Cultural Cup

One of my bosses at the hotel job is a dear friend of mine.  She gave me an invitation to join her and her family to watch her younger sisters and little cousin in a dance performance.  I said yes immediately and yes again when she said they would be featuring the story of Mulan.  This was more then just a simple dance performance.  This was a performance put on by the Asian Arts Talents Foundation (AATF), a non-profit organization that raises funds to help teach the younger generation Chinese arts.  The dancers benefit in many ways, such as scholarships, summer activities, and public performances that give them opportunity for travel.  You can see there is a sense of community and culture with this large group and in this show.  This show is one they put on once every two years and they ask other performance groups from the local community to join them and show their culture as well.
I invited my friend to join us.  I've seen many shows with him over the years, both large and small productions.  I figured he would enjoy this and seeing as he used to work with this boss as well, it would be a fun evening for us to catch up.  (Now we can't confuse this boss with The Boss from my other just so we can call her Little Boss).
Little Boss knows me well and suggested with have dinner before the show.  Her idea of dinner is what she usually does with her family but it was new to my friend and I.  I'm not going to say no to something new.  She started by taking us out to a dumpling house called, Luscious Dumplings.  We let Little Boss order for us because we didn't know where to start, but what she got was fantastic.  She got us a fried pork dumpling with glass noodles and chives.  That had a refreshing flavor even though it was fried.  Then she got us a steamed pork dumpling with soup inside of it.  She told us to eat it over our spoons so we could catch the soup.  That was amazing.  With our dumplings, the restaurant served hot tea and cold water, with constant refills.  The tea was light and I was happy to have it.  It went well with our dumplings.
Next, the Little Boss took us across the street for dinner.  Her family was already dining inside.  Again, she ordered for us.  Glass noodle seafood pho (amazing) and a rice cake, egg, and pork dish that was not bad, but definitely different.  We also got an appetizer sampler of some fried food that was pretty good too.
Then we walked over to the San Gabriel Mission Playhouse and took our seats.  There was 60 dancers pictured in the AATF program and 18 showcases including the four part Mulan story.  The performances ranged greatly.  Once the MC's said this was a dance festival, we understood why there was so much diversity for the evenings line up.  It opened with a Chinese Big Drum piece.  Women and men booming on large drums, receiving all the attention up front, setting the stage for the acts that followed.  Next was a short dance featuring one of the Little Boss's sisters, a serene and soft piece, that she and her group did beautifully.  Ensemble three was a ballet with the Little Boss's other sister and cousin.  It was like a traditional ballet with pink, white, and red Tu-tu dresses but the girls flowed across the stage without any painful toe-tipping movements.  Piece three featured kids under 8 years old.  It was a dance about sheep in honor of the sheep in the Chinese calendar for this year.  Tiny kids in sheep costumes hopped and butt wiggled for a short dance that was too adorable for words.   The whole audience "awww'ed" as the sheep took each others tails and shimmy-ed backwards off stage.  There was a martial arts display, a lotus stick dance (it reminded me of a rain stick but thinner), followed by the two girls who were graduating this year from high school, each got a solo appearance.  There was a hip-hop piece as well.  I wasn't too thrilled with the young girls dancing suggestively but when the boys came out, you could see some real talent.  Sure it was nothing like the rest of the show, but you can't speak poorly about a break-dancer.  One boy dropped down and spun at least six times.  I couldn't do that!  Another production I loved was the Mongolian Bowl Dance.  This piece had the younger sister and the cousin in it and they did an amazing job!  The dance is about entertaining guests while balancing bowls on their heads.  I only saw one bowl go down but at the very end, the girls took off their bowls and poured water from one bowl to another.  Wow, there was water in the bowls the whole time!  After a few more enjoyable dances and ballets, it was time for Mulan.  The first of the four parts of this dance was her learning her skills in fighting and sewing.  Then her father is called to battle but cannot fight so she takes his place.  She even "cuts" her hair.  The 3rd scene is where she is in battle and her skills win her awards and the respect of the other men.  Finally, after the seasons came and went, she comes home and is celebrated by everyone, including her fellow soldiers, even when she reveals that she's a woman.  I loved the changing of the seasons.  The dancers came out as flowers and butterflies for spring and in the winter, the dancers had fur lining their dresses and it snowed.  The costumes were stunning throughout the evening and I left with a big smile on my face.
Afterwards, we headed across the street to a place the Little Boss suggested called the Factory Tea Bar.  Inside, it was a somewhat trendy scene with a giant chalkboard wall, seating on couches or in what looked like picnic tables, and it was noisy with youth.  The menu options had some small bites and desserts, tea's, milk tea's, and boba.  The boss got green tea milk with aloe over ice, delicious.  My friend got taro milk black tea with boba over light ice, I thought he was going to return later in the evening to get another one since he raved about this one so much.  And I got a rose milk tea over ice, which was served with rose buds on the top of the cup.  It reminded me of this rose tea I really like that I would have to go out of my way to get.  It had a very rich flora taste and a smooth milk tea after taste.  Very nice.
I was so happy to have been able to spend such a fun day with my friends and learn so much about these other cultures.  I hope the Little Boss keeps encouraging her sisters to keep up these traditions and help raise money while doing something they love.  I also hope I am an invited guest again.  Not only was it fun but I think I saw some other tea shops during our walk to the theater.

