sentimental spring break

Quite a bit behind.  Apparently Blogspot is blocked in China… I couldn’t tell you…

It’s odd because I feel like all the cutest food blogs are Asian (if not European).

Throwing it back.

Right back where I started from.

A final solo trip back to the homeland.

The next time, if and when there's a next time, I've promised to bring along the little bro - back to the place of birth.

East coast is nice and all.  And I could get used to the Midwest for the betterment of my education/career (opportunities have yet to come a-knockin' ... mehhhhh).  But at the core, I'd like to think I'm a Southwest girl who is still trying to make her way to the West coast.

It's hard to appreciate things when you are young and angsty and stranded.  But I can't deny that I missed New Mexico (read: missed New Mexican food).  But real talk... I did.  I missed the mountains.  I missed the desert scenery.  I missed the pueblo shops filled with pueblo art.  This time, I was able to explore ABQ and Santa Fe on my own.  In other words, I saw that Santa Fe is more than the (previously known as, apparently) Villa Linda mall, and ABQ is more than an airport.  Surrounded by blue mountains, the drive was beautiful... until it started to snow the minute I reached Los Alamos, but even that was kind of whimsical and pretty, like the sleepy town was morbidly announcing my arrival somehow as I tried to remember where Mom is.  And I found myself in the middle of a poem when I drove back at night by the light of a full moon.

I had some time to kill the morning I landed in ABQ, so after trying to act like I knew what I was doing whilst picking up the rental car, I remembered ABQ is the home of Breaking Bad.

"I have class until 1:50pm.  Do you have something to do?"

Awkward fangirl activities, of course.

Walter White's house.  A1 Car Wash.  Saul's office.

The next day Grace even took me to The Grove for brunch where Walt ultimately poisoned Lydia with her precious Splenda – I found no Splenda packets.

The first day and a half was spent with Grace – Family Friend (FF) #1 who is now a junior in college.  It had been around ten years since I last saw her.  She turned out so well.  We braved the wind and cold in Santa Fe, where I discovered the magic/necessity of woven blankets, and downed fruity margaritas with her roommates.

The second day was spent with FF of the parents and their two precious daughters.  I might have gotten them addicted to the iPad… oops.  I awkwardly joined them at an infamous Asian party, where only two other families recognized me.

The third day was spent with Richard (FF#2 who is now a senior in high school) and his older brother.  The “original Los Alamos kids” he called us.  Back in the day, Richard was the one who helped feed my video game addiction.  I used to trek across the street to his home every weekend.  His brother Shawn used to seem like such an adult when I was of toddler size (was and still am the shortest of the bunch), and now he’s on his way to Duke for Residency.

I got a serious case of the feels on this unconventional last spring break ever.  I’m sad I missed Andy (whose house is now like… a daycare?), but it was a good last visit before everyone comes to their senses and starts moving out of Los Alamos.  It was good to drive past my old houses, the hospital, the soccer field, the middle school (which looks like a low level industrial building).  It was good to drive through the old streets I used to ride backseat to.  As exciting as it is to explore new places and scenes, it’s nice to go back to the familiar from time to time.

As always, let’s talk about food now:

 I used up the remaining % of my phone battery (most of which was used on finding and photographing Breaking Bad locations) to search a unique-and-highly-rated-on-Yelp place near the UNM campus for lunch.  Found a tiny little Cuban place.  Roasted vegetable arepa with black beans and sweet plantains – the plantains won me over.

 My first stop with Grace in Sante Fe was one of her favorites Tomasita's.  New Mexican food, I can’t get enough of you.  I got the daily special – carne adovada.  Drowned in both authentic green and red chilies (a fresher kind of spicy goodness that is different from my other Sichuan roots – but equally appreciated).  With warm and cozy sopapillas (every culture has their fried dough, right?) lathered in honey butter.  Our waitress was so grandmotherly and sweet that she brought out a fresh basket of sopapillas because ours had gotten cold, and she insisted I try a warm one since it was my first time.  I took home leftovers and saved them all the way until my flight home, a wonderful present to myself (and savior from overpriced airplane food, to which I usually fall victim).

 Brunch at the aforementioned Grove was a departure from Southwestern food, but still to die for.  Because poached eggs.  Because roasted asparagus.  Because large pieces of shaved parmesan.  Because prosciutto.  And whole grain mustard.  Because house made red chili raspberry jam on rye toast.  Because freshest fruit salad (unlike the sad and watery melons of fruit salads at Duke).  And because free latte thanks to Grace’s drink cards.

The one thing I missed out on was a breakfast burrito from Chili Works.  I forgot many things are closed on Sundays – guess I’m accustomed to the brunch lifestyle in NC… and anywhere else.

I’m about to go shopping for breakfast burrito materials.  How long would New Mexican chilies take to ship here?

"Sorry, I just wanted to put your feelings back together." - 7 yr old to her big sister.