I'm perhaps the last coffee snob to get on the bandwagon about this, but I finally plunked down $25 and got myself an Aeropress coffee maker. I have had four perfect cups from it so far, and am looking forward to many more. I am still a big fan of the Chemex coffee maker, which…
Category: Food and Drink
Last Days in Singapore: Yummy Intestines, Surreal Cityscapes, Bargain Sailor Duds
I’m on a plane now, headed back to the States, surprisingly sad to be leaving the small city-state of Singapore. My last couple of days in Singapore were some of the most fun and interesting. Some of the highlights: Pig’s Intestine Soup: My local food expert and guide Janice was insistent that I try one…
Singapore Day Six: Chili Crab, Nocturnal Animals, and Consumerism
I’m winding down my Singapore adventures today and tomorrow, and, man, it’s been an incredible trip. Summarizing just the highlights is kind of tough, but here we go: The Night Safari. O.M.G. So amazingly awesome. Getting to walk through a tropical forest in the dark and encountering all sorts of animals is so much better…
Singapore Day 1: Disreputable Thai food, Lindy Hop, Tap, and Second Life
Too many awesome things about Singapore to write about. And too jet-lagged to think straight anyway. But some of the best stuff: Kept doing double-takes at the astounding architecture everywhere, from ancient Buddhist temples to ultra-futuristic complexes that looked straight out of Second Life. Wandered through floors and floors of bargain computer gear at the…
Easter with the Santos Clan (pics, video)
Easter with the Santos clan was a very festive affair this year, hosted by the Martin family in their lovely house in Hercules, CA. I had a great time hanging out with the fam, eating a ridiculous amount of amazing food, playing with my littlest cousins, and just relaxing on a gorgeous Easter sunday. Check…
A San Francisco Monday: Bayside Jog, Coffee Snobbery, Food Truckin, and Swank Swing
I had a fantastic Monday in San Francisco that reminds me of why I'm so excited about living here. I woke up early, threw on my sneaks and headed out from the pad I'm crashing at in Mission Bay. Then I went for an energizing 2 mile run by the waterside through the Embaracadero and…
Cherimoya: Weird, Tasty, Pricey Fruit
At a family function the other day, a distant relative gave my mom a couple of cherimoya fruit to take home and try. We cut one up and had it for dessert tonight. I have to say, it's kind of awesome. Delicate, hard to cultivate, and indigenous to the Andes region of South America, cherimoya…
Jar of Sadness (pic)
The Hario Buono V60 Drip Kettle: the perfect kettle for pour-over coffee
If you are a coffee snob and you practice one of the pour-over preparation methods, i.e. Chemex, Melitta or Hario , than you know that achieving the right kind of pour onto the grounds is an essential part of the process. The problem is that most water kettles on the market have these wide spouts…
Rik’s NYC Bucket List : Amateur Night, Elegant Swing, and Lots of Pork
So my last two weeks in New York were spent fulfilling several "Bucket List" items that are my favorite things to do in the city. Here's a quick rundown of what I did. Probably the only true "Bucket List" item — something that I've never done that I've always wanted to do — was to…