ORIGINAL DECISION-ENGINE

How much sushi can four girls eat in one sitting: a life portrait.

The buttermilk fried chicken sandwich @ Cutty’s, yet more evidence that everything tastes better on brioche.

Weekend’s been one high after another. Went out yesterday to help set up a cheering station for Boston’s Avon Walk for Breast Cancer, then drinks with some cool kids at Green St, followed by the incredible serendipity of running into @fallingdeep on the bus from Harvard Square and discovering that she lives down the street from me for the summer. Seriously, I wish a camera could’ve caught our shared ?!?!?! moment when we made eye-contact with each other over the sweaty bodies of the #66. Internet karma on lock. (y)

Dinner @ The Salty Pig with… a friend of an Internet friend? /:) It’s cool because he’s cool. Spicy cured pork shoulder, soft ashen goat cheese, and an arugula pizza with more salty pig parts and the Greatest Mustard Ever.

So many people are into NBC’s Hannibal right now - I don’t have the stomach for that type of… body imagery…. but I’ve been reading detailed episode recaps to keep up with the conversation, which lead me to the Hannibal culinary blog. Let’s be clear: I’m not shy about meat (give me all yr cow livers and intestines and lungs), but I think beef shaped to look like children’s tongues is where my line stops. That, and the eye-gouging close-up in episode 6.

Shenzhen + Guangzhou food photo diary! Sichuan poached fish/水煮鱼, dim sum, raw coconut juice, FRESH DURIAN (unexpectedly sweet but that smell), Shaanxi noodles spread, chicken feet, spicy fish broth, more dim sum, more chicken feet, and a snake delicacy (that I did not enjoy). Shenzhen doesn’t have a distinct culinary identity since it’s a city of transplants, but it compensates with variety and options; Guangzhou tastes like Hong Kong.

Orange-glazed tofu with kale and burger with fried egg on brioche @ Hops ‘n Scotch. Catching up with a friend before he jets off for a 10-day cruise around the British Virgin Islands on a private yacht (ah, the benefits of well-funded admirers…)

Wontons layered with pear and topped with flambéed shrimp, cubed beef tenderloin in garlic and mushroom soy, and chocolate raspberry truffle cake @ Elephant Walk on Beacon, which specializes in Cambodian-French fusion. Loved the experience, already can’t wait to go back.

Went and saw The Great Gatsby afterward. (◡︵◡) Objectively terrible, but I can’t regret going because the costumes and styling were still exquisite, and Leo single-handedly saved the movie. Has Tobey Maguire always been such a disappointing actor? Did I just never notice before? Maybe Luhrmann’s directing style just doesn’t appeal to me. @minimoonstar’s meta on the role of telephones in the film is possibly more interesting than the film itself.

Open-faced ravioli with scallops and shrimp in lobster mascarpone, gnocchi with mozzarella and basil, and flourless chocolate torte @ Terramia in the North End. Good, though underwhelming. So far the only two restaurants I’d recommend in the North End are still Giaccamo’s and Pomodoro (though Italian is always hit or miss with me).

I’ve felt so peaceful and serene all week, and I can’t figure out if it’s the warmer weather, finishing that class, re-connecting with old social circles…? Maybe all three? Last night I stayed out later than my body wanted, and the walk home was lovely and reassuring, like a hug from a friend I hadn’t seen in a while.

Celebratory dinner (for finishing my class n__n) @ Oishii in Chestnut Hill! Torched hamachi over spicy tempura roll, ootoro sushi (!!), tuna/salmon/yellowtail wrapped in cucumber, beef negima, and baked scallops with scallions over avocado roll.

I’ve only been to a couple restaurants that even offered ootoro on the menu, and this was my first time finally tasting it. (ღ˘⌣˘ღ) Definitely dissolves on your tongue, though the umami was almost too much? Worth every bite, even at market price. The torched hamachi was the runaway star of the night, though.

