@steddielovemonth Day 7: Love Is Silently Passing Them A Pickle Because You Know It’s Their Favorite @steddieasitgoes

Steve loves pickles, luckily Robin hates them, claims they're an abomination. So, whenever the diner messes up and there's a big green pickle on her plate she doesn't even need to say anything he's already reaching over and taking it off her plate. They're a perfect match in that regard.

Eddie also loves pickles, he spends about five minutes at the beginning of the meal deciding if he wants to eat his burger or pickle first, it always makes Steve laugh.

Steve looked across the table after picking up his own burger to see a dejected looking Eddie. That wasn't normal, in fact Eddie had just been laughing telling Steve about the time Jeff got tangled up in his bass cord while twirling around the stage with Eddie.

"Eds? What's up?"

Eddie glanced up from his plate, a clearly forced smile growing across his face.

"Oh, nothing Stevie don't worry." He replied picking up his burger. Oh that's what was wrong, Eddie's plate was very much devoid of green crunchy goodness, they'd forgotten his pickle.

Steve picked up his pickle and plopped it on his boyfriend's plate, "What were you saying about Jeff? Did he really almost fall off the stage?"

Eddie looked shocked down at the pickle, "But, Steve, you love pickles."

Steve smiled, "I know, but I love you more." And Steve would give Eddie a million pickles just to see that smile.

do you have any new recipes that you've learned recently? i remember you wrote something a while ago about carbonara and i tried it out for myself it was really fun!!

i love this 😭 im gonna write way too much idec! something that has changed since that post: my kitchen is worse. i have a horrible combi oven which has resulted in me accidentally eating raw chicken, because it had been in there for more than 2 hours at supposedly 230 °C and i was really hungry and thought it HAD to be done by then. also i have less time and less money lol. it has made me a bit sad, and less motivated to cook nice things but i also love food! which means these tips/recipes are gonna reflect that and might seem a bit dull but probably also relatable for a lot of people.   i’ve definitely made spaghetti carbonara a bit too much because it’s simple and require few ingredients! will still vouch for that one tip about substituting the bacon with roasted veggies and other types of meat.

last week i made risotto for the very first time, i think? which means i might be assuming a bit too much, but i think it’s a great dish that you can almost make with whatever you have in your fridge. i made it with roasted beetroot(needs A LOT of time to soften, lesson learned), carrots and parsley root or parsnip(idk the difference), dried rosemary and thyme, garlic and onion. i had some leftover sushi rice, which is great for risotto apparently(love versatile ingredients), roasted them in some oil and then added white wine and chicken stock and actually added a leftover parmesan rind i had in the fridge to give the ‘stock’ some flavour, a bit of nutmeg and then in the end some shredded gouda lol… it was surprisingly delicious and i didn’t even really care to cook the rice perfectly. it also tasted delicious 3 days later, which was a nice surprise. i bet there are tons of risotto recipes online, but as long as you have rice, some kind of flavoured water, i guess you could kind of add whatever you want of veggies and top with whatever herb you have around.

another type of porridge i consume a lot these days is hot oat porridge, which i’ve eaten since i was little and it was the first ‘dish’ i learnt to make myself and it’s cheap. some people really dislike the consistency and look but i don’t. it’s also very easy to customise. i put in whatever nuts and seeds(which are often cheaper than nuts) i have around: flaxseed, sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, chopped almonds and sometimes a dollop of peanut butter. i let them simmer along with the oats. i like adding those elements because it gives it some texture and it keeps me more full throughout the day. it’s very important to me because i hate spending money i don’t have on fast-food when i’m not home and i hate being hungry. dried raisins, cranberries for a bit of sweetness and if i’m treating myself i’ll add some fresh apples cut into small pieces or some homemade berry compote(i use frozen) or brown sugar. if i had more money i’d use maple syrup but i don’t at the moment. i also add a bit of cinnamon and cardamom, dried ginger etc, whatever you feel like. some people also add milk afterwards but i’d rather spend my milk on my coffee.

a small tip: making chili flake / garlic oil. it’s really delicious, you could put it straight on pasta with some parmesan and pepper and it would be a filling meal. either chop the garlic really fine, grate it, microplane it, smash it to pieces. heat some olive oil until it’s quite hot, then remove from heat and add the chili flakes and garlic. if the oil isn’t hot enough you can just put the pan or pot back on the heat but be careful you don’t burn the chili flakes or garlic, as it will make it bitter. the longer it will toast, the less pronounced the raw garlic flavour will be, so when it smells toasted enough for your taste, take it off. i store it in a tiny glass jar and add it in stews, sauces, toasts, pizza, sandwiches etc. the flavour is very strong imo and everything it touches will smell like it. something to drink: i like strong foods and i like sour foods, which is why i like lemon/ginger based drinks. to make it even more winter friendly and easy to make, i like to grate unpeeled ginger(i hate slices of ginger, they do nothing for me and seems like a waste of ginger), lemon zest, lemon juice and mix it or blend it with some water/apple juice and honey and strain it afterwards. if you have a really nice blender you can just add all of it together with some ice. i’m basically making a large amount of ginger shot mixture. then when i feel like it, i can take some of the mixture and either drink it as it is, add more apple juice if i need a refreshing beverage or add hot water and more honey for when im cold. you could also add turmeric, chili, use less sweetener and other sorts of healthy stuff but i honestly do it for the taste so i don’t care about that that much.

something sweet: i posted earlier about cakes and someone mentioned swedish kladdkaka, which is a super delicious, cheap, brownie-like chocolate cake that is easily customized and hard to fuck up which is why i’ve made it since i was very young and is a go-to and i didn’t even know it was a swedish thing. if you like airy, light cakes this is not for your. this is sticky, sweet and almost like confection. you can add nuts, swirls of peanutbutter, tahini, actual pieces of chocolate, replace the white sugar with brown sugar, the butter with oil(you can be fancy and use a bit of olive oil) or use a mixture, brown the butter, you name it. the recipe i use is this: melt 100 g butter and let cool. mix 2 eggs + 3 dl sugar in a bowl until fluffy in one bowl. mix 1.5 dl flour, 4 tbs cocoa, 1 pinch of salt in another. mix the dry with the wet mixture and add the cooled, melted butter. this is the point where you’d add chopped nuts, chocolate etc. pour the batter into a cake tin lined with parchment (i use one that is 16 cm in diameters i think). bake the cake for around 30 mins at 150°C - 175°C degrees. check on the cake using a cake tester or a a knife. if the knife is clean after … stabbing it, it’s done! the cake will change it’s texture after cooling. this is a cheap cake, and if you like cake dough you might want to give it less time in the oven for a more fudgey texture. make it your own! there are no rules. last time i made this, i left it in for too long in my opinion but it was still delicious. also i literally have a shit oven with a round oven rack that goes in circles no matter what due to the microwave function, and the only ‘mixing’ equipment i have is a whisk and a spatula. no need for kitchen aids or  even electrical hand mixers.

something else i’ve been eating a lot for lunch is simple open faced sandwiches, and something that can really elevate those is: making your own mayonnaise(and toasting the bread). it can be challenging, but it’s really worth it imo and i can’t remember the last time i bought it in a store. i have a small plastic bowl, whisk and 1 egg yolk. something i can really recommend is buying pour snouts for bottles. i transfer my oils from their plastic bottles to smaller, old soda bottles because im cheesy like that and it’s really handy especially when making mayo. constantly whisking the egg yolk by hand and then adding the NEUTRAL oil ever so slowly. don’t be fancy and use cold pressed stuff or extra virgin olive oil because it will taste weird. i only ever fail when i try to use immersion blenders for some weird reason but i find it rewarding to do by hand anyways and i think it might be easier to make smaller portions that way. mayo needs acid and you can get it by adding regular vinegar, apple cider vinegar, balsamic vinegar, lemon juice, lime juice, pickle juice, citric acid dissolved in water etc. it’s really easy to customise! when im making banh mi, i add some sesame oil, soy sauce for saltiness and use lime as the acidic element. for more regular use i add a bit of mustard(also helps with the emulsion), for fries, i like adding some fresh garlic. something as simple as mayo, tomatoes, flaky salt and pepper topped with chives is really nice. i also really like using slices of boiled potatoes or boiled eggs(idk if that’s only a thing where i’m from), mayo and the chili garlic oil. it’s also great for making tuna salad. yesterday i made a really simple sandwich with a very simple tuna salad(tuna, mayo, yoghurt, lemon and pepper), arugula, basil, the garlic/chili oil, cream cheese, pickled jalapeños and onions, green peber, cucumber and tomatoes. you could leave out everything but the tuna salad and it would still be a great little meal.

another nice condiment that beats the supermarket stuff by far is homemade ‘pesto’. when i buy parsley from my local grocery store, it’s a gigantic amount that i in no way can consume in a week. first of all when buying fresh herbs i really recommend washing them, wrapping them in a damp towel and keeping them in a closed container. it will prolong their lifetime from lasting a day to a week(change the towel if it seems too wet). i once had some cilantro in my fridge for several weeks and still be fresh. anyways, when i buy that much parsley, i like to remove the tougher parts of the stem(which i use in stews/sauces! chop it up and sautee it along with garlic and onion), add literally just olive oil, water, pepper, garlic, and a bit of acid and then blend away! it keeps for a long time in the fridge and is also delicious beneath tomatoes/potatoes/cheese on open-faced sandwiches. if you want to be fancy you can of course add some type of hard cheese, nuts, seeds, dried tomatoes, whatever.

i know this is the longest text post ever, but as a last reminder, i really recommend watching pasta grannies on youtube. really simple recipes with focus on few, good ingredients that just takes some time and love.

The Pharaoh & His Princess

Seven |

Ill Father, Stubborn Daughter

The man couldn't help but puke in the bowl.

A burst goosebumps shot from his shoulders, violently making him shiver before he flinged himself back into his bedsheets. He let out a pitiful noise and rubbed his swollen eyes.

His body felt like it was on literal fire.

"Here, this ought to make it better!" Merit Ptah said as she rushed over to Pharaoh. She draped a cold wet towel on his forehead.

"I beg of you Chief Physician, please make it stop. I wish to see my daughter." he groaned.

"It's alright my Pharaoh" she replied. She pushed back his sweaty blonde bangs and moved the towel on his forehead. "The medicine should work soon."

"How soon?" he asked miserably. His body was wrought with aches and shivers. "I feel like I'm in literal fire."

"You're just sick my Pharaoh, not dying. It is just a fever, that's all." Mahad spoke, trying to calm his best friend. Atem shifted his gaze at Mahad and gave him a thankful weak smile.

Mahad had brought in the best doctors in all of Egypt and made them run every test available. It turned out to be food poisoning from undercooked meat.

Plus a fever as well.

Luckily the Pharaoh was still young and in great health, he should make a speedy recovery.

"Just give it a day, my Pharaoh." Mahad said with a small smile.

"Another whole day? I need to get better now!" he groaned.

Chief Physician Merit sighed and draped a cold towel on him once more.

"I know, but you need to get better. Egypt can wait. You cannot. I do not like seeing you so ill."

"I miss Anippe." Atem weakly let out. Mahad couldn't help but smile.

They had been separated for exactly a week now, and it was killing them. They were not meant to be apart for this long, it was pure torture for them and everyone else. But the last thing the Palace wanted was for princess Anippe to get sick as well.

"She misses you, too. She's always asking for you," Mhad replied before Merit added jokingly, "Please get better soon. I fear that if you do not, our beloved crowned princess will destroy the Palace."

Atem let out a weak laugh before his features changed to determination. "Alright. I promise you both, I will get better."

Merit nodded before taking the towels in the bowl of cold water and leaving. Mahad gave Atem a gentle squeeze on his shoulder.

"You rest now. I will return later to check up on you."

"Thank you, Mahad."

--

It was evening when a "Psst!" awoke Atem.

With a groan, he sat up and walked slowly towards his balcony. The curtains separating him and the person out his balcony.

"Hello?" he asked, too tired to demand the guards outside his chamber's doors to seize the intruder

"Papa?" his daughter's voice called from behind the curtains.

"Anippe?" Atem asked, his eyes widening at the thought of his daughter just a few feet away from him.

"Thank Ra you're okay!" his nine-year daughter let out.

"Anipee," Atem began weakly, yet tried to act upset.

"How did you get up here? This balcony is at least fifty feet high from the courtyard."

Anippe was silent which made Atem grow more upset at her.

"Anippe," he began but his daughter cut him off.

"I'm not sorry Papa. I had to see you!"

She let her head down as she whispered "I miss you."

Atem smiled sadly at her small figure on the other side of the curtain.

"I miss you too, my princess." Atem replied with a tender smile on his face. He had missed his daughter so much that just hearing her beautiful voice made him feel one hundred times better.

"I'm coming in!" Anippe stated suddenly. Atem saw her shadow reach out to grab the curtain separating the. As much as he wished to embrace her, he stayed firm.

"Anippe, no! You'll get sick too!"

"I don't care," she said resolutely. "We can be sick together."

He frowned and shook his head. "No dear. You have to stay healthy."

"Well I don't!" she shot back.

She huffed and crossed her arms.

"I just want to see you Papa."

At that moment, Atem was tempted to yank the curtains separating him and his daughter, just so he could grant her request, but then he remembered how awful he had felt these past few days.

His daughter was everything to him. He had to protect her at all costs. He would never forgive himself if he caused her to be in pain.

"I'm sorry my love, but you can't come in. I promise you, I'll get better soon" he assured her.

"When I do, we can play together again. You just need to be a bit more patient." Atem added as he saw her shoulders slouch.

Her head lowered down.

"You promise?" she asked weakly.

"Yes my love," he nodded. "I promise you."

After a minute she stood up firm and let out a defeated sigh.

"Fine Papa."

Atem smiled.

Anippe turned around and retrieved a small bag from her waist.

"I brought you some food."

Atem was surprised. "You didn't eat your lunch?"

Anippe shrugged. "I'm not very hungry. Besides, it's your favorite today."

"Ta'amiya?" Atem eagerly asked as if his love for his daughter could not have grown even more.

"No, it's batarekh." she replied without emotion.

Atem froze at the name.

Before he could react Anippe burst out laughing.

"Of course it's not! They're ta'amiyas Papa!" she giggled.

"Anippe," Atem let out, setting a hand above his heart.

"Don't scare me like that again." he scowled jokingly as his daughter continued to laugh.

She placed the wrapped food on the ground before standing up and pointing, "It's right here, Papa. They are still somewhat warm. Please eat them and get better, okay?"

A big grin blossomed on the Atem's features. "Very well my love. I love you."

"I love you, too. Bye Papa!" Anippe replied before she made her way to the edge of the balcony and disappeared.

When he was sure she had left, due to the yelling of Mahad down below, he stepped out of the curtains and grabbed the delicious wrapped meal.

Atem noticed a pendant was holding the handkerchief from unfolding. Taking it off, Atem brought it closer to his face and smiled at the realization.

This was the same pendant he had given her when she was sick of the cold back when she was five years of summer.

The pendant was a figure of a cat, symbolizing the goddess Bastet.

Protector of children and homes from diseases.

--

Extra Scene:

"Why you ought to be ashamed of yourself Anippe! Fifty feet high? You've gone too far young lady!" Mahad scowled at the princess as she gave him an emotionless look.

"By the end of tomorrow, I want one hundred parchment scrolls saying "I promise to never disobey Master Mahad again." Do I make myself clear?" Mahad affirmed, crossing his arms.

"Yes Master Mahad." Anippe replied.

With a final nod, he confiscated her rope and began to walk away. Anippe looked down at her shoes.

"Oh and Anippe,"

The princess looked up to see Mahad's back on her.

"Next time, use the secret ladder in the west side of your father's chamber. His chamber has another balcony there. It's just deeply hidden."

Anippe didn't say anything. She let Mahad walk away, before her face broke into a huge smile.

___________________

Note(s):

"Bastet is the Egyptian goddess of the home, domesticity, women's secrets, cats, fertility, and childbirth. She protected the home from evil spirits and disease, especially diseases associated with women and children." - worldhistory .org

"The first known female doctor was Merit Ptah who lived in Egypt around 2700 B.C. According to her son who was a High Priest, she wasn't just any doctor but "the Chief Physician". " - TODAYIFOUNDOUT .COM

According to Kazuki Takashi (the creator of Yu-Gi-Oh), Atem's favorite food is Ta'amiya while his least favorite one is Batarekh.

"Another type of bean identified from ancient sources is ful nabed, a pale variety of the common broad bean (Vicia faba). Pharaonic cooks almost certainly invented ta'amia or falafel, fried rissoles made from mashed beans, onions, garlic, and spices. Coptic Christians consume large quantities of falafel during Lent. The Copts are said to be descended from the ancient Egyptians and many of their traditions are so old that their origins may well lie in Dynastic times." - Hilary Wilson on ta'amiya in her book, Egyptian Food and Drink.

