Boat People, My Friend Don, and His Mom's Pho Bo (Vietnamese Beef Noodle Soup)

Thirty-three years ago today, the Fall of Saigon ended the Vietnam War. A new regime is in place. America has returned. More than 3 million overseas Vietnamese are scattered around the world. While many Vietnamese have moved on -- built lives in new countries, learned new languages, started families -- vestiges of the war still remain for a few hundred Vietnamese in the Philippines. These stateless refugees, the last of the "boat people," have been in limbo for more than a decade. From my Little Saigon post,

"About half a million Vietnamese fled Vietnam in the late 1970s and early 1980s. The Vietnamese boat people had to escape communist authorities and raise money to buy passage on rickety boats where they dealt with starvation, Thai pirates who raped, robbed and killed, and hostile locals when they flooded other Southeast Asian countries. According to the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, in 1981 in Thai waters alone, there were 1,149 attacks on 352 boats; 571 people were killed, 243 abducted, and 599 raped by pirates. Read about their experiences. The refugees were placed in camps and processed to determine whether they were actually fleeing persecution or were economic migrants. Not all the refugees came to America, other popular countries included Australia, Canada, and France. But Vietnamese were scattered everywhere with some ending up in Israel, Finland, and Argentina. Read about the "forgotten ones" who weren't eligible for resettlement."

