Pain and Pleasure: Gums 'n Chicken...

No, the first half of that title is not a Depeche Mode song.

Yesterday I had a Gum Graft on one of my upper teeth/gums. I'd been putting it off since October partly because I had already depleted my Flex Plan. With the new year, the flex plan is loaded and ready to be used for stuff such as this wonderful painfree funfest.

I needed a gum graft because that particular tooth had gingival recession. The area was exposed and had to be covered with "grafted oral tissue" (my own gums) to prevent further exposure and damage. The dentist had to cut a thin piece of my own tissue taken from the back of my mouth (the rear  upper palate) and stitch it to the area that needed coverage.

During this whole time, I had on my iPod, but it was not set to music. Instead, I was listening to a movie, "Ferris Bueller's Day Off". So I can now remember each and every excruciating detail of this gum graft and relate it to specific scenes of that Hughesian classic.

I was in the dentist's chair for one full hour. As I got shot up with anesthetic, I listened to Ferris Bueller fake out his parents. When the doc started prepping my gums, it was the part where Dean Rooney is calling his secretary a "pinhead". Later, as I tried to keep still  and suppress my raging urge to pee, the doc injected me again on the palate, it was the part where Cameron Frye impersonates Sloan Peterson's father and calls Principal Rooney an "asshole"! I was trying not to laugh and cry at the same time.

I could feel the long filaments brush against my cheeks and lips as the dentist wove stitches as he was suturing my gum.  After nearly an hour of trying not to stare into the dentist or his assistant's masked faces, I was finally free to go. The end point of the movie? It was at the Chicago Art Institute where Ferris and Sloan kiss; the song playing in the background is a Smiths cover, "Please Please Please Let Me Get What I Want" by the Dream Academy.  Yeah, my iPod was freeze framed on this exact scene...

After all this, I had to get some pain medication and antibiotics which took another hour including drive time and wait time at the pharmacy. What a way to spend an afternoon. Oh yeah, and I can't brush the upper right side for a week. I was given only one look at my tooth/gum at the dentist's office. He warned that if I tried to look at it at home, I could potentially rupture the stitches which made me cringe. So I won't be doing much smiling for a few weeks nor will I even be doing a Billy Idol style sneer. I also get to do this again in a few weeks but on another tooth on the bottom opposite side! Fun times!!! Just call me Frankengums.

Faaaah-uck!

On a much much nicer note, we finally used the KFC Mix from Michael (of the blog Foodopolis) who was kind enough to gift it to me. Check out his post on "Killer Fried Chicken" here...better photos and directions included! Due to my fear of frying, I recruited Bert to do the dirty work.  It's pretty easy. Dip 8-10 pieces of chicken into an egg wash.

Coat with the spice mix and let it sit for 10 minutes. There was leftover mix so Bert added that on before he put the thighs into the oil.

which has to be bubbling hot (350 F)! This was 48 oz of vegetable oil by the way.

Here's the first batch waiting to be devoured...

OMFG, this was the best chicken we've ever made! The skin was crazy crispy and flavorful and the chicken inside was so juicy! Even though I had that damned gum graft earlier that afternoon and even though my upper right side was still numb, I was going to eat this thigh! Feeling like a toddler or elderly person, I separated the skin from the chicken (for later enjoyment) and cut up the thigh meat into teeny tiny pieces. I felt like I was but one step away from pureeing it and gumming my food.  Despite the middling and nagging feeling of the sutures and the residual numbness fading away, I still enjoyed this chicken as much as I could!

The chicken was served with fried garlic rice and salad (not pictured). "Sam Merlotte" style shirt modeled by Bert (courtesy of Old Navy). Makes me wanna square dance AND ride a mechanical bull. I feel like buying him a Lynyrd Skynyrd belt buckle  and snakeskin boots to make this outfit complete.

Thanks again Michael for such a delicious dinner thanks to your awesome "Killer Fried Chicken" mix!!!

Books read in 2010

Hey, since it's 2011, I've been seeing other blogger's posts about their highlights of 2010, whether it was places visited, books read, recipes learned, etc...

Here's a list of the books I've read. And by books, I mean mostly graphic novels and books with pictures! Ha ha.

Please note that my choice of books does not reflect what's on the NY Times Best Seller List or whatever the fk Oprah is reading. I don't subscribe to her cult thank you very much.

Comic Anthologies/Graphic Novels
Cool Jerk Vol 1 - Hodabeast by Paul Horn. Here is the cover in all of it's glory. But it's what inside that counts. Plus, my copy is signed (book cover shown taken from yahoo images)!

