Parting is such sweet sorrow

Well, it's been months in the making, but I'm happy to finally announce to you that after 2 fruitful years in Texas, our family is moving back to the San Francisco Bay Area. It certainly had been a fun ride for the last couple of years. As Shakespeare puts it so well, "Parting is such sweet sorrow." We will miss our dear friends in Texas, but we truly are excited about moving back to the Golden States.

To mark this new chapter of my life, I'm also moving my blogs to Wordpress. To read more of my adventures in the wild west, please check out my new home here.

改版

花了好些時間,把兩個網誌同時改頭換面,一來是悶,二來是正在學用Photoshop及Illustrator,所以將新版頭當做練習.

順帶一題,我的另一網誌除了更新了版面,還改變了"編輯方向",各位友好請多多賜教!

Short but sweet

That's how I would describe my recent trip to NYC. I spent 2 & a half days there and came back physically exhausted but emotionally and intellectually energized.

Here're a few sweet moments:

My virtual-turn-reality friend's 4-year-old daughter, both of whom I met for the very first time, told me, "You are very pretty. I love you!"

Eating an Argentinian ice-cream cone for the first time! Mate - south american green tea - was my flavor of choice. I'll eat it again in a heartbeat. Even better than gelato...yum!

My 11-month niece, whom I also met for the first time, played with me on my lap for an hour.

My mother-in-law gave me a brown bag lunch Monday morning as I was heading to work.

My new-found friend (you know who you are - *wink *wink - thanks!) got me a gift which, unfortunately, I didn't get a chance to take because of schedule conflicts.

More about my trip later.

我的新習作

近來上載敝博次數每況愈下, 其一原因是我剛開始與中國出版的"新視綫"月刊定期供稿, 首篇文稿刊登於三月號, 今天給上載到其網頁, 以下圖文均轉載自該雜誌:

三藩市The Chronicle Building

淹没四十载破茧重生

美国人有一句话，叫「若墙壁会说话」"If walls could talk"，意思是每楝房子都有它的动人故事，若细心发掘，定必会有所得著。在钢墙下委曲求存了四十年的三藩市Chronicle Building，便正好印證了此话。

於2000年被Ritz-Carlton 收购了业权，而得以破茧重生为Ritz-Carlton Club and Residences会所住宅的Chronicle Building，建於1890年，由芝加哥建築师Burnham and Root设计，楼高十层，是美国西岸第一幢摩天大厦。当时三藩市Chronicle报的出版人Michael De Young，决意要在这片被称为「报业金叁角」的地段，兴建比另外两份当地报纸总部更前卫更宏伟的大楼。

结果，De Young高姿态地胜出了。带著浓厚芝加哥建築特色的Chronicle Building，以强悍坚实的外型与典雅含蓄的红砖外墙，让大楼週遭矮出半截的建築物全部都给比下去了。

可惜这风光岁月并不长久，此楼并不是就此便一帆风顺──1905年，一次意外大火烧毁了楼顶的钟楼；1906年的唐山大地震导致部份结构倒塌；1962年，大楼当时的业主为了令这楝褪色的大楼能吸引新的租户，便以金属外墙把大厦重重包裹，大楼内外都被改装得面目全非。大楼在这钢墙及钉子下忍辱了40年，直至2000年被Ritz Carlton集团收购，才有机会衝破围墙，光芒再露。

Ritz Carlton耗资了九千万美元，并聘用了也是来自芝加哥的建築师Charles Bloszies进行改装和加建工程，将原来衝锋陷阵的报业大楼摇身一变为时尚优閒的三藩市Ritz Carlton Club and Residences会所住宅。

建築师Bloszies说，要把Chronicle Building从金属墙中释放出来，其技术上的困难，就等同要将铁达尼号从深海中打捞上来般艰钜。他打趣道，整项工程像是考古研究，多於设计项目。 新大楼的设计，保留原来甚具气派的红砖建築，从街上走过，你根本不会意识到这建築曾被活埋於金属外壳之中，只道它是一所古老优雅的大楼。往上看，原有建築之上，是加建的十多个楼层。由泥土色调的墙，到素净的线条，新楼与旧楼配合得和谐惬意。这其实是建築师的刻意安排。

Bloszies的设计意念是要把新增的部份尽量低调处理，让它看似是大楼的背景，不会跟原有的建築争妍鬥豔。

的确，新建的部份是怎麽样己不重要，San Franciscans最关注的还是Chronicle Building能否再次成为三藩市的地标。毕竟，这跨世纪的历史宝藏，才是真正的主角。

假若墙壁会说话，它可会赞同麽？

Re-inventing myself

If you don't know me very well, you'll probably think that I'm a very content person. Well, in a lot of ways, yes. But the side that I don't show very much is I get bored very easily, and quickly. And, so a lot of times, I see myself wondering if there's something new that I could do or work on.