"Fish were also salted or pickled in oil and, in later times, great quantities of preserved first were exported from Egypt. In some scenes of fish preparation, removal of the roes is shown. The dried and salted roe of the grey mullet, known as batarekh, is considered a great delicacy in modern Egypt and is reputed to be a recipe as old as the pharaohs." - Hilary Wilson on batarekh in her book, Egyptian Food and Drink.

Reference: The book is titled Egyptian Food and Drink by Hilary Wilson and is part of the Shire Egyptology series.

Author's Note:

Hey guys. I'm leaving the city today and won't be back till a week or two. Hope you enjoyed this chapter, wherever you are, cause by the time you'll read this I'll probably be freezing myself in Alaska. Take care and see you all soon.

Chapter 2: Chasing Springtime (Summer)

Tsukki x fem!reader/Oc

genre: romance, angst, friends to lovers, lowkey nsfw (wc: 5072 lol)

Summary: Kei Tsukishima, now in college is reacquainting himself with a childhood friend. Old feelings that he has long shoved aside resurface.

Notes: Kaori Miyahara is an original character, but readers are free to put themselves into her shoes! There will be more chapters to come and let me know if you have any feedback or if you want to be in the taglist. 

Chap. 1 (Ao3) || Chap. 2 (AO3) || Chap. 3

Summer (July) || Sendai City || 2018

It was a warm summer evening in July. The gentle summer breeze swirled with a bit of humidity plied on Kei Tsukishima’s skin as he made his way into the train station. Usually buying a strawberry shortcake was an errand he readily undertook, but the day has been long and he was hungry that he was almost ready to neglect his errand. Besides, the anxiety building at the pit of his stomach as he walked towards the store was of no help.

As he selected a cake from the display stand, Tsukki tried to shake off his nerves. He was tired, worn and a little bit sticky, but today required special effort. Today was Kaori Miyahara’s birthday and he promised himself that he would surprise her with her (and his) favorite cake. He saw her regularly around the Sendai University campus, but he only ever hung out with her on Sundays. Today was Tuesday.

Tsukki was a second year college student playing professional volleyball in the Division 2 league. Since school was out, the training hours have extended themselves into the day. His schedule looked similar to a signed professional’s during his breaks, testing his stamina and his patience to their limits. His sport was fun, but sometimes it could be draining and Tsukki was the type of athlete who needed to rest.

The shopkeeper asked if he needed anything else. He requested for a candle to which she willingly obliged. He paid for his purchase and briskly walked in the direction of Kaori’s apartment which was located in a nearby residential street. He found his feet taking him into a dark brown door with a single pale of light lighting the doorstep. He rang the doorbell door.

A girl that barely hit the height of his chest opened the door. The smell of a maturing dinner wafted out into his Tsukki’s nose. He could hear the sizzling of meat and smell freshly cooked rice.

“Tsukki!” exclaimed a surprised Kaori. She looked like she just got home; she was still dressed in training shorts and her team shirt. Kaori trained with their university’s rhythmic gymnastics team.

“I didn’t expect you’d be dropping by,” she said. Her cheeks were flushed from the heat of the cooking, but her face looked drained. She too looked like she had a long day.

“I came over to drop this off. Happy birthday.” he said, handing her the paper bag containing the cake box. He tried to be cheerful in his tone, but Tsukki had never been great at being sunny.

“Thank you!” she smiled brightly, ”You really shouldn’t have-“ She stopped midway to take her cooking out of her pan and throw her windows open before rushing back to the door. The smoke from her pan had quickly filled her small room.

“You really shouldn’t have! I’m sorry to have caused you trouble on a weekday, I know how hard training is lately. Anyways, have you eaten dinner yet? Is your brother home for dinner?” she asked, with one hand holding the cake and another hand fanning herself. She had forgotten to put it down on her table.

Tsukki lived with his brother who was working in the city. They usually made dinner together.

Tsukki shook his head, “He’ll be out tonight. I’ll be heading home to get started on dinner. Sorry to bother you, I hope I didn’t distract from your cooking.” He shrugged his shoulders and put his hands in his pocket, slightly embarrassed that he had caused a ruckus in her home.

“Why don’t you stay over for dinner? I’ll make a little more teppanyaki beef.  Okasan came over last weekend and she brought over enough food to stuff my fridge.” she said, ushering him in. Tsukki tried not to show that the smoke lightly fogging his glasses was bothering him.  

Tsukki put down his bag and put himself to work. He filled two bowls with rice, plated some pickles and vegetables and helped her set the table as she made more beef. Kaori seemed to have run out of miso paste, so instead he made soup from powdered miso from her cupboard. This was the first time he’d been inside her home in the city.

While he helped her prepare their dinner, he quietly observed her little apartment, which was little more than a glorified room. Her dining room was her bedroom when her bed was rolled up. Her left wall was occupied by a desk and shelf stacked with books, memorabilia and some baskets of clothes. What looked like sliding doors to another room were where she kept her bed things and some clothes. Kaori was by no means big, but the room looked too small for her (at least in his eyes). The two of them making dinner off a minute counter quickly crowded the space.

Her apartment was drastically different from her old family home near Karasuno, just outside of the city which was a relatively spacious concrete home with wooden floors. The house had a backyard that was the size of a small half court. The house had multiple rooms and a wide receiving area. If Kaori did mind the size of her apartment, she did not show it. In fact, she was almost oblivious.

Once dinner was set, the absent sound of cooking begged to be filled by conversation. They sat down on her table on the tatami floor and began their dinner.

“How’s your birthday so far?” he asked. The table they were eating on was so small for Tsukki that even when his legs were folded and crossed, his knees would still touch Kaori’s toes. He felt conscious about touching her and moved himself back.

Kaori’s teammates had surprised her with some home-baked treats as birthday tokens, but other than that her training went on as usual. She proudly showed off some of the treats and told him a little about each team mate that gave it to her.

“How was your day? ” she asked in return.

“Nothing new,” he shrugged.

“Any ideas for internship plans for your senior year yet?” she asked. Tsukki was aiming to eventually enter a historical or science museum.

Kaori hesitated a bit, “When Okasan was here last weekend, she talked about her retirement plans. She is thinking of retiring in the Kansai region and I might move there after I graduated to be closer to her. I’m a bit concerned if I can get a job there considering our internship will be here.”

“So you’re moving again?” he asked as casually as he could. He could sense his nerves building while remembering Kaori’s last move. He had almost forgotten about that memory.

As far as Tsukki remembered, Kaori had moved a lot when she was in elementary. At one point her family lived overseas because of the nature of her Otoosan’s job. When she entered Junior High, her family moved into the house next to Tsukki’s family home. She stayed there until she abruptly left during their second year of high school which was the last time he saw her before college.

Kaori nodded, “Probably, if I can find a job in the region.”

Tsukki’s facial expression shifted. His face stiffened and then immediately erased any semblance of emotion.

“Is anything the matter?“ she asked, as she looked up from her food. She sensed his tension. She knew he was holding back.

“Nothing, it’s not my place to say. You should do what you like.” he said, shaking his head. He could sense his temper rising.

“Tsukki, I feel like you have something to say.” she said, treading carefully. Tsukki definitely had opinions even if he was quiet most of the time, “Just air it out.”

He put his bowl down unintentionally slamming it onto the table.

“ I can’t believe you’re moving…again! Every time things start to fall into place, you leave.” His voice was brimming with hurt and anger. His eyes were beginning to feel hot. It was taking all his control not to let angry tears roll down his eyes.

Kaori had never seen Tsukki so emotional. He kept trying to hold his outburst down without much success. Whenever he was disappointed or angry, Tsukki was always careful not to show it and now he had just exploded. She was stunned into silence.

“At least this time you’ve said it ahead of time, last time you didn’t even bother to say goodbye.” he said, crossing his arms and avoiding her eyes, “You just left.”

“Tsukki, I wanted to say goodbye. I had prepared to say my goodbyes to everyone -“ Kaori was pleading with her voice.

“You literally said goodbye to all you other friends except me!” he exclaimed with his hands.

Suddenly Tsukki felt like he was sixteen again, sitting in his high school classroom during lunch. He mentions to one his few friends that he had not seen Kaori yet after summer ended. A friend replies that Kaori had moved away during the break. Surprised that Tsukki had not known, his friend asked if Kaori had spoken anything about her move. Tsukki sits on his desk shocked and unable to process what he had just heard.  

Tsukki remembered being asked to walk with Kaori to school on their first day of Junior High. His mother informed him that their new neighbors had a daughter that would be attending the same school.

“Moving to some place is always hard, it would be nice if you can be a friend to the Miyahara girl.” she said.

Tsukki grudgingly obliged to walk her to school on the said day, barely talking to her on the way there. Although he only promised to walk with her on the first day, they somehow left for school almost the same time every day. And so for all three years of Junior High, they walked to school together. Their friendship wasn’t particularly chatty, but Tsukki knew about Kaori’s dream to qualify for the national team for gymnastics and secretly thought it was cool whenever she got invited to selection camps. Kaori learned about Tsukki’s admiration for his older brother who played volleyball and was not surprised to find that he had barely made any friends in his volleyball youth group.

“Tsukki, I think your experience at volleyball would be richer if you made more friends.” she said, looking up to the sky with her hands in her pockets on their way to school, “I wish I could have teammates, you know. In gymnastics even your teammates are your competitors so it can be difficult to find lots of support from them during high pressure moments.”

Some time in their first year at Junior High, Kaori was invited to a selection camp for junior level gymnasts hoping to compete internationally. She found the experience stressful.

“Then why don’t you just join a team?” he asked. That seemed like a pretty obvious solution.

“Coach says I can better polish my individual skills if I work alone. Group routines take longer to choreograph and clean,” she sighed, “Joining a team will require me to learn a different skill set too. We don’t really do teams for individual competitions if you’re qualifying for elite.”

“See even your coach thinks team mates are unnecessary for improvement.” he pointed out.

Kaori retorted that it was because she competed in an individual sport.

“You compete with a team. You can’t compete alone.”

“Whatever, I still think I don’t need to be friends with my team.” he said, shrugging his shoulders.

“It’s like you weren’t listening to what I just said,” she said with her hands on her hips as she stopped walking. Tsukki ignored her and continued strolling to the direction of their school.

“Hey! You can’t just pretend not to hear me.” she exclaimed, with her hands still on her hips.

“Yes, yes I can.” he called out, turning his nose to the sky.

“You can be such a snob sometimes,” she said, her nostrils flaring while running to catch up with Tsukki’s long strides.

Tsukki chuckled on the inside as he walked slower so Kaori could catch up.

They began drifting apart in High School when Tsukki could no longer regularly walk to school with her because he had morning training. Still they tried to keep in touch, Kaori would sometimes go to his games and he would keep tabs on her competition scores. After summer training ended in his second year, he noticed he hadn’t seen the light in their house for a while. He heard about her move at school and hurriedly asked his mother as soon as he got home to confirm if it was true. His mother validated that the Miyahara family moved away because her parents had separated. Kaori would be living with her mother, who got a job somewhere else in another city.

“I was so tired by the end of it all explaining why I was leaving them that when it came to saying goodbye to you, I couldn’t do it anymore. I was so so tired of having to keep explaining a move I didn’t even want. I felt that we had drifted apart and that was excuse enough not to tell you at that time.”

Kaori looked worn. She had not anticipated Tsukki’s reaction. With her back against the wall, she could not decide between letting Tsukki vent or airing her own frustrations about him. She decided to pick up another piece of beef and continued chewing, too tired to do more than ignore the conflict at hand.

“Kaori, we’re next door neighbors. Could you really not have said anything?!” he snapped. His eyes glared at her intently. Tsukki did not have many friends so he felt particularly betrayed by her sudden move.

His last line incensed Kaori. She forcefully stabbed her chopsticks into her bowl of rice and crossed her arms. She couldn’t believe he was laying all the blame on her. Part of the reason they had drifted apart was him too.

“Tsukki, we barely talked during High School. We were both busy and you weren’t making time for me either. Qualifying for Nationals in important and hard work on your end, but you can’t just toss people aside while you compete. You would never even talk to me at school, because you were afraid that people would tease you about it like they did in Junior High. It made me feel like you had outgrown me. Every time I tried to reach out it felt like you were pushing me away.

I know and I’m sorry I didn’t tell you. I was only thinking of myself. I didn’t think you’d be so affected by my move. ” she said. Tears started welling up in her eyes. He realized too late that he went too far. Kaori was clearly hurt. His anger shifted to guilt.

“I was just so tired, Tsukki. My parents had been fighting all the time for years at that point and they were getting divorced during our first year. I was pretending that everything was alright even if I’ve been wearing thin all of freshman year.” she continued, not meeting his eye. She buried her face in her hands, sighing heavily.

Kaori knew from the moment she decided not to let Tsukki know that it would eventually backfire if they had met again and that moment had definitely arrived.

Tsukki slowly regained his composure. He didn’t mean to yell at her on her birthday. He hadn’t expected that he would be confronting the resentment that he held for her tonight and now that he finally did it his anger was slowly evaporating. He pulled the box of tissue beside him and handed it to her. He hated to cry and he even felt worse that he reduced her to tears.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to lash out.” he sighed, his temper finally cooling. He stood up to make another pot of tea to make himself useful. After adding more cold water and some ice onto her small pitcher of mugi cha, he poured the drink into her cup and gently pushed it towards her.

“I was so hopelessly attracted to you for so long, but I preferred to just shove things down.  I liked you so much that I didn’t know how to deal with it when you suddenly left. At the end of the day, you don’t owe me an explanation. You don’t even have to apologize.” he acknowledged, nodding his head.

Kaori was quiet for a long while after that. At a loss at what to do next, Tsukki  awkwardly kept eating his dinner in silence. When they were done, he brought out the cake and lit a candle for her to blow. She looked at the cake thoughtfully and waited a bit before she blew it out. She silently cut the cake in half, giving a slice to Tsukki, who started clearing dishes into the sink to make room for dessert.

“Where do we go from here? What do we do now?” she said in a subdued tone, not meeting his eye. Dinner was so still that one could hear the soft clacking of utensils on plates. Tsukki was tempted to wash her dishes to avoid any more conversation.

The two only ever met up every couple of Sundays under the guise of aiming to explore more museums in the area. Any conversation they had were usually related to school work or their current living situation.

“Well…ahh” Tsukki stammered, “We always talk about what we’re doing now, but we haven’t really caught up on the things we’ve done when we were apart….”

He was conscious of his wording as not to put the blame of being away on Kaori, “Do you want to start there?”

What supposedly began as a quick weeknight dinner dragged into the night. Kaori narrated how she was injured through most of her high school gymnastics career from a combination of pacing, stress and growth spurts which made her determined to pursue gymnastics through college so that she could have another chance to rediscover her love for the sport. Since she joined her current team, her training was lighter allowing her to be healthier.

“I’m doing so much better I feel like I’m having a resurgence of sorts. Competitive gymnastics is not really a long term career so to still be doing this now makes me feel so happy,” her eyes glistened as she spoke, “I can’t do all the tricks I used to do but I’m the healthiest I’ve been in a long while.”

She turned around and lifted her shirt a bit to show him her back. It was a slim back with some athletic tape here and there.

“I used to be covered in tape, like it was the only thing holding me together. Now, I feel so much stronger.” Kaori beamed as she talked about her health. Tsukki vaguely remembered a time in High School where she lost her spark for gymnastics.

“I mean if you’ve been in sports rehab for most of High School I should hope you really did come out stronger,” he said, sipping his tea.

Kaori put her shirt back down and patted herself, “That is true, but I don’t expect you to understand since you’ve had a relatively healthy career. What about you?”

Tsukki was slightly taken aback but tried not to show it. He talked about qualifying for nationals all three years of his high school career and how he found his passion for volleyball. In Junior High, he felt like he was only playing because he needed something to do, but that changed during the finals for his first prefectural.

“Nobody thought we could beat Shiratorizawa High because they’ve been unbeatable in the finals at the prefectural level the past three years, even I thought we were going to lose. When I learned how to block his spikes and play against them, we won. That really changed the sport for me. It stopped being just a club. I realized how much I liked playing and winning.”

“It’s still not fun all the time, but it started becoming fun some times.” he added.

Tsukki briefly touched on how he was recruited to play professionally in Division 2, which was a far less exciting story than qualifying for his first Nationals.

Their conversation kept going and they began talking about their future plans for after college. Kaori explained why she was so adamant to be near her mother and how she found it difficult to be away from her so long now that she worked in another region.

“After my parents divorced, I felt very lost. I knew I was a child, but I had no choice but to be an adult. After she started getting part, I was set to start out college and she moved south. I want to get some time with my mom back. It’s very important to me Tsukki.