Unlimited tea at the dumpling house.

Our ticket.  This is the costume for the bowl dance.

Inside the theater.  The costumes were stunning but sadly, no photographs allowed.

Menu at FTB.  I laughed at the sign on the tip jar.

Our drinks, taro, rose, and green with aloe. Yum.

Nice Place, Wrong Day

As some of our errands lead the husband and I out to Agoura Hills today, we thought we would find a new spot for coffee.  None of the options we saw online really jumped out at us, so we ventured a little more north to Westlake Village.
About a month ago, a coworker of mine recommended a place called Stonehaus for coffee.  I looked at her weird because I knew that was a winery down the road from our hotel, so why would they offer coffee, or any special kind of coffees, at that.  To prove her wrong for suggesting it, I hopped onto their website, but the first page had a huge cup of coffee on it and was directing you to either their coffee page or their wine page.  Oops, she was right.  So while in Westlake, I remembered that day and told the husband we should head to Stonehaus and check it out.
As a kid, my dad worked at the Westlake Village Inn.  A beautiful property with villas instead of buildings for their rooms, a gorgeous golf course and a restaurant to the side.  Today we encountered the same Inn but they have added a few things.  There is a new restaurant, a club, and Stonehaus; the winery, complete with vineyard.  They also had mandatory valet parking on the side of the hotel with the restaurants, but we chose to park hotel side for free and walk over.  I hope that valet is only for the weekends.
All the aspects of the property being beautiful still hold true.  They kept the same style when adding the new dining options so it looks as though it's always been there.
We entered the Stonehaus main building through the front patio that was crowded with people listened to the live jazz performance going on.  In front of us was a small deli case with pastries, cold salads, and about 6 flavors of gelato.  Behind that looked like a Coffee Bean, with its menu above, coffee makers on the counters, and too many baristas running around in a tiny space.  Seamlessly attached to the coffee shop is a place to order wine and a curved mini bar at the end of the counter.  Behind us was a wine tasting table.  The decor was nice but it was just too crowded.  Adjacent to this area was the large wine tasting room.  No wine tasting was going on so it actually just looked like a Starbucks dining room.  People were sitting in the room on their laptops with coffees, not talking to anyone.  Then I had to remind myself that this was still a hotel property, so these were probably guests working while trying to relax.
We got our drinks and went outside to enjoy them but there was not a single available table in sight.  I understood the single girlfriends catching up over a glass of wine.  I understood the double dates laughing and having a great time getting to know each other.  What I didn't understand was table after table, there were children.  This is a bar/winery.  I could understand a couple of kids here with their parents as guests of the hotel, but this was a winery that sounded like an amusement park.  Herds of children were running around the patio, playing in the fountain, unsupervised in the roped off vineyards playing hide and seek.  I think I saw a kids graduation party in one section of the patio as well.
The husband and I went down a short path to find a quiet spot to enjoy the lovely views.  We found a stubby stone wall to sit and find peace for a moment.  Then, right away, some children came running down the dirt path chasing each other, one in his filthy socks.
My hazelnut latte was terrific.  I ordered with whole milk, because I knew I could walk it off heading back to our car.  He got a scotch and enjoyed that as well.  All the stunning landscape calmed my mood and the rich colors in the flowers made me think of my mom.  She would think this place was great.
Maybe a Friday night during wedding season was not the best time to come.  I assume it was crowded due to that.  The part with the out of control, disrespectful children really soured my spirits but I tried not to let it hinder my opinion of this place and it's coffee.  There was ample options for coffee choices and even a full tea display right at the counter.  The website boasts that you can buy their coffee by the pound for home brewing as well.
I will try to revisit this place but maybe on a different day of the week or maybe around brunch time.  Perhaps I'll look into a wine tasting session for a group of friends, with reservations ahead of time.  I won't give up on it totally; the coffee was too good.

