tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5343919047265257842024-03-14T01:11:46.228-07:00Chu Thiseating my way through life, one bit at a timeChu Thishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10392171772201080931noreply@blogger.comBlogger46125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-534391904726525784.post-12752666834700802772009-09-02T22:22:00.000-07:002009-09-02T23:20:36.075-07:00Changes aheadChange is a funny thing. As a consultant, part of my job is to change the way people do their job by bringing in this newer (and hopefully better) software. They tend to despise these change and are usually quite reluctant to learn the new software and new ways of doing their every day jobs. Our job is to help facilitate the change, so you'd think that being a proponent of change, I'd be more Chu Thishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10392171772201080931noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-534391904726525784.post-32859069342104402762009-04-22T19:40:00.000-07:002009-04-22T20:29:51.106-07:00The "new project" 15Knock knock. Are you still there?Just checking.It's been a while, a long while, since I've actually posted anything. But, lo-and-behold, I am still alive and kicking, er, eating.I just started a new project in LA, not too far from my alma mater. The downtown hotel I am now staying at is less than a five minute walk from my old apartment, so I find myself oddly comforted by somewhat familiar Chu Thishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10392171772201080931noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-534391904726525784.post-45664758443596922172008-12-03T23:49:00.000-08:002008-12-08T23:33:18.460-08:00Where do we go from here?Shall we continue?Scottish Grouse "Cuit en Cocotte" - French Laundry Garden Tokyo Turnips, Hobbs' Bacon, Brussel Sprouts and Prune "Jus" (1/2). The first of two meat courses with the choice of the above pictured Grouse or the Rabbit shown below. As mentioned by our service captain when taking our orders, the grouse did have a strong game flavor, but I tend to prefer that myself. Apparently, Chu Thishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10392171772201080931noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-534391904726525784.post-69451425763904981842008-11-06T22:37:00.000-08:002008-12-04T00:30:35.921-08:00May I replace your brioche?Do you remember that boy/girl that you had a crush on for years and years? The one that you were pretty certain that you'd never ask out or would ask you out, so you sighed and then life went on, but always in the back of your mind, there was this little crush. Then one day, out of nowhere, said boy/girl asks you out! Oh, the excitement! And then after some of that excitement sinks in, the Chu Thishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10392171772201080931noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-534391904726525784.post-72403695792225197632008-11-04T07:00:00.000-08:002008-12-04T00:50:07.363-08:00Brussel Sprouts - no, really, they're delicious!I promised recipes and other food related posts...and I've sorta, kinda upheld my promise. As in, I have been cooking a little bit more and even remembered to take pictures, but the blog posts just haven't quite magically appeared. Thus the sorta, kinda.I'm back to doing the traveling thing and with traveling comes the regiment of eating out constantly. "Eating out every day...and having it Chu Thishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10392171772201080931noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-534391904726525784.post-82771844895319115982008-09-11T05:02:00.000-07:002008-09-11T05:02:00.379-07:00To the point...This one will be short and sweet - food postings to resume shortly :)23 years ago, he was born and I got the best baby brother in the world. Of course, I always liked to say that you were sent from heaven because they wanted it quiet up there. It must have been too quiet for them.7 years ago, they tried to bring America to its knees. Instead, America came together and showed the rest of the Chu Thishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10392171772201080931noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-534391904726525784.post-67615826438053591292008-09-04T12:00:00.000-07:002008-09-04T12:00:01.263-07:00Beet and cranberry bean saladThere are a handful of foods that I've always avoided not because I have bad childhood memories of them myself, but instead based on stories of friends' childhood memories. Beets, brussel sprouts, lima beans...foods that I didn't really eat (or was forced to eat) growing up, but that many people remember as being the foods that forced them to sit at the dinner table until they cleared their Chu Thishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10392171772201080931noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-534391904726525784.post-23291866380381862512008-09-03T07:12:00.000-07:002008-09-03T16:43:11.734-07:006 years.Disclaimer: My favoritest blogs are ones that I feel like I have a friend on the other side of the Internet in addition to all of their pretty food pictures, stories and recipes. These are the ones that keep me coming back time and time again as I wonder how people are doing, even though I've clearly never met or spoken to most. While I do still prefer to keep this blog semi-anonymous for Chu Thishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10392171772201080931noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-534391904726525784.post-49224230459638005582008-08-02T20:37:00.000-07:002008-08-06T16:05:52.420-07:00Eleven