When she retires, she might not like it here in Japan so she might just move back home to be with the rest of her family. She said she might stay in Japan for a couple of years in her retirement to give it a shot.”

Tsukki stated that he would like to work for a museum and that he was aiming for Sendai City Museum. He wasn’t really sure if that would pan out with his professional contract, but he is quite looking forward it.

The night ended quite late with Tsukki standing just outside her door. He had felt much lighter than when he first stepped foot into her apartment earlier that evening but he also felt more exhausted. Not only was he physically drained, but the emotional weight of the evening was wearing on him.

“If you really want to move to Kansai, I’ll move with you.” he said in all earnestness. Tsukki caught himself after he made his promise, “Depending how things pan out I guess.”

Kaori was caught off guard. It was near impossible to get him to be expressive and vulnerable and here he was promising to plan his future with her.

“What about your career? How will you continue to play volleyball professionally if you move?” she asked, sounding concerned.

“We can talk more about this another time. I don’t have to play professionally. I can just find another league. I’m not sure I can keep playing like this after I do get a normal job.” he shrugged.

“Really?“ she smiled brightly.

“Kaori I just said I would,” he said, raising his eyebrows, his cool had returned after an evening of being unnerved.

“It wasn’t loud enough. Could you say it again? I don’t think I heard you right the first time,” she teased, laughing while cupping her ears closer to him.

“You’ll have to wait another day.” he nodded while tilting his head and turning his back on her, “See you on Sunday.”

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Summer (August)

Sendai City

2020

On a rainy August afternoon, the change of weather had finally eased the sizzling pavement of its heat. The unyielding sun and the dry air gave way to a cooler temperature made it an easy enough day to spend under light summer blankets.

Although there was a little bit of sun out, Kaori’s apartment was barely lit. Her curtains were drawn and the lights were off. The only sliver of light in the apartment escaped from a part of her window that could not be covered. The light barely grazed Tsukki’s head, illuminating the strands of his hair.

Despite the darkness, Kaori was aware of exactly where Tsukki was. He was laying on his side atop of her futon bed with a thin blanket covering most of him. She could see the outline of his toned body draped beside her. He had one hand on her waist and another running back and forth her hair and her spine.

“I called Okasan to tell her that I would like to work a bit in Sendai before I move to Kansai. I told her it might be easier to get my start here since I’ll be doing my internship in the area. She must have sensed that I’m seeing someone because she immediately told me to make sure that I put my career ahead of my priorities,“ she sighed her forehead pressed against his throat. She could feel his throat rise and fall as he listened to her.

“She went on a tirade cautioning me about getting into a serious relationship too early. She went on about me being in the age of curiosity - a time to explore what I like and don’t like. Now was not the time to be committing to something I might later regret was what she said.” Kaori murmured, her hand around his neck while she lay across him. She could feel his fingers continually running through her hair and bare back as she talked.

“I’m sure the advice was well-meaning.” he murmured into her ear, his fingers drawing shapes on her hips and lower back.

“Do you think she really knows?” her tone sounded a bit troubled.

Tsukki adjusted his glasses and gently pushed her away to look into her eyes, “She is probably just casting out a wide net honestly. I don’t think it’s anything to be worried about.”

In truth there was probably no repercussion if Kaori’s mother found out she was seeing someone. Kaori was just intensely private about her personal life and she felt mortified at the thought that her mother would know about her relationship.

“Do you ever get curious though?” Kaori asked.

“Curious about what?” said Tsukki, looking somewhat confused. He kicked the blankets down to his feet which were barely covered just because he was just too tall for her blanket. Kaori instinctively covered herself as her blanket slid down. Tsukki, grabbed his jacket from his side and covered her.

“What it’s like to be with other girls? Athletes have lots of fans, right?” she asked, only half paying attention.

Tsukki thought back to incidents with fans. He did remember hearing his name occasionally from the spectators during big matches. There would be girls trying to go up to talk to him every now and then and he opted to ignore them or shake them off.

“I don’t have the time nor the interest to entertain romantically interested fans frankly. Even when there were girls approaching me in high school, I thought it was just annoying,” he said, scratching his head, “I think Yamaguchi would have been a better audience for their attention honestly.”

Yamaguchi was his best friend and teammate from his High School Volleyball Club. One of his pet peeves was that girls would often approach him to ask about Tsukki. Tsukki felt that Yamaguchi was probably more suited to the attention Tsukki received from girls his age.

Tsukki was puzzled by the direction of the conversation especially considering how they had just spent the afternoon together. Just thinking about the intense pleasure he had experienced half an hour ago made tingles up his spine. How could he be thinking about other women during an hour like this?

“Are you actually jealous of my ‘fans’ ?” he smirked, then feigned shock, “I didn’t think you’d ever be the jealous type. My my!”

Kaori punched his ribs.

“You play in a Division 2 league, get over yourself.” she huffed, turning her back on him. Tsukki didn’t even play in the top tier professional league. There were more tiny children asking for his autographs than women shrieking for his attention. “You’re not Kageyama.”

“I’ve known you since we were in Junior High. If I was more curious I think I’d opt to look for someone I didn’t know as well or maybe a flashier girl…maybe I am the country bumpkin simpleton you tease me to be.” he said, “If country bumpkin equates to my lack of attachment to fame and attention.”

He tried to put his arm around her waist to draw her back to him. Kaori instantly swatted his hand away. Tsukki resigned to himself and lay flat on his back with his arms on his head.

“I mean I wasn’t even looking for a relationship, we kind of just stumbled onto each other. I really like you, I do but if we hadn’t been seeing each other I wouldn’t be actively going around searching for someone to date.”

He flipped the question onto her.

“How do you feel about your fans? Are you curious what it would be like to date one of the people cheering for you in the stands.”

“Not really? I mean I feel thankful and respectful for the people cheering me on, but honestly I’ve never thought about being romantically linked to any of them. Liking the same sport is not a good foundation for a relationship.

Also, the majority of gymnastic fans are either hardcore fans of the sport, former gymnasts or families of budding gymnasts. There are very few casual fans looking for a date in the audience, you know?” she said, turning towards him with her arms crossed.

“Oh wow, that’s very balanced of you.” he said.

“Are you not curious?” He asked, suddenly conscious of being her lover.

“Curiosity doesn’t always pay off.” she swiftly answered, “Every guy that has tried to ask me out either looks like trouble or believes me to be a different person from who I am.”

Kaori thought back to the time her friend tried to set her up on a double date with a guy that asked her to be more “kawaii” and lady-like because he felt she was taking too big a bite of her food. The boy thought she would be more attractive if she demurred herself. The experience made her shudder at the audacity of men.

“Does that mean I look like trouble?” he gasped, faking his dramatics.

“No, you’re too anti-social to cause trouble.” she laughed.

“Then are you not content with me?” he followed up.

Kaori quickly paused to think and said, “I am.”

Tsukki moved over closer to her, covering her body with his. Kaori wrapped her arms around his neck as he pressed himself onto her. He could feel her breathing in his skin.

“Then I don’t see what’s the problem.” he said, planting a kiss along her neck.

Ancestral Foods on the Family Table

As I mentioned in my previous blog post, I am an ex-vegetarian turned ancestral eater. I was a vegetarian for nearly 10 years, with waves of intermitted veganism. My concept of ‘healthy’ had moral roots for me, but terribly muddled with misinformation. I felt as if the food was green it would be the healthiest for me. I felt my body’s cravings and hunger cues were flawed. Fat needed to be strictly monitored. Any smoothie would heal me (especially if it was green). I also felt that dairy was bad. These are just a few assumptions I now realize that I held onto for numerous years, assumptions that ultimately led to my current health complications.

I believe what I most lacked was the concept of nourishment. A nourishing bowl of hot soup, made with a vitamin-rich broth, on a cold day. Of homemade full-fat yogurt with fresh local fruit. Fresh fruit with cream. A slow cooked stew with lots of bones and root vegetables. Butter with sautéed vegetables. Deep-root nourishment. I had muddied my concept of health with an excess of green salads, that my body did not crave, and therefore let to binges on calorie dense foods such as peanut butter (for those of you who know me well), or vegan baked goods. My diet swung between nervous extremes. Extreme ‘health’ to confused binges and cravings.

Upon arriving to Patagonia, my diet radically changed. There was no abundance of kale and greens for giant salads. Breakfast was farm fresh eggs, lunch was salad (yes) with some form of meat, carrots, potatoes, onions, lard, broth, etc. And dinner similar. I was lucky to always have access to fresh whole-wheat bread instead of the white bread Chilean staple. But my diet changed. And as the long-day Patagonia summer began to shorten and leaves were shed in a brilliant array of colors, my body craved…

Nourishment.

Cazuela, as they say here. A soup based on lots of bones, with a little meat, peas, potatoes, carrots, squash. Hot, nourishing. A roast in the oven. A cut of meat with extra fat. I wanted the very extreme I had so long avoided and demonized.

Luckily enough this change in season and diet coincided with my introduction to the Weston A. Price foundation. Therefore I was learning the exact knowledge I needed to support myself and understand why I felt so much better getting these nutrients my body required.

And I haven’t gone back.

And now, as a Patagonia-living-farming-lady-mama, ancestral foods are the center of our home. The heart of our home. I dedicate my time to producing and preserving our fresh produce. My husband is in charge of our animals, or working in exchange for animals so we always have animal products.

I will start with the butchering of the sheep. If it is a lamb, we can catch the blood from the knife wound and made a Chilean delicacy called ñachi. It’s the fresh blood mixed with salt, basil, cilantro, and lemon juice. It has to be eaten within 10 minutes of buttering the animal, and ONLY works with lambs, not sheep.

The animal is skinned, and hung. We open up the rib cage and all of the organs fall out. We always save the kidneys, heart, stomach, fat, and liver. The rest we bury.

We cut up the meat, portion it off, and freeze everything. We always eat the head the same day  the animal is butchered. While Roman prepares the head for cooking in the oven, I start chopping up the extra suet (fat from the internal cavity of the animal) to render, which ultimately we use for cooking and for skin care products for the family (soaps and creams). Sheep fat is the most saturated of all animal fats, meaning that it is extremely stable for cooking. As well this suet if a great source of palmitoleic acid, which is strongly antimicrobial. Thus the first ancestral food home-basic is created. The sheep fat.

Now with the rest of the animal I can elaborate so many different dishes. In the pressure pot I can throw in some t of meat with bones, some fava peas, peas, garlic, carrots, squash potatoes (all from the garden), cook it about 30 minutes, and quala! Dinner. I can also slice up the heart or liver and sauté them in a pan with garlic and onions, perhaps some mustard seeds. I can cook a cut of meat in the oven with lots of vegetables. I will focus on specific recipes in another blog post based on requests from my readers.

The next preparation is the bone broth. I can use the sheep bones, however they are quite small for the amount of broth I like to make. Therefore I take a biweekly trip to the local butcher and ask for ‘los huesos blanco’, which generally correspond to the elbows and knees of the animals. The bones appear to have no meat, and just be tendons and such. But after cooking for 4 hours or so in the pressure pot, they separate into many tiny tiny bones and loose cartilage and collagen. This bone broth is then the basis for soups, used to cook beans and grains, or sipped in mug on cold days. High in protein and fat, and stock full of glycine- an amino acid special for healing our digestive tract. And for that very reason it pairs so well with grains and legumes, because it makes them much more digestible, and nutrient dense.

The organ meats can be prepared in many different forms. For the weak-of-heart, they can be made into ground meat (the liver, kidneys, and heart) with other cuts from the animal. Usually I just soak the organ in water with vinegar in the fridge for a few hours. Then, I slice it up extra fine and cook them up in the pan with sheep lard, lots of garlic, and a mix of whatever vegetables I have. If the flavor is still too strong to pass I add a bit of sauerkraut or carrot pickles to each bite. Recently I had the guts (haha) to start cooking with tripe, which is the edible stomach wall of the animal. This part had to be cleaned very well, and boiled with a bit of baking soda to help with the smell. After about 20 minutes of boiling, the stomach is ready. At this point, I just chop up the tripe super fine and whip up some curry, or bolognaise sauce.

Now I will mention a couple ferments always present in the family home, sauerkraut and fermented-pickles. Both very simple to prepare. Full of probiotics, digestive enzymes, and bio-available vitamins. We consume ferments every day, and our bodies now crave their very flavor. There nothing like a medium-rare steak, topped with mustard-seed sauerkraut and fresh parsley. Mmmm! Or Lentils cooked in bone broth and tomatoes topped with grated pickles ginger-carrots. There is always some lacto-fermented vegetable on the table. Fermenting our vegetables is also a necessary job because the summer months are fleeting and we need to make the harvest last the whole winter ideally. Therefore I produce lots of cabbage, carrots, cucumbers, and garlic. They all preserve well through pickling.

Kefir is the other indispensable food on our family table. As they call it here in Patagonia, ‘yogur de pajaritos’. Also dangerously easy to prepare. This yogurt ferments quickly, so every day I filter the yogurt out of the jar, and feed the kefir grains new milk. This yogurt will either be used for breakfast, made into a smoothie later, a creamy salad dressing, mixed into soups, or eaten with fruit for dessert. I made a liter because I know that between the three (sometimes four) of us, we can consume it daily.

Those are my most essential food-preparations for nourishing the family. There are many other important preparations, but when I think about my journey from vegetarianism to ancestral eating, these were the foods that most healed and nourished me (as well I felt good morally consuming these bits of the animal that normally go to waste). However, my healing journey continues, therefore I am always open to advice and comments. The knowledge is to share! If you are curious about any specific preparations, send me a message and I will try to do a blog post addressing any of those.

Cheers!

In This Mad Machinery

A human and an android swap bodies, resulting in identity crises, existentialism, philosophy with the boys, and fun!

Detroit: Become Human | gen | 20k | rated T | introspective comedy/sci-fi

Chapter 3 (2.5k words) | [AO3 link] | [first] | < prev | next >

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A bell chimed above the door as it swung open. A portly woman turned around from the counter, a practiced yet warm smile and greeting at the ready. When she noticed who her new patrons were, she paused and propped a hand on her hip. “Well, look what the cat dragged in!” she teased amicably. “Hank Anderson! Haven’t seen your face ‘round here in ages!”

“Sorry, Bel. You know how life gets in the way,” Connor said, parroting Hank’s briefing from the car. “Is the usual still on the menu?”

“Aw, hon,” she laughed, “joshing as always!”

Connor smiled. He had no idea what that meant.

Fortunately, she turned her attention to the other member of his party. “As much as it’s good to see an old favorite, new faces keep the business going. Name’s Ysabel.”

Hank waved. “Connor.”

“Well, Connor, want a menu? It’s just your typical array of diner classics, but with enough pizzazz to knock your socks off, guaranteed!”

“Oh, no, thanks, ma’am, just a coffee for now.”

“Two cuppa joe and a patty with the fixin’s.” She waved them off and adjusted her apron. “You boys go make yourselves comfortable, y’hear?”

She left for the kitchen. Hank ushered Connor into the diner proper, over to the rows of red booths with black and white marbled tables. With windows on two sides, natural light filled the space. Only a handful of other tables were occupied, people chattering amongst themselves. It wasn’t terribly spacious, but in the way that it felt cozy rather than claustrophobic.

Hank settled in a corner booth, his back to the wall. “She seems nice,” Connor commented, sitting across from him.

“Bel? She’s more than nice. She’s probably the closest thing to an angel I’ve got.” His head turned to look out the window, letting Connor notice a momentary bout of erratic flickering in his LED. “It doesn’t matter who you are or where you’re from, but she still makes this place seem like a mother’s kitchen. Just home recipes abound. And to top it all off? She don’t take shit from no one.

“One time—” he laughed, “—One time, ages ago, Jeffrey and I came by for lunch just pissed off. An easy drug bust flipped right around and left us with nothing, sending us right back to the drawing board. One officer was so furious she quit that morning. So we came in here, fuming, cussing up a storm, just miserable bastards looking to drown our frustrations in some good ol’ comfort food; it was too early for booze, but hell, did we come close. Bel came over with absolutely not the right thing, like soup and salad or something. I’ll admit, I was a bit of a hotheaded prick back then—”

“‘Back then’?”

“Watch it, boy,” Hank warned with a grin. “Anyway, I snapped at her, saying I wasn’t in the mood to deal with this, we didn’t want this, how hard was it to grill a fucking burger, I didn’t even have my coffee yet, and so on, and she shut me up by throwing a glass of water in my face. It was nearly empty already and didn’t have ice, but it was enough to do the trick. Then she said, ‘If starting over is so easy, why don’t you kids stop bitching and suck it up?’ Then she walked away.” Hank rested his chin in his hand, the smile still on his face. “It was the literal smack to the head that I needed. She gave us the soup n’ salads on the house as an attempt to get us to eat healthier. The coffee was free, too, but it was mostly hot sauce to get back at me for yelling at her.

