Japanese Food in Texas

We finally sat down for sushi a few days ago, about 6 weeks after the move to Texas.

On the advice of a guy we met after Rosh Hashanah services, Amanda and I took an evening to stop into the "Zushi Sushi" at S. St. Mary's & Market Street downtown. While we were there, we also discovered a worse parking spot then the one we'd used before - Who knew!

Market Street & Commerce run parallel through downtown, east-to-west, and kind of form the main grid of the restaurant district. Running into one before the other (plus a combination of gps) helps one stay oriented.

The rolls & soba noodles we'd ordered were tasty, portions were large & everything was well composed.

One thing I did notice was that a large number of their sushi preparations involved cream cheese - in excess of 50% of the items on a long, long list of options. Not that they were not good though - the little cuts of salmon, etc. were quite satisfying no matter how they were prepared.

There was a short list of 'traditional' sushi items, but Amanda discouraged us from ordering from it for whatever reason.

Final commentary:
The business would have us believe their establishment is in fact named "Sushi Zushi",
but it seems the majority of people who recommend their restaurant have an opposite opinion.

The downtown location is a small corner shop with limited booths, but they did have a bar and sufficient table space medium to large after-work or tourist crowds.

High Holy Days

So, last week was Rosh Hashanah. Today is Yom Kippur. Of course, these were our first experiences with the synagogue - and by extension, the Jewish community - here in San Antonio. I'd like to tell you a little bit about our High Holy Day experience (Spoilers: It's been fantastic!)

First, a side note: It would be remiss if I were not to mention that Brandon attended services with me, and has for the past two years. Brandon isn't Jewish, but he takes an active interest in my religion and culture. While he doesn't sing along in synagogue, he still attends, listens to what the rabbi has to say, and even tries to read the Hebrew where he can! He's a profoundly supportive boyfriend; I truly couldn't ask for anything more.

Now, about San Antonio. The Jewish community here is fairly small, but they're extremely active, so it feels a lot bigger than it is. The reform temple here is called Temple Beth El, which cracks me up because I've now lived in three cities and attended three Temple Beth El's.

 The Bimah was gorgeous.

The Rosh Hashanah service was lovely. They had a rabbinical student and former member of their congregation do the Torah reading, and she was fantastic. She read, rather than memorized, the passage and translated as she went. She would read a sentence first in Hebrew, then go back and translate it into English. It was a bit choppy, but seriously impressive.

After services there was a social event for 20- and 30-somethings that included appletinis (a play on apples and honey, the traditional dish eaten at Rosh Hashanah.) The young adults group seemed extremely active, and eager to expand their efforts. We signed up for their email list and plan to attend more events.

The Yom Kippur Kol Nidre service was a bit more toned down, as Kol Nidre will be (Kol Nidre is the evening service, there are also morning and afternoon services for the second day. I generally only attend Kol Nidre.) There was another elderly rabbi who did a bit of ad-libbing that I found enlightening.

On Kol Nidre we hear some prayers that are only sung once a year. This year, Yom Kippur fell on Shabbat, which means there was also a small handful of prayers that we only hear once every several years. Instead of stopping to explain the unique prayers, the rabbi called our attention to the everyday prayers that we hear constantly. He shed both the Sh'ma and the V'ahavta in a new light for me.

The Sh'ma is a very short prayer, two lines. It is the central tenant of Judaism. It claims that there is only one God, and that he reigns over everything. Now it seems like a simple sentiment, but at the time when it was first spoken, it was a radical political statement, as Judaism was the first monotheistic religion. Before reciting the Sh'ma last night, the rabbi described it as a prayer describing God's uniqueness.I'd never heard a rabbi interject that in the service before.

He did something similar for the V'ahavta, a prayer which lists the places in your life where you should keep the word of God (the doorposts of your house and near to your heart are some examples): instead of simply asking us to rise and recite the V'ahavta as usual, he first said "next we will recite a passage from Deuteronomy. This passage asks us to bind Gods words upon our hands, but the root word in Hebrew can also mean 'to connect,' so as we connect ourselves to God let's also connect ourselves together as community." It was a nice little metaphor, but more importantly, it forced us to stop and think critically about the V'ahavta, instead of just reading it from memory.

I enjoyed attending a synagogue with such an involved congregation and a rabbi dedicated to making people think a little more critically about their religion. It was very comforting, and Temple Beth El has certainly helped to make me feel more at home in Texas.

Gazpacho

I didn't really start learning to cook until a couple years ago. It was a skill of necessity: I was moving into my first apartment, and I was keenly aware that if I didn't learn to cook, I would likely starve. So, I spent my summer cooking eggs about fourty different ways. But I've expanded my repertoire since then.

