accident and anticipation

at the end of the month i'll be traveling to bali to visit my little brother, who is working there. i haven't seen him in over a year and my parents will meet us there, so i am obviously looking forward to this trip. and the food isn't making me any less excited; i fell in love with indonesian food the very first time i tried it. imagine my delight when an indonesian friend invited me over one night to experiment with a recipe for pepes tahu, or steamed tofu in banana leaves. i think our parcels came out beautifully! we ate it with plain white rice and my new favourite rice condiment; sambal badjak. i hope to eat many more meals like this in bali; can anyone recommend an authentic cooking class there? P:


some good news: a friend of mine recently gave birth to a baby boy! i visited her in the hospital and promised to make her some seaweed soup so she could regain a bit of the recently lost nutrients. so a few weeks later, i came by with all the ingredients and we had dinner together. in return, she gave me some corn tortillas that her parents had brought from mexico the previous week. i was ecstatic! one of the cuisines i miss most here is definitely mexican. i used the lovely tortillas to make galbi tacos. the meat was accompanied by pickled carrots, cherry tomatoes, refried beans, cabbage, and gochujang. the dane ate two of the korean tacos and approved. but i think it would have been better with some kimchi... it reminded me about my trip to california in april; i'm so relieved to have the tickets booked, it's been too long since i was in the states last!

the bad news: if you're squeamish, you may not want to read the next paragraph.

unfortunately i got into a cycling accident 2 nights ago, so i will probably show up in bali to greet my family somewhat scarred. i was riding out to meet some friends at the pub on a friday night and some guy was snaking all over the bike lane. his friend rang his bike bell (to signal that someone wanted to pass), he moved out of the way, but when i tried to overtake him, he swerved back into me. i don't remember much of the fall except skidding forever on my face and something landing on my ankle. a nice guy (not the one that hit me...) helped me up and reminded me to exchange numbers with the other guy, even giving me his own number in case i needed a witness. i was keeping my cool until he said, "i think a bit of your tooth is missing."

i realized now how vain i am and yet i was totally taking my teeth for granted. i wouldn't say they are perfect (not exactly pearly white) but i wore braces for about 5 years and a retainer at night for several years after that. when i got home and saw that i had a chipped tooth, i cried and cried. the dane came home from work immediately to tend to me and of course gave me the old "well it could have been a lot worse. glad you're okay." i yelled at him then, being cranky from scrubbing asphalt out of my chin and picking a fragment of my own tooth out of my upper lip (good heavens!)... but he is so right. i escaped a bad cycling accident with just some scrapes and bruises (that will go away eventually), a chipped tooth (which can be fixed easily and hopefully the other guy will pay for it...), a fat lip, a tiny bit off my chin bone, and a twisted ankle. i could easily have broken my leg or disfigured my face for life. i suppose i can embrace the fact that this happened for a reason. i was taking big bites, using stairs, having an unscarred face, and just walking like a normal person completely for granted. hopefully things can soon go back to the way they were, before i take off to indonesia. but until the swelling in my lips goes down and i get my tooth fixed, it'll be soft food for a while. =_=

copenhagen on the cheap

after being asked a handful of times about what to do in denmark, where you can buy soju, and how to get around, i decided to put together a little guide... mina-style! (:

first of all, you need a CPR card (equivalent to a US social security card) to get work, a bank account, etc. so if you don't have that special number, don't even bother asking for a job. no one is willing to pay you under the table with the risk of a fine. secondly, don't expect to be able to use your credit card anywhere unless it has a special chip in it. you'll have to get cash at an automat. lastly, always be prepared for rain! no matter how bright and sunny it is one minute, it could be a downpour the next. ):

getting around:
rejseplanen is a good website to use when you need to use public transport to get somewhere on time. it even alerts you to traffic changes; for example if one station is down, the website will give you an alternate route. findvej is just your basic map.
during the spring and summer, citybikes are put out all over copenhagen. you put in 20kr and when you return the bike, you get the money back. but do not ride these bike outside the city or else you'll get a fine. and take note of the photo in the citybike link! they have a very specific look. don't just pick up any old bike and ride off with it; it belongs to someone! :P

eating:
i've been laughed at for doing this, but because of it i can go out and enjoy myself on the weekends! there are regular catalogs put out for grocery stores and i check them almost every week. it saves quite a bit of money when you compare prices instead of just going into superbrugsen and just buying all your groceries there. check minreklame and see the foodstuffs all the way at the bottom. of course the other catalogs can be useful as well. ^^
green grocers can be a good way to save on produce, spices, and of course more exotic ingredients. they are easily spotted by their wares being displayed outside the shop. there are a lot of good middle eastern grocers in nørrebro and you'll find several asian shops close to the central station facing istedgade. but be friendly and beware; they can rip you off just as well as irma. (;

