Top Ramen

I happen to be a fan of Ramen Noodles. I love going to a new restaurant and trying their noodle selection. This post however is about the home variety. Those dehydrated noodles you find in most if not all groceries. Yes there is nothing like having fresh noodles delivered to your table hot ready to be eaten. But in those rare occasions when you want to eat a bowl at home the packaged noodles are the way to go. There are many different kinds of these home noodles, but my favorite brand is Top Ramen. I enjoy Top Ramen by Nissin because all the salt/flavor is separate from the noodles. And when some of these store bought noodles can have upwards of 1000 plus milligrams of sodium in them having the choice of how much you put in can be beneficial. I generally don't put the entire salt packet into the water as the noodles cook. Not only that but I don't even drink the liquid that the noodles were cooked in. I put just enough of the flavored liquid into the bowl so the noodles aren't totally dry.

My favorite flavor of TR is the oriental. Its tough to describe the taste to you but it is the best of the rest. I do by the other varieties just to switch it up every so often though. Not only do I enjoy them as they come I also try to spice them up a bit too. I like to put a good amount of Sriracha hot sauce on my noodles. I have put fresh cilantro on my noodles when they finish cooking. If I by the shrimp flavor I take some fresh or frozen shrimp and cook it with the noodles. I also have put a handful of spinach in the pot and place the noodles on top to cook together. That makes for a delicious meal. Substituting pasta for ramen is a good way to use up that las bit of sauce so it doesn't have to go to waste.  Not only is ramen tasty it is also cheap too. You won't break the bank putting together a delicious meal. So go out there get some ramen and see what you can come up with.

Monsieur Marcel

I have a fascination with France. The food, the culture, and the country itself. I had the opportunity to go to France in 2010. I flew in at night to Nice then drove down to Cannes. I was there for the film festival that year. It was an amazing experience that cemented my love for the country. The food was an intense and pleasurable adventure for my palette. I enjoyed a pizza with an egg in the center and some of the best chicken wings I've had in a long time. Both of those places were located right next to the hotel I stayed in. Waking up to fresh Brie and Croissants with a boiled egg is something people need to have in their lives. 

I get back to the states and move to Los Angeles. The food culture in Los Angeles is a varied mix. I found a couple of French food spots but none of those are really worth mentioning. I ended up talking to this French girl online. We became friends and when she was in LA we hung out. I took her to those French places I knew. They didn't wow her in the slightest. She looked up places online and found Monsieur Marcel. Monsieur Marcel is located at The Grove in Hollywood. We went to the Grove and found the cafe in the farmers market area. The place even has its own market where you can buy European imported groceries. We took our seats and looked the menu over. Right away she was impressed by the selection of food. 

She found a menu item that she enjoyed a lot back home called Merguez. It comes as a sandwich or entree consisting of Moroccan lamb sausage. I ended up getting a Poulet Pesto(chicken) sandwich. I know what you're thinking "a chicken sandwich, really". Let me tell you this was an amazing piece of food artistry. It tasted so good. The sandwich came with a side of thin french fries. Hanging out with her influenced my condiment selection to accompany my fries. They like mayonnaise with their fries in France. I tried Ratatouille for the first time. Ive had sautéed vegetables before but not like that. We went back there a few more times before she went back home. One of the last times we were there I got a sandwich called The Normandie. Its a tasty sandwich made with Bacon, Brie, Apricot Marmalade, and sliced Apple. This is one of those sandwiches that after the first bite you have to put it down to savor all the nuances contained within. I recommend this place to anyone looking to expand their taste of both food and culture from France. 

Normandie

Philly's Best

I was born in Philadelphia Pennsylvania. I moved to Maryland shortly after that.  I would go back to Philly from time to time to visit family. Now being from Philly I have a particular pallet for cheesesteaks. Finding a good cheesesteak outside of Philly is one of the hardest things in the world to do. There are many theories as to why that is, from the bread to the type of meat used. But one thing is for sure a Philly cheesesteak is one of the best foods you could ever put in your mouth. Having access to a good cheesesteak was just a two hour drive away. But for a while I was to young to drive so i'd have to wait for my dad to come and pick me up.

Living in Maryland I had friends who knowing I was from Philly would always take me to places that had "cheesesteaks". And none of the places they took me to ever made the grade. Its funny to think about them just raving about a place and then I would come in and shut that down real quick. I remember taking a day trip up to Philly with some friends a few years ago. The suggested we go to a touristy cheesesteak place on South street. They all love it. I on the other hand quickly pointed out how bad it was. The next time we were in Philly I took them to a place I like going to. I told my friend before we get in the car to take a bite out of the cheesesteak. His eye nearly jumped out of his head. He said it was the best he'd ever eaten.