Connor’s own smile had only grown. He wasn’t entirely sure why; it seemed like an involuntary response. “If that’s not the definition of a guardian angel, then I don’t know what is.”

“What can I say? You really do need a friend around who’s not afraid to knock some sense into you.”

Connor leaned back, sinking into the red cushions. This was comfortable. Natural light diffusing through the windows; fun conversation with the white noise of other discussions over quiet music he couldn’t place; the ever-present aroma of a kitchen hard at work; a pleasant warmth from the sunlight (without the radiation). He would like to come here again.

With such fond memories, though, why hadn’t they come here before in the six months Connor had known him? He decided to ask.

Hank continued looking out the window. His expression shifted into something Connor couldn’t interpret, but the brief red light gave him some clues. “It just seemed a bit boring to bring an android to a restaurant, y’know? You don’t really eat and all….”

“You boys gossiping over here?” joked Bel, sliding two mugs of coffee onto the table. Connor jumped; he hadn’t heard her approach. Or maybe his ears did, but his attention was focused elsewhere. Bel laughed. “Late nights at the bar making you jumpy?”

“Ah… not so much anymore,” Connor improvised. “Some late nights on the job, if anything.”

“Oh, I’d bet. Between homicide and android rights cases, you two are probably set on work for the next couple years.” She fished around in the pocket of her apron.

“Where did you hear about our casework?” asked Hank.

Bel found her target and deposited a couple small cups of thirium into the bowl of half-and-half creamers. “All over the news, hon! You’re really paving the way for androids in the work force. Setting the bar pretty high, too, while you’re at it.” She smiled before whisking off to other tables.

“As nice as ever, that Bel,” Hank commented. He inspected one of the thirium cups and asked, “How is this compared to plain old creamers?”

Connor’s hands hovered around his mug. He lacked his infrared temperature sensor, his unfamiliar tactile senses only told him ‘hot,’ and he couldn’t even remember what a fourth-order differential to estimate heat loss through radiation looked like. He’ll just give it a minute or two to cool. “I’m sure thirium doesn’t taste pleasant, but because the android program recognizes it as essential to mechanical function, it won’t register the taste. It’s just used like a nutritional benefit.”

Hank’s nose scrunched for a moment as he regarded tainting his sacred drink. Then he shrugged, poured one in with a stir and downed a gulp. He stared past Connor, eyes narrowed as he critiqued the taste. There was a smattering of yellow in his LED. “Mmmmm,” he soon hummed. “0.12 calories.”

A snort of laughter caught in Connor’s nose, which turned into a short bout of coughs. The tickle it left in his nasal cavity was completely alien. “Shit,” he choked out. Hank was much better at containing his reaction to just a smirk. “I don’t like how involuntary that was.”

“Hah. Welcome to the club.”

“And hot off the presses!” Bel swept over to them once again, setting a platter in the middle of the tabletop. “Did the onions myself! It was such a treat to break out the cheddar patties again, too; they just go to waste when you’re not around.”

Connor sat mesmerized. He and Hank had gone to many—if not most—burger joints in and around Detroit, but the hamburger in front of him was the tallest, most layered sandwich he had ever seen. Two burgers, flecks of cheddar dripping from them, overflowing with caramelized onions, roasted peppers, mushrooms, slices of some other cheese, lettuce, pickles—is that macaroni? A sharp kick to the shin snapped him from his trance long enough to thank Bel and send her off. “Lieutenant!” he hissed. He leaned forward to keep his voice down, regretting the full whiff of that savory, melty scent he got. “Do you know how many calories are in this?!”

“With this head of yours, I do now, yeah. And no way am I telling you, impulsive programming be damned!” Hank set a devious grin in his borrowed expression; this mischievous image of his doppelgänger made Connor uncomfortable. “Give it a try. I can guarantee it’s delicious.”

He knew he shouldn’t. It was unhealthy, grease-laden, and caloric. As if the burger wasn’t enough, the bed of beer batter waffle fries that coated the plate with accompanying cups of barbecue sauce could’ve been a meal on its own. It also smelled incredible.

It was technically a command from Hank, he realized, but without a HUD of objectives, it was nothing more than words. Nothing binding about it.

But it smelled so good.

He picked up the burger, leaving in the steak knife skewer holding it together. Before he could second-guess himself, he took a bite. There was a crunch from the brioche, a different crunch of the onions, then too many to distinguish, each with its own flavor that he had no previous reference on which to base any categorization, but together, it was splendid.

His instinct was to isolate and analyze each individual component, but without his tech, it was just a bombardment of information. By the time the taste stopped overwhelming his senses, half of the burger was gone.

Hank was swirling the coffee around in his mug, expression dripping in ‘told ya so.’ “A goddamn culinary masterpiece, right?”

Connor took another quick bite (getting mostly onions and macaroni) before he replaced it on the plate. He wiped off his hands on a paper napkin to buy processing time. “Lieutenant,” he said. “Hank. I still disapprove. But I understand now.”

“Fuckin’-A right!” Hank took a bite out of a waffle fry. “Listen, I get that you guys don’t need to eat, but it wouldn’t kill ya every now and then. CyberLife at least could’ve built in better taste buds. All I’m getting is calorie count and salt content, not any of the finesse.”

Trying a fry for himself, he noted the tang that he deduced as saltiness. Though not the main dish, they were also quite good. He took another. “It’s not vital to androids’ function—”

“And it’s not ‘vital’ to come and eat out like this. It’s just fuckin’ delightful.”

That is true. Much of his existence these days isn’t spent out of necessity. He didn’t have to pet Sumo, but it made him happy to do so. Munching on a third fry, he realized that humans were the same, except with more of a sensory benefit, like the fluffiness of Sumo’s fur. Why weren’t they the ones with compulsive programming? It seemed like they would need it more, what with all these distractions that can physically affect their mental state. “Ohh…,” he realized, “no wonder addictions are such an issue.”

“Now— hold on, now, how’d you jump to that conclusion? Like, yeah, but—” Hank’s LED began blinking. He flinched from something before raising his eyebrows. “A call from Jeffrey. Now this’ll be interesting.” He hesitated before he looked around the room. “I, ah, should probably take this elsewhere, ‘case it’s on the down low.”

“Tap the temple to answer,” Connor advised as Hank slid out of the booth and went to the door.

Connor crunched another fry, one that was extra crunchy. He should probably pay Bel soon and get a box for the rest, should they have to leave in a hurry. If only he knew how much two coffees and a—shit.

He picked up the untouched coffee. It was barely warm now. Unhelpful one-track human brain. Can’t even set a reminder in the background. He took a sip. It didn’t warm him or anything, but it tingled his tongue in a sort of dry, sharp way. Coffee was bitter, right? He didn’t think it would be this bitter, but Hank did like his coffee black. Despite complaining he couldn’t taste much, Hank’s mug was completely drained.

He spotted Bel this time as she approached. “Could I get a box for the rest of this? It sounds like we might have to leave soon.”

“Always off to save the city, you two are. I’ll get this all wrapped up in a jiffy!”

“And how much do I owe you?” Connor asked before she left with his plate. He was pretty sure Hank’s wallet was in his left pocket.

Bel cocked a grin. “Hon, has it really been so long you don’t remember?”

He paused. “Got two coffees this time.”

“Oh, silly me, that’s true! How’s an even ten bucks sound, then?”

Connor couldn’t help a small frown. “That seems a bit low….”

“Nah, call it a ‘welcome back’ discount.” Her expression lost its teasing edge, becoming something warm. “It’s good to see you again, Hank.”

While he liked the woman, if the conversation was going to turn sentimental, he wasn’t sure how well he was going to keep up his act. “It’s good to see you, too, Bel,” he replied before bringing his cold mug to his lips, hoping to end it there.

“And I hope you kept your talent for parenting.”

Connor almost choked. “What?”

“You were always a good father.” Bel was looking over his shoulder, off down memory lane. “Cole was the brightest kid in the county. But while more tragedy has befallen you than I would wish on anybody, I still hope Connor’s lucky enough to be in the same kind of care.”

“No, sorry, Connor’s not my son, he’s a detective—my coworker—not to mention an android.”

“Which means he might need it most, eh, sugar?” She shifted her weight and her gaze, looking back at him. “Sure, he looks what, twenty-five? Thirty? But isn’t he a new model? He probably ain’t even three yet, and he’s been deviant for way less than that. A father figure to show him the societal ropes sounds perfect to me.”

He felt like a process or ten had stalled. Fortunately, Hank returned to the table, so Bel took his plate and left with no more than a wink.

“Jeffrey wants us at the office today,” Hank said. Connor blinked and took a breath, trying to not focus on Bel’s inanity. (RK800 androids were the most advanced—hot off the production line immediately—he didn’t need—)

“Specifically, he wants me,” continued Hank, “so technically, he wants you. Said it shouldn’t take long.”

Connor cleared his throat. “So why didn’t he call me directly?”

“He did. A few times.”

Startled, Connor quickly dug out Hank’s phone. The screen lit to two missed calls, one new voicemail, and some new emails. “Oh….”

“Not so easy when it doesn’t directly invade your brain, huh? Now can you forgive me for not texting immediately?”

“I thought we were supposed to be unraveling the secrets of existence, Lieutenant, not dissecting your communication and dietary habits.”

Hank laughed. In Connor’s opinion, it didn’t sound right with his voice, but it made him smile nonetheless. “So, are we both going or just me?” he asked.

“I dunno, what else am I gonna do?”

Connor hummed. “It’s Saturday, right? Markus might be home.”

“Markus? As in rA9 Markus?”

“If CyberLife keeps this up, he’s bound to hear about it sooner or later, so why not tell him now? He usually checks in on his human on the weekends.”

Hank shrugged. “Might as well, I guess. Gives me something different to do. Where’s he live?”

“Around. Don’t ask me, you’re the one with the GPS today.”

Bel returned once more and set a cardboard box on the table. “Well, boys, it was my pleasure!” she boomed. “Y’all better come back soon, alright?”

“Thank you, ma’am,” Hank said with a smile as he stood. “Wonderful coffee.”

“Aw, c’mere!” She pulled him into a hug, something that didn’t fluster Hank at all. When the embrace broke, she held him by both shoulders and said, “Oh, Hank, he hugs like you already!”

The real Hank’s eyebrow twitched. “What…does that mean?”

“Nothing, nothing!”

Connor avoided their eyes until he found a ten and some ones in his wallet and handed them to Bel. He picked up the box and used his free arm to give her a quick hug. It was warm. Nice. “Thanks, Bel.”

“Anytime!”

[next >]

ana food groups

- "this will definitely upset my stomach but it's low/no cal so i'm eating it anyway" (hot sauce, vinegar, pickles, mustard, etc) - "i found this in my purse and am frantically eating it bc my blood sugar is 6 feet under" (dried fruit, old hard candies, 100 calorie snack packs, etc) - "i'm craving something and willfully pretending that the diet substitution is just as good" (splenda/stevia, shirataki noodles, shitty daiya products, sugar-free jello, egg whites, etc) - spices & rice cakes (lunch) - bowl of lettuce i'm pretending is a salad - fruit that i will calorie count and regret in 10 mins - f o r b i d d e n (anything i want) - fast food that i bought myself "as a special treat!" and promised myself i would only eat 1/6th of so i can still restrict today - binge, aka literally any amount or combination of whatever foods are within reach, aka regrettable and dissatisfying - things i compulsively smell but won't eat (anything someone else is eating; see also: mukbangs) - elaborate meals i plan in my head but never make because i'm too lazy to log more than 3 things into mfp

V is for Vietnamese & Vintage

Us three ladies had always played it pretty safe by way of our lunch dates. Not to say the local deli isn't absolutely kick ass - it's very tasty and very enjoyable every time we go, but in much the same way as I struggle to go to the same country more than once on my holidays (excluding India, you can never have enough India) I couldn't help but think that life's a bit too short to sit in the same eatery every time we meet for lunch, given that the whole day is ours, and within reason, travel is no issue.

The three of us decided that we would try different cuisines every week, and with the girls (Laura and Dani) living in the quieter, leafier suburbs of Otley and Burley in Wharfedale, with me (Alex) living in what I frequently describe as the bronx, 5 minutes from central Leeds but gloriously populated by some of the best food joints in the country (confirmed) they usually end up meeting at mine and then we go into town to try somewhere a bit off the beaten track. Invariably, being three mums of young children, we eat at the speed of rabid dogs and end up having a bit of time to go explore some local weird shop or two, never anything mainstream like a department store. Oh no. We like vintage shops. You know the type, they smell like damp and the inside of your nan's wardrobe, and we prance around pretending to overlook the fact that we are just in a well laid out, slightly more selective charity shop without the undertone of giving. Usually there's some blue haired student with a headscarf and a faint stench of Bobby Orange pawing through piles of shirts and jumpers that are deemed as retro, when they've actually some of them originated in C&A - we remember that place the first time round,depressingly. The whole vintage scene is a bit ironic and try hard and a bit sad at times, but the one thing that it does offer is the piece you are often looking at, generally is one of one only in the store. The same goes for charity shops, generally. We like stuff that can't be bought in bulk.

Dani owns Deluxe Blooms, and is a luxury faux florist, and very good at it too. Laura is a nail technician and spray tanning afficionado, and the owner of Maibella Nails and Tanning. I own a salon called Lexa Hair, and the three of us work together frequently. The ridiculous thing is though, that work is going really well for us, and while in the past we may have dug around in charity shops for a bargain simply to be economical, now it has begun more of a habit. And you know what they say, old habits die hard. We don't have to eat streetfood on picnic tables anymore, and we can shop anywhere we want, but at least just for me, I don't like extravagance and I'm not impressed by labels or price tags. I like pieces that are unique,with a story behind them. My two accomplices sort of get dragged in to it I think, but they seem on board with most of it. I hope.

And street food is the best food on earth, everyone knows that.

We kicked things off with a visit to a fairly new (maybe a year old I think) Vietnamese place on North Lane in Headingley named VietBaker. Inside it's very wooden looking, quite industrial and urban, stained wood everywhere and dark red leather chairs. It smells like the rice cooker that's chugging away in the corner, mixed with plenty of garlic and of course, the fresh baguettes that are stacked up in a glass cabinet above the front desk.

We opted for a sharing platter for £9, and from the menu us Yorkshire ruffians requested spring rolls (the deep fried ones, not the fresh, healthy ones obviously), prawn toast, and 'rustic chips'.

This was skin on chips with salt and pepper (well cooked and so tasty) and the prawn toast was understandably made of baguette slices. It made for a much heavier slab of prawn toast and therefore an even more unhealthy treat but man alive, was it good. The spring rolls were pork, prawn and the usual crispy vegetables inside. Not floppy or soggy, totally crispy and served with a really light and watery sweet chilli dip that's more sweet than chilli. It was all very lovely.

I've personally eaten from here a number of times and I think the Vietnamese have got it absolutely nailed when they make sandwich. Or a Ban Mih. Laura and I opted for one each, chicken for her and pork for me. Dani went for something off the new part of the menu, the fusion section, which even featured a take on beef bourgignon, Vietnamese style. She tried the Shanghai pork belly, served with rice. Her whole bowl was piled high, and we're not talking a polite, peanuts size bowl. More like a ‘free ceramic crunchy nut cereal box’ bowl, with the with tokens on the back of the pack, that you’d send off as a kid. It was huge. The second bowl was just plain rice, which worked really well as the pork alone was…. alot. It was sticky and tangy and rich and all those other wanky words that just mean amazing. I'm trying so hard to limit the wankiness. I like writing and eating, combining the two is hard work though. Bear with me. The slow cooked pork made me feel a bit gutted I went for a sandwich until I got stuck in.

Vietnam was a former French colony, and much like their neighbour Cambodia, found their local best offerings being bastardised to accomodate the 'local palate'. The nice version is that the baguette was the French's gift to the Vietnamese, although I imagine it was more a case of 'put your lovely meal in my baguette for me or you're in deep shit.'

I've never been to Vietnam but having visited Cambodge a few summers back, I remember being astounded at the gorgeous, light, dairy free Asian cuisine that had been shoved in a crusty, warm baguette. Whoever's story was true, it's the absolute bollocks.

They cut this freshly baked baguette open and spread it with patè on one side and on the other mayonnaise (already weird but hang in there) - add a ton of crispy green leaves, cucumber, pickles, coriander and fresh chilies, and add some meat into what little room is left. Enough meat to give you meat sweats. It. Is. Superb.

The pork was very finely sliced, dark and sticky again (here she goes) and you can bang on a fried egg, too, if you're an absolute wrong un. No thanks.

