Hazel Ceej

Thanks to calamari I found Dory And the lemon grass juice transported me back to  those late afternoons long ago when Ma would start preparing dinner and would send me to the backyard to get a sprig of lemon grass that she would add to her fat mackerel soup.   I like calamari ; been eating bowls and plates of the rings from time to time since falling in love with them hanging out late 90s in Planet Hollywood - a place which seems to have disappeared from view along Bangkok's Ploen Chit Road .   That's how a little hankering led me to Dory I was admiring the dainty windows and staring at the ceiling while waiting for my food. Aren't these chandeliers reminiscent of anchors?   But then of course it's seafood and Dory If I could not associate the words I might as well start imagining a trident before Ariel and Flounder come gliding by.   But what do you do when your order takes long to arrive and you're waiting in th

C acoy , a c lose friend/ c ousin's youngest son whose real name is C aesar had a birthday last week. He turned 13 but to me he is still my baby nephew thus I ought to be forgiven for buying him a c ake that does not look exactly like a teenager's c ake. Aside from an exuberance of c olor c andles, it's bursting with what resembles Beatrix Potter's Peter Rabbit  for c rying out loud. But unlike my son C J who c ried at seeing c herries instead of Ultraman on his c ake (couldn't blame the poor, then 5-year old though), C acoy was generally c ool around the whole thing. Anyway he was probably too busy entertaining his buddies to c are about what his c razy aunt has gotten him this year. C J's c ake issue by the way has been sorted. (I'm a working, divorced Mom; do not have time to c omb Bangkok for an Ultraman cake) I gave him Hong Kong Disneyland for his next birthday to make up for the girly cake . Boys! I have been wondering about something for some

It's a lovely week in the chili patches. Here's celebrating moments that made it so. Dainty Dory a seafood bistro at Terminal 21 . Inside it's like finding yourself in one of those sunny seaside Greek cafes featured on TV and films Carnation cheer brightened up a dreary day in the office. Read: marking finals that never seem to end. A vase of red pink carnations is the only cheer in a sea of academic bits and pieces. I made it til sign out time by imagining tea served on the porch of an antebellum mansion. Mother's Day gift . The day for Moms has been awhile but I've been busy. This week was my only chance to take a close look at a gift a friend gave me.  Finding the perfect purchase during a routine book shopping. The friend who gave me the Body Shop Chocomania gift set (above) mentioned she and her diving buddies fancy the Great Barrier Reef next year. The Dive Sites of the Great Barrier Reef is a nice book that provides what my friend would most likely need

Fave Five: week's highlights A little note for new bloggity friends: It's been an old blogging practice of mine to keep a record of what's positive and good about the week. For several months I have been unable to do it due to a few bits and pieces both on and off line. But I am doing it again. It's quite a good exercise in gratitude and optimism . There's nothing like celebrating! So on to exactly what I'm talking about, these are some highlights, five of them, of my week: Catching up with movies Thank goodness for days off.  I managed four of them in two afternoons. Fast and Furious 6 emphasizes teamwork, Hangover III friendship; The Great Gatsby shows lengths humans are willing to go to to gain acceptance, Jurassic Park introduces DNA to pop culture. Crichton's Timeline It took me awhile but I got the reading done . I appreciate and love novels that are intelligently researched.   Overseas phone conversation with the kiddo CJ: Are you finished workin

Three cousins wrestle a mountain of clothes in the flea market. An hour or two in they proceed to the food section. It's been awhile since the girls had s omtam , or green papaya salad. So it is high on their list of dishes to have for supper. Joy is finding a vendor whose somtam combo is exactly one's taste.    xxx xxx   This is the state of the coffee table the day after- a mainly fruit breakfast to offset the effects of coke drunk during the somtam supper which cost just $4.50. And this is how fruits in the tropics are enjoyed: ten mangoes for $1.61, a kilo of rambutan for $0.60, two kilos of mangosteen for $1.30, durian for $3.25, a dozen pieces of jackfruit for $0.65. Joy is spending less for healthy food. Somtam is everywhere in Thailand and popular among locals and foreign visitors alike. The Thai variation is no. 46 on CNN Go's World's 50 Most Delicious Foods . Here's a recipe by Maangchi Kim . Visit these sites: Creative Homeacre * Inspire Me * Create it

