Baked Fat Attack

I've been extra hungry all weekend. While perusing the Boston Globe on Saturday, I read an article about a Vietnamese sandwich called Banh mi. A fusion of French and Vietnamese cuisines served on a crusty baguette with ham, mayonnaise, and pickled vegetables. The article nearly had me drooling and I had a new goal for the day - eat a Banh mi. Luckily for me, one of the recommended restaurants is located near my gym. The Super 88 is an Asian grocery chain that also has a food court. I've never been to a Super 88, though I've driven by the Dorchester location many times on my way to Target. I walked through the grocery store first before hitting the food court. The store is huge with Asian imports of all kinds. It was a little overwhelming, but I know where to go now if I want to make a specialty Asian dish in the future. In the food court, I found Pho Viet's and ordered a Banh mi with ham with a side order of spring rolls and an Orangina. The sandwich hit the spot! I plan on going back to the food court in the near future. The bowls of pho looked outstanding.

I didn't accomplish much more than a sandwich quest that day. Today proved to be just an mundane. After running twelve miles at the gym, I was hungry for anything salty. I came home and ate a salad, chicken soup, and trail mix. By 6:00pm, I was was craving baked fat. I went on chowhound and yelp for bakery reviews. Nothing is open in Jamaica Plain on a Sunday evening except JP Licks. I don't like JP Licks very much. Their ice cream is too expensive and their baked goods are stale tasting. The first time I saw the ice cream chain, I asked the realtor who was driving me around Jamaica Plain if it was a lesbian bar. I found positive reviews about Athan's Bakery in Brookline. I decided to try it even though I risked losing my coveted off street parking spot. I was pleasantly surprised by its light interior and display cases. It seemed like a nice place to take a close friend. I chose the signature pastry, the Bolero, a miniature chocolate mouse and sponge cake covered with an almond ganache. I also sampled three of their cookies. The cookies were dry, which I happen to like since I was raised on my grandmother's Shoe Fly pie. My grandmother's shoe fly was not the wet bottom variety, but a dry rich molasses cake baked within a pie shell. I live for toasted breads, flaky crusts, and crackers. The Bolero was enjoyable, but I wish I had chosen the baklava instead. Maybe next time. The next bakery I aim to try is the Modern Pastry Shop in the north end which is known for its ricotta pie.

Zen

My friend, Grant, texted me last night with the message, "Rumor @ 11:30." He wanted to introduce me to friends of his that he thought I would like. Grant had told me of two African American gentlemen that he was sure I would drool over. I was already in bed and contemplated getting up to go meet him. Rumor is an upscale nightclub with $12 gin & tonics, house music, and fashionably dressed (mostly white) people trying really hard to get noticed. I laid in bed for twenty minutes thinking about the snowy weather, the lack of parking, the red velvet guarded line, and my lack of slutty club attire. I really don't have anything to wear to clubs. I'm always under dressed and simultaneously amazed at the lengths women go to look cheap and ashamed that I still don't know how to use an eye pencil or hair rollers. This is an oddity since my mother was a licensed hair professional and wouldn't leave the house without her hair coiffed and make-up applied no matter what. When I required stitches after ramming my wrist into the front door window pane, my mother wrapped my hand in a towel and made me wait as she cried intermittently between guilt inducing stares and applying make-up. I decided to stay home. I don't often stay awake past 11 pm unless I have insomnia. The morning brought serene snowfall. It is really beautiful in Boston this morning.