Burma Chronicles: A Quick Review

Lucky for us, Guy Delisle has been able to travel to places few westerners get to see. His first graphic novel was set in North Korea. His most recent, Burma Chronicles, tells of life inside the military controlled country now called Myanmar, much of which he experiences while wheeling his toddler son through the streets in a stroller.

Drawn in by the opportunity to experience cultural nuances in this isolated country, the author's humorous writing style will likely keep readers reading and perhaps make new graphic novel fans. If I had one critisism of this book, it would be a wish that the brief snippets were a little longer and more complete. Often the author ends a story rather abrubtly.

I look forward to his next book and in case he is at a loss for ideas, I'm working on my list of under represented in graphic novels countries, that I would like him to live in next: Saudi Arabia, Cuba, Haiti, maybe an African country or two...any other suggestions?

Music Monday: Burmese Drum Contest

Since my last attempt at Babel Fish translation went horribly wrong, I am going to trust the poster on this one. I am thinking of making this Burma (Myanmar) week. What do you think? All those in favor?

Gluttonous jumbo 餃 child

I don't speak Japanese so thanks to Babel Fish I was able to find out that this man is in fact eating a gluttonous jumbo 餃 child. Translate it for yourself if you don't believe me: 大食い ジャンボ餃子.

餃 must therefore mean ____? Tasty?

Music Monday

I'm not sure if Tut-Tut invented the Music Monday but I am emulating her trend anyway. It's a great idea. Mondays are always so difficult when one is returning to the work week that something is needed to jump-start the system.

Ximena Sariñana was nominated for a Grammy in the Latin music category in 2008, and has, I think, a wonderful vocal style.




From her Grammy nominated Mediocre.





I love the way she works this song but the giant dork glasses are distracting.

Crust Pizza

(the Gigantor pizza, and a picture of the retro 70's inspired tables)









Crust Pizza
Red Bank TN

http://www.crustpizza.com/ (Check out the South Park inspired character on the Crust website)


Crust Pizza is a restaurant that touts it's "Famous Thin Crust". They use fresh ingredients and even make their own salad dressings, such as the rosemary French, for which they deserve many extra credit points. The salads are huge with chick peas, topped with that home made salad dressing. The pizza was good, but the sausage, I think, can sometimes be dry. The pasta dishes are flavorful but served in metal bowls which seems to continue the cooking resulting in what ends up being overcooked noodles.

I can't talk about Crust without mentioning the groovy 70's inspired design. The walls and tables are decorated in pop culture memorabilia and bring back memories. From those advertisement parody stickers once found in bubblegum packets (Wacky Packs, remember those?), to Sleestaks and Puff N Stuff. The menu items also have retro inspired names such as the Sigmund and the Mighty Isis pizzas.

I have eaten here many times and would definitely recommend the lunch buffet option which includes a huge salad and several different kinds of pizzas.

Dine-o-meter rating 70%

Pho #1 Atlanta Georgia and Pho 1 Houston Texas

Pho #1
4051 Buford Hwy NE
Atlanta, GA 30345

One of my favorite places in Atlanta to get Vietnamese vermicelli dishes. The meats have a smokey grilled flavor that really ads to the dish. The vermicelli bowl at a Vietnamese restaurant typically comes with rice noodles, herbs, peanuts, shredded carrots, and lettuce. A very healthy option that would be a great introduction to Vietnamese cuisine if you have never tried it.

Pho 1
11148 Westheimer Rd
Houston, TX 77042
(713) 917-0351

This is probably my favorite little Vietnamese restaurant in Houston. They don't overdo the fishy flavor in the dishes and if they use any fish sauce at all, the flavor is barley detectable. All dishes are great but I especially recommend giving the do-it-yourself fresh spring rolls a try. The grilled meats, noodles, vegetables, herbs, and wrappers are brought to your table and you can add ingredients to your liking. It takes practice to roll the rice paper wrappers but even if you mess up, they still taste great.

Dine-o-meter rating: 84 % for Atlanta and 86% for Houston.

Pepper and Eggs Friday

Here's a video that is unfortunately relevant these days when most people are broke and looking for ways to cut down on costs. This if from the series Great Depression cooking, hosted by 93 year old Clara, who shares with us recipes from her childhood during the great depression.



Pepper and egg sandwiches were popular on Fridays in my Chicago neighborhood when I was growing up, because many Catholic residents did not eat meat on Friday.


*The idea for this video was brazenly stolen from Margie and Edna's Basement (Stealing from the "elderly." I should be ashamed.)

Beaded Stitch Markers

Custom made beaded stitch markers, made from beads that I personally selected, purchased from SumJewelry at Etsy. How cute are these!

There is a huge sale going on at SumJewelry, with free shipping to the US and Canada during March and April: http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=6634746

Buford Highway Farmer's Market

Israeli persimmons, longans from Asia, Korean cucumber, flowering chives, long beans, and way too many red Thai chilies (what was I thinking! )


Some of the bounty of international produce purchased on a recent trip to the Buford Farmer's Market just outside of Atlanta. This is probably my favorite area farmer's market because of the huge range of countries represented.

Interestingly, not all of this produce was imported. The Korean cucumbers, for example, were grown right here in the US.

The farmer's market provides an opportunity to experiment with new flavors or to reconnect with your former favorites. What may be an odd looking hairy fruit to me, is a fond childhood memory for someone else. The market is frequented by many of Atlanta's international residents as well as the culinarily curious.

Hey if anyone needs any Thai chilies, let me know!