Another Asian Food Week: Meal One

Our sitter came today. We were chatting with her before leaving and I was regaling everyone with a story about someone who was a bit rude to me. LittleBiscuit piped in, "What happened to (insert air quotes) The Manners?" What can I say? She's a cool kid. The Man and I dropped off the DVD rentals, popped into his former office for him to sign some papers, then trammed it over to a little Middle Eastern grocery. It smelled so wonderful inside. He and I "oohed" and "ahhed" over the spices, beans, and seeds. They even had halloumi! However, we couldn't get perishables because we were going to be out and about for a few more hours. We'll go back, though. Definitely worth another visit. We walked through that part of town for a while, looking for some place new to have lunch. Stopping into Chan's hair salon, I made an appointment for Friday to have my hair blown out. Gotta look purty for mah date! We ended up eating at Ultramarin. I have given this place three chances and they blew it again. I like the food. The food isn't the problem. The service is terrible! The first time I discovered this, I was with my women's group, having dinner and drinks. The waitress kept telling us she was too busy for us to even pay our bill. What?!?! Plus, we all paid separately so she ended up with more tip than she deserved, in my opinion. Second time, the waitress/bar charged my friend twice for each glass of wine she had. Now, today, it took them about 45 minutes to bring our food. Crazy. There are so many places in this city to eat. I'm not going to Ultramarin ever again! I don't care how good their tequila sunrises are! After lunch, we bought toiletries at the drugstore then wandered around some more until my appointment at Estee Lauder for a manicure and pedicure. I haven't had either of those in a long time. I think it's been almost two years. It was luxurious! I feel like a new woman! Now, on to dinner. I made chicken wings again, as per LittleBiscuit's request. These are so easy, it's laughable. Just wash and dry chicken wings. Place in pan of boiling water which doesn't quite cover the wings. Add in chopped green onions and a few chunks of ginger. Then add in a Tbsp. dark soy sauce, 2 Tbsp. light soy sauce, one star anise and one tsp. sugar. Simmer with lid on til chicken is done, about 30 minutes. I turn the wings every now and then to make sure they are well-flavored. With this, I served jasmine rice and a green curry with two kinds of cabbage. It was spicy but delicious! I have about twenty more minutes to surf and blog before game time. We are going to play a few rounds of Fluxx then read another chapter of Time Cat. Ciao!