As Lewis Carroll's neologism in his Through the Looking Glass , an u nbirthday is "an event that can be celebrated on any day that is not the person's birthday." People who love celebrations may be into unbirthdays regularly. I am. It keeps me counting blessings and looking at life positively. "Statistics prove that you have one birthday, just one birthday every year. But there are three hundred and sixty-four u nbirthdays. And this is a reason to gather and cheer."  An unbirthday is also "when you acknowledge that it is, indeed, the date of your birth, but refuse to acknowledge that you have aged." and to you!   ~ Sally's Blues and Maiylah's Food: sticky rice sweet coconut balls ~ It is also suggested that an u nbirthday is "the day of a sibling's birthday where you also receive presents/money in order to keep the peace."  I didn't know about this before but I have been buying gifts for my fur kid when the biological o

This whole tea idea was unplanned. Things were hectic at work. Besides, the son is with Grandma in the home country. But a friend was greeting her Mom friends on FB, I was tagged on cards a couple times and it looked like people were bent on making the day something you wouldn't forget easily.  Well, they show me. I love celebrations so it didn't take long for me to decide that I was having tea after all. I picked Coffee Beans by Dao , a posh cafe in a posh mall to celebrate Mother's Day with a girl friend. She's not a Mom but her niece just had a baby and that according to her makes her a Grandma. Sweet. I believe in treating the self from time to time, and of course it is such joy to have a friend to celebrate special occasions with. The Moroccan mint tea (on collage) was a welcome taste as it was my first since 2010. Blueberry cheese cake is the specialty of the house and that's what I had. Yum! Why does food look so inviting right after work? Yeah... work hard,

"Let us make, instead of war, an everlasting peace...." ~ Virgil, The Aeneid  Book 4, lines 130-136 For years I wondered why my father liked green. I didn't mind that he bought Mama a pair of high-heeled glass slippers with a light green tint until he bought me a dress that was military green. Of all colors! He was a typical man of few words and when he passed away, I realized I would never be able to ask him why he favored green so much. I resorted to guessing. There are instances when I ask myself why I do certain things. It was most probably Father why I colored this girl's dress green. She's around books and I relate to that. Father gave me The Aeneid when I was in 6th grade. I didn't understand the gift and wished he gave me the normal Nancy Drew instead. Why The Aeneid ? Of all books! Could it have been his Jesuit upbringing? (which reminds me of the new pope right now) I vaguely remember him mention they were grilled in classical poetry during his Notr

Patty patter  goes the chatter  I burnt some patty  while the rain was pattering  and I was turning  off the AC  and saving electricity More than two centuries ago a certain grain was generally given to horses in England but in Scotland supports the people. It's the grain I used two days ago to make these patties to celebrate the rain. Bangkok has been searing hot for too long that when it finally poured, I thought a celebration was in order. Although patties are originally made of meat, sometimes I concoct meals and I'm happy doing that. Tuna instead of beef. I mixed in minced purple onion, honey maple syrup, evaporated milk, soy sauce, salt, sugar, a large egg and butter cake flour. If you're wondering about the taste, well, it was similar to the one I concocted two years ago with mackerel. My son kept stuffing himself with those as soon as I piled them on a dish from the wok. There was almost nothing left for me when I finished frying the last patty. At least