Madison ParkI've mentioned it before, and it really hasn't changed. I apparently like self inflicted stress because we found ourselves in a time crunch yet again before dinner on Day 2 of our NYC trip. Thanks to extra innings to an already long game, we nervously kept peeking at our watches wondering if we'd have to risk losing our reservation at Eleven Madison Park to see the outcome of the game. While I'dChu Thishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10392171772201080931noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-534391904726525784.post-52435124262816810162008-07-28T07:04:00.000-07:002008-07-30T16:24:12.115-07:00The Spotted PigDay 2, Brunch - Again, we found ourselves waiting patiently outdoors for the restaurant to open. And by patiently waited outdoors, I mean, we eagerly, yet awkwardly, opened the unlocked door to stumble in on the wait staff's pre-service meetings, got shot looks like we had just walked in on someone in the restroom and then feeblishly waited outdoors until a hostess came to inform us that they Chu Thishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10392171772201080931noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-534391904726525784.post-16646538256074338522008-07-23T13:10:00.000-07:002008-07-27T14:24:07.564-07:00Yakitori TottoChicken skin, gizzard, chicken bones - these are usually parts of the chicken that I'd toss into the trash. Yet, our first meal in NYC found us at Yakitori Totto, contemplating between ordering these very items.With a 7pm first pitch looming over our heads, we arrived at Yakitori Totto a good 15 minutes before it opened at 5:30. Surprisingly, we weren't the only ones with 3 or 4 other parties Chu Thishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10392171772201080931noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-534391904726525784.post-11575292515091249722008-07-22T21:32:00.000-07:002008-07-23T10:32:37.738-07:00I <3 NYCI'm back from NYC with my pockets lighter and my tummy quite a bit heavier.With consulting, I've done a fair share of regular traveling. Fly out Monday, fly back Thursday or Friday for the weekend. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. And lucky for me, I've maybe been delayed three or four times in the three years I've been consulting. So of course luck has it that when I'm finally traveling for Chu Thishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10392171772201080931noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-534391904726525784.post-4575556335108596272008-07-16T13:30:00.000-07:002008-07-23T10:33:19.372-07:00NYC, here I come!In less than two days, I will board a plane headed to the Big Apple for 3.5 days of no work, baseball watching, and most importantly, FOOD. I have a little agreement with my Atheletic's fan traveling companion that I'll pick up the food tab in exchange for him picking up the baseball. Now, if you didn't know me, you might think he's getting the short end of the deal. After all, Subway three Chu Thishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10392171772201080931noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-534391904726525784.post-56480176571290017252008-07-15T10:48:00.000-07:002008-07-15T16:48:39.899-07:00Russian River 200810 people + 6 wineries + 2 cabins + 1 Mystery Box + 1 watermelon + Lots of wine = Russian River 2008For the past two years, I've managed to miss out on my friends' annual visit to a friend's cabin that his grandfather built on the Russian River. Luckily, this year, I managed to free up the weekend for a fabulous weekend of good food, wine and company, which left me wishing I made the trip in Chu Thishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10392171772201080931noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-534391904726525784.post-62144949348208878352008-07-07T20:10:00.000-07:002008-07-08T11:36:25.297-07:00Home Sweet HomeThe housewarming party has come and gone, and I suppose I'm now officially moved in. Thanks everyone who came (or sent their best wishes) and for letting me pretend to be a chef for a day!I had this perfect plan to start party prep a week in advance, but plans are meant to be broken, right? When Saturday arrived and I still hadn't bought everything I needed, you'd think a reasonable person Chu Thishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10392171772201080931noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-534391904726525784.post-37929863326007459772008-06-25T06:32:00.000-07:002008-06-25T15:21:39.280-07:00Savory Lamb Chops with Cherry ReductionOftentimes when I cook or eat a dish, I'm flooded with memories. It's what I particularly like about food - the tastes and smells whisk me back to little moments in life that otherwise might have been forgotten. I associate food with people and places. A bite of sushi at lunch might bring back memories of a fantastic night out on the town with friends at a high end sushi restaurant. Eating Chu Thishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10392171772201080931noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-534391904726525784.post-69299474889510131342008-06-22T11:33:00.000-07:002008-06-23T14:25:23.570-07:00Mystery Thursdays - PiccinoA funny thing happened during our Mystery Thursdays pickup -I'm just getting into this blogging thing of my own, but I've been reading food blogs for quite some time. I remember one of the