with the event of having my whole lee family over for the weekend in addition to my arrival back in los angeles, i do not think i could have asked for anything better to kick start my summer. if i could describe my first weekend home with just one word it would be this: FOOD. so much food. so so much. i am literally bursting at the waist. (which means time to hit the gym haha) oh and did i mention that my very first meal back was a good ol fashion grilled cheese in-in-out burger with animal style fries? thaaaaaas right. it was the most satisfying meal i have ever had back home; i think it was also cause i did not eat for 12 hours preceding that because of the constant traveling through airports and planes.
there is a certain formulated equation that is always consistent variables whenever my relatives are over; a huge family gathering equates to: multiple chinese restaurants (you know, the ones where i would always just order a plate of vegetarian noodles cause i cannot order anything else), some red envelopes with money (only if these relatives come back from taiwan), an overly anxiety-ridden mother, overly happy grandparents, overstuffed stomachs, one very bored cousin eric, endless laughter from both me and laura, etc.. but of course aside from all that, i think just having the presence of the entire extended family is a very powerful and comforting feeling;
the day after i returned, (unfortunately i missed the huge family dinner at the chinese restaurant) but we had a massive barbeque at one of my aunts home.. my meal consisted of only veggie kabobs, veggie eggrolls, 2 ice cream sandwiches, oh yes and lots and lots of watermelon.. but i could not help but gaze longingly at the burgers my cousin henry was concocting on the grill outside. the smoke wafted into the house and once he brought in the cooked patties, he instructed everyone to add kimchi in between the buns; i have never seen this concept before of infusing american with korean, but hey if the kogi truck can do the same with mexican food, then hell, it should be allowed with burgers.
i must say. (on a random note) that i have the most adorable nephew named gabriel in the entire world. its so weird to think i am officially an aunt now on my father's side. gabriel has the biggest eyes, and that is absolutely key to having a cute baby. this little half korean half taiwanese kid is as cute as can be.
after the meal, the sisters and cousins all meandered around.. we found ourselves under the beating californian sun, all leisurely sitting by the pool side with our feel submerged in the coolness. as i observed my other cousins splashing about in the pool, i could not help but smell that suburban life that i had been apart for so long; familiar but distant. the smell of summer is so distinct here, i do not think i can ever describe it. its just a memory that i always want to replay in my mind... especially at risd during those winter days. i tried finding warmth in my own mind when everything else around me was devoid of it..
emily, laura, and i decided after the bbq that we were going to take a trip down to melrose as a way to really spend good quality time. with that, i took the car and drove up towards west hollywood, along melrose (and past the gallery i will be interning at!) and towards my favorite alternative shopping mecca. we were even lucky to stumble across the fairfax flea market which so happen occurs every saturday. although i would say i am a veteran of flea markets/swap meets, i have never even touched the fairfax one before; the size is a bit smaller than that of pcc.. but the selection of items there were just as amazing; all three of us left the market with golden necklaces with the cutest little charms..
we walked around some more, stopping at various stores, and i had an epiphany; after explaining to emily about this one clothing store called johnny cupcakes whose interior resembled that of a baking store, i thought of our final destination before heading back to arcadia for the family dinner at tasty garden. sprinkles! cupcakes! it could not have seemed more perfect; we were near enough to beverly hills that i thought it would be a great idea to just drop by a pick up a few cupcakes to share for the entire family...
little did i know that sprinkles cupcakes (famously known for celebrities such as britney spears for reserving the entire store for their own private cupcake parties), this little sweet shop is not only the first store to specialize in just cupcakes, but it has been open for five years now... i then realized that all the other cupcake places that just recently opened probably marveled at the success of sprinkles and wanted to also jump on the cupcake bandwagon.
...this would also explain the long line that projected outward from the store, spewing into the sidewalk. we all patiently waited our turn to get into the store.. i loved the cleanliness of the store and its apparent cute and familiar aesthetic.. even the lady who served me was so "sweet", and had time to ask me how my day was despite the long line of people behind me all eagerly waiting. both laura and i selected 6 different flavors; red velvet, carrot, black and white, peanut butter, dark chocolate, and cinnamon. they all were neatly packaged into a brown paper box... ksdjfl;saf;kldfj i just couldn't wait to get a piece of that red velvet... it looked so scumptious!
anyhoo, we left the hollywood area, came back to arcadia where we indulged in more chinese food.. i was given the usual tofu pieces and mixed stir fried veggies.. but hey, i could not complain.. i knew the cupcakes would be a filling ending..
oh man, do not even get me started on the dim sum i had the following day. now you know that my family can REALLY eat. (hence where my love for food comes from.... )
http://www.sprinkles.com/
http://www.tastygarden.us/
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