Our fall quarter ended amidst marathon sessions of work on projects, term papers and exams. I know more about boxed frozen vegetables than any human being in his right mind needs to know. Like any good b-school students, a bunch of us celebrated the end of the quarter, along with the departures of a few of our crew, with multiple trips to local bars and karaoke nights (see Flickr pictures). Let's just say our favorite little bar, On The Rocks, was wise to stock up on Guinness, Wings, and Jamesons.
For the next few weeks, we are on winter break. As I type, I'm sitting on United Fl# 151 from ORD to OAK (thankfully, my Premier status has afforded me the luxury of avoiding the Seat of Ass**) to return home for 3 weeks of golf, good home cooking, family stuff, spoiling my main little-man Kyle, and friends. I'll also mix in some business since I'll need a job in a few months. I will bask in warm 50+ degree weather!!! Shoot, I may have to wear sunblock now that my body is used to the subarctic conditions of The ROC. What's that you say?!? No gloves or scarves? No fear of hypothermia when I walk from my front door to my car??!?! What is this craziness you speak of??
While we're on the subject, I'd like to share with you non-crappy weather people the concept of freezing rain. This occurs when you have are in the grey zone of "IMPOSSIBLY COLD WEATHER, BUT NOT QUITE COLD ENOUGH TO MAKE SNOW IN THE ATMOSPHERE" temperatures. This generally occurs right around 20 deg F. You ain't seen nothin' til you've seen an entire parking lot covered in a sheet of ice. Since I didn't have a jackhammer or a diamond tipped drill, I wasn't able to clear off the impenetrable layer of ice on my windshield. You really haven't experienced cold misery until you've stood outside for 30 minutes trying to knock glaciers off your car with a plastic scraper.
On to bigger and better recent events. I recently felt the joy that Michelangelo must've felt when he completed the Statue of David. The completion of one's greatest achievement is enough to bring a man to his knees. Did I create a Nobel worthy theory of economics? No. Did I cure a disease? No. Did I create a beautiful work of art?....to some, the answer would be yes. Behold the majesty of...HOMEMADE CHA-SIU !!
(click to enlarge)
Truthfully, making cha-siu (Chinese BBQ Pork to those that are not in the know) is not nearly as complicated or difficult as you may think. Essentially, it's a roast pork tenderloin, but the key is the execution. The succulent cha-siu pictured above was dead on with what you could get in any self-respecting Chinese BBQ eatery. In honor of this milestone achievement, my blog has been renamed accordingly.
EDITOR'S NOTE: on a recent trip to Toronto, I discovered that my great-grandfather owned a shop that sold Cha-siu, roast pork, Chinese sausages, etc. This totally explains it all. The "Cha-siu Genome Project" is under way to see whether the cha-siu sauces have somehow penetrated our family’s bloodlines.
** Seat(s) of Ass is defined as the aisle seats in the 3 rows closest to the bathroom. Next time you're on a plane waiting for the bathroom and standing in the aisle, count how many times the Seat of Ass people's elbows are bumped by the asses in queue for the bathroom. Trust me...it's a lot.
Food of the moment: Cha-siu!!!
Song of the moment: Diamonds from Sierra Leone, Kanye West
All for now!
Chow,
-T