Laura had the chicken which was a milder flavour but none the less tasty and flavoursome. I noticed Laura pulling bits off her sandwich and delicately chewing away at them, while I picked it up and ate it like I'd been sleeping in the dark arches for the last month. I even had to be asked to wipe my face. Sorry, not sorry. No messing with a Ban Mih. Especially not this one.

The bill was a very respectable £11 a head, and they threw in a free set of spring rolls for us, which was a nice unexpected surprise. The place had a steady flow of traffic, and although wasn't packed, I've been on an evening and I think it's safe to assume that's the bulk of their trade. It was fantastic food, very reasonable and highly recommended. Great staff and great location. We'll be back!

Afterwards we drove for about 3 days to find a parking spot anywhere near Hyde Park, so we could check out the newly (ish) renovated (OK sign replaced and possibly ownership changed) Vintage something or other in Hyde Park.

I forget the name, and if I'm brutally honest I can see why. It's alright, but it used to be alot better. The last time I went in there was alot of very old apothecary style wooden drawer units, some weird taxidermy, and unusual pictures in frames that would look incredible in the lounge. This time there was quite a bit of formica, and some hideously orange stained TV units that I guess in some context would be deemed as cool again.

The music collection seemed to be where the most effort had been made. The clothing was actually quite 'quirky' in the sense that you wouldn't actually wear alot of it, there was a whole department that seemed to have been handed over by the owner of the late knob head Jimmy Saville, shell suit after shell suit in every colour of the rainbow, in that non breathable fabric you'd get a two man tent in. Hideous. Still, there are some absolute finds in there. I would encourage people to bear in mind that these shops have a high stock turnaround and in their uniqueness, and ability to replace items based on sales, any vintage shop can be a complete bag of shite one week and a total gold mine the next. Its the luck of the drawer, I love that about them. That and the fact that we call them vintage shops. The three of us refer to them as shit shops, but potato patato.

I find it depressing that as I mentioned before, alot of the 'retro' stuff is just normal stuff we, in our 30s, encountered in our youth. There was a 'vintage phone' that was £15 and I'm pretty sure my gran has it now. It's literally a BT £10 phone still in argos, but clearly it had lived with a heavy smoker, adding to the aged facade.

Some of it was very authentic, some of it was broken crap, but the general feel of the place is a good one. There is more 70s stuff than anything else which is quite cool, but like I say, stock changes very frequently. Dani bought an oversized T shirt with a University football team logo emblazoned across it, and to be honest I would have too. There was a vast array of university related large varsity based sweaters, some unnecessarily cut in half width ways (why?!!!! Serves no purpose now, you fools) and that's the kind of thing I would have liked to look at. But as I was in charge of a one year old who was bombing around the floor, doubling as a human sweeping brush and coming back with more dust on him than the inside of the V6 after the attic stairs have been tackled, I gave it up as a bad job and put my bank card back away. No spending for mum today. Gutted.

The shop is pretty fabulous, on the whole. They do know how to charge when it comes to furniture, but the clothing is far more reasonable. It's not all one off pieces, a couple of items make an appearance a few times and that kind of ruins it for me, I start picturing some huge factory in China making hideously outdated clothing and leaving them in a damp garage for a few years, chucking a bit of tea down them and wearing the cuffs and collars down, before exporting the newly knackered pieces to us dumbasses in our 'quirky vintage shops'. Who knows. It's well laid out, and pretty cool, and although not my favourite, I imagine the next time I go it'll be a whole different experience. Swings and roundabouts with these places. It was an interesting look, and if Parker hadn't been doing his best ferret impression I would have definitely bought a jumper. Well worth a look.

Until next week!

Laura, Dani and Alex X

VietBaker, Headingley

https://www.thevietbaker.co.uk

Vintage Boutique, Hyde Park

https://vintageboutique.com

Eating my pasta salad lunch as I type this but I thought I would share my appreciation for the simplicity and variety of pasta salad. As someone who needed to take lunch to work and school for the better part of a year with no access to a microwave, this food was a lifesaver-- not to mention, saving the better part of a weekend cooking too.

Just cook a box of 1 dollar pasta, let cool, and toss in a giant mixing bowl with literally any ingredient on the planet.

For veggies, I've chopped up baby tomatoes, celery, cucumber, bell pepper, broccoli stems (good way to use them up!), peas, corn, carrots, red onions.

For protein I'll add shredded chicken, tofu, canned tuna, chickpeas, hard boiled eggs, mozzarella cubes.

I'll add sundried tomatoes, kalamata olives, pickled veggies, various nuts or some delicious Calabrian chili peppers for some heat.

Then you can play around with dressing-- I've done garlic aoli, italian salad dressing, mayo/dijon/lemon juice, pesto (my favorite homemade!), yogurt sauce.

It's honestly a meal you can make as cheap or as bougie as you want, and you can totally fine tune the batch to hit all your nutrient needs. It's not gonna break your bank AND you'll be super satisfied in the end. Thought I would share since school season is starting back up and I want to look out for all of my fellow broke college students looking for a good meal.

Whats your favorite addition to pasta salads?

submitted by /u/sz24ph [link] [comments]

Oori Korean Restaurant Opens at Sheraton Manila

Oori Korean Restaurant recently opened its doors last January 27, 2020 at the Sheraton Manila in Newport City. This upscale dining establishment is definitely not your typical samgyupsal place. It is actually a two-concept Korean outlet featuring a casual bibimbap bar and a more sophisticated barbecue restaurant serving high quality wagyu and meats.

You can find Oori Korean Restaurant at the second floor of Sheraton Manila. This is the third dining establishment that opened inside the hotel after its all-day dining buffet restaurant, S Kitchen and The Lounge Bar. The Hungry Kat was invited to be one of the first guests to experience this new authentic Korean venue and I was more than happy to oblige. Sheraton Manila officially opened last year in January 2019 so this is also a great way for them to celebrate their first anniversary.

Oori literally means “ours” so the restaurant is inspired by the refreshed Sheraton brand of being a gathering place for family and friends. This is the only high-end Korean dining establishment in Resorts World Manila but it is not intimidating at all. The first area you will encounter when you enter the restaurant is the bibimbap bar called Bibimbap by Oori which serves casual Korean favorites. This space has a mix of couches, long tables, and bar seats that can accommodate around 50 guests.

Oori Executive Chef Kibum Park is a Korean native who has much expertise on traditional Korean cooking. Chef Park has several years of flavorful experiences under his sleeves as he previously worked in Cebu before moving to Sheraton Manila. The menu he created at Oori represents the best of authentic Korean cuisine.

Bibimbap by Oori features fast and easy Korean comfort food suited for quick bites and casual lunch breaks. The highlight here, of course, is their assortment of customizable Bibimbap Bowls served with yachae (vegetables) and sauces on the side so you can toss and mix to your preference.

There are several bibimbap toppings to choose from. These are served over steamed rice with a set of vegetables and a soft poached egg. Just choose which items you want to put inside the bowl and mix it together as you please. You can also add their special homemade chili sauce to spice up the flavors. If you don’t feel like mixing the ingredients yourself, you can ask the friendly servers to do it for you, but where’s the fun in that? Each order also comes with two unlimited side dishes which varies daily.

Some of the bibimbap options include Bulgogi Bibimbap (P600) which has sweet soy sauce marinated beef for its topping. You can also try the Hoe or Fresh Sashimi Bibimbap (P550), and the Jeyuk or Spicy Marinated Pork (P600). Most of the ingredients are imported from Korea, including the rice, so it's as authentic as you can get.

Chef Park also made sure to include a special variant that he made only for the Philippines, the Sisig Bibimbap (P600). This comes with sisig-inspired ingredients like crunchy chicharon. You might even catch Chef Park preparing your orders at the restaurant’s live cooking bibimbap bar.

Aside from the bibimbap, there are other dishes you can find here as well. The Dakgangjung (P370) is Korean fried chicken cooked with a sweet and spicy sauce. This would go really well with your bibimbap rice. As an opening treat, guests can get a free bingsu dessert for every two orders of Bibimbap classic until the end of February.

If you are looking for a more sophisticated dining experience, then head further inside the restaurant where you will find its second concept featuring an upscale Korean grill. This area can seat 100 persons with its mix of communal barbecue tables, bar seating, and private dining rooms.

This place is more suited for dinners and longer business meetings where you can work on the grill while enjoying your drinks. The interiors here are made of raw burnt wood and Korean ceramic pots which are actually used to ferment their kimchi.

There are also several semi-private and luxe private rooms with their own personal barbecue stations. These would be great for birthday parties or special occasions as they can accommodate groups of 8 up to 24 persons. Some rooms also come with their own sofas and TV screens.

This semi-private room is where our small group shared a Korean barbecue featuring some of the finest wagyu and meats you can find in any Korean restaurant. This would be our second dinner for the night! Guests dining at the Oori grill area can order from the bibimbap menu as well, but not vice versa.

Let’s start with some of their signature Oori Cocktais or soju-infused creations. The Haengbok (P525) or Happiness cocktail comes with a combination of Jinro 24 soju, lemon juice, fresh banana, mixed berries, sugar syrup, and milk. As another opening promotion, guests can get a free soju cocktail for every order of the Grilled Set Menu.

The Mandu Jeongol (P1400) is a fiery appetizer to jumpstart our taste buds. This rich soup dish has a combination of pork, kimchi, and Korean dumplings which are good for two persons.

Oori boasts of a collection of 16 side dishes or "banchan." Each of these is carefully handmade and served fresh or fermented to its ideal maturity. Their kimchi is stored for 5 days inside the same ceramic pots used as decors around the restaurant. Guests ordering any of the set menus of premium meat will get unlimited servings of five of these banchan which rotate on a daily basis.

The main attraction at Oori Korean Restaurant is definitely the wagyu beef. This is 150 grams of their Australian Mulwarra Wagyu Ribeye A5 (P1700). Just look at the marbling on that beef! Oori offers both Grade 5 and Grade 9 wagyu beef which you surely will not find in other samgyupsal restaurants.

You can cook the delicate wagyu beef on the grill yourself or you can let the servers do it for you. This time, I’ll let the experts do the cooking. They also have a homemade meljorin sauce made from anchovy with soy bean paste that goes perfectly with their grilled meats. Oori uses a state of the art griller which absorbs all of the smoke underneath, so you will not come out of the restaurant smelling like barbecue.

The wagyu absolutely melts in your mouth with every indulgent bite. It is just so tender and flavorful. The meat is served with rice, fresh local lettuce, fresh mushrooms, vegetables, and onion pickle so you can choose how you want to eat it.

Another high-quality meat on the menu is the imported Duroc Spanish Pork which has one of the finest fat marbling in the world. The Duroc Collar (P830) has 150 grams of this prized pork that is also ready for the grill. There are other meat combinations and set menus you can order for bigger groups.

We ended our two-part dinner with bingsu or shaved milk ice desserts. The Mango Bingsu (P450) and the Chocolate Bingsu (P450) can also be shared by two or more persons and these are the perfect ways to cleanse your palate after a luxurious and indulgent Korean barbecue. Oori Korean Restaurant is a new and exciting venue in Resorts World Manila for those with a refined taste for high quality meats. Bring your friend or business partners over and they will definitely be impressed.

Oori Korean Restaurant

2/F Sheraton Manila Hotel, 80 Andrews Ave, Newport City, Pasay

7902-1800

www.sheratonmanila.com

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29 Best Vegetarian Recipes - Cookie and Kate

