. She had decided to move there for her health and career. Unfortunately the move didn’t help either situation. Her cancer returned and when she contacted me to let me know, I am so glad I made plans to go see her. Nikki and Evelyn came along and it was a wonderful visit. I lost her 3 months later. It was to say the least, devastating. I miss her everyday.
Gilda & me, her brother Rennie and Nikki in Santa Monica
I think of her today because of her birthday but also because I have felt many angels around me during this last week since my car accident. She was beautiful when I last saw her even though she was completely bald and I have a stunning photo of her in that state but I can’t locate it. I will post it when I find it.
Sunday, December 6, 2009
O' Christmas Tree
I am not sure whether I am getting in the Christmas spirit or whether I am going down a spiraling depression (due to my car accident) but I spent the whole day today making "magazine Xmas Trees" after seeing it done on an episode of Martha Stewart!
And I am not exaggerating...when I saw it on the show...I was immediately intrigued and went in seach of old magazines. Although it's a pretty simple process - it is very time consuming and I literally spent the whole day folding pages!! But I have to admit...I like the effect! But I still have to paint and sprinkle them with glitter! (Oh boy...maybe I am losing it!)
And I am not exaggerating...when I saw it on the show...I was immediately intrigued and went in seach of old magazines. Although it's a pretty simple process - it is very time consuming and I literally spent the whole day folding pages!! But I have to admit...I like the effect! But I still have to paint and sprinkle them with glitter! (Oh boy...maybe I am losing it!)
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
The Mighty Pen
In the past, I have teased my sister, Kathy on her complaint letters. If something didn’t taste right, if she received bad service or was slighted in any way…a letter went out. She usually received a response with a satisfactory solution…either a free item, a reimbursement or some sort of compensation. It made her happy.
On Nov 30th, Winnie advised me that JC Penney was having a Cyber Monday sale with free shipping and I discovered my pair of “Esther” boots were on sale for $29.99. I paid $45! Unfortunately I realized this at 10pm but I still had 2 hours until the deadline and ordering on-line is simple or so I thought.
For 2 hours, I tried to place the order. It took forever to load and when it finally did, the site would freeze. I finally gave up and called the toll free number to place the order that way but the line was busy, busy, busy! In frustration, I clicked on the “contact us” link and fired off an email complaining of the horrible shopping experience I just encountered.
The next day, JC Penney put out an “Urgent” message informing the public that due to an overwhelming response to their Cyber Monday sale, their site had problems (no kidding) and they were extending the free shipping for one more day. That was all fine and dandy but when I tried to place my order, the boots were back to $45! I was disgusted. I figured I would just keep an eye on the boots and see if they would come down in price later. I am allowed a return on the $45 boots until February.
Around 10pm on that same night, I received an email in response to my complaint letter. They were going to honor the Monday prices and free shipping promotion. Although I was now able to maneuvered through the site easily, the price of the boots still showed as $45. I had to call them. I was on hold for about 5 minutes and then Amanda assisted me. She placed my order…I wanted it shipped to the store for pickup since I didn’t want to be sitting at home waiting for them and she had to transferred me to billing for the price adjustment. After another few minutes of being on hold, Tiara was able to adjust the price to $29.99 and I will be able to pick up my order on Friday after 4pm. All this took about 20 minutes but was worth it to me.
I was very happy with the way that JC Penney handled my situation - restoring my faith in shopping with them. I am so glad I wrote that email! So I will write the words that Kathy loves so much….”Yes, Kathy - You were right..once again!”
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