Today, the 44th President of the United States, Barack Obama, was inaugurated for his second term.
Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts administers the oath of office to President Barack Obama during the Inaugural swearing-in ceremony at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., Jan. 21, 2013. (Official White House Photo by Sonya N. Hebert)
Today marks Day 5 of eating no meat whatsoever! Just a quick update on how the “meatless” thing is working out.
My first New Year’s resolution of 2013 was to “Eat vegetarian… most of the time,” directly referring to my weekday vegetarian diet I’d be adopting to (1) eat healthier, (2) help the animals, and to (3) help the environment—the first one is truly the most important one to me, I just get to add in #2 and #3 for fun.
I started my weekday vegetarian diet on January 1, 2013 with the support of my mom, who also took up the vegetarian diet with me. I only went in knowing one thing for sure: I wouldn’t be eating meat from Monday–Friday.
The weird part is what I discovered from my five-day (and counting) journey!
#1 – Adapt and Expand
Not eating meat made me look towards other foods to fill the void, many of which I would’ve never tried! The funny thing is that I never considered myself a veggie lover—in fact, I was the opposite! I preferred chicken over chickpeas any day. But now, I’ve tried so many new foods! From eggplant to mushrooms to soy meats and cheeses! (No one in their right mind would eat chicken-less chicken unless they were vegetarian.) Continue reading
Who doesn’t love sushi?
I ate my last meal in New York at Morimoto — a Japanese restaurant on 10th Avenue. I definitely didn’t want to leave New York City without having great sushi, and luckily, Morimoto delivered.
Our meal began with the toro tartare.
Our waitress served us the raw, chopped toro, topped with domestic caviar, in a large bowl filled with ice. Inside the bowl was a tray filled with dashes of sauces — wasabi, sour cream, nori paste, chopped chives, guacamole, and rice crackers — and a cup of dashi soy. To eat the tartare, you use the metal spatula-like spoon to scoop out toro, add condiments, and dip in the dashi soy.
The toro tartare tasted delicious! It’s one of those foods that I’ll want again if I go to New York, but not all the time — it costs $31 on the lunch menu. It’s definitely worth the price for a non-local, though.
Maki and nigiri sushi were next on the lunch agenda.
The shrimp tempura roll, spicy salmon roll, and sake (salmon) nigiri created a triumvirate of flavor, headed by the sake nigiri.
The sake nigiri was absolutely phenomenal! The salmon practically melted in my mouth. The chef’s inclusion of wasabi in between the slice of cool, raw salmon and the sweet sushi rice made the sushi taste ten times better. In Japan, the sushi chef lightly smears a small bit of wasabi in between the fish and the rice, as wasabi should not be mixed in the soy sauce, which is commonly done in the West.
Taking a short break from sushi, I feasted into the crispy rock shrimp tempura.
The rock shrimp tempura had both a green chile and a wasabi sauce. Our waitress gave a ranch dip along with the rock shrimp tempura, which added a cooling dimension to the spicy shrimp. Honestly, I think I should have started with the shrimp, as it’s quite filling. Plus, its hot properties clash with the coolness of the sushi I just ate.
I ended the meal with two more maki rolls.
The spicy tuna roll and California roll were calm and somewhat “safe” endings to the meal.
The standout roll was definitely the California roll. What made it stand apart, especially from other California rolls, was the use of real snow crab meat — very different from the usual imitation crab found in most sushi restaurants and grocery stores.
I definitely recommend trying out Morimoto if you visit New York. Would I go back to Morimoto if I take another trip to the Big Apple? Possibly, but probably not. I won’t lie — Morimoto is ridiculously pricy, even for lunch. Is the food worth it? I’d say yes, but it’s not the place for someone on a budget (unless you want to leave hungry and underfed). I’d say try it once, then decide to return if you think it’s worth it. Just watch how much you’re ordering.
I’m not much of a dessert person, but I have a special place in my heart for a certain French sweet… namely the macaron. (Not the coconut macaroon, the extra “o” makes a huge difference.)
It’s no secret that I love macarons; I think this is even my second post about the French confection. My love affair with macarons started a few years ago in Paris at Ladurée, which is famous for its luxury cakes and pastries, as well as inventing the “double-decker” macaron (its current form).
When we visited New York, one of the places on our list to visit was Ladurée’s only North American location on Madison Avenue. (Another Ladurée is supposed to open in SoHo in the near future.) Note: As of April 2014, the SoHo location is open.
The clocks have turned and the calendars have changed as everyone around the world celebrates the arrival of January 1, 2013. A new year signals many things: a new chapter, a new story, a new adventure, a new self.
Like many people, I have my list of New Year’s resolutions prepared:
Kuya's Notebook 