Close Cousins

I just wanted to dedicate a post to all the cousins out there who feel more like siblings rather than a distant relative. I'm fortunate enough to have tight relationships with many of my cousins and it's something to treasure and be grateful for. I often take these relationships for granted until I hear from others that they don't even know who there cousins are. I guess I grew up thinking this was very normal and am often shocked to find out that's not the case.

This time I want to call out two of my especially close cousins, Nam and Van. Nam is the cousin I spent so much time with while in San Francisco this past weekend. He was such a good host - driving me around, taking me to restaurants and various places in the city - not only do we get to do fun things together, but we can have actual conversations and he shares perspectives with me that are interesting and enlightening at times (though I wouldn't admit that to his face!). It's funny to think about how we got to this point in our lives and in our relationship considering I used to change the kid's diaper! Thanks Nam for showing me such a great time in Cali!!

The other cousin I feel warrants a special shout out is my cousin, Van. She and I get along really, really well. In many ways I think we are more similar to each other than I am to my own siblings. Don't get me wrong, I have very strong relationships with my siblings, but in terms of personality and our view on life, my cousin and I are sometimes more in sync. She is someone I can have fun with (midnight showing of Hunger Games), depend on (she's picking me up from the airport when I land after midnight later today - or is that tomorrow), and talk to (we've talked for hours about nothing and everything). She's always willing to help me with anything. From babysitting to helping me figure out how to do something on my laptop to bringing me Jell-o when I'm sick, she's amazing. Seriously, I am so lucky to have her in my life. Thanks Van for everything!

Those are my final thoughts for the day as I sit and wait to fly out of San Fran. It's been a great trip and I've had such a good time. Now I'm dreading getting on the scale tomorrow after all the gluttony of the weekend.

Can't. Eat. Anymore.

After ingesting copious amounts of food since landing in San Fran all day every day I can officially say that I can't eat anymore. Seriously. Even with the morning sweat sessions every day this past weekend I will be lucky if I weigh anything remotely close to where I was before boarding the plane. It's a good thing I don't live out here or I'd certainly double in size. There are just too many delicious places to eat. We have great restaurants in Minnesota too - don't get me wrong, but there are so many more choices in closer proximity, i.e. you don't have to drive all over town or long distances for certain types of food. I think a cleanse and some hard core workout sessions will be in order when I get back home.

Today was the first day of my marketing conference. A couple of the sessions haven't lived up to my expectations, but fortunately the other ones have. There is something very energizing about talking shop with people who live and breathe the same things...when it comes to work, anyway. I walked away today with a couple of key learnings that could be applied to my work and might have impact. Hopefully I'll walk away with a few more things during tomorrow's sessions before hopping on a plane and heading home.

It's been nice having some downtime and spending time with my little cousin. It's odd how I used to babysit and take care of him and now he took care of me all weekend. I'm lucky to have close relationships with my family. Speaking of family, I can't wait to get home and give Mark and Keira a big hug. I miss them both, especially my little munchkin.

King of Dumpling

It was another night of great food with a tourist spot sprinkled in. My cousin, his girlfriend and their friend (Nam, Steph, and Jamie) and I ventured over to another part of San Francisco to enjoy food at King of Dumpling. I saw Steph's photos of the food there and knew I had to go. Chinese dumplings are among my favorite foods and when I saw there was an assortment of dumplings to choose from, well, I knew that was a must-eat-at place. I would highly recommend going there if you're in the Bay area. It's not the ultimate in fine dining or anything like that, but if you appreciate simple good food and like Chinese dumplings, this is the place for you. 

Shanghai Pan-Fried Dumplings - my favorite!

Sesame Pancakes with Marinated Beef

Afterwards Nam suggested we head over to "The Beach". I asked him, "Which beach?" His answer was, "I don't know...The Beach." I'm always up for checking out somewhere new. I'm sure glad we did! It was a beautiful sunset though a little chilly with the wind coming off of the water.  I'd recommend going there for a picnic or something. Unfortunately I can't tell you exactly where the beach was - just know it was a few blocks from King of Dumpling.

Beautiful sunset

       

Nam and me - Dragons rule!

     

Off the Grid

I am currenty in San Francisco. On Mon and Tue I will be attending a marketing conference for work (I know. I live such a glamorous life). I flew out earlier to hang out with my cousin, who lives out here, and enjoy some of the city. Otherwise, what is the point of traveling to another city only to be stuck inside a hotel the entire time? I should also note that the weather is going to be perfectly awesome this weekend while I tour the city - sunny and lower 70's.

My cousin knows I have a passion for food - for eating food, that is. I am not a food critic - not in the sense of one who takes small bites, mashes it in their mouths trying to distinguish flavors, and turns their nose up if it's not made of the most exotic, random ingredients that would make most of our stomachs turn. I am just an everyday person who LOVES to eat and loves to share my opinion when I find something I've really enjoyed.

That brings me to last night. I found something I really enjoyed - the Koja burger with Korean short ribs. Here's a picture. It's one of the most inventive ways of serving up a food I've enjoyed previously in a bowl. It doesn't hurt that the ribs were some of the best Korean short ribs I've had. 

Believe it or not, I'm now off for a run along the wharf - if I can find my way there, anyway. My cousin and his girlfriend are taking me to tourist sites, as well as more of their favorite eateries, so I need to work off what I'm going to ingest later in the day. Check back for more of my adventures as I eat my way through San Fran!

Pizzeria Lola on Triple D

Just a quick shout-out to one of our favorite eateries, Pizzeria Lola. They were on Diners, Drive-ins and Dives recently and did a fantastic job. I just hope they won't be overrun with too many people. While I'm happy to share delicious food with others, I'm not willing to do so at the expense of getting a seat for myself. Congrats Lola! Click on the link below to see restaurant owner and chef, Ann Kim, wow Guy!

Pizzeria Lola on Diners, Drive-ins and Dives