After more than a decade of dealing with waves upon waves of Vietnamese boat people still fleeing their country, the Steering Committee of the International Conference of Indo-Chinese Refugees formed the Comprehensive Plan of Action in June 1989 in order to resolve the crisis. From then on, the boat people were considered asylum seekers, proving you deserved refugee status became much more difficult. Those who determined not to be refugees, and thus unable to go to another country and unwilling to return to Vietnam, ended up in limbo for years. The CPA program ended in 1996, and Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, and the Philippines began shutting down the refugee camps and forcibly repatriating the refugees back to Vietnam. Some camps tear-gassed, beat, and chained the refugees in order to get them to comply. Some refugees committed self-immolation or suicide in protest, rather than return to Vietnam. Protests were held in Vietnamese communities around the world, most notably in Little Saigon. The refugee camps were shut down anyway. The Philippine government sent one planeload of refugees back to Vietnam but stopped because of protests and concerns that repatriation was not humanitarian. Instead, with $1 million USD in donations from overseas Vietnamese and with the help of the Catholic Church-based Center for Assistance to Displaced Persons, 13 hectares were set aside in Puerto Princesa on the island of Palawan to build a "Viet Village" for about 2,500 Vietnamese. While the Vietnamese were allowed to remain in the Philippines, they were not allowed citizenship or employment. They scraped by a meager existence working low-end jobs and selling trinkets on the streets. You can view some pictures their stateless existence online at "The Forgotten Ones" and the rest of the images in Brian Doan's book. Bolinao 52, a documentary by Duc Nguyen, is about one boat that started out in May 1988 with 110 people. The engine died, ignored by passing ships, and refused help by a US Navy ship, they resorted to cannibalism to survive. After 37 days at sea, 52 survived. Visit the Bolinao 52 blog to read about his next documentary, "Stateless." In 2005, thanks to seven years of lobbying by Vietnamese-Australian lawyer Hoi Trinh, America, Australia, and Canada agreed to resettle these last refugees of the Vietnam War. You can read more about Trinh's story at the end of the chapter on Viet Kieu in "Vietnam Now: A Reporter Returns," by David Lamb. The book was published in 2002, the section concerning Trinh is brief but important in understanding his role in resettling the last of the boat people. An Australian documentary by Dai Le called "In Limbo," also has more information on Trinh and his efforts. He gave up a promising career in Australia for a bare-bones subsistence in the Philippines. His efforts were aided by other volunteers in Australia and America. He managed to settle one or a handful of refugees at a time. Until finally in 2005, Trinh's earnest doggedness paid off and the U.S. decided to revisit the issue. Trinh was one of the founders of VOICE (Vietnamese Overseas Initiative for Conscience Empowerment), an organization that works to combat trafficking of women and children, and to resettle the last of the refugees. There are now about 160 refugees left. Which brings me to my friend Don. I've mentioned him before when he stopped by on New Year's Day for a dumplings and noodles lunch at Tasty in San Gabriel, or when he stopped by for some Meyer lemon bars, or when he stopped by for a venison fest. Since February, Don has been in the Philippines, volunteering with VOICE to resettle these last refugees. You can read about his experience on Don's blog. Don was born in America. His parents left in 1975 so they weren't boat people. But this issue affects so many Vietnamese, that as a kid, he volunteered with his mom in walk-a-thons to raise the funds needed in 1996 to create the Viet Village in the Philippines. Needless to say, I am just so very proud of my friend. Before he left, Don invited me and a few of his high school and college friends to his house for dinner. I got a little tour of his parents' garden before we ate. It was pitch-dark so I just pointed my camera at random. I'm not sure what kind of tree this was, but it was reminiscent of the plum blossoms that are popular during Tet (Vietnamese Lunar New Year). Miniature orange tree? Tangerines? Buddha's fingers, or the hand of Buddha. It's a citrus fruit that's more rind and pith than anything else. I've seen it infused in vodka, but beyond that, thought it was merely decorative. Don says his grandmother uses it to flavor soup. Dinner was the most fabulous pho bo (Vietnamese beef noodle soup). Don's mom made a huge vat with a broth that she had simmered for 14 hours. Now, I know there are cookbooks that say you only need to cook the broth for three hours because all the flavor that's going to be extracted from the bones is done by then. Well, those cookbooks are just plain wrong. Don't believe me? It's simple enough to check for yourself. Next time you make pho bo, ladle out a bowlful after the three-hour mark. Do it again at the 14 hour mark. Taste the difference in each bowl for yourself. I was in heaven. I ate a huge bowl. For once, I wished I had a bigger stomach so I could eat a second bowl. Don's mom even offered to send me home with some. I shouldn't have been polite and said, "Yes!" :P I didn't want my story to detract from Don's story or that of the refugees in the Philippines. But really, there are so very many of us. My family escaped during the Chinese exodus of Vietnam. I'm a 79-er by way of Hong Kong. Four nights and three days at sea. Eleven months in the refugee camp. Dear readers, were any of you boat people too? If you've ever wondered about the significance of numbers in pho restaurants, this is one reason why. The other popular number, 54, is because when Vietnam was divided in 1954, 1 million Vietnamese fled from North to South. ***** 1 year ago today, after a cold frost, everything's growing again in my garden -- Lady Fairbanks roses blooming over a trellis, strawberries ripening in the side herb garden, and wildflowers popping up at random.

Loquats

My brother stopped by after a visit to the Farmers' Market - Alhambra with a bag of what he said was an "unknown" Asian fruit. They're loquats, I said, surprised that he hadn't had one before. Especially because our oldest uncle's neighbor has this magnificent loquat tree. Alas, the neighbor trims his tree so thoroughly that no branches lean over the fence for us to pick. :( Loquats originated in southeastern China and made their way to Hawaii by Chinese immigrants. By the 1870s, they were a common sight in California. Loquats ripen in SoCal in April, and in NorCal in May. Though they share similarities in name to kumquats, they are not botanically related. If you ever do manage to find any loquats, they're lovely. Rather reminiscent of apricots. Just peel the lightly fuzzy outside before eating. ***** 1 year ago today, ginormous strawberry-stuffed doughnuts at The Donut Man in Glendora.

