Eating “Live” Octopus
A couple of weeks ago, I ventured up to New York City’s second “Korean Town” (arguably, the more authentic version) in Flushing, Queens, with Julie and her friends. We had seen Anthony Bourdain (and David Chang of Momofuku fame) eat “live” octopus on the Travel Channel show “No Reservations” at a restaurant there called Sik Gaek, and so we naturally thought: “Yes! We have to try that.”
So, ahem, this is what’s it’s like to eat really, really fresh octopus. Now don’t worry, the octopus is dead — the moving tentacles are an involuntary contraction of the muscles, or something like that.
PETA would not be amused. And you may not be amused either. Do NOT watch this video if you’re faint of heart and don’t want to see people eat something that is squirming around on a plate.
Oh, and how does it taste? Pretty good. Not too bad. It’s more of a novelty, though: I’m not going to be ordering this dish very often.
Montauk, NY
(Photo by Julie Kim)
Flying a kite along a crowded beach, even on a fairly windy day, isn’t as easy as you’d think. I could say that the trick is releasing as much of the string as quickly as you can — just set that sucker way up into the wild blue yonder before the fickle wind closer to the ground sends your poor kite thundering back down to the sand dunes. I could say that, but I’d be bullshitting you. Truth is, I really don’t know the secret to keeping a kite aloft. But I do firmly believe that if you’re gonna soar, soar high.
I’m in Montauk, on the easternmost tip (the South Fork) of New York’s fabled Long Island. This unseasonably warm and beautiful weekend just happens to include my birthday (April 25), and the trip comes courtesy of my girlfriend, Julie, who knows the secret to sending my heart newly aflutter is getting away from the jackhammers and jackasses of The Big City.
Happy Chinese New Year
Sometimes I get to travel right here at home. Today, for example, I watched as tens of thousands of New Yorkers partied like it was 4707. Dragon and lion dancers, heavy drum beats and confetti-filled “firecrackers” were all part of the 2009 Chinese New Year parade in New York City’s Chinatown. It’s the Year of the Ox.
The color red is thought to ward off evil spirits and bad fortune. Ditto the drum beats.
Here’s a video I shot.
Still Kicking
The (apparent) dengue fever hasn’t gone away yet. It’s mild, that’s for sure. But every day now for the past week I have had nausea, after meals and when I wake up in the mornings. My roommate thinks that perhaps I got knocked up in Costa Rica. It’s possible.
I also get a fever now and then, body aches and generally feel crappy. Also, I’ve developed a rash on my arms, a sort of smoking gun for dengue fever. I have a doctor’s appointment tomorrow that should begin to confirm the virus. I’ll keep you posted.
UPDATE, 2/28: Just got back from Doctor #2, the first I’ve seen since I got back to the States. He thought I was crazy, but did a range of tests. Let’s just say he was very thorough. And although I’m no closer to knowing whether or not I have dengue fever, I can say now that my testicles are in excellent shape (not joking), according to the Doc. He has referred me to a specialist, so I’ll be seeing a third doctor soon to try to nail down the dengue question.
UPDATE, 3/4: Doctor #3 put me through another battery of tests. I have now given a total of about a dozen “tubes” of blood samples, so I think I’m done giving blood. If they want any more blood, they can go to Costa Rica and get it from the mosquito that gave me this thing. This Doc didn’t believe I have dengue, but he tested for it anyway, at my insistence. Results due in a few days. In the meantime, I am now in my 12th day of nausea. (I’ve only had a noticeable fever a few times, here and there.)
UPDATE, 3/14: The sickness without a name lasted a full 14 days, and is long gone. Remarkably, the dengue test is STILL not back yet, so I remain clueless as to the actual nature of whatever it was that was ailing me. Oh well, all’s well that ends well, right? People ask: Was the trip worth it, what with you getting sick and all? And I answer: Hell yeah! No, make that, Hell yeah!! with two exclamation points. I only started getting sick the last couple of days, and even then it wasn’t enough to confine me to the hotel room. The trip was extraordinary, and I’m looking forward to plotting my next venture, perhaps in August.
UPDATE, 4/22: My esteemed doctor has yet to provide me with dengue test results. So I’m just gonna call it myself: it was dengue. Case closed; I’m moving on.
The Next Venture Is Set
We’ve bought our tickets for Europe. We’re leaving Wednesday for Paris, where we’ll stay with a friend, Mary-Noelle, in her fabulous Parisian pad. Maybe she can even teach me a word or two of French. We’ll be in Europe for 3 1/2 weeks, hitting several countries. We’re going to play it by ear, but we’ve discussed going to Prague, Amsterdam and Luxembourg, too. But like I said, we’re winging it, so if we end up having tons of fun in France, we’ll just stay there the whole time.
The cool thing is I’ll be spending Easter in Europe, where the holiday brings an over-the-top celebration. Oh, and my birthday (April 25) will be spent overseas this year.
So check back here Thursday or Friday, and maybe I’ll post my first impressions of Paris.