A Wonderful Treat

The Little One and I had planned today to head over to Kaiser Permanente where she had an appointment and I had to pick up prescriptions.  We knew there was a little coffee shop in between buildings so we also planned to grab coffee just before heading to our obligations.
As we walk up towards our destination, we see rows of canopies and I crack a joke to my sister about this being some sort of farmer's market.  She responds with, "Oh yeah, like once a week they do a farmer's market to promote eating well".  I know Kaiser does radio commercials about "thriving" and "being well" but I never knew that there was a weekly farmer's market.  There was probably about 20-25 vendor stalls with fresh fruits and vegetables, pastries, flowers, honey, and oils.  We had to be careful because I saw a seafood stall but the kid is horribly allergic so I didn't go near it.
We made our way to the coffee stand, Pastries by Edie Express.  This is a company that has a chain of shops and has a smaller version at this Kaiser campus.  We ordered our drinks; the kid got a double chocolate mocha frap with a chocolate croissant on the side, and I got a white chocolate raspberry mocha.  Both drinks were terrific.  The last time I had a raspberry mocha was at It's a Grind in Moorpark.  This was not as sweet as the one in Moorpark, which made it better.  Just the right amount of mixed flavors, not too foamy or sugary.  Delicious!
Behind the coffee stand was a wonderful treat.  It was a group of handicapped people who preform together as a bell choir.  They were wonderful!  Beautiful renditions of Somewhere Over the Rainbow and Take Me Out to the Ballgame, and Edelweiss on the bells throughout the corridors.
As I waited for the Little One to finish her appointment, I found a quiet bench to the side to enjoy the bells choir and take in the smells of the fruits and flowers.  It must have been a popular bench because a woman sat down next to me for about three minutes, then left and that's when an old man came up and asked if anyone was coming back.  I said no, so he sat down.
As I enjoyed my coffee, this old man proceeded to tell me his whole life story.  Born and raised in New York, met his wife at 19 years old, and knew Gary Marshall.  For 20 minutes he told me everything, from dirty Jewish jokes to what his first car was, to how he is of Puerto Rican decent where his grandma used to call him by a nickname that basically translated to Eugene.  It seemed like he just wanted someone to talk to while he waited for his wife and daughter to finish their appointment.  He was a nice guy but it was weird to have this stranger talk to me about his life and include Yiddish slang about inappropriate things.  I doubt I will have a filter at his age so I'm in no position to judge.  It was entertaining for sure.
Finally the Little One came out and I said goodbye to my new friend.  The overcast afternoon was also a treat, knowing that high temps are on their way.

Birthday Fun for the Little One

I don't cook all that often anymore but when I lived with my parents and the Little One, I used to cook at least four times a week.  I loved making big meals that made my family happy.  Some things I made were more complicated like soups from scratch or the ever messy ground beef enchiladas, but for the most part, I kept it simple.
Today being the Little One's birthday, she asked me to break out the old oven mitts and make something I haven't made in years.  A simple dish with only 3 ingredients, (seasonings don't count) called Chicken Rollotini.  She got fresh green beans to steam and my mom made a chopped salad so all I had to do was whip up the main dish.  Of course I'll make this for her, I can't say no to her.  (Spoiled kiddo).  The recipe goes like this, lay chicken breast out flat, spread herbed cream cheese on it, add roasted red peppers (you can get the jarred kind already in strips so you don't even have to cut it) roll up and put seam side down in baking dish.  Bake 45 minutes to an hour at 375.  Boom.  That simple.
The Little One was thrilled to the moon.  We played old Atari and Nintendo games on an emulator and a little Disney Infinity and Mortal Kombat Vs DC on her 360.  Fun times.
Then it was cake time.  She requested an ice cream cake and left the boyfriend in charge of pick up and design.  It said Happy 27th Pig Pig... Meow.  Pig is a nickname I gave her a long time ago.  Don't worry, it means I love you.  The meow part was to confuse the baker, and it did, in that they originally spelled it Mew.  The boyfriend brought home this nice princess cake and then we personalized it by adding some Star Wars figurines.  Of course the kid loved it.
With it, she let me have my coffee in her awesome Mario Brothers mug.  I went with the Vanilla Sky coffee that I brought over last time I visited her.  I keep seeing that you can use International Delights instant coffee as creamer, so I added some Cafe Vienna to the Vanilla Sky and a touch of milk.  Not bad but I think after the cake and the Reese's Puff cereal treat bars, I was so sugared out that we didn't leave, we waddled to the car to head home.
Towards the end of cake time, we hopped on Skype so the Little One could thank our friends in Seattle for sending her some awesome gifts, like chocolate, socks, and other cool stuff.  They joined us in a cup of coffee, Donut Shop for the Keurig but they couldn't get the K-cup part of the coffee maker working so they opened it up and made it the old fashioned way.  Love her Mad Hatter mug from Disneyland.
The kiddo likes simple things, so she greatly appreciated today.  Lots of laughter and great food is all she ever wants.  Those are definitely the best things in life.  May she have many other amazing birthdays!

Added candied googly eyes, cause why not?!