Goi Du Du Kho Bo (Vietnamese Green Papaya Salad with Beef Jerky)

Are you sort of figuring out how my brain works now? I show you pictures of papaya trees with green papaya, then I present a recipe for Goi Du Du Kho Bo (Vietnamese Green Papaya Salad with Beef Jerky). Although, the salad actually came before the papaya. This salad was made back in January. Green papaya is not sweet, so it's more like a vegetable than a fruit. Very Atkins, low-carb, South Beach Diet-friendly. If that's your thing. There's actually two types of Vietnamese green papaya salad. The kind you see pictured here with beef jerky, and a shrimp and pork version that's a little bit more similar to Thai papaya salad. You can find kho bo (Vietnamese beef jerky) at most Asian grocery stores, or substitute with a good quality fresh beef jerky. I'm using the jerky I bought from Vua Kho Bo (New Jerky Mfg. Inc.) - San Gabriel. Another option is to serve this with fried liver slices, but that's never quite appealed to me. You can peel and julienne green papaya for this dish. Or cheat, like I did, and buy some pre-shredded at most Asian grocery stores. :P If you are using fresh papaya, make sure you soak the shredded papaya in salty water for about 15 minutes to remove any lingering waxiness. Drain into a colander and squeeze out excess water before using. You don't need to do this if you buy the pre-shredded papaya as it is already soaking in water. Pre-shredded papaya spoils quickly so make this salad within a day of purchasing it. Goi Du Du Kho Bo (Vietnamese Green Papaya Salad with Beef Jerky) For 2 to 4 servings, you'll need: 1 small papaya, about 1 to 1 1/2 lbs., or 1 lb. pre-shredded papaya As much Thai basil as you'd like As much Vietnamese beef jerky as you'd like For the dressing, you'll need: 1/4 cup soy sauce, or fish sauce if you prefer 1/4 cup vinegar 1/2 cup water 1 tblsp sugar 2 tsp chili sauce If you're shredding your own green papaya, prepare that first and set aside in a bowl of salty water. Prepare the dressing by mixing 1/4 cup soy sauce, 1/4 cup vinegar, 1/2 cup water, 1 tblsp sugar, and 2 tsp chili sauce. Taste. Adjust if necessary but you want a slightly sweet sauce. Set aside. Grill the beef jerky over a gas burner like the photo below until both sides are lightly toasted. You can also use a toaster oven, or even a toaster if you're desperate. Tear into small strips. Set aside. Drain papaya into a colander and lightly press to remove excess moisture. Leave the papaya in the colander to continue draining while you prepare the Thai basil leaves. Remove the basil leaves from the stem. The leaves can remain whole or chiffonade if you wish. Now it's time to add it all together. In a bowl, add in the drained papaya and basil leaves. Give the dressing a quick stir and pour in about half of it. Toss. Taste. Add more dressing if necessary but you don't want it too wet. To serve, arrange the salad on a plate. Add the beef jerky strips on top. When you eat, the diner can toss the salad themselves like the photo below. Leaving the beef jerky on top before serving prevents it from becoming soggy. Enjoy! If you liked this, you might also like my recipe for goi xoai xanh (Vietnamese green mango salad). You can order this dish at most Vietnamese restaurants. If you're having a big party, I've ordered catering trays from Banh Mi & Che Cali Restaurant in Alhambra for $20. The soy sauce dressing is stored in a separate container and tightly sealed. See pictures of the trays at the family wedding last summer and my dad's 60th birthday party. Who else made goi du du? Christine of Holy Basil has photos of three kinds of implements for shredding papaya. Peachy Mango Delight added rau ram (Vietnamese coriander). I'm submitting this recipe to Weekend Herb Blogging, a world-wide food blogging event created by Kalyn's Kitchen celebrating herbs, vegetables, or flowers. If you'd like to participate, see who's hosting next week. WHB is hosted this week by fellow Vietnamese food blogger Anh of Food Lover's Journey. ***** 1 year ago today, my second-youngest uncle's com ga Hai Nam (Hainanese chicken rice).

