Banh mi: the world's perfect sandwich

I miss close proximity to good Vietnamese food.

I was in Orange County today to see my optometrist (he's so great that I've decided to drive an hour to keep seeing him--and it's only once a year). 

I needed to have lunch somewhere and I remembered my friend T telling me about this sandwich place, Tan Hoang Huong Sandwiches and Coffee in Tustin which is very close to my optometrist.

So I stopped by and ordered the spring rolls and grilled pork banh mi, and I have to say that they have the best banh mi I've ever tasted.  The baguette was warm and crusty, the meat was flavorful, and the veggies were fresh.  The spring rolls were also really good.  As you can see, I was really hungry--and it was a satisfying lunch.

If you're ever in the Tustin area, check out THH Sandwiches and Coffee (they also have other locations in OC):
14081 Newport Ave, Tustin CA

Thank you to all my former Vietnamese roommates who introduced me to so many delicious dishes!

Cozy times in DC

Pictures from a recent trip to DC to visit close friends.  They live in the quaint Georgetown area . . . I fell in love with all the row houses with their cute doors and stoops.
It was my first time on the East Coast and I loved it.  And this probably sounds really cliche but good friendships are truly something to treasure.

Winner

I was the lucky winner of Inger Marie's giveaway (I never win these things)!  I love my new teaspoons and the lovely floral paper she wrapped the package in.  The package was quite beautiful and thoughtfully wrapped.  Thank you, Inger Marie!  Her blog is such an amazing source of inspiration for me.

Side note: Blogging can be such a great way to connect with people who share your interests, and a great way to meet new people from all over the world.  Blog connections are kind of like modern pen pals.  And winning these teaspoons was so cool since I got to connect to someone in Denmark who bought the vintage teaspoons at a farm in Sweden.  Now they have a new home in LA where they'll accompany many bowls of ice cream and cups of warm tea.

New project

New weaving that I started this week . . . it'll be an awesome Thanksgiving weekend project.

Have a safe and joy-filled Thanksgiving!

Persimmons in fall and winter

Eating persimmons has always been a large part of my culture and childhood.  We used to live in a house with two giant persimmon trees and we'd share the bright orange fruit with all our friends and neighbors.  My favorite is the fuyu (the harder kind) versus the hachiya (the soft, almost pudding-like kind).

A beautiful day

Ghost Dog

I really like this movie, and I really like this scene.  The soundtrack is also amazing.