Asian staycation just got easier and cheaper.

I've doing some research for my Asian staycation looking for a market where I can buy my food and other supplies.  There's a little place down the street from me call House of Rice.  All the years I've lived here I thought they were a restaurant but apparently they are also an Asian market will all the food, sushi kits, etc.

http://www.houserice.com/

It just goes to show that there are still little nuggets of information I can find about my own neighborhood.

I was planning on going today after work but, unfortunately, I've been trapped in the apartment Africanized Bees.

The nest was discovered yesterday.  It was brought to my attention when a man in a beekeeper suit knocked on my door.  The next is on my level across the walkway.  He was warning me that they are going to spray the nest and the bees were going to get really upset.

This morning I noticed that most of the bees were gone but about 30+ of them shifted from their nest to right in front of my door and window.  They're bumping into the the door and window which I've been told is a good sign but it can take 24-72 hours after a treatment before they're gone.

I found out at a young age that I'm deathly allergic to bees so I'm pretty much stuck here until they are gone or until they are down to a quantity that I can slip by.  After all, I don't want to spend my vacation in a hospital.

So until then, I'll do some library work at home and put some extra time into planning my trip.

BTW, don't forget that Phoenix Comicon is coming up soon and they have some really awesome guests and panels. Ticket prices go up tomorrow.


Until then true believer, make mine Marvel!

Michael

Preparing for my Asian Staycation

Since I can't afford to travel to the places I want to go, I've been doing some staycationing.  Sometimes it's just a weekend and sometimes it's an entire week.

What I do is create a theme for my week off.  This means that I cook the food of the country I'm "visiting" and watching movies inspired by or filmed in those countries.


My last week-long staycation was following the Griswolds through National Lampoon's European Vacation.  Before that I spent a week following them through the states in National Lampoon's Vacation.   I've also spent time in Spain, Jamaica, Iceland, Hawaii, etc.

Next week, I'm spending five days in Asia (or Staysia):

Day 1 -
Country - India
Food - Shrimp in Coconut Cream Sauce
Cookbook - Flavors of India: Authentic Indian Recipes, by Meena Pathak; pp.51 
Movies - Outsourced, Swades

Day 2 -
Country - China
Food - Classic Barbecued Spareribs, Vegetable Dumpling and Wonton Filling, Beef Chow Fun
Cookbook - The Chinese Takeout Cookbook by Diana Kuan; pp. 33, 41, 138
Movies - China Syndrome, China Connection, Big Trouble in Little China

Day 3 -
Country - Vietnam
Food - Ga Quay Mat Ong (Honey-Roasted Chicken)
Cookbook - The Food of Vietnam: Authentic Recipes from the Heart of Indochina by
                     Trieu Thi Choi and Marcel Isak; p. 106
Movies - Good Morning Vietnam, Apocalypse Now

Day 4 -
Country - Korea
Food - Cabbage Kimchi, Cucumber Kimchi, Glass Noodles with Beef and Vegetables
Cookbook - The Korean Table: From Barbeque to Bibimbap by Taekyung Chung
                     and Debra Samuels; pp. 67, 141

Movies - MASH, Die Another Day (James Bond 007)

Day 5 -
Country - Japan
Food - Miso Soup, Salmon and Avocado Sushi Roll, Tuna Sushi Roll,
            Cucumber Pickles, Green Tea Ice Cream
Cookbook - Japanese Home Cooking by Shunsuke Fukushima; pp. 32, 42-43,44,54,112
Movies - Godzilla (1954), Gamera (MST3K), Gamera vs. Guiron (MST3K)

I think I'm looking forward to Japan the most.  I love sushi and the classic Godzilla movie.  Sushi is also something I can share with Vivian and she's smitten with Gamera!

Here is the shopping list:

ASIAN STAYCATION SHOPPING LIST

4 cups onion

4 cloves garlic

1 tsp ginger pulp

2.25 lbs. large shrimp (raw, shelled, deveined)

4.5 tsp. salt

3 tsp. pepper

.75 tsp ground turmeric

8 tbs. vegetable oil

4 cloves

4 green cardamom pods

1 in. piece cinnamon stick

2 bay leaves

.75 tsp. cayenne pepper

.25 cup plain yogurt

1.5 cup coconut milk

3 tbs. honey

6 tbs. Chinese rice wine or dry sherry

2 tbs. ketchup

1 tbs. hoisin sauce

11 tbs. soy sauce (same as sweet soy sauce?)

11 tsp. sesame oil

4 tbs. minced garlic

.5 tsp. Chinese 5-spice powder

2.5 lbs. pork spareribs (pref. St. Louis style)

13 shitake mushrooms

2 lbs. baby spinach

10 green onion/scallions

1 pkg. dumpling wrappers

.5 lbs. flank steak

2 tbs. oyster sauce

3 tbs. sugar

1 tbs. black beans (fermented)

1 lbs. wide fresh rice noodles or 12 oz. wide dried rice noodles

3 tsp. fresh ginger

1 large whole chicken

3 tbs. honey

1 tbs. lime juice

1 tbs. annatto seed oil (or seeds turned into oil)

1 large head green cabbage

5 cup water

2 tbs. sea salt or kosher salt

.5 bunch garlic chives or regular chives

7 tbs. kimchi paste

2 1-gallon plastic zipper bags

8 mini cucumbers

7 oz. daikon radish

.25 lbs. sirloin tips or rib eye steak

5 oz. dried Korean vermicelli noodles

.5 lbs. spinach

2 tbs. canola, sunflower or other neutral oil

1 carrot

1 tbs. dried wood ear mushrooms

2 tbs. sesame seeds

.25 cup shiromiso paste

.5 tsp. instant dashi

1 tbs. wakame seaweed

3 sheet nori

1.75 cup sushi rice (cooked)

2 pinch wasabi paste

.5 medium avocado

2 strips sashimi-grade salmon

4 strips sashimi-grade tuna

1 English cucumber (10 oz.)

4.5 cups vanilla ice cream (high quality)

1 tsp. matcha

Food pictures and recipes will follow.