first food blogs I started reading, 101 Cookbooks, and being quite inspired by how fresh, quick and healthy the food looked and the fantastic photography on the site. From there, I started adding more and Chu Thishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10392171772201080931noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-534391904726525784.post-19926034646285549152008-06-16T23:02:00.000-07:002008-06-17T16:20:45.082-07:00Happy (Belated) Father's Day - Grilled TroutHaving used the grill at every opportunity over the past week, we've made a lot of steaks, chicken and shrimp - foods I feel like get the most play time on the grill. And as great as a grilled steak is, sometimes you just need a little diversity. While we were at Safeway debating between beef or chicken and not neither really appealing, I finally turned around and marched into the seafood Chu Thishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10392171772201080931noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-534391904726525784.post-91942517890663508672008-06-10T23:23:00.001-07:002008-06-11T11:23:21.934-07:00Mystery Thursdays - GlobeAs much as I'd love to deny it, I'm a procrastinator. Of course, I believe it's because I work best under pressure and where is the pressure if you don't wait until the very last minute? Tomorrow is yet another Mystery Thursday (from Marquita Farm) and I still haven't posted any photos or recipes from the last Mystery Thursday...two weeks ago! I suppose if I did this in true procrastinator Chu Thishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10392171772201080931noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-534391904726525784.post-62629353978650728422008-06-03T13:50:00.000-07:002008-06-03T15:19:36.019-07:00Bye Bye Safeway/Costco - Rotisserie Chicken3 irish men + 1 large truck + 1 rickety elevator/4 flights of stairs + 2 more flights of stairs + FOUR hours + 1 old apartment + 1 shiny new (to me) condo = money very well spent.As of June 1, I am officially moved out of the apartment and into my new place. I deliberately said "into" and not "settled into" because I have one very empty living room that could lead a second life as a mini Chu Thishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10392171772201080931noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-534391904726525784.post-44715679249236248962008-05-27T09:06:00.000-07:002008-06-05T15:19:22.288-07:00BBQ RibsHere in the city of San Francisco, our weather is pretty consistent. There isn't too much of a change between the seasons - it never really falls below 40 and rarely get above 80. Summer months are actually colder than fall with our Septembers and Octobers generally being the warmest and nicest months of the year. (It's said you can pick out tourist by looking for those wearing shorts and Chu Thishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10392171772201080931noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-534391904726525784.post-1350013039373998762008-05-01T13:50:00.000-07:002008-05-01T13:57:38.389-07:00Moving (x2)Everyone knows that moving sucks. Now, two things...I moved domains. This blog is now at www.chuthis.com. It took about 30 seconds.I'm moving. It's only about 2 miles away from my current place. The whole process when done will have taken months. And lots of stress. However, I DO get a gas stove in a pretty new kitchen PLUS a convection oven......as long as the moving doesn't kill me firstChu Thishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10392171772201080931noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-534391904726525784.post-54383342323873098852008-05-01T12:19:00.000-07:002008-05-01T13:27:06.758-07:00The perfect way to say welcomeAny guesses as to what that might be? Here's a clue...Yup, you guessed it (or not :P), it's a Doubletree Hotel cookie. The warm, gooey treat they provide when you check into the hotel or ever so politely ask the front desk. It makes the consistent travel and the not-so-nice front desk staff a little more bearable. You try to stay frustrated and thinking about what you are going to write in Chu Thishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10392171772201080931noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-534391904726525784.post-13795841204189244452008-04-09T17:58:00.000-07:002008-06-17T16:25:38.874-07:00Got buns?The last couple weeks of March, I was lucky enough to work from home. I finally had the chance to scratch a couple of food items off of my ever growing "to cook" list. Including these Whirligig buns from Nigella, which has been starred in my Google Reader for what seems like eternity. Yes, I admit, a large part of the reason I wanted to make these was just because of the name. Whirligig. Chu Thishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10392171772201080931noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-534391904726525784.post-28837629908848651332008-03-26T17:17:00.000-07:002008-03-26T17:17:48.553-07:00Don't pull hair, make Pulled PorkBlame it on the Type A personality in me. You'd think I'd actually enjoy a couple of days of "working from home" and not doing anything. Instead, I'm anxious to get on a project and really prove myself and learn lots of new things. I spent the latter portion of last week really pulling my hair out from frustration, but this week I decided to embrace the opportunity and do a lot of cooking (andChu Thishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10392171772201080931noreply@blogger.com1