This fed eight people with leftovers.  I took chicken breasts and halved them myself to save money on buy more chicken.

Attacks the Princesses!

Ooh, coffee in Seattle looks so good!

Still Not What It Should Be

With a day like today, all you can do is play catch up.  It was cloudy and cool in the morning but then by the afternoon, the humidity hit and instead of raining, the sky decided to spit a few drops in the L.A. area.  The husband and I hit the dollar tree, the grocery store, and the post office.  We got home and cleaned up the house.  Leftover pork from last night made a terrific bowl of ramen today.
After getting all caught up, we took a coffee break.  The cloudy skies fooled you into thinking it was nice out but it was sticky and stuffy, so we popped on the a.c. and the husband made another iced coffee base.  We see the the true flavors of a coffee come through in these concentrated forms so we thought we would give the chipotle coffee another go.
It had promises of heat and smokiness that was never found when we brewed it hot the first time.  Upon this iced version, we still found no heat but the smokey flavor was much more noticeable.  I'm glad it had a more developed flavor but still disappointed with false advertising.  I have some Disneyland French vanilla that I'd like to try iced.  Any volunteers for a tasting with me?

Winning the Mail

I was expecting a package from my friends in Seattle and right 10:45 this morning, the doorbell rang and there it was.  It was bigger then I expected and the sun was blistering hot already so I brought it right in.
Inside was all the randomness I expected.  My friend is known for packing a great care package and this one was just that.  Filled with fun stuff like pins, toys, pajamas, and cookies from a place called Franz.  She said it's like a Hostess store in Seattle.  I'll have to try those later.
What care package would be complete without coffee?  And what better way to try new coffee then in a new mug.
In this case, my friend sent me two coffee and two mugs.  Today we checked out the Tully's Madison Blend.  Just opening the bag filled the house with a rich coffee aroma.
I was really excited that my friend sent me an octopus mug.  One of my favorite mugs used to be a white mug with a blue octopus handle that this same friend gave me, but a few months ago something fell out of a cabinet and broke that mug.  I was so upset so seeing this new full octopus mug with its intense eyes made my day (well, the whole package did, but you know what I mean).
I hopped on Skype with my friend and her little brother joined us from Thousand Oaks.  She had some Trader Joe's instant coffee mixed with some instant peppermint mocha (another one of my favorites) in her Attack on Titan mug.  We figured we would both use nontraditional shaped mugs together.  Attack on Titan is a really great anime that can sometimes be a little scary, as you can see with this titan face mug showing its inner features.  Her fiance had some Dragonwell tea in an Oswald mug.  His mug is one of many in their collection from the Wonderground Art gallery in Downtown Disney.
My coffee was delicious without being too heavy for another hot Southern California day.  We all had a fun chat on Skype and then promised we would talk again soon.
Something else that was in my package was socks.  New socks are the best thing when you are setting up for some r&r.  I got some pretty scented lotion and made myself real comfortable.  What a relaxing day!  I guess tomorrow I can try to be productive, but then again, there is another mug and another coffee still waiting for me.

She finds all kinds of cool stuff at Fuego, a shop in the town center by her house.

Even Nugget got a present today.

Some for Patrick too.

Loved this wrapping paper.

That's my Love Slug on the left.  Handmade in Seattle.  A portion of the proceeds from my socks goes to Doctors without Borders.

Oswald was created before Mickey Mouse but Walt and some other animators split before he could be owned by Walt, so Mickey Mouse is known as his first creation.  Basically legal reasons.

Iced Coffee to Cool Off

Yesterday was another long and busy day.  I hate when I don't have time to blog because the whole point of the blog is that I'm taking time out to enjoy the little thing in life.  Luckily, even though I didn't post, I had a very enjoyable day.
It's only the beginning of June and already the hot weather is starting up.  My friend had just spent the weekend at her friend's house and was flying home.  She came into the Burbank airport and heading over to my house to meet Nugget and have coffee with me before I had to work.  She came in the door with her hands full and she was beat from the hot drive back.  We figured iced coffee would be the way to go but neither of us wanted to venture out so the husband offered to try his hand at making some for us.
In the bag my friend brought it was all kinds of different Ghiradelli chocolates.  Sea salt, dark chocolate, I think I even saw caramel.  But she had picked a special bag up for me.  Mocha!
The husband used the bourbon coffee from Cost Plus to make a concentrated coffee base.  He added sugar, ice, and milk to our mugs and pour the base over.  It was perfect!  It was as if we had gone out to a shop.  You can taste the bourbon flavor much better served this way.  We had it with our mocha chocolate.  Perfect pair.  The chocolate had little coffee crunchy bits inside.  Due to the heat, the chocolate was already melting.
There was enough iced coffee for me to take some to work.  Two glasses of coffee really helped me make it through the night, especially the extra over time.