Papaya Trees

My oldest uncle's papaya trees. Pretty cool huh? My aunt saw me snapping photos and asked if I wanted to cut one down. I said it's OK, they weren't ripe yet. A few days later, I got a little baggy of ripe papaya. She said they weren't very sweet but they tasted perfect to me. Of course, I can easily eat a whole papaya by myself (and have!). :P You can use ripe papaya in my sweet, sour, salty, spicy tropical fruit salad. And green papaya, of course, goes in Goi Du Du Kho Bo (Vietnamese Papaya Salad with Beef Jerky). You can see what else my uncles grow in Garden Updates. ***** 1 year ago today, leftover citrus baked chicken became chicken and dumplings.

Can You Identify My Rose?

That lifeless cane? Turned into a gorgeous velvety red rose. Do you know what it's called? It was here when I moved in so I don't know its name like I do my other roses. I liked this angle with the other bud in the background. Two days later, it bloomed. Update May 12, 2008: Thanks to Nikki Polani, I think this rose might be a Papa Meilland. It certainly looks similar to all the Papa Meilland roses on Google images. Very veiny. Black-red velvety petals. So this is what I shall call it, unless someone tells me different? Other garden updates. ***** 1 year ago today, lil' sis made insalata caprese (Italian Capri tomato, basil, and mozzarella salad), I made citrus roast chicken and roasted golden beets.

Celery, Bleu/Blue Cheese, and Walnut Salad

Since we're on the subject of bleu/blue cheese, another simple salad that's been sitting in my queue is this celery, bleu cheese, and walnut salad.

I was initially inspired by a recipe by Russ Parsons in the Los Angeles Times, except his recipe required 1 bunch of celery, 1 cup bleu cheese, and 3/4 cups walnuts with a shallot vinaigrette. I'd link to the original recipe except the Times has a habit of moving links.

Anyway, I wasn't cooking for anyone except me so the portions in that recipe were way too much. Also, if you're not a fan of celery, bleu cheese, or walnuts, this salad won't be for you. Each of the three components comes through strongly but complement each other rather well. The original recipe called for toasted walnuts but I found that increased the oiliness of the salad and I didn't much care for that.

Iceberg Wedge Salad with Bleu/Blue Cheese Dressing

So you know I made a simple salad of iceberg lettuce, radishes and a carrot, but what did I do with the other half of the head of iceberg?

Another American classic - the wedge salad.




Now, you can be lazy and use store-bought dressing for this, but why would you do that when you can make the best bleu cheese dressing ever? (Hmm. Which spelling do you prefer? Bleu cheese? Or blue cheese?) I found a lovely wedge of blue cheese on sale for only $2. It was probably because it was close to the expiration date but blue cheese is already molded so how bad can it be? This dressing is so great, you can even use it as a dip with my Sriracha Buffalo wings. Or save a bit for my upcoming recipe of stuffed potato skins.

Iceberg Lettuce, Radish, and Carrot Salad

Food blogging is great. So many foods to try. So many flavors. But really, I don't always eat like that. Sometimes, what I eat isn't really that blog-able. Or is it? I was recently reminded of how much I liked very simple salads when I stopped off at Super-A Foods. I usually try to get my fruits and vegetables at the Farmers' Market - Alhambra to support the independent farmers, but every once in a while I need to hit a chain store for something. I had forgotten how cheap Super-A produce can be. Two heads of iceberg lettuce for $1. Five bunches of radishes for $1. Carrots, I don't remember how much but they're almost always cheap. So after chopping up half of a head of lettuce (25 cents), slicing 3 radishes (6 cents), and shaving slices off 1 carrot (pennies really), added a few drizzles of Hidden Valley Ranch dressing and I had enough salad for three meals. That's less than 10 cents a meal! Who can beat that for cheap eats? What are your some of your favorite simple salads? If this is too bland for you, some of my other salad recipes: Cobb Salad Coleslaw Cucumber Salad Croutons with Garlic and Seasoning Fava and Garbanzo Bean Salad Four Color Carrot Salad Goi Ga (Vietnamese Chicken Salad) Goi Xoai Xanh (Vietnamese Green Mango Salad) Heirloom Tomato Salad Hibiscus Leaf and Pomegranate Mixed Greens Salad Insalata Caprese (Italian Capri Salad - Tomato, Basil, Mozzarella) Waldorf Salad ***** 1 year ago today, old-fashioned mochi (Japanese rice cakes) pounded by hand at Fugetsu-Do Sweet Shop, the oldest business in Los Angeles' Little Tokyo and possibly the inventor of the Chinese fortune cookie.

