pepperknit

Today’s my dear friend Liz’s baby’s first birthday. I was about to cop out and buy him a book or something, but what kind of friend would I be if I resorted to store-bought? Amigurumi birdies swooped in to the rescue!

Each bird took about 2 hours, but given that I started them late Friday night and was busy all day Saturday, I only sewed parts on the 2nd bird on the subway on my way to the party. As a result, as per usual, the gift was not wrapped. Someday, I will plan a gift in advance, procure the appropriate packing materials, and present the recipients with a lovely wrapped gift complete with ribbon. Today was not that day, as I whipped the birds out of my purse and waggled them at the birthday boy.

He shrieked, grabbed them, waved them about, and promptly flung them away. Seemed like a good reception to me!

Birds of a Feather (Rav)
From: Crochet Today, Jan/Feb 2008
Yarn: A mixture of yarns, including some random 8-ply wool I got in Singapore (the red and the khaki) and Knit Picks Wool of the Andes (the beaks)
Hooks: H/8 (for the red) and G/7 (for the other parts)
Notes: None of note. The pattern also includes a comb for the bird’s head but I went without. For one bird’s eyes i made French knots, wrapping the yarn around the needle 3 times (any less and the knot was too small). I attached the wings on one bird with the longest feather at the top and the other bird with the smallest at the top. It was a deliberate choice but I have no idea why. They were fun to make!

I’ve been an unabashed meat eater for years now, after a brief faux-vegetarian stint in high school. Sometimes this aspect of my personality is more pronounced than others—I certainly am not someone who demands meat at every meal. But it was especially evident yesterday, when Jason, my friend Barri, and I traveled to North Jersey to attend my aunt and uncle’s annual Ribfest!

Three years ago is the last time I went—and if I’m correct, maybe the last time it occurred. That year, I only made a pie, to enter in the friendly competition. Sadly, only three people made and brought ribs, so the contest for the meat wasn’t all that exciting.

This year, though, the rules were clear: bring something to eat or you can’t come. The wording was strong, and I suspect many of us feared we’d actually be turned away at the door if we didn’t come bearing pork. As a result, despite the pouring rain, there were more than 20 entries in the rib competition. That’s a whole lot of ribs.

I’d always been intimidated at the thought of making ribs—not only am I limited to oven cooking, I for some reason had it in my head that they were a tricky beast. I was wrong. They are super easy—put spices on, stick ‘em in the oven, and you’re basically done. My recipe involved a spice rub and a sauce, and both were damn tasty.

Only problem once we got to the competition, though, was that I forgot to put my extra sauce on, and the ribs weren’t especially warm. The winners were all heavily sauced, and some were even served in a slow cooker. (I’m making notes for next year.)

The pie competition this year was also fierce; 19 pies vied for the title. Mine should have won on looks alone.

But my peaches were too tart, and a sentimental favorite stole the win. (But my cream cheese crust was flaky and perfect—try it with your favorite filling!) Next year, I’m making classic apple and not fussing around with fancy flavors or elaborate spices. Give the people what they want, that’s my new mantra!

I’m definitely already thinking about next year . . .

My Japanese knowledge is, to be honest, rather limited. I’ve seen Lost in Translation, I love to shop at Daiso (the Japanese $2 store; there are chains in Singapore), I do sushi with some regularity. On a date about 2 years ago we went to a “home-style” Japanese restaurant and both confessed to each other that we had no idea what that was going to mean. (It meant quite a bit of fried food, and rice dishes.)

Oh, and ramen. Right? Those packets? I grew up making “Oodles of Noodles” (which later became Top Ramen, I guess—the packaging is the same) regularly on summer breaks. I have a stash of chicken flavor in the pantry all the time, and since my parents moved to Singapore I’ve discovered the joys of kim chi ramen as well as laksa. Mom even recently sent me a mysterious package of purple noodle ramen. (When I try it that will be another blog post!) That’s ramen, right?

Okay, okay. I know it’s not. Which is why I’ve been itching to try one of the ramen spots in New York. Tonight I finally did!

My friend Sonia and I waited (for 20 minutes! at 6:30! on a Wednesday!) for a table at Ippudo, on 4th Ave near 10th Street. A long while back, some friends and I tried to go here and at 7:30 on a Tuesday the wait was predicted to be more than an hour, so we didn’t bother. I’m glad Sonia and I stuck it out. We were seated at the counter, overlooking the cooks, which let us see all the yummy-looking things we didn’t order go past us!

I’d read online that the Hirata buns were really good, and not knowing anything else about the offerings, all of which sounded great, we got them as an appetizer.

And were rewarded greatly. The bun is similar to the bun of xao long bao—a rice flour–based dough—but this was cloudlike in a way that I did not expect. It was a wee bit sticky, gave nicely to the touch, and was smooth and soft and wonderfully doughy. The blandness offset the richness of the pork, whose layers of fat literally melted in your mouth. All of this would have been nice, but it was rendered perfect with the spicy mayo-like sauce that was on top (along with lettuce). The heat (which we hadn’t known was coming) gently filled your mouth but didn’t overpower any of the ingredients. Swoon.

For the ramen, we each stuck with one of the “classics.” Unfortunately, my picture of Sonia’s is a bit blurry, so I’m not posting it here. I got the Shiromaru Hakata Classic (above), which is described as “‘the original tonkotsu’ soup noodles with slices of simmered berkshire pork, kikurage, red pickled ginger, menma, 1/2 hard boiled egg, sesame & scallions.” She got Akamaru Modern, “‘the original tonkotsu’ soup noodles with ippudo’s special sauce, miso paste and fragrant garlic oil, slices of simmered berkshire pork, cabbage, onions, kikurage & scallions.” They were totally different, and yet very similar. Both were salty and full of umami flavor, but mine was more earthy, while hers was more spiced. I couldn’t decide which I liked more, though after half of mine I was happy to switch bowls with her and finish up with something different.

The ramen was warming and comforting and really nice—especially as the weather has taken a turn toward the fall in the last few days. I look forward to comparing this with other ramen houses as winter comes on!