Black Bean Chicken, Broccoli Beef, and Black Bean Garlic Sauce

Hello! I’m still here, shopping at Asian supermarkets and eating at Asian restaurants. Not too much of either ‘hobby’ during the last two weeks, though, because:

* My city freaked out over three cumulative inches of snow over a few-days period. Yes, you read that measurement right and if you’re scoffing at the number, I don’t blame you.  Cars were abandoned in streets, classes were cancelled, and and and I had to eat my own cooking! It was a terrible snow week. But then it rained, and all was right in my city and grocery shopping/eating-out life again.

* My dramatic-email-writing sister popped out a Thanksgiving turkey. Oops, I mean a Thanksgiving baby. Yes, besides loving to eat, my immediate and extended family also love to pop out a baby or two every year. It’s great for me because it means more kids to cackle at. Anyway, I welcomed my sister and my newest niece home yesterday with a gift bag full of cans of fried dace. And also a bouquet of winter flowers because I’m not a complete food-obsessed weirdo. I think.

So I had my first Asian meal out after the snow, today. And in a city with many viable dining options all I wanted was a simple stir-fry with tender meat, crisp vegetables, and a sauce worthy of spooning over rice.

I would get it, but not before receiving a complimentary bowl of Hot and Sour Soup that accompanies every order at this cafeteria-style Chinese restaurant.

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Chinese Hot Pot

There are drinks and meals that just taste better in certain temperatures and weather. Sweet and sour lemonade on a summer day hot enough to swiftly melt the ice cubes inside the glass. Brunch on what all Sundays should be—lazy—with the sun shining through the restaurant’s windows onto your plate of French toast.

Chinese Hot Pot 1 from Asian Aisle on Vimeo.

And Chinese hot pot, when raindrops are bouncing off the sidewalks outside and you’re being kept warm inside by the steam rising from the bubbling broth.

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Ultra-Durable Clothes Pin For Lingerie, Taiwanese Restaurant 2

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You wouldn’t want inside my head most of the time. Sure, food accounts for about 95% of my thoughts. And the other 5%? Well, it usually comprises wondering why can’t I be an heiress, where’s the perfect dress to go with my new fall boots, and if I had a magical power, I would so make delicious food instantly appear in front of me. Hmm, maybe I need to increase my food-thoughts percentage.

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Anyway, my point. It is that you will need to get inside my head to know what Ultra-Durable Clothes Pin For Lingerie, which I picked up at the Japanese dollar store, has to do with the second Taiwanese restaurant I visited. And I’m just going to apologize in advance that you need this peek inside my brain, and that I’m going to offend people, some photos down, who love a certain Taiwanese staple.

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Taiwanese Restaurant 1

I’ve got a new Asian-cuisine obsession: Taiwanese food. And the people responsible are two lovely ladies I met in, of all places, an Asian supermarket.

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We began our meal at a favorite Taiwanese restaurant of theirs with a mild-flavored tea, maybe Jasmine?

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It’s a simple concept, really, but one that can make a big difference in a person’s dining experience—having attractive cups to drink out of, and…

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