47 Comments After a big weekend, I’m looking forward to some fresh and healthy, restorative meals. You, too? You’re in the right place. Since we have many new visitors here this year (welcome!), I’ve rounded up 29 of the most popular vegetarian main dishes on Cookie and Kate. Keep in mind that all of my recipes are vegetarian, so it wasn’t easy to narrow down the list to a reasonable number. These recipes are for you if you’re a vegetarian like me, or you’re: Trying to eat less meat this year. Looking for Meatless Monday recipes. Wanting to eat more veggies and whole grains. Interested in trying fun and different recipes. Basically, they’re for everyone! These crowd-pleasing recipes will convince even the most skeptical carnivores that meatless recipes can be delicious and satisfying. You’ll find more popular options in our “Reader Favorites” category in the sidebar. If you’re looking for something particular, try hovering over “All Recipes” in the menu bar and you’ll find many more categories to explore. Or for an overview of our most recipe recipes, click “View All.” For more favorite recipes, check out my cookbook, Love Real Food, which has over 100 recipes (most of which you won’t find on the blog). In no particular order, here are the 29 best vegetarian recipes according to readers. 1) Extra Vegetable Fried Rice Gluten free and easily vegan “I made this last weekend and love love loved it so I’m making it again this weekend! My husband really liked it too, and it’s a tall order to get him to eat a lot of vegetables so this will be entered into our regular rotation for sure. So glad I found this blog, I’ve email subscribed and have just purchased your cookbook! Thanks Kate!!” – Julia 2) Best Lentil Soup Gluten free and vegan “This is one of my favorite recipes ever. I think I could eat it every day. One time when I was eating it while curled up on the couch, I kept saying, “This is sooo good,” after every single bite. The curry powder and lemon juice MAKE IT. Thank you, Kate!” – Lauren 3) Crispy Baked Falafel Gluten free and vegan “Ok, these little babies are literally THE best falafels I have EVER had. I will be keeping this recipe, five out of five!! We had them with whole wheat pita, hummus, vegan pesto mayo, tomatoes, kalamata olives and spring greens. OMG sooo good. Thank You!!! You’re the best! I could cry they are so good!” – Connie 4) Epic Vegetarian Tacos Gluten free and easily vegan “Wow, just served them for dinner. “Epic” is a great description. As you said, Kate, the pickled onions complement the other ingredients perfectly! I offered all the condiments you suggested and favorites were shredded cabbage and feta cheese. Gonna make up burritos for lunch tomorrow, with the left-overs (I doubled the recipe, fortunately)” – Erikb 5) Peanut Slaw with Soba Noodles Easily gluten free and easily vegan “I have made this recipe so many times! Mostly for myself, but I have also brought it to a few potluck-style gatherings and it was a hit every time. Super simple to make and very addicting!” – Diane 6) Pinto Posole Gluten free and vegan “Shortly after making this delicious dish that the whole family enjoyed, I was asking my six year old son about his favorite food. He quickly replied, “That dish you made!” (Pinto Posole). Thank you for this and all of your wonderful recipes!” – Mariah 7) Vegetable Paella Gluten free and vegan “Fellow KC resident here! I love La Bodega’s paella, so my expectations were pretty high. I made this recipe last night (with the socarrat) and it was amazing. Absolutely loved it and will be making it again soon!” – Toni 8) Best Vegetable Lasagna Easily gluten free and easily vegan “I decided to give the recipe a try and I was blown away by the amazing deliciousness. My experience with vegetable lasagnas has been figuring out how to cover up the watery nightmare hiding under the cheese layer. This recipe left me with the best tasting lasagna I’ve ever made. I had some friends over and no one commented that it was missing meat. Everyone was just eating fast to secure a second piece. Also, I bought all the ingredients on a tight budget, so I spent $8.50!” – David 9) Roasted Cauliflower and Lentil Tacos with Creamy Chipotle Sauce Gluten free and easily vegan “Success! My carnivorous husband expressed worry with “We’re going to run out of lentils.” My carnivorous ten-year-old stepson, who was at first disdainful of a meatless meal, soon claimed he was going to eat ten tacos and that “This dish could be at a fancy restaurant.” Finally, our two-year-old son kept clamoring, “More cauliflower!” The only thing I will do differently next time is to double the recipe!” – Brooke 10) Classic Minestrone Soup Easily gluten free and easily vegan “This is THE best minestrone ever! It is so satisfying all around from delicious flavors to ease of prepping all the ingredients to enjoying the hearty soup! (My family thinks it’s a better recipe than the one from the award-winning bakery/cafe near us!) Thank you for creating a true classic!” – Beth 11) Black Bean Sweet Potato Enchiladas Gluten free and easily vegan “This is heavenly! I decided to make dinner for my mom and her boyfriend the night before they left for a vacay to London. Knowing that her boyfriend is vegetarian, I had to turn to google. I came across your page, and I never turned back! The two could not stop raving about this dish. And honestly, either could I! I paired it with Cilantro Lime Rice – perfection. I’m going to be whipping up more of your recipes this coming week. Thank you, Kate!” – Danielle 12) Thai Red Curry with Vegetables Gluten free and vegan “Made this yesterday following the recipe quite faithfully. Hubby said it tastes exactly like the red curry at our favorite Thai restaurant! This is a winner and will be bookmarked and made often! The details provided in the recipe such as time to cook at each step ensure that you can’t go wrong with the recipe. And so I would feel confident making this recipe for company too.” – Poornima 13) Lentil Baked Ziti Easily gluten free “This was absolutely fantastic! Loved the surprise of the lentil texture it was SO satisfying! Can’t wait for the next recipe… thank you!” – Cait 14) Spicy Kale and Coconut Fried Rice Gluten free and easily vegan “I absolutely loved this stir-fry and I’m so happy I stumbled across it! I made it for the first time last week and just made it again today. My husband was not complaining :) I used coconut oil because it was the only oil I had on hand besides olive oil and I used sambal oelek for the chili garlic sauce. This is such a different recipe with unique flavor combinations but it works so well together. Thank you for a fabulous recipe, Kate!” – Moriah 15) Roasted Veggie Enchilada Casserole Gluten free and easily vegan “This was soooo GOOD! Thank you for an awesome recipe that was easy to follow for this newbie cook. I did add some diced green chiles for added flavor but it would have been just as excellent without. I love your website, I am new to cooking vegetarian and your recipes and easy to follow instructions are really helping me build confidence.” – Joseph 16) Roasted Carrots with Farro, Chickpeas & Herbed Creme Fraiche Easily gluten free and easily vegan “Oh my goodness! This recipe is just SPECTACULAR! I substituted regular carrots and added an extra tablespoon of pumpkin seeds just because I love them so much! This may be my favorite dish by her yet! Thank you Kate!” – Madison 17) Spaghetti Squash Burrito Bowls Gluten free and easily vegan. This recipe features my go-to method for cooking spaghetti squash! “I absolutely LOVE this recipe! I made it last night for my family girls night. My 4 year old exclaimed “this is so good mommy!” and “I love this!” once she finally sat still enough to eat more than the purple parts. As for me….just what I needed…fabulous flavor amazing color and pretty fast to prepare for our lenten Friday supper. And my husband was out, so no griping about squash! Wins all the way around.” – Erin 18) Roasted Cauliflower and Farro Salad with Feta and Avocado Easily gluten free and easily vegan “OMG!! I made this salad last night and I do not believe there is a recipe from my vast collection that I enjoyed more. I had never even heard of farro before, but there it was, on the shelf at my favourite grocery store! The soft chewiness of the garlic flavoured farro with the roasted cauliflower, sun dried tomatoes and kalamata olives was divine. The feta and buttery avocado was the perfect finish to a stunning recipe. I can’t wait to make it for my friends!” – Linda 19) Thai Pineapple Fried Rice Gluten free and easily vegan “This was amazing! It came together really quickly and had the perfect balance of flavours and textures. I love how the juicy, caramelized pineapple blends with the sriracha and soy. Kate, your recipes are so detailed and easy to make. My only complaint is that I didn’t stumble upon your site sooner – I can tell that I’m going to be making a lot of your recipes over the coming weeks and that I’m going to find a lot of favourites to put in my rotation.” – Sarah 20) Easy Brown Rice Risotto with Mushrooms and Fresh Oregano Gluten free and easily vegan “This is among the best risotto I have ever eaten. Even my risotto-phobic daughter was sneaking seconds. I’ve made it according to the recipe’s directions, and enjoyed it thoroughly. I have also switched it around and given it a fresh thyme and Sherry flavouring, which was just as delightful. Thank you for such a fabulous recipe. I love when they’re both nutritious and delicious – a common combination on C and K. Thank you again.” – Chelsea 21) Quinoa Vegetable Soup with Kale Gluten free and vegan “Absolutely delicious. Had it at my daughter’s home last night and enjoyed it so much I made it today at my home for dinner tonight. I used about 6 cups of veggies and added a little jalapeno and I used red kale. Will be a “do again” many times recipe.” – Michael 22) Spicy Sweet Potato and Green Rice Burrito Bowls Gluten free and vegan “I made this last night, and my brother-in-law, a devout meat eater, loved it. But more importantly, the vegetarians present loved it. We were all wowed by the combo of textures and flavors: soft, crunchy, hot, cool. The hint of lime in the beans and the seasoned rice were show-stoppers. I am curious to try other flavored rice, but for now, thank you so much for such a wonderful company dish.” – Juli 23) Thai Mango Cabbage Wraps with Crispy Tofu and Peanut Sauce Gluten free and easily vegan “OK, OK, so I’ve always loved this blog and the recipes, but this recipe sent me over the top. It is DELICIOUS. My husband said, “When did you become gourmet?” And then I immediately went and pre-ordered your book. Thanks again for another great recipe.” – Erin 24) Kale, Black Bean & Avocado Burrito Bowl Gluten free and vegan “This was a hit at our house! I have 2 little boys who ate this right up, AND asked for seconds. Even the kale. I was amazed. I’m printing it out to make sure I remember to make it when the busy weeknights start up in the fall. It was so quick to make!” – Brittani 25) Veggie Black Bean Enchiladas Easily vegan “I made this tonight for some vegetarian friends. My husband, who is not a fan of Mexican or vegetarian food LOVED it, and my guests had three helpings! I served it with home made salsa, sour cream, and a simple green salad. Will definitely be making this again!” – Kate 26) Vegetarian Stuffed Acorn Squash Gluten free and easily vegan “I love this! I have made it with chickpeas and without — both are excellent. I made this for the main course of our New Year’s eve dinner and all were impressed. It has a great presentation and hits my check box for comfort food. Thanks, Kate!” – Paul 27) Homemade Vegetarian Chili Gluten free and vegan “I used this recipe (sized up for 50 servings) yesterday for a local Chili Cook-off event and won best vegetarian chili-so you truly can say it is the best vegetarian chili recipe!” – Tess 28) Sweet Potato & Black Bean Veggie Burgers Gluten free and vegan “3 years ago I became a vegetarian and this was one of the first recipes I tried. It was so delicious, it made me happy to be a vegetarian and I’ve never felt the urge to go back to meat-eating. This is still one of my staples, and even my meat-eating parents love them! Thank you for sharing your recipe!” – Emily 29) Fresh Huevos Rancheros Gluten free “The first time making (or even eating) huevos rancheros! This was so delicious and was a great hit with my husband and adult son (who are normally meat lovers!). I’m enjoying discovering new vegetarian recipes on your website.” – Kathy More resources you might appreciate: 23 make-ahead breakfast recipes and 29 vegan dinner recipes. You can shop my essential kitchen equipment here. Don’t forget to follow us on Pinterest for a steady stream of recipe inspiration! Read the full article

KAT'S KETO STARTER GUIDE

a quick guide to starting keto easily and without worries!

⦁ intro ⦁ science ⦁ myths and misconceptions

⦁ breakfast ⦁ lunch ⦁ dinner ⦁ snacks ⦁ food list CHEAT SHEET:

⦁ intermittent fasting ⦁ what to do when you go out to eat ⦁ what to drink and when

⦁ "carb cycling", cheat days, and how tos: ⦁ things to avoid that are a waste of money

INTRODUCTION TO KETO Keto is an amazing diet and/or lifestyle that when paired with multiple other forms of healthy choices can be a quick way to lose a few pounds or a healthy way to live longterm allowing you to still enjoy life without estranging yourself from your friends and family.  It is very flexible and people that stick to keto find themselves in love with it and raving about their success, as long as they gave it the proper chance! I myself lost ten pounds the first week I did strict keto and I knew then I was hooked!

SCIENCE BEHIND KETO AND WHY IT WORKS The common american diet is very high in sugar, carbs, unhealthy fats, caffeine, sodium, etc. This recipe is a disaster waiting to happen, heart disease, obesity, cancers, diabetes, among a plethora of other terrible life stealing diseases that effect millions of americans. Whether you do a low carb, or low calorie, or low red meat and fat diet, the idea remains the same.  Reduce calorie intake vs output, avoid foods that cause inflamations or gastro-intestinal upsets, and eat filling whole foods that offer a lot of nutrient density. Now, the reason that keto works so good is the science behind the diet: When you reduce the amount of sugar (glucose)  your body intakes, which is its normal source of fuel, it panics, uses what it has, burns glycogen which is stored in the liver and muscles, and finally switches your body to KETONES (which burns FATS for fuel instead).  When your body is in Ketosis, it will burn your body fat and consumed fats for energy, to do normal body functions.  This sounds like a miracle, and I can honestly say it is.  Most average americans have anywhere from a 20%-50% body fat ratio, men usually on the lower end of that, where anything over 30% is usually considered overweight.   That being said, most people have a lot of fuel to burn that they would never have burned if they were eating a large amount of carbohydrates that the body prefers to burn first.  You literally have your own fuel just waiting to go, and you will feel awesome when you see the fat melting off your tummy, thighs, back, face.  :D

Myths and Misconceptions When I first started keto I thought I could eat as many hot dogs, burgers, chicken wings, ranch dressings, etc as I could stuff in my face.   Truth be told you can, but your body will be severely lacking vitamins and minerals that you need to be healthy so I would suggest making sure to vary your diet, always include a healthy fat (example: salmon, avocado, macadamia nuts) and lots of greens whenever possible.  If you absolutely cannot, taking a high nutrient density multi vitamin is really smart, as well as looking into electrolyte mixes or supplements. People will try to bully you or shame you for not eating "just one this" or "you have to try a bite" and after a little while, you absolutely can! But during the first month or so, til you become "fat adapted" it is best to be as diligent as possible, and you will be really proud of the results. Not all fats are created equal:  While dirty keto does exist and sometimes is necessary, try to remember that quality of your fuel will always dictate how you feel.  Will you feel better after a slice of greasy pizza or a big salad with lots of veggies and roasted turkey? Easy concept. You don't have to starve yourself.  This was the hardest part for me to learn at first.  Keto foods are filling, yummy, and full of flavor, so eat til you're about comfortably full and give the fork a rest.  You'll find you're sated for many hours! Not all people get the keto flu.  Some adapt to eating high fat really well with minimal issues.  If you are feeling dizzy, lightheaded, or stomach sick, make sure you have plenty of water and if you need to, have a shot of pickle juice or a sprinkle of salt in your water.  Vitamin water ZERO is also a decent way to get electrolytes without having to spend a lot on a supplement.  I'd avoid zero sugar gatorade though, the sweetener in it is sucralose which is bad for ketosis.

NOW TO THE FUN PART: THE FOOD! I do most of my shopping at a normal grocery store, and most of the things I mention can be bought at meijer, target, walmart, or whatever your local chain is. Buy organic if you want! But it isnt necessary.  Meats and dairy foods are best when bought all natural or organic if possible.  Look for words like grass finished, or pasture raised.

Breakfast ideas: Omelets - add whatever meats veggies and cheeses from list fit your choosing Cauliflower "hash" - sautee pieces of cauliflower with meats, veggies, top with cheese and let it melt :D keto "cereal" - 2 cups unsweetened coconut, sprinkle with cinnamon, stevia, coconut oil, pecans, macadamia nuts, whatever.  bake two minutes per side around 375 til toasted.  cool and serve with unsweetened hemp, oat, almond or soy milk and fresh berries if you want! Chorizo and eggs with avocado and sour cream - they do make turkey chorizo too! or make your own by adding hot sauce and spices to ground turkey.  :3 "Two Good" Makes a super low carb yogurt that tastes amazing  - i eat it with berries or a "Quest" brand protein cookie for breakfast! Chia pudding - 2 T. chia seeds, milk substitute or water, stevia, and whatever flavor you want to add! Peanut butter, cocoa powder for PB cup,  raspberry/almond,  blueberry/pecan.  Chill overnight, awesome grab and go Egg muffins  - mix up eggs like youd be making scrambled eggs, add some ricotta or cottage cheese (full fat only), add toppings, bake for 5-10 mins til middle is set (use a tooth pick).  Can freeze and pop in microwave or last a week in the fridge.  I like mine with pesto and mozzarella with tomato on top.

Lunch ideas: La tortilla factory low carb wrap "blt" - these tortillas are amazing and come in many sizes.  If you cant find those, find any brand that says "low carb" - look for net carbs under 6 for best choices.  Add avocado, turkey bacon, mayo if desired, lettuce, tomato, peppers, etc.  Eat with cheese chips (recipe in snacks) Soups:  Creamy chicken chili, broccoli cheese (substitute heavy cream and broth in place for milk in recipes) bone broth veggie soups (imagine PHO or Ramen with no noodles!) MAKE A BIG ASS SALAD WITH WHATEVER MEATS AND CHEESE AND VEGGIES YOU WANT   (that are safe on the list ofc) this is what i do a lot, and i put the dressing on the side so i can just munch on it throughout the day without it getting soggy.   If you find yourself picking certain parts out of your salad right away, try to focus on those more until your body is craving other things.  Some days i eat my meats right away, others i eat all my veggies.  Your body often tells you what you need without even realizing. If you're a grazer make a fruit and nut tray, or "lunchables" almost. There is a recipe for whats called CLOUD BREAD. It's basically like a fluffy meringue that is made with cream cheese and eggs. I dont make it a lot, I almost always would rather have those wraps.  They're that good and last longer :D Try to keep things with you that you know you will eat, rather than things you think you're supposed to eat, because cold fish sounds disgusting vs that yummy five piece chicken tender with hot sauce. >_>

Dinner Ideas: Dinner is my forte because for a long time I was doing OMAD keto, aka "One meal a day keto" where I would fast until dinner every day, except for coffee, tea and water.  During these times I dreamt up many cheat meals that I JUST HAD TO HAVE and went home and keto-ized em.  If there's a will there's a way, bahahaha. OMAD is not recommended at the start of ketosis because you may feel low on energy or dizzy sometimes and we want to avoid bad feelings during initiation so when you see the success you have you won't have a negative feeling as to why it happened.

LITERALLY IMAGINE YOUR FAVORITE DINNER. Whatever you're craving.  You can hack it. We got this.   Chinese/Take out? Easy mode.  You can make stir fries, fried cauliflower rice, sweet and sour chicken (using parmesan for a crust!), peanut "noodles" or "zoodles", egg foo young, etc! American: Wings, burgers, brats/sausages, grilled chicken, etc - most cook out foods in whole form are totally safe. Pair with grilled veggies or a salad, or make a pasta salad from zoodles with homemade italian dressing.  YUMMMM bish Italian: Low carb tomato sauces and "noodles", Fat head Pizza (link to fat head dough recipe will be at bottom.  This shit is dope.  I never even liked pizza before this).  Chicken Parmesan, "Spaghetti and Meatballs", Lasagna: AND OMG GUESS WHAT. Alfredo is like totally fair game, and its really good with mushrooms and chicken. :P Mexican: HOLY FUCK I EAT THIS STUFF SO MUCH.  Like, pretty much everything but the chips and rice are totally gucci for keto.  Taco/Burrito bowls, fajitas, ceviche, salsa, avocado salad, guacamole, and for dipping I make cheese chips or thin slices of cucumber spritzed with chili lime and salt. Greek: Greek salad, schwarma, gyros (either without bread or use the low carb wraps), hemp seed "Falafel", tzatziki sauce, feta cheese, olives, etc. I have even made indian and thai curries, moroccan food, middle eastern We have made chicken tenders, french fries, chips, "nachos", fish fry, breaded mushrooms, mozz sticks, cheese curds.  All your craving foods! The internet is wonderful for this, just make sure you are paying close attention to how much a portion is, or if its higher in carbs than you're allowed for the day.

Above I posted a picture for a shopping list.

This is a nice shopping list but I find it is sort of strict.  Try to stick to these items to start but You can add in things like more nuts or avocados, almond and coconut flours (to make cakes and breads!), and higher starch veggies and fruits as time goes on.  I get down on some cantaloupe pretty often, and have a cupcake at least once a month.

Intermittent Fasting IF is typically considered an advance technique or body reset especially after big meal days or cheating, and while it has amazing health benefits, I would suggest you research it yourself and decide if it's right for you.  I had a lot of luck with it because I hate to keep track of my calories on an app so I knew if I ate whatever I could within a five to seven hour period that the chances that I would eat more than 1800 calories would go way down.   Each person is different, if you feel physically hungry, don't deny that feeling. Here is a link that describes and explains types of IF. https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/intermittent-fasting-guide#methods

What to do when you go out to eat We live in a time where many people eat low carb, or restaurants are very willing to wiggle with ingredients or substitutions.  Remember that nicer restaurants appreciate this less, but if you know that it will be happening, you can always call the restaurant and let them know in advance.  Many chefs are reasonable and want your business and willing to help. Always check the menu for words like, naked, ask for sauces on the side, try to stick to things that are usually safe, blue cheese, ranch, vinaigrettes, mayos.  When a dish comes with a carb side, most places will double up on steamed or grilled veg for very little extra or no charge.  I get steak with a literal dick ton of broccoli or asparagus and lotsa butter and its good and filling. :D Burgers can be put on top of a side salad , or ask for a lettuce wrap.  Make sure wings and chickens arent breaded before frying or baking.  Chinese restaurants usually have a section that has all the same ingredients but sauce on the side and veggies steamed, good for when you go out.  Egg drop soup is usually ok as long as you don't eat a gallon of it. If something comes that you really want, but can't have, just have one small bite and cover the rest of it with too much salt or ketchup or something than you can handle, or trade it away.  This will prevent you from eating it all. There's lots of options and understand that whenever you go out, there is a chance that you might slip out of ketosis.  Don't be discouraged because a small slip is a lot easier to deal with than a big one, and you will feel fine within 12 hrs.