Cool Jerk Vol 2 - Chickadoowa by Paul Horn
Cool Jerk Vol 3 - Bimboozled by Paul Horn
Doc Splatter Ominous Omnibus by Paul Horn (These fkg kick ass and make great bathroom reading!)
(you may check out these fine titles by Mr. Horn at the CoolJerk Shop here!)
Chew Vol 1 - Taster's Choice by John Layman with art by Rob Guillory (Saw this rec from Darlene earlier last year. Now my husband is hooked! This is about Tony Chu, a detective who gets pyschic impressions from whatever he eats; this talent comes in handy in a gruesome way when he solves crimes)

Chew Vol 2 - International Flavor by John Layman (even better than the first one!)
Skim by Mariko Tamaki (Picked this up at Floating World in Portland in Spring 2009 but only recently read it - an interesting read about culture, loss and sexual identiy)
Lola - A Ghost Story by J. Torres (very cool since it has Filipino cultural info in here plus I liked the artwork)


Actual Books
I know I am an adult but it doesn't mean I have to read pretentious and boring adult books. I make no effort to read "intellectual" shit. Plus my other excuse is I have a 10 year old kid!  Bert and I like to read what she's reading most of the time. Some of these books were pretty good too (and funny)! Bert's already read all of the Olympian series.

Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief (Book 1 of the Olympian Series) by Rick Riordan (This was the 1st book I read in 2010 - frantically trying to finish it before watching the movie, which ended up sucking hairy goat ballz. You may also recall that TC went as one of the main characters from this book, Annabeth Chase, for Halloween last year.)

Diary of a Wimpy Kid - A Novel in Cartoons (book 1) by Jeff Kinney (There's about 5 of these but I've only read the first and the 4th one. So funny! The main character's older brother is in a metal band called "Loded Diper", shades of Bill and Ted's "Wylde Stallyns"!)

Diary of a Wimpy Kid - Dog Days (book 4)  by Jeff Kinney (the pictures kill me!)
The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
The White House Doctor - My Patients Were Presidents by Connie Mariano (There is a San Diego connection here - Dr. Mariano, a 2nd generation Filipina American and the daughter of a Filipino Navy steward,hails from IB and was the highest ranked Filipino in the Navy, retiring as a Rear Admiral. She served as the physician for Presidents Bush Senior and Clinton. )

Medium Raw - A Bloody Valentine to the World of Food and the People That Cook by Anthony Bourdain (Bourdain is a god. That is all.)

The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown (Okay, this was probably the only big mainstream book I read)
Letters to My Father - Growing Up Filipina and American by Helen Madamba Mossman (an interesting but sad memoir by a woman who grew up scorning her ethnic heritage)
Neon Angel - A Memoir of a Runaway by Cherie Currie and Tony O'Neill (the book that served as the basis for last year's biopic/film about Joan Jett and Cherie Currie, "The Runaways" by Floria Sigismondi)
Bel-Ami by Guy de Maupassant (I read this because it's going to be an arthouse film movie starring RPattz as a journalist and ruthless society climber in late 1880's Paris! The film also stars Uma Thurman, Christina Ricci and that old bag Kristen Scott Thomas as the women he sleeps with to rise to the top of French society. RPattz as Manwhore. Yes, that sounds very good to me. The photo below is NOT the book cover but a shot of RPattz in period clothing while shooting on location in Budapest. Only THE RPattz can manage to make high waisted trousers hot looking!)

Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen - (Ditto! Except it will be RPattz as veterinarian Jacob Jankowski sexing up a married circus performer, played by Reese Witherspoon, at the circus during the Depression.)

I am looking forward to this movie! RPattz in period clothing = combustible panties.

Dead in the Family by Charlaine Harris - (The latest book in the books that the HBO Series "True Blood" is based. I like my trashy Southern Gothic vampire books! Sookie!)

Kinda like books but not:
Joan Jett by Todd Oldham (mostly pictures and a few essays, so not really "heavy reading")
Creative Cursing - A Mix 'n Match Profanity Generator by Sarah Royal and Jilian Panarese (It's a side by side flip book where you can create your own curse words. Example: Granny Fondler, Asshole Tease, Prick Waffle, etc....the variations are endless! Makes a great gift too! I speak from experience. I only give the very best gifts.)