Jamaica (Hibiscus Tea)

The first leaves of my jungle red hibiscus came out earlier this month. Remember the jungle red hibiscus blossoms last November? I made both a hot and cold hibiscus tea. I think most people are familiar with jamaica (hibiscus tea) when dining at Mexican restaurants, but did you know the Chinese also have a hibiscus drink? Just look at the lovely color of my hibiscus iced tea at Tea Station - Alhambra. Too impatient to wait for the water to boil for tea, I remembered that when Barry had sent me the tree he said I could puree the petals with water and sugar for a refreshing drink. So that's exactly what I did. I did a ratio of one blossom per cup of water. Please don't just pluck any hibiscus blossoms though. Make sure it's a variety that's edible. Many hibiscus are purely decorative and I'd hate for someone to get sick ingesting the wrong one. If you don't have fresh hibiscus blossoms available, you can find dried hibiscus at most Latino grocery stores. I've also seen sweetened dried hibiscus blossoms at Trader Joe's. Hibiscus Tea For one glass, you'll need: Petals of 2 hibiscus blossoms 2 cups water As much sugar as you'd like Tear off petals of 2 hibiscus blossoms. Add 2 cups of water and as much sugar as you'd like. Puree until petals are finely minced. Pour over ice. If you're finicky, you could strain out the petals, but I drank it all down just fine. And yes, that brilliant color was from pureeing the petals and nothing else. For a hibiscus tea, steep petals or the whole buds in hot water. At first, the water might look murky and rather gray. After a while though, it'll turn bright red-purple. Serve hot, or iced with sugar added. The hibiscus has a natural sweet-tart taste so you really don't need that much sugar. Enjoy! And bonus blossom pictures because I couldn't decide which of the three I liked best. The top second photo. Or this one? Or this one? Which arrangement was your favorite? Or did you not notice any difference? My other jungle red hibiscus recipe: Hibiscus Leaf and Pomegranate Mixed Greens Salad ***** 1 year ago today, the perfect bowl of ramen and meltingly tender pork at Daikokuya Original Noodle & Rice-Bowl - Los Angeles (Little Tokyo).

WC's Ca Ri Ga (Vietnamese Chicken Curry) by Mary Ruth

Who knew my Ca Ri Ga (Vietnamese Chicken Curry) recipe would be so popular? Have you made it yet? Because yet another reader has. She did a great job too. The second submission for Readers Cook WC Recipes comes from MaryRuth of Where's the Bubbler?

"As you requested, here is some feedback on one of your recipes. I made Ca Ri Ga. This was delicious! I even had the leftovers for lunch today, and I think the flavor even improved. This is a pretty straightforward recipe, I followed it to the letter, except for the quantities. I used 6 thighs, 3 large-cut potatoes, 1 small-cut potato and 4 carrots. I ended up using 1.5 cans of coco milk/water. That was mostly because I wanted to make sure that all the food was submerged. Next time I will stick to 1 can and just make sure the meat is covered...the other veggies can steam to cook on top of the meat. I used 2 Tbsp Penzey's Madras curry. This particular curry is a little hot, so I didn't want to go overboard, but next time I would add another tbsp. Fish sauce...I put in 4 good "shakes", but that too could be increased. I served it with brown rice, but the baguette option looks pretty good too. I noticed in your photo and the other posters photo you serve it with a lot of the sauce....do you end up using a spoon to get it all? I just added enough to my bowl to get everything moistened pretty well, but still used a fork to eat it. My house smelled so good while it was cooking! Four forks! I will definitely make this again. My photos turned out kinda crappy, but here they are anyway, You definitely don't have to post them or even use this feedback--I just wanted to let you know that yes, people DO use your recipes! =) Thanks for a great recipe!"

