Future Plans: Upcoming Trips and Teaching in Vietnam

April 30 - May 4: Arcata, CA

Going to the California Geographic Society meeting at Humboldt State University.  Seeing friends as well.

June 2015 - July 2015: Portland, OR

Will be looking for a place to rent for two months in Portland.  That way, I can see my friends who live there, including my sister.  (Sis, if you're reading this... may the force be with you.  Always.)  In July, I will be getting my TEFL (Teaching English As A Foreign Language) certification from Portland State University.


August 2015 - February 2016: Arcata, CA

I will permanently move to Arcata at this time, and get a job there.

March 2016: New York, NY and New England

 One last trip on the east coast before going to...

Sometime in Spring or Summer 2016: Vietnam

I will be teaching English in Vietnam for at least a year, probably in Hue.  After that, I don't know quite yet.  We'll see!

Review: Blithe Puerto Rican Restaurant (Richmond, VA)

Review:  Recently, I paid a visit to Richmond, Virginia to see a friend.  As I found out, Richmond is a great place for budget foodies such as myself to go.  One day, I decided to try out Blithe Puerto Rican Restaurant.  I had never had Puerto Rican food before, although I knew some things about it (as many of you probably know, I completely nerd out on regional cuisines).

It did not disappoint.  I had a shrimp dish, the name of which I can't remember.  It was cooked in a sort of green mojo sauce (or something similar, I can't remember it exactly), and was delicious.  I also had a side of mofongo (a fried plantain-based dish).  What I do remember about the shrimp dish was that it was very delicately spiced, just enough to have a flavor complementing the shrimp, but not too much so that the spice was dominant.  The plantains were excellent as well.  Again, the sweet, starchy flavor came through very well.

Geography:  Puerto Rican cuisine is a fusion cuisine.  Among its influencers are Taino, Arawak, West African, American, South Pacific, South American, various Arabic, and various European cuisines (especially Spanish cuisine). So, how did Puerto Rico have influences from six different continents (North America, South America, Europe, Africa, Asia, and Oceania), and still be able to mesh it all into one truly global cuisine, with its regional tie to a small island territory in the Caribbean?

There are two reasons: one, a variety of ingredients through trade and immigration.  Puerto Rico has been under the control of the Spanish Empire, the British Empire, and the Untied States.  Both had expansive territory and extensive trade during their time.  Many ingredients and preparations influenced Puerto Rican cuisine, and that's why it's a global cuisine.

But how did they make it work?  This leads us to the native Taino and Arawak cuisines, which have long-standing traditions of adaptability in cooking.  For example, because corn is hard to grow in Puerto Rico due to hurricanes, they used yucca instead, whose plants tend not to blow away as easily. Adaptability is key to creating dishes and also to meshing cuisines together to form other, distinct cuisines.

Review: Ole Latte Coffee

Review: There is no reason you should go into a Starbucks in downtown Portland when Ole Latte Coffee is open for business.  Espresso?  Nothing beats an espresso here.  Pine syrup latte?  Yes, that's a thing, and it's here.  Also, it's delicious, tapped directly from the owner's pine tree in his front yard.  If you do stop by the cart, you're in for a treat.

Geography:  Specialty lattes are making a comeback here, and I'm not talking from Starbucks, the folks that turned coffee into fast food.  Namely, the pine syrup latte from Ole Latte Coffee is what inspired me to write this post.

But what about specialty lattes from outside Portland?  From searching on Foodspotting, chai lattes are becoming increasingly common in independent restaurants.  In San Francisco, you can find ones such as mint mojito lattes, sweet potato lattes, and maple bacon lattes.  In Brooklyn, there's a lavender latte.  Note that these are in cities known for their hipster scene.  One of the few things I like about hipsters is the fact that they are not afraid to push boundaries when it comes to food.  I could do a whole post on this.  Maybe later.