Seafood banh canh with udon + chicken dumpling soup with egg noodles and Chinese broccoli @ Zenna Noodle Bar in Coolidge Corner. About how you’d expect a Vietnamese restaurant to fare in Brookline, i.e. vaguely authentic and overpriced but with a beautiful and clean setting. Good place to take friends who think they don’t like Asian food/noodle soups, etc**.

My biostatistics final is tomorrow (s-sob) so of course this weekend I have: deep-cleaned my apartment, watched a bunch of cooking videos on Food Network, washed my make-up brushes, applied two face masks (clay and milk). Maybe… it’s time… to actually study…

**That’s a joke. I’m not friends with anyone who doesn’t like Asian food.

Scallion pancake banh “mei” with ham & pâté @ Mei Mei Street Kitchen.

Let me repeat that. SCALLION CAKE BANH MI. Now I feel like a brat for complaining about Boston’s dining scene. :’(

Almost forgot it’s May! My second favorite month of the year, because it comes before June, the most superior month of all. ♡ Some snaps from April (while I continue wading through my China pictures):

• Didn’t eat any cheese for THREE STRAIGHT WEEKS so of course I demolished a ricotta, romano, provolone and mozzarella pizza at the earliest opportunity
• Cajun crab cake on black pepper brioche @ Corner Tavern
• Blue skies, fair winds
• Healing process @ Boylston Street

I’ve been a little distant since I’ve gotten back; all the adrenaline and work/class backlog made me feel like I needed a 2-week staycation just to recuperate from the 2-week vacation, but it’s time to concede that the aegis of “jet lag recovery” can only cover so much. ㅜㅜ Starting to get called out on playing hooky with social obligations; next week will be brutal ㅜㅜ

Spent the greater half of my weekend marathoning School 2013 and spinning down a rapid spiral of emotional deterioration but managed to pull myself together for Sunday brunch @ Coppa and then a trip around the harbor to Charlestown and back. Waves were particularly vicious, so possibly not the best day to pick for sailing, but the turbulence reflected the darkness of my soul after the all-nighter I pulled for Kim Woo Bin’s face (n-no).

Coppa was great; I expected nothing less since I’m already a fan of Ken Oringer’s Toro (though I’ll pass on La Verdad Taqueria), and I had the pig bones and tail with mostarda glaze and eggs over easy. Talked at length over brunch about the predictability of Boston’s dining scene and the limited variety of non-Western (New American/French/Italian) options, but I’m still excited for a coming season of new restaurants and outdoor patios and brighter days. It’s finally spring!

Macau photo diary:

• 1 — Zodiac detailing on a casino ceiling
• 2 & 3 — Unwittingly ate at a fake Din Tai Fung in Macau…. no wonder the won tons and soup dumplings were so mediocre
• 4 & 5 — Senado Square & Ruins of St. Paul Cathedral
• 6 — Flowers on the roof of Monte Fort
• 7 — My mom, the cutest 阿姨 I know
• 8 & 9 — A Ma Temple
• 10 — Underbelly

Could’ve been the rainy weather, but Macau was…. underwhelming? Maybe it’s because I’d built up too slick of an image in my head and wasn’t prepared for the hard juxtaposition between flashy resort conglomerates and the run-down buildings that filled the rest of the city space. Or maybe I’m just disgruntled because a casino bouncer actually made me dig out my passport to verify my age at the Grand Lisboa. (C’mon)

Favorite part of the city was the stretch between St. Lawrence Church and Ruins of St. Paul where you could eat your way to a full stomach with all the dried meat and biscuit samples alone. Also tried a Portuguese-style egg tart, but I prefer Hong Kong’s~

Hong Kong food photo diary! Char kway teow, dim sum @ Tim Ho Wan in the IFC (not pictured: their steamed barbecue buns, omg), egg tart, seafood congee, spicy fish balls, skewered street meat, wonton noodle soup with the most incredible bone marrow broth from somewhere off Wellington St, egg waffles (gei dan jai), roasted duck. Walked no less than 5 miles each day and accordingly stopped to refuel every 2 hours. Ideal lifestyle.