Wanna hijack my blog? Check out Readers Cook WC Recipes for guidelines on how you too can participate. ***** 1 year ago today, my oldest uncle's wife's banh xeo (Vietnamese sizzling crepes).

Yong Tau/Tow Foo (Chinese Stuffed Tofu)

Don't see any tofu you say? Well, yong tau foo (Chinese stuffed tofu) was created in the 1960s in Chew Kuan restaurant as a dish of only stuffed tofu, and now can mean any of a variety of stuffed vegetables. It is a popular dish in Malaysia and Singapore. The stuffed tofu and vegetables may also be served with a clear soup and noodles.

I had frozen the cha ca (Vietnamese fish paste) my youngest aunt had given me a few months back. For the recent death anniversary dinner of my ba noi (paternal grandmother), I decided to defrost the cha ca and stuff it. But instead of making my usual Dau Hu Nhoi Cha Tom voi Sot Chao Ot (Vietnamese Shrimp Paste-Stuffed Tofu with Fermented Bean Curd Chili Sauce), I remembered Rasa Malaysia had stuffed okra and chili peppers. It was so gorgeous that I decided to prepare it that way as well, but substituting the chili peppers with sweet baby bell peppers. I also had some Brussels sprouts sitting around, so I halved those and stuffed them as well.

I haven't made cha ca since I was 12 years old, so you'll have to wait for that recipe. Or maybe that's just as well because I remember adding baking soda to fluff up the fish paste. Then I got clever and added more baking soda because that would make the fish paste even fluffier right? Well, it did, but it also made the fish paste incredibly bitter. So for now, you can either buy from the store, or use my recipe for shrimp paste. You can find fish paste at most Asian grocery stores either in the fresh seafood counter or frozen. Depending on the variety of fish, the paste may be either pink, pale gray, or gray.

Chao/Doufu Ru (Fermented Bean Curd)

Fermented bean curd, called chao in Vietnamese and doufu ru in Chinese, is a type of pickled tofu. It is sometimes called "Chinese cheese" because of its similarities in smell, texture, and taste to softened bleu cheese. The dried fermented tofu may be pickled with salt, rice wine, or vinegar. Red fermented bean curd has chili peppers. The fermented bean curd is sold cubed with brine, in jars or clay pots.


It is popular in Vietnamese and Chinese cooking. Fermented bean curd is very strong in flavor so a little bit goes a long way.

Dau Hu Nhoi Cha Tom voi Sot Chao Ot (Vietnamese Shrimp Paste-Stuffed Tofu with Fermented Bean Curd Chili Sauce)

Since we're on the subject of shrimp paste, I had frozen the Cha Tom (Vietnamese Shrimp Paste) my youngest aunt had given me a few months back. You can easily make your own shrimp paste though by using the filling from my recipe for Tom Tau Hu Ky (Vietnamese Shrimp Paste in Bean Curd Skin).

Dau Hu Chien (Vietnamese Fried Tofu)

This is a quick and easy recipe that you can eat as a side dish. The tofu is also a great base for my upcoming recipes: Dau Hu Nhoi Cha Tom (Vietnamese Shrimp-Paste Stuffed Tofu) and Yong Tau Foo (Chinese Stuffed Tofu).