Research papers or PhD proposals don't count, right? Yeah, I write those and sometimes a speech to kick off a university business meeting. The rest of the time I play with recreational haiku, and that's that. So I'm no writer, but once in awhile I date some daiquiri. When the calendar showed 1-1-11, I headed off to a beach town, the Thai Royal family's summer home. I did balance the table with something healthy. Now we don't play with our food but we certainly can have fun: Guess which writer loved daiquiri: Edward Thomas, Randall Jarrell or Robert Frost  Clue : " The land was ours before we were the land's..." Read at JFK's inauguration .  *More on writers and what they love to eat here .* Someone once said 'it takes four men to dress a salad. One for the salt, one for the pepper, one for the vinegar and one for the oil."  Can you name which men? Here are your choices: a . yeoman, barman, monk, gamekeeper b . wiseman, madman, miser, s

Life is uncertain. Eat dessert first. ~Ernestine Ulmer Butter pan cake with warm chocolate, green tea ice cream and red bean jam T his dessert plate arrived on my table and I had my nose glued to The Pelican Brief . When I remembered to take a photo, the green tea ice cream had began melting. But who cares? This is one of those feel-good moments when you're doing two things you love simultaneously! Food Friday * Share the Joy * Food Trip Friday

Les Miserables hit big screens in Bangkok on January 31st, weeks behind Europe. At least that's what I remember a friend in Sweden said to me last week of December 2012- that they're all crazy about the musical. I love buying little treats to celebrate films I enjoy watching. This time I tried the warm chocolate cupcake from Coffee Beans by Dao . I also browsed a sprinkling of quotes by LM genius Victor Hugo:  "To love another person is to see the face of God."   “A man is not idle because he is absorbed in thought. There is visible labor and there is invisible labor.” "He never went out without a book under his arm, and he often came back with two.” “It is nothing to die. It is frightful not to live.”   Food Friday * Share the Joy * Time Travel * Rednesday * Blues * Mellow Yellows

  Check out the spoon: beside the color which is my fave, it's obviously disposable. But this is something sweet with a double meaning. Latdawan, a Management major gave this little treat to me. When I smiled at her, "what's this for?" she shrugged, "nothing" then browsed her book. I'm a bit chary about accepting gifts from students; don't want to be compromised come evaluation time. Fortunately, I didn't have to with Latdawan. She's one brainy student. When it comes to cakes, I always love it moist. Here's a recipe from Linda Larsen that you may want to try. Ingredients: 1 (18- oz) package chocolate cake mix                        1 teaspoon vanilla 1 teaspoon vanilla or almond extract                            1/2 cup brown sugar 1/2 cup sugar                                                               1 (21-oz) can cherry pie filling 6 tablespoons butter                                                     1/3 cup whole milk 1 (12-o

Cabbages and Condoms is a restaurant "conceptualized in part to promote better understanding and acceptance of family planning and to generate income to support various development activities of the Population and Community Development Association (PDA)" in Thailand. ( C&C Restaurant Bangkok ) Mechai Vira v aidya , the restaurant founder who is nicknamed Mr Condom, is a former politician and activist who pop ularised con dom use, encouraged family planning and raised AIDS awareness in Thailand.  He believes that “birth control should be as accessible and as easy to buy as vegetables in the market.” Set in a beautiful garden courtyard aglow with fairy lights at night, the restaurant is conveniently located on 10 Sukhumvit Soi 12 and is open daily from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m . Everywhere almost everything you see has something to do with birth control. Its unique theme has attracted international attention. A sign around Tiger Woods' condom golf club says, "did you

A meal that involves something deep fried and a salad is usually an automatic win for me. This was one of those spur-of-the-moment decisions to explore the menu of a restaurant that does not require a reservation. I then naturally chose my favorite combination of tastes in these fried scallops with mango strips in sweet and sour sauce. I fancy those fresh sea scallops that are 'seared in thyme-infused butter and drenched in white wine.' But while the link for that fancy is broken, here's an alternative recipe from Southern Food , which I think is just as yummy.  Ingredients: 1 cup flour                                                                         1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon paprika                                                             2 eggs 2 tablespoons water                                                           fine dry bread crumbs 2 cups scallops, cut to about 3/4-inch cubes if large Preparation: If scallops are large, cut into 3/4-inch cubes. Dry