As with everything else, I realized there's good and bad about my "restlessness". The good part is that I'm always thinking about ways to refresh myself; while the bad being, you know, restless.

This could be a result of my "vocational illness" back from my journalist days - I had to constantly find new stories or present something from a new angle. Anyhow, this is how I am. And I can't change it (irony unintentional!).

What prompted me to ponder on this issue is this blog, and my alter ego blog. I've been a blogger for only 8 months, and had posted no more than 60 posts. This is nothing compared to the millions of bloggers out there who post oh so dilligently. And, maybe it is this exact reason why I'm wondering lately if I should change my approach to my blogs, both in terms of contents and design.

Should I make my blog more geared towards cultural issues, which is one of my new interests since I moved to the U.S.? Should I be talking more about food, considering the fact that I am thinking about writing a book on food? Or should I just continue to write random topics that inspire me on a day to day basis?

I don't know when I'll be able to make up my mind, but now that I feel more settled in other aspects of my life, I need some kind of breakthrough. I absolutely understand that reinventing oneself might not necessarily be good all the time, but the last thing I need is to feel like I'm in a rut and not going anywhere.

Surfing Orange

Gary is away for a couple of days to do a special gig for Williams College for MLK day. I have 2 days pretty much on my own - when Genghis is playing in his room or taking a nap. There's not a lot one can do with short spans of time like such. But a girl can certainly find something to do on her own at any give time. Surfing haphazardly on the internet is one of my faves.

While searching a recipe of German pancakes, I stumbled onto 2 blogs related to orange. First of the two is "How About Orange" created by a Chicago graphic designer. I can't figure out yet why she named her blog orange, but I'm really glad I found it. In addition to the obvious reason that I got the recipe that I was looking for, I love the crafts she does! I have always had this dream that I would one day quit my day job and be a professional "craftster". She definitely inspires me.

Another is "Orangette". As you will discover in the description of the blog, orangette is "a candied orange rind dipped in chocolate". The creator of the blog is a food lover in Seattle, and her blog has been getting rave reveiws from various media across the country. I think she is in the process of having her book published.

It first got my attention because orangette happens to be my favorite sweets. The combination of citrusy flavor and chocolate (especially dark chocolate) is just beyond comparison. (I guess to me, orangette is the culinary elevation of Jacob's chocolate orange biscuit.) I had one time tried to make this myself but gave up teh idea after realizing that it would take a couple of days to make the candied orange rind.

Anyway, Orangette is a lighthearted, pleasurable read. It keeps me dreaming of food in this gastronomically uncultured part of the country (sigh...).

Well, Genghis just woke up and that means time for snack. How about an orange?

我的傲慢與偏見

上月因工出門，有機會到北京走一趟，半公半私的逗留了近一周。這不但是我頭一次上京，也是我來美五年來首次再踏足神州。關於是次旅程，想寫的東西有很多，今天先寫我的買書經歷。至於買了甚麼書，與及旅程的其他種種，則有待日後再寫了。

難得到大陸，當然是要到書店入貨──這邊的中文書店不多，書種更是十分貧乏，且價錢之不合理，就更令我欲買不能。起程之前，並沒有寫下甚麼清單，只是一心想買幾本兒童圖書及與飲食有關的書。反正自知私人時間不會太多，也就不好給自己“要完成任務”的壓力了。

對上一次到大陸買書，大概是十多年前的事了。當時的我，對中國與中文書的興趣都十分有限，看的中文書不多，買的意慾不大，況且想看的大部份都在香港有售，再不，我情願到台北買書兼順道旅遊，也不願迫人迫車返大陸。

