Perks of Living on the International Floor

Chances are, you don't live with a bunch of Korean girls. Unless you're Korean.  Even so, I have the privilege of living with a very culinarily (if that's even a word) talented group of girls. What is the delicious looking food above you may ask? If I knew how to say/write it in Korean I would. Here's the American English summary of it...rice, pork, tofu, kimchee, amazing soup, marinated and shredded beef. Go find a Korean restaurant near you. Go. Get on Google and look for one. I'll even do it for you. Google map it. 

After a nearly silent dinner consuming the delicious plethora of food featured above, we made up for the quiet time with hours of cultural conversation after dinner.  It is certainly a life altering experience to hear about the world from a perspective halfway around the world. Never had I heard the topic of North Korea taken so lightly.  While I can vividly recall the change of leadership from Kim Jung Il to his son and the bit of fear it struck in me, the girl merely laugh. Their logic? If the North could even manage to bomb a Southern city like Seoul, the two countries' capitals are so close to one another that both would be destroyed. I found this interesting. Topics that are not so terribly controversial here however are not taken lightly to the traditional Korean. Yep, you guessed it. Sex. Because discussion of the topic is so taboo "many don't know how to even use a condom" - says my room mate. Teenage pregnancy is a commonality because the lack of education on the subject. My impression however, is that things are changing.  As more of the younger generation of Koreans travel, experience more of the world, "westernize" if you will, they appear to deviate from the traditional ways of their elders.  While some may view this as a form of rebellion, it can be seen in a more positive way as well. Traditions are preserved, while the common culture and thought process changes. Something to ponder...

And now for some tunes to accompany... Jason Mraz - Life is Wonderful

Chris' Jazz Cafe

Not the best photo, I'm aware. Still. Get here.

LISTEN TO THIS. JUST DO IT. <----(click on the link here to listen to "Destiny")
I can't say anything negative about this place. Ever. I love when people say to me "so have you ever been to that Jazz place in the city? Chris'?" My response: "That's my spot!" This either is or should be anyone and everyone's place for a fancy date, a lazy night just listening to jazz munching on some sweet potato fries, or just somewhere to enjoy time with close friends, amazing food, and even better music.  The cover price in my experience has been between $5-$15 and usually on the cheaper end of things if you bring your college ID along. 
 If you're a Philly native or merely passing through, a visit to this locale (what appears to just be a hole in the wall from the outside) on Sansom street is a must. But please, look presentable. The performers are pouring out their heart and soul for you, so the least we can do as an audience is be tolerable to look at. Advocate for the arts. This is one of the last places to see live jazz on a regular basis in Philadelphia - a city that used to be filled with this soulful music on nearly every corner.
 In a crazy city, Chris' place makes my life feel a little more homey amidst the chaos of sirens, the subways screeching metal against metal, and blocks out the "city smell" of subway, urine, fresh cigarettes, and stale weed that has permeated any porous surface it could come into contact with. Beautiful, isn't it?

Lawrence Jones - The Flute Player from Friday Night at Chris'  - check out his website. He does this awesome thing when he switches between vocals and flute and sax. Give it a listen.It was so good I bought a CD. I don't do CDs usually, so this should be a good sign.

Daily Dose of Food Porn

Tofu with orange glace, breaded and curried fried polenta.

Let the Groove Get in - Justin Timberlake

Jazz

 

"Playing classical music is like reading a book - Jazz is having a conversation" 

Quote of the Day

"I can see that you are very attractive and I assume you fuck a lot of bitches"

~Quote from my room mate 

A Day in the Life

Sir John - Blue Mitchell

My life.

Just sittin'

For those of you that immediately associate Philadelphia, Temple, or North Philly with dirt, grime, murder, and other various horrible things, I beg of you, look at this picture. Have you ever seen a more beautiful intercity day? You haven't. You're welcome.
Just so you know, there's a guy around the corner selling one of the most diverse collections of posters I have ever seen - all while playing some of the best music to accompany and enhance the atmosphere of this incredible day.
Satisfaction - The Rolling Stones

Food Porn for the Day

Salmon with an orange glaze, scallions, sweet potato, and green beans.

