Our Valentine's Day experience at Flavor

Why blog about Valentine's Day dinner a couple of weeks later? It does feel like it was so long ago. Turns out programming is very exhausting, and hence I haven't had time nor energy to blog since I changed my job. Such is life.

This past Valentine's day, we decided to have dinner at Flavor, our new found/rediscovered local favorite. I reserved a table two weeks before that. It was super simple, I just had to go online and reserved on OpenTable. Confirmation emails were sent right away and a few days before the reservation.

Since it was a nice and sunny Saturday, all or most of the Bay Area population decided to go to Half Moon Bay to spend the special day. It took us over an hour to get home from the Peninsula. 

We got to the restaurant a few minutes before my reservation, and we got to our table just in time. It wasn't overly crowded. They might have turned people away if they didn't make reservation though. 

I ordered the seafood pot pie, which I remember being very delicious with melt in the mouth pastry and lots of seafood. Jack ordered his favorite, all-in seafood chowder. We also share an order of sauté Brussels sprouts. 

We came here a couple of weeks before and had a great experience. I was impressed that it was so casual, and the waiting staff were very friendly.  

The food was not what we remembered. Well, Jack's seafood chowder was still super delicious. However, the Brussels sprouts was like half of what we had two weeks before. The seafood pot pie had too much potatoes and not enough seafood. I vaguely remember being very impressed how much seafood they put in the first time I went to Flavor a week after they were opened, when they were still in the old location. The pastry on the pot pie was still very delicious, but it seemed like it was put on after it was baked, as I could take it right off the top. Also, they didn't have bread as they normally do.

I did get a red rose when we got our bill, which was nice.

It was a small disappointment about the food, but we think we would give it another chance before I consider taking them off my local charm list. Since it was Valentine's day, and they might be too busy. I may not want to try the seafood pot pie though. 

Forgive me since I sound like a Yelper.      

Divas

Seven years later, I discovered Adele! She is so amazing, and yes, she is truly a diva like Whitney Houston and Celine Dion before her.

It all started with Katy Perry's 2015 Superbowl mid-game show, which was a wow, and so was the second half of the Superbowl.

I really enjoyed the lavish performance, especially the song "Roar," where she was riding a golden lion puppet. American's really know how to entertain!

So I went online to buy a couple of Katy Perry's album, and I also bought Adele and Taylor Swift. It's a spur of the moment thing. I've been enjoying all of them.

Dragons and snakes

(Started writing this last Sunday when it was stormy.)
Stormy Sunday, time to blog about some Cantonese slang. I don't know why it propped up in my mind all of a sudden today while I was doing the dishes.

"The dragon that crossed the river is not as good as the local snakes." Yes, it does sound weird when I translate it this way, but let me explain. Here, the dragon that crossed the river means people from out-of-town or other countries. "Dragon" shows that they are hardworking and industrious. "Local snake" means locals, who maybe less industrious.

Early years when China's coastal towns were opened and started booming, a lot of people moved from the country side or the north to the south for better opportunities. This phase was being used a lot when comparing the success of out-of-towners with locals.

To be fair, a lot of industrious out-of-towners did make it well in the south, so no, this saying is not definitive at all. It was just used to say that locals have the initial advantage knowing the town and connections, but after that everything is fair game, and whoever work hard will make it doesn't matter where they are from.

Let's talk business ... or not

At the end of the day after watching "The GodFather."

Y: I guess "The GodFather" is pretty intense.
J: You can't say you want to watch "The GodFather," and not expect things like horse head in the bed, people get shut at, and women get bitten.

I didn't remember much about any of the "The GodFather" movies, cause I always only remember highlights of all the movies I watched but not any details. So every time I watch a movie which I watched before, I enjoyed it like I was watching a new movie.

The trilogy "The GodFather" is in a class of it's own. The acting, the directing, the plot, sound track are really above and beyond others. So many movies use quotes from the "God Father," and modeled behind it, it's unbelievable. Most prominently to us: "You've got mail." Such as, "go to the mattress." Tom Hanks told Meg Ryan: "it's not personal, it's business," and she said, "what do you mean it's not personal, of course it's personal, you put me out of business!"