There is a small handful recipes that have become my personal specialties. Recently, my mom asked me for my meatloaf recipe - a point of pride, as my mom is an excellent cook. I have an obsession with Japanese food, and so I've tried okonomiyaki, onigiri and gyoza, and I've loved all of them. I also have my own interpretation of a family oatmeal cookie recipe that my friends love.

But I'm told that, of all the recipes I've attempted (which, admittedly, is very few thus far) the ones I truly excel at are soups. This leaves me with a bit of a problem for the next two years, as Texas is in a hot climate, and soup is really a winter recipe. Enter: How to Make Cold Soups 101. Let's call it a subset of my usual adventures in the world of cooking, or as I like to call them, "cooking experiments."

I decided first to try gazpacho. As it turns out, this is the ultimate summer recipe, as there is no actual heat involved. You never actually cook gazpacho, you simply chop, then puree the ingredients and chill them overnight.

I decided to try a recipe where you puree only half the ingredients and leave the other half chopped into little bite size pieces. It turned out wonderfully, the mix of textures was just right. I don't know that I would like a fully pureed gazpacho, as it needs the crunch of the diced vegetables to contrast with the thick broth.

I think the key is to pick ingredients with "bright" flavors. It's a great vegetarian recipe because it really wouldn't work with meat. It needs to be all vegetables, and fresh herbs - nothing from a bottle. I added tons of fresh basil and parsley, and it made all the difference in the world.

Nom nom nom.

Vegetables I used include: tomatoes (the real backbone of the soup), red and green bell pepper, cucumber, purple onion, celery, chives. The broth, aside from simply pureeing half the ingredients, calls for lots of tomato juice (about three cups), a quarter cup each of olive oil and red wine vinegar (this was essential: again, the vinegar really helps to brighten up the soup), and a healthy dash each of: Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, sugar, salt and pepper.

The soup was delicious. It's thoroughly refreshing. It's like eating a vegetable garden all at once. Definitely a recipe I'll be repeating these next couple years, and hanging onto for future use.

I'm hoping my next cold soup adventure will be borscht. I'll get back to you with any successes or failures.

Tropical Storm Hermine

Apparently this close to the equator, they get something called tropical storms. We got our first taste of "the rainy season" apparently right as it was ending.

Video time. Turn on your sound. 

I know it's hard to tell, but it was POURING. We actually opened the shades because the water was sloshing against the windows so hard, it sounded like we were at sea.
Also, I did decide to step outside to take another video, with hilarious results:

And, because I'm brilliant, the video is sideways for the first half. Sorry. Anyway, in case you didn't catch it, there was a gust of wind that pretty much drenched me and the camera, and our front door. Good stuff.

Meet 'n Greet, nerd style

I just wanted to share a few photos from a little social gathering my class had last week. We got together and built models of DNA. There were snacks and refreshments, and people were encouraged - nay, obligated - to mingle. We were each given a nucleotide, and we had to find someone who had the complimentary base to pair with. Then we organized into groups and constructed the double helix. It was a lot of fun, and I got to meet some of my classmates. At the end, the professor unveiled the correct structure and pointed out some important aspects of the model.

Teamwork.

 Ours didn't look half bad!

The prof gives an overview of the correct structure.

After some socializing, I came back to find out our phosphate backbone was denaturing (read: the model fell apart.)

Turns out grad school is kinda social too, in a nerdy sort of way. ^_^

Feng Shui

Yesterday, my mom asked me how the weather was. I told her it was cooler because it had been raining. We checked, it was 93. I think we're acclimatizing.

We're still working on shopping for furniture, and we haven't hung any of our paintings yet, but the apartment is slowly coming together. Brandon keeps rearranging the living room. I think we finally found an arrangement we like:

That's his desk at the end, he built it himself. Until we buy desk chairs, he's sitting on the exercise ball.

We finally got my mod shelves and clock hung above the fireplace, but I haven't found an opportunity yet to put anything on them:

Super mod. 

Of course, my desk is the messiest part of the living room. Once we got it set up, I dragged all the boxes full of paperwork and folders over, but I haven't had a chance to unpack them yet, so everything is just in piles.

I love having the rat cage next to my workspace. They keep me company while I do homework.

I love that our kitchen overlooks the living room. There's a little L-shaped counter on the lefthand side of the photo. Sorry for the clutter, I was in the middle of eating. 

I got the vintage kettle from my friends mom just before we left. I LOVE it.

So, that's the apartment thus far. Hopefully it'll get cleaner as we go, but right now things are a bit hectic, so we don't have much time for unpacking. But that's a good thing too, right?