Who says college students eat poorly? Not this girl.
Tequila - The Champs

Surprise!

headin' home

As a surprise to my mom and dad, I caught the early train for home Monday morning. Waking up early on any given Monday morning is hard. Getting out of bed Monday morning after not sleeping a wink? Darn near impossible. If for no other reason, this should show anyone how much I love my family. My wonderful neighbor and her little boy picked me up at the platform. I have never seen a kid so excited to see me - but I was just as happy to see him. His third birthday is in a week or so. Keep in mind, the only person who knew I was coming home was my neighbor picking me up.
After a short drive home, I slid my key into the lock on my door and pushed it open with a "Hello!". I heard my dad's voice, filled with a culmination of confusion and the silent thought of "fuck-someone-is-here-and-I-need-to-go-to-work" As he walked out of his shop, I saw my mom at the top of the stairs. They just couldn't believe I was there. Gotta love that feeling.
Brief catching up, mom and dad headed down to the restaurant, and I...napped. Nothing like a solid five hours of day sleeping.
Eventually I headed down to the restaurant, where I was nearly jumped upon my arrival by a dear friend. Literally, she threw down the ice cream she was eating onto the dish table and did sort of a leaping hug thing.
The night was full of the best surprises for everybody. My grandparents were shocked to see me, especially at work on a day that should have been vacation for me. Not 10 minutes after I donned my apron, my tennis coach (perhaps more accurately one of my closest and longest friends) stepped up to the counter to order our signature sundae, the Jigger. I could have cried, I was so happy with the coincidence and the many that followed.
After closing and some hard goodbyes, we commenced with our end of season tradition - champagne and fresh donuts on the deck, under the green and yellow lights - with a few family friends. A toast to Bruce Sensenig, a good friend and volunteer firefighter, who died on his way to save lives.

Front Porch Thing - Little Big Town

I've come to realize that your family is the people who surround and love you - regardless of blood relation. If home is where family is, and you are surrounded by those who love and care about you, you could never be far from it.

Eating on a College-Sized budget...easier than you think.

Enjoyed this delicious menagerie of Italy with a side of Jazz like Affair in Havana - Dexter Gordon. You should do the same.

For those of you who are college students, will be shortly, or even parents of those students, listen up. What are you paying for your meal plan? At Temple U, the average meal plan will cost you about $1,400 on top of your tuition and housing per semester. Not per year, no. Semester.
So I got thinking to myself, how much do I even eat? I'm a pretty petite person, so unless I have friends over I don't need to make much for myself. The only advantages of the meal plan are that you a. don't have to cook and b. can eat as much as you want. Freshman 15 anyone? No thanks. I don't care how late the gym is open if you just ate four hot dogs, fries, a slice of pizza, ice cream, and a salad to round it out. 
My plan: How much would I pay per semester in food (as in groceries) without a meal plan? First of all, I'm a pretty competent cook. Second, I'm a girl. If I'm going to go for dinner somewhere nice I probably won't be the one paying. Call me old fashioned, I just think it's polite for the man to pay. 
So, each month when the credit card bill comes in the mail, I simply record how much I spend in food purchases. At the end of the semester we'll see how it measures up against the traditional college-eating style.
Stereotypical as it may be, I love grocery shopping. Not only is it exciting to plan and make a meal, but it's also a nice slice of time I can just zone out between the rows of organic oranges and freshly harvested asparagus (though asparagus is heading out of season at the moment). Bliss. Saturday morning however, was not the typical shopping experience at the local Fresh Grocer. As many Philadelphians know, Saturday is market day. Italian style. 
Upon our arrival to the bustling street (South 9th) we had quite a problematic time deciding where to start. Ohh but I had my list. Fresh berries, blueberries a box for a dollar, a huge bag of basil surely picked earlier that morning was only a buck and some change. This my dear friends, is where the budget shopper needs to go. Well, until you get to the meat and cheese shops where the bulk of my grocery shopping took place. The butchers here are legit. Really. I thought I was back in the old country - even felt a little peculiar speaking English. The best place in the whole market is actually a little indoor joint that only sells about 100 kinds of cheese (at least), and cured meats, olives, preserves, and oils to accompany each flavor.  To fully live up my mini-vacation I had to buy some unpitted olives (so much better than their nasty counterparts with everything taken out of them but salt), cured meats, a few different kinds of cheese, a bottle of good balsamic infused with raspberries, and of course a loaf of freshly baked bread. 
As any cook or friend knows, food can only be properly enjoyed in the company of good people. Because I couldn't quite justify going all-out on a dinner just for myself, my best friend and I surprised her boyfriend with a gourmet meal to feed a small army.  Needless to say, I now have copious amounts of gourmet leftovers in my fridge. Not complaining.

Amazing food, great music, and the best of friends. Making TU classy one dinner at a time.