Bloomington Food Girl

I was expecting today to be a normal, run-of-the-mill type day, filled with the 11:30 brunch from my sorority and lounging around the house, doing work and watching TV.  After coming back from a little walk around campus, I noticed the UPS truck in the distance, for I was expecting a package.  However, that package was not something that could have fit in a box.  As I strolled into the parking lot of my sorority house, I was heading for the front door when to my surprise, my parents stepped out from behind one of the cars.  I was shocked in more ways that I can describe, it was the perfect surprise.  I was excited and anxious to take them around the town.  Our adventurous day, today began at 12 PM noon when we drove out to check out the local Bloomington Farmers Market right behind the Smallwood Apartments, on College Ave.  There were enormous amounts of Golden Delicious apples, McIntosh apples, bright green beans, snap peas and freshly picked Bell Peppers.  My Dad and I decided on the “tie-dye” Bell Peppers and a carton of McIntosh apples.  My stomach grumbled as I reached for a juicy redish-pink apple, the first bite was crunchy and the sweetness of flavor filled my entire mouth.  I finished it in about 5 bites, but my stomach continued to grumble.  As we left the farmers market, we walked over to the local Co-Op Bloomingfoods, very similar to my favorite grocery store, Whole Foods.  I did a full circle around the “salad-bar, hot-bar”, carefully eyeing each individual dish.  I took a brown “to-go” box and filled the bottom with a bed of spring mix, a couple large slices of cucumber, a spoonful of baby cherry tomatoes, pickled bright red onions, sautéed Szechuan Tempeh and Kale, ginger-spiced Tofu and a little bit of Curried vegetables.  The mixture of foods meshed well together.  The spiciness of Szechuan flavor from the Tempeh, the lasting spice from the Curry sauce, the burst of the cherry tomatoes, the flavors just could not be beat.  Each bite had a different taste making my creation that much more enjoyable.  Our foodie day was delicious, fresh and local.

 

The Hot Pot

It's been a while since my last blog, but I'm back and ready to give your tastebuds a joy ride.  Tonight, my friend and I decided to try Siam House, a restaurant on the ethnic 4th Street, right behind Kirkwood.  We were starving, but the restaurant was extremely crowded, so we decided to sit outside on the patio.  There was a nice breeze and a sparkling ambiance of being outdoors.  I was craving Thai food, but not your typical Pad Thai or Curry dish.  I chose the Seafood Speciality called Goong Ob Woon-Sen.  It was a clay pot filled thin translucent bean noodles, bright coral-colored cooked shrimp, soft, squishy Shiitake mushrooms and green onions in a soupy ginger-garlic sauce.  The sun had begun to set and the nice breeze had turned into one with a bit of a chill as we anxiously awaited our meals to arrive.  My meal came out steaming hot, the heat from the dish provided me with an instant warmth.  I drizzled a tangy citrus sauce on top of my meal and started with a twisted forkful of the bean thread noodles.  The noodles were thin, but it was a heaping forkful, making them appear to be of a larger thickness.  The mushrooms were soft, the green onions were fresh and crunchy.  Shrimp is one of my favorite foods and these were cooked to perfection.  They were plump and delicious.  The steam from the sauce left my mouth on fire.  I continued to eat, hoping that there would be leftovers...sadly there weren't, but finishing it was completely worth it.

My Little Tibet

It was 6 o'clock on a Saturday night and I sat in my bed, super hungry.  My day had been a mish-mosh of meals but nothing that was super filling so I was anxiously awaiting a good night's dinner.  We decided on an ethnic restaurant on 4th street, right behind Kirkwood, called Little Tibet.  The restaurant aura was one of a vintage, hippie-retro scene.  I wanted to try an authentic Tibetan dish.  I decided on Phing-Sha, a bean-thread noodle stir-fry with Tofu.  The dish came out steaming hot, the vegetables peaked out from beneath the noodles and the pieces of Tofu were sitting on the sides of the plate, the entire meal was covered in a Tibetan spicy brown sauce.  I started with the chopsticks, but the noodles were sticky, so I switched to a knife and fork.  I cut the noodles into smaller pieces and then switched back to the chopsticks.  I scooped up combination of noodles and half a piece of tofu.  The noodles melted in my mouth, they were so thin, they tasted light and fluffy.  The next bite was filled with vegetables, they were crunchy good-ness.  The sauce was salty but sweet, with a spicy chili garlic aftertaste that left my mouth in flames, begging for water.  This meal was filling but not to the "full" extent, but extremely satisfying, I am excited to go back again!