Filipinos in San Diego by Judy Patacsil, Felix Tuyay and Rudy Guevarra (mostly photos with one main essay)
Filipinos in Carson and the South Bay by Florante Ibanez and Rose Ibanez (same thing - pictorial essay book)
500 Things to Eat Before It's Too Late and the Very Best Places to Eat Them by Jane and Michael Stern
(I've used this book several times during our travels - Chocolate Espresso Twinkie in Berkely, the wierd "Fish House", and for Bert, searching for Chili at Big State Drug in Irving, TX)

Books I Still Need to Read or Want to Read and Finish:
Kill Your Friends: A Novel (P.S.) by John Niven (This is a title that will guarantee that NO ONE will bother you while sitting in the doctor's office or airport terminal.)
Hetalia Axis Powers Vol. 1 by Hidekazu Himaruya (Another rec from Darlene that I am slogging through. Being new to "manga" style reading, I'm still confused about the order in which to read the panels. I feel like such a 'tard!)
The Time Travelers - Book 1 of the Gideon Trilogy by Linda Buckley-Archer (Bought these awhile back and have yet to start them)
The Time Thief - Book 2 of the Gideon Trilogy by Linda Buckley-Archer
The Time Quake - Book 3 of the Gideon Trilogy by Linda Buckley-Archer
Cruddy by Lynda Barry (Filipina American comic artist, "Ernie Pook's Comeek" and contemporary of the Simpsons' Matt Groening)
Cosmopolis by Don De Lillo (I am waiting for this to arrive actually. This is being made into a movie....Colin Farrell dropped out of the role and it was picked up by....yes, RPattz. Ha ha, getting Colin Farrell's sloppy seconds, eh.  Set during the dot com bust of 2000, he will play a billionaire financial whiz who will undergo a series of fantastically wierd events all in the course of a day. It is considered a modern day retelling of James Joyce's "Ulysses", which of course I have never read so I have no idea what that means but James Joyce is some sort of intellectual benchmark that I don't get.)

Pho Hiep Grill in Eastlake for KD's birthday

So last night I went out to dinner with the girls, the Educator GF's (TORC, D and KD) for KD's birthday which was actually a few days ago. We wanted somewhere local so I chose the nicest Asian place down south, Pho Hiep Grill in Eastlake Village walk (see my first post here).

There are three Pho Hiep's in San Diego. The original location is on Linda Vista Road and is owned by Kevin's wife's parents. I think in a previous post I wrote it was owned by Kevin's parents. I stand corrected.   He and his wife own the 2nd location on Telegraph Canyon Road (near Vons) as well as this location which opened in early Spring 2010. They are quite the gracious couple (and stylish too!). As you walk into the Eastlake location, there is a spectacular water feature with two carved wooden panels from Vietnam.

I ordered a few appetizers for the group while the rest of the ladies figured out what they were going to order...

Not shown was the fresh spring roll. There was a misunderstanding with the waiter and he thought I wanted an order of the Goi Cuon along with the Nem Nuong Cuon. I didn't realize it until after we were halfway done eating the Shrimp and pork. The pork roll was really good and I ordered it because I knew the others hadn't tried this before. I am still itching to try Brodard's Nem Nuong Cuon.

All orders were shared by the four of us. TORC (The Other Rock Chick) got the fried rice with shrimp and chicken...

D chose the Com Tam Beef (broken rice) which we all liked. Mmmm, chargrilled edges and fat. Love it.

Calamari was also ordered - the pieces were thick and meaty with a nice and crunchy batter. I thought the portion was kind of small though.

I ordered the Caramelized catfish in a clay pot. I really liked the sweet sauce for this dish.

I also ordered the Banh Xeo crepe - Here is it with the plate of greens (lettuce, mint and pickled carrots and radish). I noticed the tia to (purple perilla leaf) was missing. Maybe they ran out or they don't include it anymore. I liked it and kinda missed it here.

I love how they do their crepes at Pho Hiep. Much smaller than at Que Huong. Not soggy either. The exterior is light and crispy. I ordered this without the pork so the filling was just bean sprouts and shrimp.

Right before we were about to leave, KD spied the bar through the wooden barrier and just had to sit here. (I have to confess this photo is from my March 2010 post) The bar is  electric blue  and lit up from underneath! It looks so cool! I'm reminded of James Cameron's "The Abyss"...

Here is Kevin who entertained us at the bar. Well, not Tom Cruise "Cocktail" style! He's such a supernice guy and he chatted with us about the different drinks and how he designed the restaurant.

This was KD's drink - a margarita...This shot was taken by her on her camera. Nice!

This was D's drink - something with fruit juice and vodka. She really wanted a "Surfer on Acid" but Kevin never heard of that drink before.

After that epic dinner, we headed back to my place for dessert. Bert did this nice set up. I just noticed this photo is marred by the ugly plastic bag in our sink! He also broke out our wedding china, Mikasa Wedding Band Platinum!

I forgot we even had this tray. Those wine glasses sure look swanky on that tray.