但其實罪魁禍首是我對大陸出品有偏見。

我從來沒有歧視簡體字，也不是怕書本的內容被刪去政治敏感的內容，只是我對大陸的印刷質素完全沒有信心。

要知道我這人膚淺得緊要，每事每物都要有一定的外在美才能打動我，尤其是穿上身摸上手的，至於用眼看的嘛，當然便更加要以靚先行了。

我印象中的大陸印刷，大約停留在八十年代初的水平──紙質粗糙，排版四平八穩，毫無心思。因為這期間都沒有在大陸買書，以致這偏見在我心中縈繞幾近二十載，直至上月。

一踏進書店，首先攻陷我的是圖文俱巧的建築書籍。這類圖多字少的美術書，只要翻開數頁，便知是龍是蟲，我隨手揭了幾本，發現質素遠遠在我想像之上，雖然不是每本都達國際水平，但大部份都幾碼追得上港台水準，其中幾本較精緻的，更很有大師風範。

由於時間與體力關係，不敢買得太瘋，所以左挑右選下，揀了兩本關於中國建築的書便急步走到兒童圖書部。

又一次令我大跌眼鏡。

大陸出品的童書，已不再是我印象中白紙黑字加單線圖畫的習作簿模樣。今天的中國童書，大可跟歐美媲美（單就印刷而言），故事書以外，最教我驚喜的是一系列勞作及遊戲書，小兒對此書一見鍾情，每天也嚷著”媽咪同我做手工”。

挾著幾本童書，再信步走到飲食圖書部，飛快的搜尋要找的書，本想就此罷休，冷不防眼角瞄到一本又一本論茶的書，身不由己地拿出一本便讀起來。只翻了數頁，才又醒覺有飯局在身，不得不馬上前往，於是沒有再買其他書便趕快離開。
拿著大包細包的我，在的士上望著北京的繁忙景象，心中禁不住想，我，這自命不凡的居美港客，原來不過是個浸過點鹹水的港燦罷。

星厨 Star Chef

考慮了好一陣子才決定把這則不是太新的新聞上載 ，當初猶豫的原因是怕此舉有點自吹自擂，但想深一層，既然是事實，便不算吹虛了。況且看我這個泊的，大都是我的親友，當是向他們報告一下近況好了。

各位路過的朋友，希望我這則剪報沒有趕客吧！

(1) Cooking with class: A&M senior executive chef one of the top culinary artists in the nation
By: Elyssa Jechow
Posted: 11/19/07
The Battalion

Gary Arthur, the first senior executive chef at Texas A&M, is ranked among the best. Arthur, who came to A&M last year, is featured in a newly-released book, Chefs to Know, and is also ranked as one of the top 500 chefs in the nation. Joining him on the list are chefs such as Emeril Lagasse, Anthony Bourdain and Stephan Pyle.

"The beauty of this listing is that it is not a competition at all. And none of us consider ourselves better than anyone else," Arthur said. "In the words of the editor of the book, 'It is a collection of those that are talented, innovative, passionate and driven who contribute greatly to their culinary community.'

Arthur took over at A&M when the Food Services Department was in the middle of a complete revamping.

"I was recruited in by the current executive director once he realized the huge scope of options that need to be implemented," Arthur said.

Arthur said Aggieland is a wonderful place with some of the nicest people he has ever met, but he is aware that there are still plenty of challenges ahead.

As the first executive chef at A&M, Arthur is in charge of all food that is purchased, prepared and served on campus. He also oversees the people working to provide the food."

Commitment to building a great dining program remains a concern that I have," he said. "There is no comprehensive University ambition, which can be very challenging.

"However, Arthur said he still has plenty of amibitions of his own.

He has already brought sushi and the Tomato Bar to A&M students and has many more plans cooking.

"Moderate implementations have convinced me that there is not only a need, but a desire to upgrade concepts and put in new ones," Arthur said. "Vegetarian and healthy is an obvious expectation."

He also said health issues are being taken into consideration because of the obesity crisis that is gripping the nation. His Fall Crop program, which will last until Dec. 21, is bringing vegetarian food to Sbisa to address a variety of dietary concerns.

Arthur's personal ambition is to match every food he considers unhealthy with at least one option to minimize that unhealthy item.

"It will then be individual choice how folks eat," he said.

Arthur has more than 20 years of experience in luxury cooking and has racked up quite a resume by living and working in places such as New York City, Chicago, Atlantic City and Hong Kong. However, Arthur believes the work he is doing at A&M could be some of his greatest. He has set a goal of spring 2008 as a marker by which to show a drastic improvement in the food offered.

"I have set product integrity, cultural and technique integrity as a definitive goal of my efforts," Arthur said. "I believe we will be successful. We will address health options, real flavors and reasonable portions to price ratios and overall offerings.

