Month: July 2005

The secret to perfect roast beef? First, the ingredients are really simple. According to Cook’s Illustrated The New Best Recipe, there are only 4 ingredients: a good cut of beef (I had about 4 pounds of bottom round), salt, pepper, and vegetable oil. The critical technique is pan browning, followed by slow cooking at 2 temperatures. Using the Polder Cooking Timer and Thermometer‘s continuous reading probe, it is really painless to pull it off — you just set the internal temperature desired (250 degree oven until 110 degree internal temp, followed by 500 degree oven until 130 degree internal temp). You don’t even have to peek in the oven and mess up the temp. The results came out perfect – good crust on the outside, medium pink on the inside. Totally succulent, and good eating for the next few days.

This entry: hearing — from people, by people, for people.

Great news! I heard from one of my old friends from college; she’s having her first baby next month in Hong Kong. So many of my friends and family are having babies this year!

As the Asian American International Film Festival centerpiece film, Michael Kang’s The Motel is a wonderful coming of age film. A Chinese family runs a seedy New Jersey motel; the 13 year old Earnest Chin, played by Jeffrey Chyau, explores the ways he can express himself and be heard prodded by a Korean American guest with a clouded background. I originally saw the workshop reading at NYU during the 2001 AAIFF; being able to see the final result after its four year evolution was very rewarding. Recommended.

Today, P– and I went to see my co-worker’s appearance in an off-Broadway play called Top Ten. Ten actors are only initially identified by number, but gradually we learn about who these people are, and how they live, calculate and interact with each other, providing political and social commentary in the process. My co-worker was “Nine”, who served the narrator’s role, somewhat like El Gallo in The Fantasticks. The double entendre of the play’s last line is the moral that we need in these uncertain times:

“Hope… it’s good to hear from you.”

Recommended. It plays until the end of the month, so catch it before it ends.

Not as humid as it has been the past couple of days. Ah, a NYC summer indeed.

“Are subway searches legal?” Slate’s “Explainer” gave the best possible answer under the circumstances: Depends.

Slate’s “Explainer” also explains how those bomb-sniffing dogs learn to sniff bombs. I confess – the real reason I’ve linked to this article is because the dog in the picture looks so cute! It looks like he’s enjoying his job a little much. And, Slate’s caption for the picture – “I love the smell of C-4 in the morning …” – as if the dog’s really that enthusiastic. Um, ok…

Slate has an interesting conversation on U.S. Supreme Court nomination of John Roberts.

Ok, now I can’t find the article (maybe it was Daily News or MSNBC or NY Post) – CBS News’ John Roberts is apparently amused that he got to announce on tv that the White House nominated John Roberts as Supreme Court justice. Hehehe. It is much too common a name. And, there’s the strangeness that Judge Roberts’ family all have “J” names.

Watched “The Apartment.” Great movie. Would you compromise your principles to get ahead with your career? Would you give up the love of your life, since she’s really the (married) boss’ girlfriend? And, geez, Jack Lemmon got a little creepy there when it turned out he knew a little too much about life of the elevator girl (just because he’s in the insurance company and had access to her insurance info — um, geez). But, it had heart, since in the end, Jack Lemmon as C.C. Baxter – well, turns out that C.C. had a heart after all. A real softy all right. A vibrant young Shirley MacLaine. A villanous Fred MacMurray (not the same nice guy from those Disney movies). And a taste of NYC in 1960. Highly recommended.