drinking:
most importantly, it is perfectly okay to drink from the tap. no bottled water needed!
my favourite watering holes are in my neighborhood, but obviously there are some nice places in the rest of copenhagen too. lades kælder is relatively grungy compared to the rest of the upscale nightlife in centrum, but the concerts are intimate and the beers are well-priced! if you can spend a bit more cash, i definitely suggest den tatoverede enke for a great selection of belgian beers. of course christiania is full of great places to hang out with a drink, especially in the summertime.
nørrebro: all you have to do is walk down two specific streets to find a bunch of nice bars. blågårdsgade has props, kate's joint, and of course blågårds apotek. fælledvej boasts gefahrlich and rayeula. further up nørrebrogade you can find drone, which can be a nice bar or a crazy dance party. and a little hidden away is underwood ink, a classy bookbar with good vibes and a great cheese plate.
if you're b.y.o.b then don't forget to recycle your bottles. there's a reason why you have to pay an extra 1kr even though your coke only costs 7kr. inside supermarkets there is usually a machine where you can return your bottles and cans that have this mark. after you have put in all your recyclables, click giv dit bidrag to donate your money to unicef or click pantknappen to keep your money to yourself (you selfish pig!). a receipt will print out and you take it to the cashier. it counts towards any groceries you're buying at the time or you can just get cash.

bonus:
everything is expensive in copenhagen! even a dress at h&m will cost more than the same dress in stockolm. so flea markets are always a good thing. they are plentiful in summertime but you can always find one somewhere.
check out concerts to buy tickets beforehand and maybe you can save a few kroner at the door. soundvenue is a good site to check out who's playing all over denmark.

anything to add? (:

mandu, take 2

again i took kimchi to work with no ill after-effects. there was also rice, seasoned mung bean sprouts, and some toasted seaweed. the only thing i'm afraid of is when i have to get close to my patients. maybe they can smell my ferment-y breath but are too polite (typical danes) to say so. better start taking a toothbrush to work. x:


i spent sunday afternoon biking to the asian shop through a bit of lazily falling snow and then making dumplings. cycling through snow is great; your body warms up well while you take in the scenery. there were little kids playing ice hockey on the lakes and i saw a lot of people skating in the middle. as for the dumplings, i learned my lesson from last time and took the easy way out by paying 20kr for a package of dumpling wrappers. of course it was much easier and faster. the filling was basically the same; tofu, spring onion, shiitake, and bean sprouts. i can't wait to steam/fry some and take it in my work lunch!

on new years day i spent a good hour or so meditatively folding dumplings with my aunts and even the dane tried his hand at it. i was so proud of him! (:

restocking the azn section of the pantry

breakfast was an easy korean-style steamed egg; perfect for when you are not feeling like poached or boiled eggs but don't want to consume oils so early in the day. from all the recipes i've seen, it seems like it's loosely based around very few ingredients. i mixed one egg with a few tablespoons of water, a pinch of salt, one stalk of spring onion, and tossed in some rehydrated mushrooms. next time i'll go for a shorter cooking time; 15 minutes of sitting in the steamer basket of the rice cooker was a bit too long and the egg became a little dry. hey, my contact lenses aren't going to put themselves into my tiny eyes. ):


the spring onions i bought about 2 weeks ago are still giving. i don't remember where i saw the article, but i vaguely recall there was a video on the page describing how to stop wasting these lovely greens! just cut off what you need and leave an inch or so of the white part. set them in a bit of water for a day. you should be able to see a little regrowth. plant them in a pot in a sunny spot in your kitchen and water it when the soil feels dry. just keep clipping off what you need and you'll rarely need to buy spring onions again. can you see where it's grown back? (:


today i got my bike back from the shop. i'm so happy that my basket is fixed now, though i could have done it soon after it was broken. the kickstand was also adjusted and a spoke re-attached. what can i say? i have a hard time spending money on this sort of thing when i don't have any income. but with work on the horizon, i don't feel bad about it. ^^



so of course i filled my newly fixed basket with all sorts of goodies! certainly these prices are nothing compared to the korean markets of california blah blah blah but they are pretty good deals considering i'm in copenhagen. i got these from three different shops by the central station; boasam (which i've mentioned in a previous post), chinatown market, and bangkok trading. my reciepts looked something like this:

15kr rice vinegar 355ml
15kr mirin 355ml
12kr agar agar powder 35g
10kr fresh daikon radish 875g
12kr silken tofu 500g
12kr silken tofu 500g
12kr pressed tofu 350g
26kr dried shiitake mushrooms 170g
20kr fresh bok choy (10 heads)
23kr dried soybeans 1kg
5kr fresh ginger 200g

