You Go! Come Back! Bring Meat!

I'm not usually a burger fan. I much prefer a bowl of noodles. There are days when I just feel carnivorous and I turn up my nose at fish and chicken (usually favoured). Only red meat will do. BEEF!


One of those days came along (usually coinciding with a certain time of the month) and when I said "I need meat!", Chad volunteered to go to Red Mill's to get me some. At the door, I tell him, "You go. Come Back. Bring meat!"


It was an indulgence-not for every day, or every week! Burger, onion rings, milk shake! So bad and sooooo good. But don't take my word for it. Here are some reviews:

Seattle Weekly
"Best burgers in Seattle"
10 years in a row

GQ, and the Oprah Show - The 20 Hamburgers You Must Eat Before You Die
Double Bacon Deluxe with Cheese
"..The American cheese is artfully melted, the thick pepper bacon superb, the soft roll pretty wonderful, the red onion sweet, the lettuce and tomato good enough, and the mayo dressing just right with this pile of ingredients. It's a first-rate burger, provided you ask for your meat rare. It won't come rare, but it will be juicy."
(Also won: Best Onion Rings.)

Seattle Metropolitan
The good folks at Red Mill are both ahead of the times (cell phones are "just rude, dude) and behind them (no credit cards, please) - but their bacon deluxe with cheese is undoubtedly what you're craving this very second. Order at the counter of one of John and Babe's two cozy burger shacks, plop down in an oversize wood booth, then wrap your mouth around the Kaiser bun with its thick juicy patty, topped with peppery bacon and dripping spicy mayo.

Zagat Survey
The "decor is nothing special, the service is do-it-yourself, but the burgers keep drawing you back" to these twin joints in Phinney Ridge and Magnolia, whose faithful are willing to "drive an hour out of our way" and brave the ubiquitous "intimidating lines" for "smoky-good" patties (special mention: the Verde version, with Anaheim chiles); "don't shortchange your arteries - accompany your order" with "terrific shakes" and "homemade onion rings".

Check out the Red Mill website here.

My Latest Experiment

Indonesian Ginger Chicken


If you had more ginger than you know what to do with, this is a recipe I would recommend.

About a week ago, I was feeling all fluish and asked Chad to buy me lots of fresh ginger because I wanted to make lots of fish congee. He got me LOTS of ginger. Yes, more than I knew what to do with. My googgling efforts brought me to Ina Garten's (The Barefoot Contessa) Indonesian Ginger Chicken. I'm not sure how indonesian this recipe is but the ginger and garlic does add a more asian flavour.

I made a couple of adjustments to the original recipe. I added even more ginger than the huge amount the recipe already called for. We bought lots of chicken thighs from Costco on our last trip, so I used 12 chicken thighs instead of 2 quartered chickens. I had just shy of a cup of honey left, so I added a small amount of maple syrup to make up for the difference.

We had the chicken with brocolli and rice- mixture of jasmine, wild and brown rice cooked in chicken broth and a touch of butter.

I packed it for Chad's lunch and Chad has already asked me to make it again. No problem-I still have enough ginger for another round.

VERDICT: Easy to make, reheats well, Chad likes it. A winner!

Hello, Mr. Bus Driver

I can always make Karen laugh when I mention she should say "Hello" to the bus drivers as she gets on the bus. She usually says "Nooooooo!!!!" It's one of the many little differences I think of between Singapore and Seattle. Besides the obvious, like the heat and humidity year-round, the crowds everywhere, and how clean everything looked, I think of the small differences and smile.

When I visited Karen in Singapore October 2007, I didn't really know what to expect. I had read a book called "Culture Shock" which explained many of the cultural differences to look forward to, but reading a book is nothing like experiencing it first-hand.

The first one: Here in Seattle, when I get on the bus, I usually say Hello to the bus driver. Since I take the same buses every day to/from work, I often see the same drivers. It's always just a quick greeting but there's recognition there and even a "haven't seen you in while" if either of us have been away. In Singapore, I said "Hello" to the driver as I boarded for the first time and I remember he looked a bit shocked and mumbled a kind of "Hello" back to me. Karen laughed when we sat down and said that rarely does anyone talk to the driver. I took that as a kind of challenge and would greet the driver every time I got on. I noticed that nearly everywhere, no one hardly ever noticed the public-works people like ticket-takers, bus drivers or even security guards in the MRT stations. But I started nodding a "Hello" whenever I could and many times got a smile in return. Karen would poke me in the ribs and tell me to stop but of course that would just make me want to do it more. I felt that I could get away with it since I was a visitor/foreigner and wouldn't know the customs. As it went on, I started to joke about making it even a bigger greeting, until I thought about doing something really big like saying really loudly, "Hello, Mr. Bus Driver. How are you? It's so nice to see you. How's Mrs. Bus Driver today? I'm going to Toa Payoh Central and then going to take the MRT to Orchard Road. I hope to see you again soon!" I never went that far, but I laugh whenever I think about it and it usually can make Karen smile because she knows the background to that statement.