The line "It's not personal, it's business" makes me think. I guess everything is business. There is the music business, the movie business, the high tech business, and the yoga business.

There is a difference between doing business and making a living, that's for sure. I have this suspicion that whenever you put the word "business" behind something, you are in it to make money more than anything.

I think I would never be a business person, because I put my emotions behind things I do, whether it is to earn a living or as a hobby.

Now I understand that being emotional is not the privilege of artists, writers, or performers. One is emotional doesn't matter what he does for a living. Emotional people can be programmers, engineers, doctors or any other professions. Just because they are not in business doesn't mean they are not successful. We put so much of ourselves in whatever we do, it is really a part of us.

So yes, we take things personally, and don't tell us it's just business.

Hidden and not so hidden local gems of half moon bay

Disclaimer. I am not paid by any of the businesses mentioned in this post. All experiences are personal, and I'm a real paying customer. I do not see myself as a critic.

Now that the devils' slide tunnel is opened, there are lots and lots of weekend traffic coming from the north. The coast is now unstoppably crowded on weekends and holidays. Here are some places you can visit while you are here.

Via Uno
A relatively new Southern Italian restaurant off of Highway 1 in Half Moon Bay. It is next to Cowboy surf shop, where Gin Wan was used to be. They have authentic Italian food, good pizza and home-made pastas. I love their local Tuesday special, which was a four course meal with soup or salad, a pasta dish, a meat, chicken or fish dish, and dessert. We went last Tuesday, and we love everything!

Flavor
Healthy comfort food with organic and natural ingredients. They have a lot of vegetarian choices and lots of delicious side dishes. We love the all-seafood chowder, and seafood pot pie.

Mezza Luna and it's caffee
Good Italian food. The caffee has very good dessert, tho a little too sweet. I liked the quiche and the coffee.

3zero
Traditional American style breakfast and good selection of lunch choices.

Sandra's massage and Shana's facial at Ujuva

Posh moon
Half moon bay downtown. They have a great selection of cloths and gifts. Carol is super nice.

Rouge
My other favorite boutique. Good selection and good price.

Half moon bay Hallmark store, and Bookstore
Both of them are in the Strawflower shopping center. They have good coastal selections.

New leaf Community Market
Great bakery/deli. Lots of nice products and organic/natural selection.

Arghhh

Tuesday morning, it was still dark, and I was still in my sweet dreams, when I was hit by a strong odor that's like the strongest burned coffee. I continued my sleep believing it was just burned coffee. I got up 20 minutes later, and found yellow PostIts on my computer screen and the kitchen door. Oh, notes from Jack in the morning? That's the first. My pleasure was short lived and instantly replaced by slight annoyance, as the PostIts read: "Jake/Amy got hit by skunk. Don't let them in." Oh great.

I had my almond butter jelly sandwich and coffee, then started to join an early call.

After my morning meeting, I called a local mobile pet groomer to see if anyone could come to bath my dogs. I left them an urgent message. After an hour nobody called back so I took matters in my own hands. Why not? They are my dogs, so it's my job.

I searched the internet for de-skunk methods, and found a useful link from the humane society.  http://m.humanesociety.org/animals/dogs/tips/de-skunking_dog.html.

After reporting the incident to my team, I went shopping for a quart of hydrogen peroxide and two quarts of tomato juice as a backup. While waiting in line to pay at the cashier, I could smell the skunk on myself. Arghhh ... I rushed out of the shop and head back home.

When I got home, I let the dogs out in the yard. I mixed the hydrogen peroxide, baking soda, and dish soup together in a bucket. I put a leash around a tree branch, and hook it up with Jake. I wet a towel with the solution, and bath Jake with it. Jake stood there and let me do what was needed, and I was slightly surprised how well behave he was, since he usually wasn't fond of baths. After rising off the de-skunk solution, I bath Jake with the "all natural" dog shampoo. Jake was very happy when I was done with him, and he rolled around in the green grass to muddy himself up! I then bathed Amy, who normally was very good a taking a bath.

After I was done with both of them, I let them played in the yard for a while, and they seemed especially cheerful.

Then I sprayed the house with air freshener, lit some candles and open all the windows to let the air out. Finally, I took a shower before I went back to work ... 3 hours later.