"No matter what you say, I'm not going to move."

The first sentence I spoke in English. It was my refusal to scoot over for my brother and sit in the middle seat of our slate gray '91 Camry. It took him and the rest of my family by surprise, and I happily sat in the window seat.

As it turns out, though, my stubborn my words as a three year old mouth were pretty inaccurate. Since then, I've moved from DC to Tokyo, Tokyo to DC, DC to North Carolina, and in the last three years - I've lived in Singapore, New York and SF.

I've found friends and new favorite things in each of these cities - learning to appreciate things about each of them. And oh god, the food. Don't even get me started.

Learning to cure meats - seriously, people, home made bacon. Try some.

Outside of my charcuterie journey, I recently moved down to the Mission from the Marina, and am enjoying the new found warmth and lazing in the park that's so common down here.

Getting excited about food. Really, I mean it. I can't help but think about the next meal to find or the new restaurant or bar to explore (Trick dog anyone?). I view it as the best way to get to know another culture. And that's why I'm so excited to travel- and eat, learn, and grow. Then, I can take those experiences back with me and revisit them by preparing a meal with those flavors.

And when I feel that my ability to do so is in danger, I MacGyver my way out. In college, one of my residence halls didn't have a kitchen. An induction stove + water bath + vacuum sealer and a box fan for an exhaust formed the base of my guideline-violating in-dorm kitchen for the year.

My inability to keep a straight face.

books
Middlesex, Kafka on the Shore, The Fantastic Mr. Fox

music
for dancing: Janelle Monae, Neon Indian, Passion Pit, Geographer
for working: Hiyao Miyazaki film scores, RJD2
for relaxing: gypsy jazz, Dirty Projectors, the Shins, Nas, Talib Kweli, Big Boi

tv & movies
food: The Mind of a Chef, No Reservations, Ratatouille, Eat Man Drink Woman, Tampopo
comedy: Arrested Development, Community, Party Down, The Big Lebowski
et cetera: Battlestar Galactica, Howl's Moving Castle, V for Vendetta

Duck fat, how people make choices, and urban planning.

Making new adventures with friends in this great city we live in. Great nights start out with big meals and endless bottles of wine.