The second one: People love to eat and mingle. We met many of Karen's friends over the ten days I was there but it was always at a restaurant or food court. Except one time when I made dinner for Karen and three of her friends so they could all meet me at the same time. There are food places everywhere, whether full restaurants, food courts, food stands, or just hawkers selling finger foods and drinks. But wherever there was food, there was people sitting and enjoying being out with friends and family. Here in Seattle, when I've gone out, either alone or with family and friends, I can always see a few people out by themselves, enjoying their quiet time. Reading a book, writing a letter, or on a computer. I used to do that all time and never thought twice about it. In Singapore, I rarely saw a person sitting alone. I sat by myself a few times, during days that I would go exploring and just needed a quick bite to eat or wanted to rest at TCC or Starbucks, but even then I would engage in conversation with people. At a Starbucks, I would say I was from Seattle and how I loved going to various Starbucks there. At TCC or somewhere else, I would mention that I was visiting my girlfriend who was working, giving me time to explore Singapore.

The third one: At a restaurant, the servers will not give you the bill until you ask for it. They don't want to give the impression that they are pushing you out. And I never noticed any cold looks from them as Karen and I would linger over coffee and dessert. Here in America, they will almost always give you the bill but say, "Whenever you're ready, no hurry." Usually, I am not one for lingering after I'm done eating but in Singapore with Karen, I never even would think about leaving until we were done with our conversation and felt it was time to go.

I'm sure there are more small differences that I'll think of soon, but I want to hit 'publish' now and go laugh with Karen...

(un)Willing Pincushion

Our calendar is marked for tomorrow.
9.20 am: Chad- Doctor's office.

He's getting jabs for our travels to Singapore, Malaysia (Melaka and Kuala Lumpur) and Indonesia (Bali) in the next month. After all the vaccinations I've had to get at the medical check-up for the K1 Fiance Visa, I'm not volunteering.

Good luck, my pincushion!

Orange Juice

Odwalla orange juice. It can be expensive, but it is so good! I tried it once a few years ago when I had the flu. Looking at the label and seeing the 120% of Vitamin C, I just had to sample it. I've had other Odwalla drinks and also like their Limeade during the summer. Karen and I went to Costco last week, falling into the trap that many people do, I'm sure.

"Let's go to Costco and pick up a few things."
"Sounds good. Let's go! You drive, OK?"

We get there, thinking of the five or six items we are going to get. But of course, wandering through the aisles,

"Oh, we should get this now because we are running out."
"Do we need four months of it?"
"Definitely!"

So, our 'few' items ended up being more than a full cart. We went in with the idea of getting orange juice(Vitamin C!!), coffee, granola bars(for my lunch at work), and other things. An hour later, we're loading up the car with cereal, chicken, fruit, granola bars, bread, and lots of things we'll use over the next few weeks. Also, Karen wanted to get a supply of candies to bring to Singapore since it is so much cheaper here than there. I'm not allowed to even look at that stuff!

I sure hope Karen feels better soon!

I'm Not a Very Good Sick Person

Chad would agree with that-too quickly-I might add. Yes, I'm a whiner and complainer. It' NOT fun being sick and there's no mistaking how I feel about it. Having a cold or flu always reminds me of those days in my childhood when I was asthmatic. So I guess that could explain why I revert to my childish or childlike behaviour whenever I start to cough and wheeze.

Since I've gotten sick, Chad has been trying to get me to drink lots orange juice. Which explains the gallon jug of Odwalla we got from Costco. My mom called me today and as soon as she heard my voice, she said, "No oranges or milk or fried food or anything cold!" Logically I know oranges are supposed to be good for me, but experience tells me to listen to my mother.

Both Chad and I have had a few rough nights of sleep because of my cough. On top of that, Chad's saying that I've started to snore. LOUD! Gasp! Poor Chad. I guess it makes sense because of the congestion I'm feeling in my chest, making me gasp for air. I feel guilty about waking Chad up "n" times in one night but Chad has really been sweet about it. I wonder how many of our neighbours I'm keeping awake. Just a few weeks ago, Chad and I were knocking at our young neighbours' door at about 3 am in the morning because we could hear every word being said in their condo. They were having a little party. It was so loud, there was no way we could sleep and so we decided to ask them nicely to keep it down.

I will continue making rice porridge with lots of ginger, avoid milk and citrus fruits, drink lots of water, continue to use my Beclo-asma inhaler and get better soon or WE may soon be getting that knock at OUR door.