162kr = $30.37 USD!! arg... oh well, it could have been much worse. i'm not sure what i'll do with the agar agar powder but i get a bit queasy when i use regular gelatin so i'm sure an opportunity will present itself. fruit jigglers?! as for the bok choy, it looked so good that i couldn't resist. and with all the fruits that are available nowadays, i realized i haven't been eating that many vegetables. my friends mr. garlic and ms. bok choy will help me out in that department. (8

cookin' around christiania

now that the weather is lovely in copenhagen my swedish roommate and i were eager to go barbecue in nature again. and i even got my fiance to tag along! the last time we did was this past fall, which was a bit too chilly. but of course as soon as i started gathering groceries, the sun shied away behind rain clouds.


luckily the most moisture we got was a few sprinkles. so we hopped on our bikes and our sweet vegetarian dinner was on! plus any time is a good time to burn up old newspapers. :D


of course we were going to be hungry while waiting for the goods to cook so i brought some hummus i made at home and chopped some cucumbers. i added a bit of korean hot pepper flakes (gochugaru) which adds nice colour and zing. and of course we were going to be thirsty... so we shared a bottle of savanha sauvingnon blanc. really refreshing with the greens and the (slightly) warmer weather.

of course a salad was present as well. pretty plain with just greens, cucumber, tomato, avocado, and spring onion. i was too lazy to dress it beyond a drizzle of oil, a squeeze of lemon, and a healthy salt&peppering. the mandoline i bought in california sure came in handy for those thin slices of cucumbers. so cheap and yet so efficient!

christiania is a fun place! hard to believe it is so close to a bustling city. all i could hear was birds and the occasional footsteps of a person strolling by and enjoying nature.


for the hot food i prepared tofu and mushrooms in a marinade of soya, miso, garlic, and gochugaru. the other mushrooms were just tossed in salt, pepper, oil, lemon, and parmesan. my cooking is pretty boring these days. i don't know if it's due to lack of funds of just plain laziness.


my swedish roommate made beetroots with rosemary and potatoes with feta. i think she made those same potatoes last time and they are so addictive! i couldn't stop picking at them even after i was stuffed. luckily dessert was a honeydew that i carved as we sat by the dwindling fire and...

...chocolate-stuffed bananas. the swede wrapped them in foil and set them in the dying embers and they were pretty decadent. the chocolate was chili-flavoured, which was a pleasant kick! nearly stole the show. brings back memories of camping with my family, though we never did the banana bit. we definitely have to do this more often.

so... anyone wanna go barbecuing with me next week? :D

easy way out

yes, i've been bad and indulged in unnaturally-coloured chewy candy. it's so sunny and warm outside so i've been jogging and biking to my heart's desire, but it's no excuse. the colours are calling to me! doesn't help that a new sweets shop (touting prices of 7.95kr per 100g) opened down the street... and it's called sukkertoppen, how could i resist? but it adds up, both in kroner and kilos. i'll try to be good. ):

at least my favourites don't contain gelatin?

other things i've been eating are apples, oranges, peanut butter and solbær jam on rugbrød (don't knock it til you try it! at least not til you try my rye), soft-boiled eggs, brie, and that's really just about it. oh, and i have a newfound love for cantaloupe and honeydew melons. my mom will laugh when she reads that. (:

i haven't been cooking much at all. in fact the most work i've done in front of the stove since my return to denmark was make coffee or boil some water for instant noodles. no, not the bowl kind... an awesome jjampong (korean-chinese spicy seafood soup) mix that my mom sent with me from california. it contains condensed sauce, some dried veg and tiny bits of seafood in thickener, and what seems to be fresh noodles! and good lord is it spicy. i'm almost sorry that i could only fit two into my suitcase, but they need to be refrigerated (hence my suspicion of fresh noodles) and there's only so much shelf space. actually i would have been able to fit one more, had i not taken a package of jajangmyun (korean-chinese black bean noodles). it's from the same korean brand, pulmonale, and i'm looking forward to trying it. but maybe not photographing it... it looks like black worms. yum.

also: my next batch of kimchi is underway. (8

good mood food

sad bikes are pulled out of peblingsø after a long winter. you can tell spring has sprung! it's putting smiles on everyone's faces.

it's actually quite warm these days, though not 100°F as it was in california... but still hot enough to make me hesitant to turn on the oven. i've mostly been eating chilled fruit and veg. however at about 3:30am i finished my third shot at rugbrød. the sourdough had been sitting on our shelf of the fridge for the whole time i was gone, which i think has improved the taste! or maybe i just like sour bread. i also made two changes after watching camilla plum's show, boller af stål (balls of steel), which was to smooth the top of the dough with wet hands and poke some small holes before placing in the oven. the result was a moister loaf with a crust that was easier to slice. yummm~

someday i'll try her recipe for gammel dags rugbrød (old school rye bread) if anyone is willing to eat bread that has been kneaded with my feet. :P