Local Music at Al's Den in Portland, Oregon

Al's Den is, without a doubt, the best music venue I've ever been to.  I've always thought that the city of Portland attracts the friendliest people on earth, far from the hipster smugness that everyone thinks of (it's definitely hipster, but Portlanders in general do manage not to take themselves too seriously).  I've found that in Al's Den, both the musicians and audience seem to embody this.

The concerts at Al's Den are free to attend, and happen every night at 7 PM.  They usually have two or three openers that change every day, and one band that remains the same for a week.  I saw three main bands, along with a long list of openers.  Some included Esme Patterson, Siren and the Sea, Bird Courage, Ryan Sollee, The Bevelers, Anna Tivel, Lindsay Clark, Samsel and the Skirt, Ezra Bell, Balto, Mountain Animation, and Joseph.  There were about twice as many others (all of which were good), but I can't remember them.

I'm not that descriptive with music, so I'll just post a few Youtube videos of their music.  Enjoy, and support them by buying their music and/or seeing them in concert!



Esme Patterson

Siren and the Sea

Bird Courage

 

Ryan Sollee

The Bevelers

Anna Tivel

Lindsay Clark

Samsel and the Skirt

Ezra Bell

Balto

Mountain Animation

Joseph

Review: Coava Coffee

Some new posts are long overdue on here, so I'll start with a review:

Review: I originally walked in here to get some coffee and to use wi-fi.  When I got my coffee, I had a deeper appreciation for how it was grown. 

Mr. Tweek approves this post.

I had what I think is a tie for the best espresso in Portland (the other being Ole Latte Coffee in downtown).  It was very earthy with a hint of truffle, which I would imagine is a pretty popular thing here (nearly half the pubs I've been to here have truffle fries on the menu).  It's really good coffee because they not only know what they're doing, but also where it's sourced.

Geography: One thing I didn't know before coming here is that coffee beans grown at different elevations have distinct flavors.  Coffee changes flavor depending on the ripening stage at which the beans are harvested.  Low-altitude coffee is relatively mild, while a high-altitude coffee is very strong.  This explains why coffee helped Janeway beat the Borg; it was exceptionally strong because it was grown in outer space!  (Cue standing ovation from all Trekkies who are reading this.)

All joking aside, this is an interesting idea on how terroir can be applied to other food products besides wine.  Stick around for more updates to this blog!

San Diego to Redding: Pacific Surfliner, Coast Starlight, and More

I had set my alarm for 2:30 AM.  I had headphones on for the alarm so it wouldn't disturb the other people in the dorm.  I groggily turned it off.  I must have fallen back asleep, because the next time I checked, it was 4:00.  I had booked the cab for 4:30.

Somehow, I made it in time for the cab.  He dropped me off at Old Town Station, where I was to catch the Pacific Surfliner to Los Angeles.

The Pacific Surfliner was mostly uneventful (I was sleeping most of the way).  We got off at Union Station in Los Angeles, which definitely was the most chaotic station I've been to.  After a bit, I gratefully got on the Coast Starlight.

The ride north through the Central Coast was the one of the most beautiful routes I've been on.  It got dark after we left San Jose, so I couldn't see anything after that.  We were right on time as we pulled into Redding.  I stepped off and headed home.

San Diego, Day 3: Clear Skies, Barbecues, and More

In the morning, I went to Mike's Taco Club again, this time with a couple I had met the previous night.  I ordered the Fisherman's Torta, which had the same delicious ingredients as the tacos I had the day before.  I got banana juice this time.  I then went back to the hostel for a good portion of the day.

I knew I was going home the next day.  There wasn't much public transportation in Point Loma, so I booked a taxi early morning for the train station.

After a while, I decided to sign up for the hostel barbecue that night.  I provided some freshly-made donuts from a pastry shop near the hostel.  The hostel served brownies, burgers, and salad.  We went to a bar afterwards. I left early so I could go to bed; it was going to be an early morning the next day.