Rainy day activities

It's been raining for 3 days now. Yeh and I are trapped inside except for the damp run I made to the post office after lunch. I snapped this photo when I got back. It's from the lilac bushes that grow along our fence.

I sort of fancy myself as an amateur photographer. I say "sort of" because it seems that to even label myself as a photog I must have read at least one book or had one lesson on the use of a camera - I've had neither. I just like finding subjects/objects, framing them up in the tiny screen on the back of my 2.0mp camera, and taking a picture. If, by some luck, the photo is in focus and looks good, I'll frame it and hang it on my wall as art. I even scribble my initials and the year in the corner to make it look like a "real" piece of art. Seems to work out ok...I decorated a couple of walls this way and Gaidoi hasn't taken any of the "works" down.

On this rainy day, I've discovered how add photos to my blog - oh joy! Maybe photos will make it more interesting. It's certainly fun to do. Here's a photo of Yeh mincing ginger for our next batch of char siu (Chinese BBQ pork).

This is the first photo of Yeh to be published...I wasn't going to post any photos of us to try to maintain some anonymity, but as I visit more and more blogs, I realize that anonymity is not what it's all about. So I'm over it now.

Just looking at the pic reminds me of the smell of the char siu marinade...mmmm. If you ever want to give it a try...in a large bowl, mix together:
-1 cup of hoisin sauce
-a package of the char siu "just add water" instant mix bought at the Chinese store
-6 cloves of garlic, minced
-a splash of chinese cooking wine, again, bought at the Chinese store
-1/3 cup of honey or some sugar
-a splash of soya sauce
-two-finger-sized piece of fresh ginger, peeled and minced
*Mix well. Then marinate the pork(chicken works too), cover and refrigerate for at least 24 hours - the longer it marinates the better, mind you, more than 2 days sounds dangerous. I have discovered that pork ribs are perfect for char siu as are those long pieces of pork loin, which go on sale every so often. However, my mother says that is a waste of a good cut of pork and I should use shoulder pieces instead. So, for this batch, I have 2 racks of ribs and 2 shoulder pieces marinating as I type this. Yeh and I will cook it slowly in the oven at 350-400 degrees - the temperature is probably dependent on your oven. You want it to bake slowly, basting it often with the remaining marinade. Last time I made char siu, it baked for 2 hours and it was mouth-wateringly succulent and tasty. Be forewarned that this stuff could destroy your baking pan. I lost my Paderno non-stick cookie sheet to my first batch of char siu! My mother says that I should bake it on a rack in a deep pan with water to prevent the sticky mess left by the drippings. Once it's done, let it cool for a bit on the rack to set, that way when you go to cut the ribs, the meat won't completely slip off the bones leaving you with a pile of fragrant shredded meat. We like to eat char siu ribs with rice and a side of Chinese greens. The non-rib portions are sliced thinly and served on their own or in Chinese broth soups or in stir-fry. As you know from my first post, char siu is also used to make bao or BBQ pork buns, which is what we'll do next week.

Wow, it's 4PM and the rain has relented...for the time being. Yeh is climbing up and down the stairs to ensure circulation in his legs and feet. And for me, the only other activity I had planned was to finish unpacking the computer room...better get a move on before I decide to procrastinate!

My Man's Man...

It is so amazing and yet oh-so-aggravating when my husband can figure out when my "time of month" is expected just by clocking my current mood. I am astounded - how could a man, who grunts his side of the conversation and who does not enjoy the witty dialogue of "Dawson's Creek," be so sensitive to my feminine cycle? I am astounded.

You see, Gai Doi (my grandparents gave him this nickname because he was on a no-red meat diet when we began dating) exudes being a Man's Man. He works out at the gym to maintain his muscular manly body. His television viewing is limited to hockey, sci-fi, and nature shows. Only movies of the action/thriller, sci-fi, or chauvinistic humor will he choose. Past times include mountain biking alone or with other Manly Men, beer brewing and beer drinking alone or with other Manly Men, and reading action/thriller or sci-fi books. At parties, he stands with the rest of the Manly Men and tells amusing anecdotes about Man's Little Woman farting in bed or standing him up on date to watch a hockey game. As for showing emotion, Man's Man is quite limited in the different ways of showing his feelings. He will laugh, grimace, smirk, yawn, sigh, shrug, belch, chuckle to himself, nod or shake his head, and scratch his head and/or balls to let you know what he is feeling, however, Man's Man will not cry because, after all, he is a Man.

After having said all that, my Man's Man surprises me at times with his elusive sensitivity. For instance, when I was trying to finish an overdue report for work, Man's Man gave me time and encouragement to get it done, ensuring my beer was always topped up and removing any distractions that he knew would tempt me. Or how about that Sunday afternoon when he rented "chick flicks" and encouraged me to relax and to lose myself in the movies instead of fretting over work. Man's Man also surprised me by appearing mid-way through one movie with a box of tissues . The tissues were very welcome as the movie was a "roller-coaster of emotions" and while I laughed and cried at his offering, it was difficult to decide which to use the tissue on first - the tears running down my face or the snot running from my nose.

So, I guess I am not too astounded that my Man's Man is quite sensitive to my feminine cycle. However, I do wish he would refrain from saying, "Oh, you're always like this at this time of the month. You'll be over it in 2 weeks." But that would be too much sensitivity to ask for, he'd only respond by scratching his head.