"Despite his passion for food, Arthur said his favorite part of his job at A&M doesn't involve the food he serves.

"It's the students, students, students," he said.

(1) Shows Great Taste: Texas A&M Chef Included Among Nation's Best
A&M News

The authors of a guide that selects the top chefs in America must believe Texas A&M University’s Gary Arthur can truly cut the mustard: they have named him as one of the nation’s best chefs in the just-released book Chefs to Know.

Arthur, Texas A&M’s first senior executive chef, joins the list of the top 500 chefs in the United States, according to starchefs.com, the group that compiles the list that includes renowned chefs Emeril Lagasse, Anthony Bourdain and Stephan Pyle. It’s no doubt the cream of the crop of the best culinary experts in the country.
Making the list is hardly as easy as pie. As the book notes, selectees were chosen “for their approach to cooking and their lack of boundaries rather than being tied to strict cultural traditions in the kitchen, and they are free to interpret cuisine from every country in the world.”
“I was selected for work I’ve done in the industry over the past 20 years or so, and this is a very nice honor,” Arthur says.

“What makes it especially nice is that I am the only university chef included in the book, which says something about the competition. The list contains the most well-known people in the culinary arts, and it calls itself a ‘guide to chefs for chefs.’ So I feel very honored to be mentioned alongside some of these great names.”

Arthur came to Texas A&M last year when the university’s food services division was in the midst of a total makeover. The unit changed its name to Dining Services, and Arthur was hired for the newly created position of senior executive chef by Nadeem Siddiqui, executive director of dining services.

“Gary is a visionary and so highly accomplished that I knew he would bring the same distinction to us,” Siddiqui said. “The improvements he has made in his short time at Texas A&M have been wonderful.”

Arthur has spent much of the past year creating new menu items, listening to customers’ suggestions and helping to run the division that serves 30,000 meals a day at 41 on-campus locations and employs more than 1,000.

He grew up on the island of Trinidad and eventually earned a chef’s apprenticeship at the United Nations in New York. With 33 years of cooking skills, he has worked for several renowned hotel chains, including Four Seasons, Mandarin Oriental, the Larkspur hotel chain on the West Coast and also at Stanford University. At one time, he was the owner of two restaurants.

“Many people don’t have a high opinion of institutional food, such as the meals served at colleges or hospitals,” Arthur explains. “But there is no reason why it can’t be very good. Texas A&M is making the commitment to upgrade its dining operations, and we have the opportunity to be creative in the types of meals we now serve.”The preparation of food has changed over the years, he adds.

“Now we look at things like the nutritional quality of the food we serve, the science it takes to prepare good meals and research on how to make it all better,” he says.
When asked what his favorite dish is, Arthur has a quick answer. Any chef worth his salt will not name just one dish, he believes.

“I want and like to prepare them all – meals, desserts, everything,” he adds.

“All of the chefs I know say the same thing – they don’t have a signature dish. They want to be known as someone who can prepare just about anything and do it well. We have the chance to do that here at Texas A&M, to be real trendsetters in this type of dining experience.”

零發發奮

讀罷網友的年尾盤點，不禁汗顏。人家的博客未滿周歲，便已有過三百篇存稿，我這懒人半年下來，就只有那麼四十篇，而且差不多一半是貼幾幅家庭照了事，着實丟臉！

剛開始寫blog的時候，正值暑假，校務比較清閒，要在工作時間偷來三數分鐘寫點東西並不困難。但自九月開始，工作量驟增，新來的助手又未上軌道，所以凡事都要親力親為，有時候甚至連午飯也忘了吃－－對於像我這樣饞嘴的人來說，這事的確有點不可思議。

上班寫不成，下班後也不見得有甚麼大作為。每晚吃飯洗碗過後，孩子便嚷着要我陪他看書做手工玩遊戲，一玩往往便是兩個小時。當然，最最最關鍵的是，我是一個無可救藥的渴睡怪，每晚至少要睡七八個小時，倘能睡上十個鐘頭，自是最好不過。

九小時上班，一小時交通時間，一小時搜購糧餉雜貨，一小時燒菜洗碗，兩小時與孩子遊玩，八小時睡覺－－噢，不算猶自可，一算之下，原來我每天都有兩個小時是無名虛渡的！

零發伊始，發奮及時。
祝新年快樂！