What to drink and when Coffee, espresso, unsweetened teas, club soda or la croix like drinks with zero fake sugars added (look for aspartame, sucralose, dextrose, erythritol, etc), pure liquors with no added flavor or sugar (vodka, gin, whiskey, rum, tequila), dry red wine (cabernet, merlot) dry white wine (sauvignon blanc, brut champagne, pinot grigo, chardonnay).  Keep in mind that alcohol still contains a lot of calories and while it will not likely bump you out of ketosis, it does delay your body burning calories because it is too busy trying to destroy the evil alcohol from your bloodstream (dramatic music) so limiting intake in the first month really helps you to get in the swing and feel good and hydrated :P. Side Note: Ketal One makes new no sugar added Botanical Vodka and the Peach one and the cucumber mint one are fucking amazing, the end.

"Carb cycling" cheat days, and how to IF YOU KNOW YOU'RE GONNA CHEAT mentally prepare yourself for that.  Know what you want to eat, what isnt worth it, and how to stop yourself when you are done.  Ever been on a bender where you drank like three days in a row and by the end you're like dude wtf happened all I wanted was to drink friday night and now its sunday where did it go".  This has happened to me lots with holidays and special occasion weekends, and the best advice I have for you is to pay attention to how cheating makes you feel.  Don't feel guilty unless you feel bad for your progress or your body.  Sadly, potatoes make me feel like garbage so I try to avoid them like the plague even when I do cheat. Try to not eat for as long as you can handle after you cheat to allow your body some rest and to burn the glucose and glycogen that may be still in your system.  If you feel good enough some cardio or lifting may help to get you back in faster. Ultimately, if keto is a lifestyle for you, remember that life happens and its ok to be human, and eat things that are unhealthy as long as its not the normal.  Remind yourself that you deserve to be happy as well as healthy and balance that in your mind.  Being positive and recognizing this will help you to not fall off the deep end either way, by being too strict or completely abandoning keto, which often in the early phase will lead you to gaining all that weight you lost back. Carb cycling is a form of keto diet for athletes or very physical people who benefit from a quick carb before intense activity in order to feed their muscles or whatever but as I am not one of those people, I just stick to my higher carb fruits and veggies when I think I might go for a run or walk, or drag my ass down the road, whatever you'd like to call it. >_>

Things to avoid that are a waste of money Don't buy "exo ketones" or "Keto drinks" or powders, anything "bullet-proof" is basically bullshit, you can make the same things for zillions of dollars less and it will taste better as well. Keto urine strips are pretty much just a waste of money, they aren't really indicative of where you are at. Expensive "keto" supplements aren't necessary, take your multi and drink your electrolytes and you should be good to go.  Keep in mind if you are an intense athlete I am not so like talk to your doctor or coach dude.

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Best Gold Coast restaurants by precinct

If you can’t find a rockin’ place to eat on the Gold Coast, than you’re doing something wrong. In fact, there just aren’t enough mealtimes in the day to get through this mammoth list of Gold Coast restaurants and cafes that are truly local faves.

We’ve broken it down by precinct, starting north and heading our way down the coast, so no matter where you’re staying, the best eats and Insta-opportunities are just moments away!

Southport

The go-to for authentic Asian eats on the Gold Coast, you can expect to rub shoulders with office workers by day and dim sum lovers by night in Southport (or SoPo as the kids at Randy Wallhole like to call it).

Randy Wallhole is basically all your childhood breakfast dreams realised. Start your morning with their iced latte Coco Pops – yep, literally Coco Pops served over an iced latte (Tobys Estate none the less) – or go old school with a Mum’s Special Jaffle (aka Heinz spaghetti and cheese).

If you’re feeling a little more grown up and sophisticated, they do bagels too.

Then, make a beeline for Blendlove. While they serve a full plant-based food menu here (try the Magic Mushrooms with basil vegan mince and cashew aioli for brekkie, and gluten-free BBQ Ranch Burger with housemade bean and kale patty later on), we’ll admit, it’s ALL about the raw desserts and bowls.

Top your choc berry ripe smoothie bowl with flaked coconut and caramel buckinis, and take away a slab of Cheezecake made from the flavours of the day.

If you’re after cheap, quality Japanese BBQ, head for JFX where you can grill your own or fuel up with a tasty bento or ramen. For authentic north Chinese Uighur cuisine, grab a table and BYO at Xin Jiang, or join the queue for yum cha at Top One at Australia Fair Shopping Centre.

Also check out… Chinatown Street Markets are on the first Saturday of every month from 5pm to 9pm.

Main Beach

A bundle of fish and chips or a Chiko Roll are just as at home in Main Beach as the swanky prix fixe lunches found along Tedder Ave. One thing’s for sure, Main Beach packs a lot of culinary punch into its patch.

Head to Marina Mirage for the pick of the bunch, like Glass Dining, which fits like Cinderella’s slipper every time you visit. Start with a mixed dozen of the freshest oysters and wash them down with one of Glass’s signature cocktails as the sun sets over the marina. (Psst. You might have seen it in our list of 11 Gold Coast restaurants with epic water views.)

Just down the road you can treat yourself to a swanky high tea (gluten-free options available) in the Le Jardin Lobby Bar at Palazzo Versace. For Italian, book into Ristorante Fellini, or there’s good ol’ fashioned fish and chips at the Omeros Brothers. 

Also check out… Pick up just-shucked oysters and fish and chips at Peter’s Fish Market – one of the best spots for fish and chips on the coast.

Surfers Paradise

For first-timers to the Gold Coast, Surfers Paradise usually becomes the epicentre of your stay.

On the eating front, options span the entire spectrum – from Shake Shak-style burgers and frozen concretes at cult burger joint, Betty’s Burgers, to unbeatable water views (and insanely good oysters) at Seascape.

Hotels are the hotbed of restaurant stars in this precinct, with Bazaar at QT Gold Coast offering a gourmet buffet like you’ve never experienced before. If it’s a Friday night, make a bee-line for Rumba Caliente at Stingray Bar, where you’ll be transported to Latin America with empanadas, Cuban espresso martinis, and Latino jams.

Get your teppanyaki on at Misono at the Surfers Paradise Marriott Resort & Spa – which claims to be the largest teppanyaki restaurant in the country – or experience Asian fusion delights at Catch Restaurant in the Hilton Surfers Paradise.

After you’ve eaten your way around the hotels, head to the 4217 complex for an excellent brew at Paradox Coffee Roasters, wings and burgers from Brooklyn Depot, or a gooey woodfired pizza from Salt Meats Cheese.

Also check out… Cute cafe Bumbles (okay, technically it’s Budds Beach but at just a two-minute amble from the bungee bullet).

Broadbeach

Just six kilometres south of Surfers Paradise, Broadbeach is a food lover’s mecca, with everything from Bavarian to Middle Eastern, through to high-class Japanese and vegetarian on the menu.

If you’re into sharing, pull up a seat kitchen-side at Social Eating House + Bar for a theatrical dining experience, or keep the carbs coming with authentic pasta and pizza at Rivea Italian 

We’re not surprised Kiyomi scored a coveted chef’s hat in the 2019 Nation Good Food Guide. Tucked neatly away inside The Star Grand, this modern Japanese restaurant hits all the right notes. (Read our full review in this post.)

If Asian fusion is more your bag, check out Mamasan Kitchen + Bar (hello, spanner crab ravioli dumplings!) and Hideaway Kitchen and Bar.

From yellowtail sashimi and Thai-style ceviche, through to dumplings and wontons, every variety of Asian street food garners a mention here. Wash it down with imported Asian brewskies or a local Balter can.

Looking for breakfast? If there was an award for the prettiest cafe on the coast, we’d give it to Elk Espresso. Always buzzing and always adorable, this Broadie cafe starts the day with the likes of blueberry pannacotta, and basil and chilli scrambled eggs with goats cheese, and warms up to hearty salads and burgers at lunchtime.

Also check out… Epic vegetarian eats at The Cardamom Pod (also in Southport).

Mermaid Beach

Once only seen as a strip of the Gold Coast Highway where Sizzler and Hooters laid their claim, Mermaid Beach is now a hot foodie haunt with everything from meatballs to perfectly flaky croissants.

If you like your margaritas spicy and your empanadas stuffed with pumpkin and salted caramel, slip into Bonita Bonita for blow-your-mind Mexican. While you’re waiting for a table, road-test their cocktail list in sister bar, Bon Bon, right next door.

Consistently rating its pants off on the Gold Coast dining scene since the doors opened in 2010, Little Truffle is on an unassuming corner but once you step inside, it’s so Frenchy; so chic. We love the Monday to Thursday three-course deal for $60.

Looking for something more casual? After lighting up the backstreets of Miami with Paddock Bakery, the owners decided to open Bam Bam Bakehouse in homage to artisan croissants through to a full bistro menu. Order the croissant French toast. Don’t ask questions.

When we said Elk would win the award for cutest cafe on the coast, we had forgotten all about everyone’s favourite Disney movie (and also Gold Coast cafe), Little Mermaid.

Just like Ariel’s high notes, Little Mermaid’s menu is filled with sweetness, from the Nutella & Grilled Strawberry Toastie with flaked sea salt at breakfast time, to jugs of rose-infused sangria and Stone & Wood beer-battered fish and chips come nightfall.

Also check out… Etsu Izakaya for sublime Japanese.

Nobby Beach

Ten years ago, Nobby Beach wouldn’t have been a blip on the food radar, but this beachside strip now has some of the coast’s most-wanted menus and linger-all-afternoon vibes.

Hellenika could be credited with starting the movement, the Greek baby of restaurateur Simon Gloftis, that will want you leaving more with every mouthful.

From zucchini chips to wood-fired octopus and melty lamb ribs, you can’t go wrong here. But if we were the betting type, we’d put our money on the $88 signature banquet, which takes the decision-making out of the equation so you can just indulge in the seemingly endless stream of dips, saganaki, calamari, salty pork belly, fish, salad, baked lamb and greek sweets.

If you’ve got a hankering for Cocowhip, superfood salad or big ‘ol bowl of sweet potato fries, wander down to the beachfront to BSKT. You can downward dog before or after you eat with their yoga studio just upstairs.

For a slice of Italiano in Nobby Beach, intimate pizza and wine bar Gemellini (sister restaurant of Gemelli in Broadbeach) is ready and waiting to serve you with piping hot, cheesy arancini, traditional pizzas and nonna’s secret bolognese recipe.

Also check out… The Yard for shakshuka eggs by morning and cocktails and cuca tins by afternoon.

Miami

A blink-and-you’ll-miss it suburb snuggled in between Nobby Beach and Burleigh Heads, the Gold Coast’s Miami is less ’80s TV cop dramas and South Beach pastels, more hipster grunge and vegan delights.

Housed in a cute cottage, Paddock Bakery brought queue-inducing dippy eggs and salted caramel cruffins to the backstreets of Miami in 2014, and locals have been addicted ever since. We don’t know what we love more – the purple eggs (poached eggs served over house woodfired toast, slathered in beetroot and za’atar puree and topped with fetta) or the eggy custard tarts… or the, well, everything!

Head to Greenhouse Canteen when you want to treat your body like a temple and your Instagram feed like a boss. Working under the tagline, “Cruelty-free and killing it”, you can expect brain-tricking dishes like smoked jackfruit enchiladas with turmeric rice, cucumber guacamole, sour cream and pickled cabbage, and an epic plant-based grazing board.

If cheap and cheerful Chinese is more your cup of (Jasmine) tea, Miami Rice will keep your belly happy and Kung Po your taste buds with Malaysian and Thai dishes sidling up alongside your chow mein and Cantonese crispy roast duck.

Also check out… Miami Marketta for a smorgasbord of food truck eats and live music every Wednesday, Friday and Saturday night under the fairy lights.

Burleigh Heads

The list of epic eats in Burleigh Heads is as long as the sets of perfectly peeling waves curling around the headland, best watched from a picnic rug on the hill. From beachfront fine dining to rooftop bars and backstreet secrets, you’ll feel completely satiated here.

The fresh catches flown in twice-daily, the crisp, white tablecloths and the smooth-talking sommelier are just a few of the reasons why we’re sure the judges awarded The Fish House a chefs hat (again)  in the 2019 Australian Good Food Guide. The views and the tasting menu are what takes it over the line from fine to freakin’-fabulous-every-time for us.

Across the road, in prime beachfront territory, Rick Shores (named one of the Australian Financial Review‘s 2018 Top 100 Restaurants) offers up its trademark Thai twist, with goodies like crispy tofu sliders with pickled kimchi through to sticky pork belly with wok-fried pak choi and yellow peach.

For casual eats and curl-your-toes coffee, head to Canteen Coffee and Kitchen or local fave Commune.

When the sun starts to shimmy its way down towards the horizon, the rooftop at Justin Lane is where you want to be.

Also check out… Willow Dining Room for tapas by candlelight.

Currumbin

It’s hard to go past the Currumbin Beach Vikings Surf Life Saving Club – perched on the most impressive piece of waterfront land on the entire coast – but the dreamy, beachy strip of Currumbin has plenty of other food stars in the lineup, too.

Start your day the right way with an acai bowl from the kings of the purple berry, The Salt Mill, or munch on breakfast bruschetta and bircher at Elephant Rock Cafe.

Also check out… Biker hangout Iron and Resin Garage on a Sunday for great coffee, live tunes and a rolling roster of food trucks.

Coolangatta

Home of pro surfers, one of the coast’s most famous breaks, and right on the border of New South Wales, Coolangatta is Queensland’s final frontier when it comes to beachfront eats done right.

If you’re into cafe hopping, you’ve found your zen. Plan to spend a morning at longtime local fave Cafe Dbar, then check out Rockleigh Cafe (can you say all day brunch?!) and Black Sheep Espresso Baa, which you’ll find in The Strand.

Make a sneaky sidestep to Griffith St Larder. They do a mean breakfast, but let’s face it, with the sweet treats being dealt from their window, we know it’s all about the doughnuts. And the cakes. And the muffins. (Okay, we’ll stop now.)

Later on, tame your tapas cravings at BiN 72 or discover Americana in full swing at Eddie’s Grub House, with burgers, Southern fried free-range chicken, and Texas chilli cheese fries just some of the waistband-stretching wonders on the menu.

But perhaps our favourite food baby on this end of the coast comes from Tupe Aloha for its Mexican delights and tiki cocktails. Because, let’s face it, how can you not love tiki?

Also check out… You can’t leave Coolangatta without a triple scoop from Gelato Messina.

*For more ideas, check out our 48 hours in Coolangatta post.

That should keep you full! Are there any you think we’ve missed? Add your favourite Gold Coast restaurant to the comments below.

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If you read my last post, you know I loved Punta Cana! It has already secured a spot on my “must visit” list for the Caribbean (you already know Jamaica is clearly numero uno!).

Now that you know everything you need to plan your perfect Punta Cana vacay, I’m here to tell you how to make the most of your trip. This is the ultimate guide on what to do, where to go, what/where to eat and what to wear (or really, what I wore).

WHAT TO DO

GO TO THE BEACH As someone who lives on an island, you’d be surprised how infrequently I visit the beach (it really is a shame!). Whether you stay at a hotel or a villa, there’s bound to be a private beach somewhere.

We enjoyed our time at Juanillo Beach! The beach itself was clean, the water was clear and the staff was polite. Unlike some beach spots, chairs/loungers were free of cost once you can get one (the staff will assist in this). There’s also a restaurant right there on the beach, but I’ll get into that later on…

Some other great beaches to check out include Macao Beach, Playa Esmeraldo, Montaña Redonda and Bavaro Beach.

GET A MASSAGE! Punta Cana is well known for their top notch spas! Take full advantage of your vacation and get a little rest and relaxation in a calming, beautiful atmosphere. Some recommended spots are Sanctuary Salon & Spa, Secrets Spa by Pevonia, SM Wellness, solaya-spa, and Tiara Cap Cana Barbor Spa

DAY TRIP TO SAONA ISLAND If you checked out the PDF document I posted in my last blog, you’ll see that this day trip was listed as one of the activities. I’m going to try not to scandal the company that pretty much screwed us over didn’t allow us to book this excursion, but whenever I go back to DR, this is a must-do!

https://bestvacationstours.com/en/producto/isla-saona-punta-cana-bavaro/

You can pre-book the excursion online (check TripAdvisor or Expedia), through your hotel or at various shops in Bavaro. They usually include transportation from your hotel to the catamaran. The catamaran then takes you to one of the largest Dominican islands, where you can relax on the white sand beach, swim in crystal clear water and feast your eyes on the various flora and fauna on the island. The trip will also include a Dominican buffet lunch on the island.