How to Chop and Prepare Sugarcane

For Blondee47, who asked for directions after a many-many-months-long search to find sugarcane in Canada just so she can make my recipe for Chao Tom (Vietnamese Grilled Shrimp Paste Wrapped Around Sugarcane). And also because she always leaves such nice comments after she tries one of my recipes. :)


OK, so go into your backyard and cut down some sugarcane. What? You don't grow sugarcane in your backyard you say? You mean everyone doesn't do that?! If you don't grow your own sugarcane, I've seen them sold at the Farmers' Market - Alhambra, and in some Asian and Latino grocery stores.

My ba noi (paternal grandmother) planted this patch of sugarcane on a 1-foot wide strip behind my second-youngest uncle's house about 20 years ago.

Pomegranate Blossoms

The very first pomegranate blossom on my tree. I can't wait until I can taste these incredibly sweet pomegranates again. For your viewing pleasure, Garden Updates are now all cataloged and sorted with a list of what flower, fruit, or vegetable pictures can be found in each post. Enjoy! ***** 1 year ago today, a discussion on "authenticity" during lunch at Gabbi's Mexican Kitchen - Orange.

World's Smallest Mangoes?

I was at my second-youngest uncle's house recently when his wife gave me some mangoes to take home. I think they may quite possibly be the world's smallest mangoes? Ignore my fat fingers for a minute, but aren't the mangoes so very cute? I think they're champagne mangoes. Look at the skinny seed! My aunt kept giggling every time she ate one and got to the center with the oh-so-thin seed. She bought a whole case of them. Second-youngest uncle said they were more work, but I guess he just doesn't appreciate the absurdity like we did. :) ***** 1 year ago today, my oldest uncle's wife's nem nuong (Vietnamese grilled pork patties). And mine too!

Peanut Butter and White Chocolate DrizzleCorn

Last Thanksgiving, my brother brought me a bag of peanut butter and white chocolate drizzled popcorn from Dale and Thomas. I had completely forgotten about it until now. It doesn't look like much... ...until you look closer. See the drizzles of peanut butter and white chocolate? Mmm. They were a little stale after having sat around for six months, but my brother says that's how they normally taste. I think my brother said he bought it from Whole Foods. I'm not a huge popcorn fan so I've always been satisfied with a $1 bag of freshly popped kettle corn from the farmers' market in Alhambra. After typing up this post, I now have such a craving for Garrett's buttery caramel popcorn. I hope my Chicago readers will eat some for me! ***** 1 year ago today, my second-youngest uncle's wife's bun rieu (Vietnamese shrimp and crab noodle soup), packed to go.

Southern Fried Chicken and Mashed Potatoes with Cream Gravy Redux

"Who just wakes up and decides to make homemade fried chicken?" asked my cousin's cousin's daughter who was over that day. Evidently, I do. Later on when their mom came to pick them up, my cousin's cousin's son said, "Mom, she even makes her own gravy." They sounded so perplexed. This time I took step-by-step photos and much better pictures. So if you haven't already, go check out my original recipe for Southern fried chicken and mashed potatoes with cream gravy. ***** 1 year ago today, chicken fingers for when I don't feel like making a whole meal of Southern fried chicken, mashed potatoes, and gravy.

Calbee Seaweed and Salt Potato Chips

They look like sour cream and onion potato chips, but they're not. Seaweed and salt potato chips from Calbee, the same company that brought you shrimp-flavored chips. If you like eating strips of toasted seaweed, then you'll like these. Yes, there were bigger chips in the bag, but *burp* I ate them all before I remembered to take photos. :P The "new BBQ" flavor actually tasted like Chicken in a Bisket, remember those? Not bad but at $1.89 for a 2.8-oz bag, once for the novelty factor was enough. Care to see other wacky "fun food"? It's now all categorized! San Gabriel Superstore 1635 San Gabriel Blvd. San Gabriel, CA 91776 626-280-9998 ***** 1 year ago today, oh how the mighty have fallen. One of my favorite dim sum restaurants is now lackluster at best - NBC Seafood Restaurant in Monterey Park.