In 2011 I moved to California. Miles away from any good cheesesteak or so I thought. I ended up finding  a place called Philly's Best located in Burbank California. I went in thinking how good could this place be. To my surprise very good. The meat is flavored well, they import the rolls directly from Philly. How can you go wrong with that. They even sell Tastycake products too. If you are from the east coast then you've probably had a Krimpet at one time. Not to mention the assortment of toppings from peppers (spicy or mild) to barrel pickles. Needless to say I am a fan of this place. It is a little taste of home on the West Coast. So if you are in Burbank swing by and grab a cheesesteak for yourself.

Current Situation

I have not worked since June of last year. All my money is running out. Positive thoughts can only do so much. Applying to jobs and hearing nothing back takes its toll. Just have to keep moving forward.

Words For Her

I want to love you every morning, every night, and every moment in between.  I want to love every inch of your body from your head to your feet.  I can’t deny the way I feel. I was afraid of it. Afraid of feeling like this about someone. Not knowing what the future of us is makes me un-easy. Will we last forever or just a few brief encounters? I beat myself up every day emotionally thinking about this situation we could be putting ourselves in. It doesn’t do me any good making myself lovesick over you. You’re not here. I don’t know when I’ll see you again. Dwelling on this is a futile act. An act that I cant help but undertake daily. Admitting to this doesn’t make it any less foolish. I guess this is my life till you change it for good or worse.

A New Kind Of Love

I consider myself to be a straight male. Even though I have seen a couple of dudes I would consider pretty. More feminine not so much masculine. Ten years ago I found myself looking at some stuff of an adult nature on the Internet, and came across some "Shemale" porn. A new and interesting world was opened to me. The title of this piece is not referring to the porn itself but of a particular girl I came across. Fast forward to a couple of years ago I found a girl who I was attracted to instantly. She is a transgender woman, the proper term for a male who has transitioned into a female. I didn't know I would be so into her. Don't get me wrong I have found some trans-women attractive before but not to this degree. Blonde, tall, great face, great butt, and she is European. Great combination for any type of woman.

I ended up finding her on twitter. I struck up a conversation with her. Things are going smooth. She adds me on facebook. She tells me she thinks I am attractive. I thought that would be the extent of the relationship. Just an online rapport and that’s it. But to my surprise she wanted to meet. I obliged and the date was set. Let me tell you I was nervous as a man could be. We ended up going to Chic-fil-a and then back to her place. I would like to tell you some interesting sex story but that didn’t happen. We ate and watched a movie. I left shortly after the end. We hung out a few more times. Only a couple of those times did I spend the night. Still I didn’t make any moves. She may have been getting frustrated with me. But I have never been with a Trans-woman before. Wasn't sure what to do with the equipment. 

As I got to know her I became more and more infatuated with her. She is a breath of fresh air. Since she isn't from the US she doesn't have the same mentality. She is French. She was very innocent. So much so that some people took her kindness for weakness and took advantage of her. I didn't want to be that type of person in her life. I wanted and did treat her with the respect she deserves. I found myself thinking about her all the time. I have never felt this way about anyone. My nerves got the better of me. We ended up having a conversation about our relationship. She was into me but she stated that since I wasn't showing interest in her that her feelings were starting to fade. Of course we get into all this a week or so before she heads back to France. 

I officially fucked that relationship up. I still have it bad for her. I am afraid that we will only be "just friends". I have to get over that nervous feeling she gives me. Take the first step and win her heart. Maybe one day it will happen. Who knows? I guess only time will tell.

A Walk Among The Tombstones

I joined a website called Meetup.com. One of the groups on the site is for free screenings of movies. This particular move happened to be A Walk Among The Tombstones starring Liam Neeson. I follow the instructions on how to get my ticket for the screening. These events tend to give away more tickets than seats in the theater, so its best to arrive early. I show up to the theater and find my seat.

Liam Neeson is Matt Scudder, a retired former alcoholic cop that becomes a private detective. A former junkie Howie, who had a run in with Matt a while back gets him in touch with his drug trafficking brother Kenny. Kenny's wife was kidnapped and murdered. Matt after hearing how Kenny's wife was tortured takes the case to find out who did it.

Over all I enjoyed the movie. It had good tension and suspense. I also liked the introduction of T.J. as Matt's young associate. They had a good dynamic, and the young actor who played T.J. held his own acting next to Liam. The only thing that bugged me was the end of the movie. There is a scene (spoiler alert) in which one of the bad guys is handcuffed to a radiator but some how manages to free himself. Other than that it was an enjoyable film. I do recommend it.