I couldn't find the regular birthday candles. I found this one that I picked up at Powell's Books in Portland from our Spring 2009 trip. I was supposed to used it for my 40th that year, but used something else. So, hey, let's put this candle to use shall we!

We didn't have regular coffee, just Vietnamese espresso so Bert made iced coffee. I declined since I already had two (Asia Cafe and the free one from Que Huong). I was pretty wired that night but somehow I was able to fall asleep around 11:30.

I got the fruit tart from Hans and Harry Bakery in Bonita. It was a sugared puff pastry shell topped with custard and glazed fresh fruit.  Heh, heh...Don't you love my "paint" skillz on the "Happy Birthday" circle?

I even did it on this photos but the "spray paint" feature was too thick! Here we are: D, TORC, KD the birthday girl and me...

A lovely evening spent with great company!

Previous outings for KD's birthday:
2010 at Sab e Lee in Santee
2009 at Romesco's
2008 at Frida's

We did go out in 2007 but I didn't post it and in 2006, I wasn't blogging until Spring. This was also the first birthday (for KD) in 5 years that the Chargers weren't in the playoffs.

Only one more day of vacation and it's back to work next week.

Progressive lunch - Asia Cafe, Que Huong and Eclipse

This will be a quick and dirty post...

Today I met up with a friend who was visting home from the Bay Area. This young lady is the one who gave the dynamic speech I raved about back in Spring 2009. I hadn't seen her in about a year and a half when we were on our summer vacation. She's the one who took us and Thane to Sinugba in Daly City in Summer 2009.

I hadn't done a progressive lunch in awhile, so here goes.

Stop 1:
Asia Cafe

That was the Nem Khao, my favorite thing that's NOT on the menu.  Crunchy fried rice with peanuts, green onions, fermented pork sausage and chilis. Below are the greens you eat with the nem khao: lettuce, mint and cilantro...

We also had a few bits of the See Nam Toke - flank steak marinated with fish sauce.

Stop 2 - I was vacillating between Sab-e-Lee in Santee AND Que Huong but in the interest of time, chose Que Huong before our thrd and last stop. We'll have to do Sab-e-Lee 2 next time for the Miang Kum and the Issan Sausage...

I hadn't been here since the infamous "can't get a round table" post (April 2010). To my delight and suprise, Jay the owner was there and greeted us. He still remembered me which was nice. He also comped us ice coffees which was awesome!  We ordered the Jackfruit Salad with Pork and Shrimp. My friend hadn't had any of these dishes at all, so it was fun to have them again and to have her sample these dishes.

Next up was a small order of the Fish Sauce Chicken Wings which we both enjoyed (2 each!)...She's going to enjoy some good leftovers tonight, I tell you!

Stop 3 - Eclipse Chocolat on El Cajon

Some flavors I hadn't seen before were there like Maple Bacon (not pictured) and the Kentucky Bourbon Caramel.

I got the Maple Bacon while she got the Kentucky Bourbon cupcake.

Here she is with our desserts...

Cross section of the Kentucky Bourbon. You could really taste it in the layer beneath the ganache frosting and in the filling.

This was the Maple Bacon with sea salt. The bacon bits were in the filling. I think Bert would really like this as much as I did. I saved half for him. I liked the interplay of salty and sweet.

Despite all the food you've seen, we managed to pace ourselves and have a few bites of each dish. Seriously, this was sooo hard to do!

Believe it or not, I also had a dinner date with my Educator GF's (KD, D and TORC) that evening for KD's birthday. Last year we went to Sab e Lee in Santee. I definitely had to make sure I had some room. In fact, as I blog this, I am waiting for them to ring the doorbell!

Fashion alert: I love this 80's style puff sleeve blouse (the sleeves are also 3/4 length). Tarjay man! It's a dark charcoal which is my new favorite neutral. I have strong and broad shoulders so I think this silhouette looks kinda cool. My hair is getting long too! Yay. Gotta get the left side buzzed again. My spikes are flat.

So yeah, Pho Hiep Grill in Eastlake Villagewalk, here we come...

You Couldn't Ignore Me If You Tried"

I'm on the "Pretty in Pink" chapter of this book:

This was a gift from Bert. I love it! Finally, a book that intelligently dissects the films of John Hughes. My first movie with Bert in a movie theatre was "Pretty in Pink" which we watched in late February 1986 in our junior year at the Sweetwater Pacific 6 (not 24! no huuuge multiplexes back then) Theatre.

Ignore the song playing in the background. Whatever it is, it sux.

I know that Andie doesn't end up with Duckie (but she does in the original ending of the movie), but Jon Cryer stole every scene that he was in!

Time to watch the movie again, plus the soundtrack is pure awesome!