I feel like I need to hurry and plan my next trip just to experience this.

SCAPE PARK AT CAP CANA

http://puntacananow.com/juanillo-vip-cap-cana-day-by-scape-park-juanillo-vip-cap-cana-day

Scape Park is Punta Cana’s natural theme park with various adventures, activities and entertaining experiences. For $149 USD (includes transportation), you can experience the Hoyo Azul Eco Tour, Zip line, Saltos Azules, Cultural Route, Cave Swim, Iguabonita Cave, Iguanaland, a Domincan buffet and so much more!

  This was such an amazing experience! You can stay there all day, but we really only needed a few hours to get our money’s worth. We visited Iguanaland (omg I touched an iguana! See below), did the ziplining from a cliff (this is a whole workout – you have to literally hike up a hill – but it was my first time zip lining and such an awesome experience), zip line eco splash, the cultural route (learn about the discovery of DR and check out some cultural artefacts), and the cave swim (the water was freezing but it felt so good – such a relief after all that physical activity). We also saw some tropical birds and monkeys!

The only downside is that you have to pay for all your pictures. Despite the warnings, we were allowed to take our cameras in and snap some pictures, but pictures with the monkeys and on the zip lines must be purchased (for ridiculous prices!)

Be sure to carry cash to tip the tour guides and to purchase fresh fruit popsicles. Those were so yummy and refreshing in the heat.

COCO BONGO We didn’t have space for this on our itinerary but I regret not fitting it in. After already having locations in Cancun and Playa del Carmen, Coco Bongo can now be found in Punta Cana. It is a mix of a night club experience and a variety show production that provides entertainment to a wide range of audiences. You can buy the tickets in advance from their website, which gives you options for seating, inclusive drinks and area access.

https://www.puntacanatickets.com/product/coco-bongo-disco/

IMAGINE NIGHTCLUBThis club did make it to our itinerary, however, it seems we overestimated our youth lol. We opted to go to sleep instead of clubbing after dinner but from what I’ve heard, this is definitely a hotspot in Punta Cana – it’s a night club in a cave for goodness sake! They’re open Thursday to Sunday with a different musical theme for each night and various drinks-inclusive options. Be sure to check it out!

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g147293-d1448068-Reviews-Imagine_Punta_Cana_Disco-Punta_Cana_La_Altagracia_Province_Dominican_Republic.html

INDIGENOUS EYES ECOLOGICAL PARK AND RESERVEThis is another spot that didn’t fit into our schedule, but is a must-visit if you love nature or just enjoy swimming in fresh-water lagoons (they have 5 you can swim in!). You can learn a lot about the reserve’s various projects, explore the exhibits and take a rejuvenating dip in the gorgeous, clear water. For more info, check out their website.

  WHERE TO EAT

As a foodie, I’m always scouring websites trying to figure out where has great menus before going to a new spot. I love Hispanic food so I was very excited to see what DR had to offer. I can safely say they love pasta dishes with pink sauce, plantains and sushi – we saw these items on almost every menu.

I had a ridiculous list of places to try out that I narrowed down for my itinerary, so I’ll list and give my feedback on the ones we actually went to, and suggest some others that didn’t make the cut.

VALE VALENTINA 

This was the first restaurant we tried (literally out of buck-ups because we were too tired to go elsewhere after a day of traveling) and it was so good we went back for breakfast on our last day. Found in Punta Cana Village, it is a great spot for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The service was great, the food was delicious and the ambiance is lovely! For dinner, we tried the Crispy Shrimps (appetiser), hot chicken vodka pasta, pepperoni pizza, bacon roasted chicken pesto pizza and the Valentina roll. Everything was delicious – especially the Valentina roll! Sweet plantain on a sushi roll?! Everywhere should do this! We also had huge glasses of sangria that were super yummy.

The portions are big and the prices are pretty affordable too – all that food and cocktails came to about $120USD! And we all went home with leftovers 😁. You can check out the menu here.

On our last day, we wanted to experience real Dominican breakfast, and it was clearly destined for us to return to Vale, because as we walked around the village, another tourist highly recommended we check them out for breakfast. We definitely didn’t regret it!

Traditional Dominican breakfast, El Criollito, consists of mangù de plátanos verdes y guineítos (Dominican mashed green plantains with butter topped with sautéed pickled red onions), fried cheese and Dominican salami. It was a bit salty for me (a lot of Dominican food seems salt-heavy, especially the cured meats – saltiest bacon I’ve ever had), but it was still delicious.

We also got great cappuccinos that come with a cute heart-shaped sugar cookie – highly recommend. They also offer continental breakfast options such as avocado toast, pancakes, eggs and bagels. We each got the same thing (el criollito, a side of bacon and a cappuccino) and the total was about $60USD. Once again, be sure to check this spot out!

TACO’S TRUCK

I love tacos, like loveeee tacos, but this place is no bueno! While it wasn’t on the itinerary, we chose the stop there after scape park for something to tie us over until dinner time (it’s located at Sanctuary Cap Cana in Juanillo Beach) and we really could’ve missed this. First of all, dem tief they are ridiculously overpriced – $25USD for 6 small tacos! Secondly, both the chicken and beef tacos were so bland, I was wondering if they forgot to add seasoning. The only good thing was the salsa they serve with a little chips on the side – and we had to fight over that because they give you a half a teaspoon of salsa 😠. This is definitely an overpriced, overrated tourist trap – 2/10, would not recommend.

CITRUS RESTAURANT AND LOUNGE

First of all, Justine-Renee and I are still waiting on our pumpkin bisque to come…

After reading great reviews about this place, I chose it for our Friday night dinner spot despite being a whole 40 minutes away from Cap Cana (it’s in Bavaro). Upon entering the restaurant, which was cute – live music going and a great ambiance, we were blatantly stared down like this isn’t a tourist area (but I understand everyone ain’t ready for the staycation vibe). To start, we ordered soup – Christine and Tami got the pumpkin bisque; JRJ and I ketch hype ordered the lobster bisque. The lobster bisque smelled awful (think of that raw scent out by backroad Portmore) and if that taste had a smell – it was in the bowl in front of me. Usually I can just suck it up and eat it but no – this soup was bad. We sent the soup back and it was apparently the worst thing we could’ve ever done. Even the chef came out to ask what the problem was and tried to tell us “it’s a man’s soup” – whatever that means. We then had to deal with other staff inquiring as to why the soup was sent back – one big fuss. We then ordered the pumpkin bisque to replace the lobster mess: the chef even gave us tiny spoons to try the pumpkin bisque at the table. Listen… ALL NOW THE SOUP CANNOT REACH. It’s like they said “screw y’all” and threw the whole soup order away. We waited and waited until all that was brought to us was our entrees. No bueno. Anywho, I had the chicken breast stuffed with plantains and cheese, and a sushi roll topped with plantain (still delicious). The food was meh – not bad but not a must-try, and the service was not good at all (except our clearly frighten waiter – he was sweet). The cost isn’t bad – food and cocktails came to about $110USD. 6/10 from me!

  API BEACH

This spot was actually recommended by our host, Carlos, and I’m so glad it was. We went for my birthday brunch 🎉 instead of the spot on the itinerary because it’s actually in Cap Cana and the other place was 45 minutes away.

First of all, the view of the beach is beautiful to look at  hile you eat. The staff were also really pleasant and helpful, and the food and cocktails were delicious! For appetisers, we had the crispy shrimp, api fingers and arepas. For entrees, we had the API burger, the Monty burger and the Bondi burger. I started drinking before we even got there (birthday lituation) so I can’t remember what cocktails we had but they were also wonderful! Everything here was great! It’s a little pricy (the bill was like $250), but it is a touristy spot so we weren’t surprised. You can check out their menu here.

MONTSERRAT MANOR

Found at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, this was our fine dining splurge restaurant for the trip. We celebrated my birthday with dinner at this beautiful Japanese-Peruvian fusion restaurant. The restaurant is very chic and stylish, and the staff were amazing! We loved every second of this dining experience! For starters, we had crispy shrimp and beef tacos – hello! delicious! For the main course, I had the lamb chops with pumpkin puree and vegetable fried rice.

Like all fine dining restaurants, the portions were relatively small (but filling) and pricey $$$$. Their cocktail menu was a bit too much for me (the drinks are overwhelming mixes with peppers and plantain syrup – too much for me), but you can order any regular cocktail despite it not being listed – I had a mojito. They also brought out a little birthday treat with chocolates and sang me happy birthday in Spanish and English. 10/10 – would highly recommend!

LITTLE JOHN AT JUANILLO BEACH One perk of going to Juanillo Beach is this delicious restaurant. I actually wish I went there on an empty stomach to have been able to try more things on the menu. The staff is friendly, the food is reasonably priced and it’s delicious! We had great pizza and chicken fingers here. The only issue I had here was the Pina colada – it was a bit too sweet for me. Definitely recommend checking this place out!

JELLYFISH RESTAURANT I would love to tell you about the delicious seafood we had here and the beautiful view of the ocean, however, despite making a reservation before we even left Jamaica, and driving 40 minutes to this place, we were informed at the gate that they couldn’t let us in because there was a private function – thank you, NEXT.

BALICANA ASIAN CUISINE

After being denied entry by Jellyfish Restaurant, this Asian, Thai, Indonesian restaurant came to save the day. The atmosphere is great there – nice lil’ island vibe. Our servers were welcoming and the food was affordable and tasty. To start, we had an appetiser platter with chicken satay, vegetable spring rolls, shrimp spring rolls and tempura vegetables.

For the mains, we had sesame garlic chicken, beef oyster, Malaysian coconut curry fish and pineapple fried rice.

Just a heads up, this is not like Jamaican Asian food – the dishes are actually individual, not large plates to share, so keep that in mind. And just like most Asian foods, we were hungry again by bed time 😭.

EL BURRITO Because of proximity, we spent a lot of time at Punta Cana Village. After drinking way too much tequila and rum, I decided I wanted to get tacos before dinner. I did not regret checking this place out! We got take-out, so I can’t comment too much on the staff or atmosphere, but it all seemed great. The food was delicious! I had the spicy shrimp tacos (three tacos with refried beans, cheese, lettuce, pico de Gallo, guacamole and sour cream) and refried beans and rice. Everything was so yummy and perfect to soak up the alcohol 😂. I definitely recommend this place.

LA CASITA DE YEYA

For our last meal, our host recommended we check out the authentic Dominican food at this place (yes, back to Punta Cana Village for the third time in one day). The food was okay, but we were a little disappointed. The prices were moderate and the servings were huge. We tried the arepas, empanadas, nachos, fish in coconut sauce, steak salad, pork chops and plantain stuffed chicken breast.

The atmosphere is nice and the waiter was pleasant but the food was so-so. We all woke up with stomach issues the next morning- so just a heads up 🙃.

OTHER RESTAURANTS TO TRY…

BREAKERS (breakfast/brunch)

DELICES FRANCAIS (breakfast)

SAFFRON

LA YOLA

LA PALAPA

ISABELLA STEAK & BISTRO

TOC BEACH BAR

LA CAVA KITCHEN

BACHATA ROSA

WHAT I WORE

Finally, here are my slaycation outfit details…

Airport outfit – Fashion Nova Remedy For Everything Romper (Black), Fashion Nova On the Prowl Hooded Jacket (Mauve), Nike Free RN (Black)

Scape Park outfit – Fashion Nova Calling all Angels Bikini (Emerald), Denim shorts (Style Savvy), Custom white T-shirt, DESIXQUAY HIGH KEY Aviators (Blk/Fade)

Dinner outfit – Hot Miami Styles Wine Long Sleeve Knotted Skirt Two Piece Set

Birthday brunch outfit – Miss Lola Venetian Dress (Yellow), Miss Lola Adventuress (Nude)

Birthday swimsuit – Jae Jolly ”Paraque” Tropical

Birthday dress – Fashion Nova Open Up to Me Dress (Green)

Beach outfit – Fashion Nova Calling all Angels Bikini (Black), Bon Voyage Tunic (Black/White), DESIXQUAY HIGH KEY Mini Aviators (Rose/CPRFD)

Dinner outfit – Fashion Nova Brighten My Day Skirt Set (Neon Pink)

Poolside swimsuit – Fashion Nova Party At My Cabana Swimsuit (Red)

Sightseeing outfit – Grass-Fields White Off Shoulder Shirt, Miss Lola Press Your Luck Skirt (Nude)

ALL EARRINGS WERE FROM TCG & MORE!

Enjoy Punta Cana!!!!

If you have any questions about planning your trip, check out my previous post here.

Be sure to follow me on my other social media platforms:

@tiffanysamantha_ (blog)

@beatsbytiff_ (makeup artistry)

@cakefaceshawty (Twitter)

@tiffsamlaw (Snapchat)

Travel Guide: Punta Cana, Dominican Republic If you read my last post, you know I loved Punta Cana! It has already secured a spot on my "must visit" list for the Caribbean (you already know Jamaica is clearly numero uno!).

@theirvoices || Did Someone Order Room Service?

Alastor was having second thoughts on whether this was the best thing to do. Admittedly, the second thoughts were coming a bit too late. The initial thought had occurred to him days ago, while he was having his mid-day lunch in the kitchen. A thought so profound he had stopped in the middle of taking a slider sandwich to his mouth. Thought being,

Does the Professor take actual time to eat? 

Alastor wouldn’t know, on account of not seeing Charles too often, on account of their hours not quite overlapping in that way. He was sure Charles ate something, but he’d also walked in on the man conked out at his desk in the ungodly hours of the morning. Whatever he ate must have been the bare minimum to keep his body and brain running. Problem being, normal human brains burned about a fifth of the calories used in a day, but Charles wasn’t a normal human. He was a telepath, therefore his brain worked harder than most people’s, therefore he must need to eat more, no? Not only that, but he also needed to take some time with it. It was all too easy to imagine him slaving away at his work, going through this lesson or that lesson or that conference or that Senate meeting or even that treatise on the existence of mutants, and trying to fit in some quick meal to satisfy the immediate protesting of his stomach.

“Christ,” Al whispered to himself, and took a bite out of his sandwich. He got up and opened the refrigerator door to assess its contents, then checked his watch for the time. Not so much the time it was, but the time he would need.

So, a few days later, he was standing in front of Xavier’s office with a circular serving tray full of food.

To start with, on the tray going clockwise sat the following: a bread basket with a few rolls, and beside that was a small cup of butter, a same-sized cup of jam, and two knives-- a sharp knife to cut the rolls open and the breadknife to spread the toppings; open faced sandwiches with roasted turkey ham and Swiss cheese, with the pickle slices nearby but totally optional; artichoke dip with potato chips-- not the store-bought and processed kind of chips, but the ones made from literally slicing a potato, sprinkling a bit of salt on it, and baking the slices in an oven; roasted sausages wrapped in crust-less bread slices and held shut with melted cheese, because why the hell not; filleted salmon with horseradish sauce and green beans; roasted lamb medallions with lemon wedges; a plate of plain rice topped with beef curry; johnny cakes and sliced spam meat; brussels sprouts with ham and caramelized onions; celery sticks and carrot sticks; fresh lettuce, and lots of it, and also peppers. 

Sounded like a lot? It was a lot. It was also only the bottom tier of the tray.

The middle tier had fresh fruits. Raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, grapes ( green, red, and black ), grape tomatoes ( tomatoes are totally a fruit! ), sliced strawberries, cubed and seeded watermelons, cubed honeydew melons, cubed mangoes, segmented peaches, segmented plums, sliced kiwis, orange wedges, pineapple slices, pear halves with mint jelly, and a small bowl of plain yogurt if Charles wanted to toss a dollop of it on anything, and a bottle of honey if he wanted to drizzle any of that on anything. Also, some granola and almonds wouldn’t hurt, so Alastor added that too. That was in another bowl.

The topmost tier had the desserts and snack foods. Naturally all that had to be on the smallest tier. The overly sugary foods had to be eaten sparingly, duh. So anyway, it had orange tea cake, a cup of candied apple ice cream, chocolate-covered ladyfingers, brownie nut cake, and one (1) slice of cheesecake.

And really, the only actual second thoughts Al was having were more on whether the cheesecake was the right choice, or if he should have gotten the plate of gelatin instead. He was also second guessing if he should have skipped the grape tomatoes on the middle tier and gone for regular tomatoes ( halved and stuffed with eggs, bacon and cheese ) in the bottom tier. But, he was already standing in front of the office, so he might as well try what he had now and see what came afterward.

He turned so that his back was facing the door, and knocked on the door by kicking lightly at it with his foot.

“Professor? Are you in there? I’ve brought foo~d.”