dandelion girl

The frustration that I feel with the Brooklyn Flea isn’t so much the sheer scale of it as the slight incongruity of the goods on offer versus the ostensible definition of “flea market.”  I don’t think most people go to flea markets to purchase $100+ pairs of ballet flats, do you?  That said, I’ll also admit that I go mostly to a. simply gawk at things and b. eat tasty treats, so uhm.  In that sense, mission accomplished, as I discovered the beauty that is a Gruyere & paprika soft pretzel (with whole grain mustard!) from Sigmund Pretzel Shop.  I polished one after I had already had a hot dog from Asia Dog.  I felt disgusting.

Also to file under the disgusting category: I wanted to jump on the hot chocolate bandwagon for once, particularly after the City Bakery listed an Earl Grey flavor for one day.  I raced downtown as fast as I could after work, and was met with a very sympathetic worker who told me that the variety was very popular and they had JUST sold out.  I guess my T_____T face was overwhelmingly pathetic – either that or she was just a super-nice girl – because she immediately reached for one of the City Bakery’s huge chocolate chip cookies, pressed it into my hand as a consolation prize, and asked me to come back again.  My plans for hot chocolate were foiled, but that cookie was really good!  Just the right balance between chewy and crispy.  And yes, I finished it off in about five minutes.  What makes matters worse is that on my way to the train station, I spotted the Wafels & Dinges truck and decided to indulge yet more and get a mini Liege wafel with speculoos spread.  Deeeeeelicious.

YEAH NO WONDER MY JEANS ARE GETTING TIGHTER

M.F.K. Fisher, “The Art of Eating” – holy crap this thing is a veritable TOME.  I think I slogged through about half of it before calling it quits, and that’s not counting the 90% of “How to Cook a Wolf” that I skipped.  I realize that Fisher’s works are considered something of a treasure on a pedestal in terms of food writing, but I’ll fully admit that I don’t agree with that sentiment.  I appreciate that her musings and essays take on much more of a “literary” character, if you will.  But maybe it’s my intolerance of what I perceive as flowery, even baroque…  or maybe it’s just the cognitive dissonance: autobiographical sketches shouldn’t read like fiction.

Bill Willingham, “Fables: 1001 Nights of Snowfall”: Picking up one of the “Fables” books has been on my to-do list for a long time.  This one was sort of accidental, but it was quite a delightful read nonetheless.  I think it gave me a good preview of the kinds of storyline and character twists to look forward to in the “Fables” canon.  :)

I should perhaps mention that book #1 for 2010 was actually Timothy Keller’s “Reason For God.”  I don’t really count it as part of my reading list because the book was more of a personal project – meditative, reflective, ongoing-struggle-with-faith, whatever – than simply “something to read”.  In the same vein, I guess C.S. Lewis’s “Mere Christianity” technically should be off the list as well, but whatever.  Wiggle room!

C.S. Lewis, “Mere Christianity” – thought-provoking, even for those who do not share the faith.  Very logical.

Mary Yukari Waters, “The Laws of Evening” – strangely unmoving.  Most reviews seem to echo each other with adjectives like “delicate,” “precise,” “gentle,” et cetera.  I found the stories – vignettes, rather – somewhat artificial.  To borrow a tired stereotype, what others find well-crafted and beautifully curated a la your typical Japanese garden appears to me as somewhat contrived and artificial.

C.S. Lewis, “The Screwtape Letters” – remarkable in its “exposition on Christianity and its principles turned on its head” approach.  A bit didactic and preachy at times, to the point where I have to wonder if Screwtape had been reading “Mere Christianity” in his spare time.  Nonetheless a good read, particularly for me and my (ever-) present struggles.

Frank Bruni, “Born Round” – I’ve always liked Bruni’s style of writing and it really shines through in this memoir.  It’s a lovely volume that spans everything from very personal accounts of his struggles with his weight and eating to backstage details of his various career moves.  I found it to be a beautiful balance of thoughtful reflection and a loveletter to his mother and grandmother.  :)  Highly recommended.

Yoshimoto Banana, “Kitchen” – Strangely sterile, much in the same way that Waters’ book was.  Part of that I’d attribute to things getting lost in translation, but maybe there’s something about the general disillusionment and disconnect with reality that “modern Japanese young adults” feel that I simply don’t understand?

Coffee Prince – cute series, refreshing in that slightly irreverant way, with a certain je ne sais quoi about the way that the inner world of each character is painted through their expressions and interactions with the rest of the cast.  Sadly the momentum dies in the latter five or so episodes when the plot is artificially drawn out – noticeably so, to the point where the characters themselves are warped into caricatures of their former selves.  Enjoyable, though, and definitely one of the better Korean series I’ve seen.

Antique – I have not read the original source (the books) so I have no basis to compare.  Again, different from the “typical” Korean media product in a way similar to Coffee Prince, but it falls short.  I’m rather indifferent on the issue of whether it was “worth watching,” as I don’t regret it, but I don’t particularly recommend the film either.

To round out the fun, I should mention the florentine tart from Balthazar Bakery.  I always walk in to squint at the displayed goods, hem and haw for a bit, and then scoot out.  God only knows what holds me back from purchasing anything.  (I have a sneaking suspicion that it’s because I know I will absolutely crumble and hand over my entire paycheck, after which I might just die from a guilt-laden diabetic coma.)  On a frigid Saturday evening, though, an employee’s description of the florentine tart with its lovely combination of apricots, plums, slivered almonds and pine nuts did me in.  And it was worth every ridiculously decadent, entirely-too-rich but oh-so-right bite, which was supplemented by fabulous Intelligentsia coffee!  There is NO way I can eat the damn tart without something to ground the flavors, and Intelligentsia was nothing short of a brilliant foil.

Good things come in pairs.

Two acceptances.
Two years.
Two days of agonizing and waiting – okay, maybe that’s not quite as good.

Two phone calls.

One freak-out moment of utter relief and glee.

Hello, Los Angeles of 2011.  仲良くしましょう。

Sometimes good things just happen.  At least, I think it’s a good thing.  Trial by fire, no pain no gain, et cetera.  :)

I hate visiting Korea for one reason alone: the unbearable pain of solitude upon my return to the States grows worse each time I say goodbye.

Hello, darkness, my old friend.  Welcome the new year with me.