Things I love: Libraries

     I really like books so I guess it's only natural that I would like libraries. As a young child, I remember walking to the public library that was near my house with my mother. The library was an old red bricked establishment that consisted of two small levels that were crammed tight with yellowed books and an extensive and eclectic movie collection. There was also a closed off little reading area that snaked off into a turret like roof. I longed to go up there, convinced that any book that I enjoyed in that lofty place would be infinitely better than when I read it in our dingy faded apartment. Despite the library's preclusion to my entrance of the room, I always looked forward to going to the library because after checking out a huge stack of books my mother and I would go and have lunch together. It wasn't anyplace fancy but these little excursions were often the highlight of my week.

  

    I started volunteering at my local library when I was around fourteen. There was a brief period of training that consisted of the head librarian telling me that I was assigned to shelve the children's section, I should shelve quickly but not sloppily, and try to be helpful to any library patrons. If I was particularly adept at my job I would be "promoted" and have the opportunity to shelve in the juvenile and the reference section. If I volunteered for a month and I demonstrated that I was a good shelver then I would be allowed to shelve in the popular and heavily trafficked romance section, the pinacle of every volunteer book shelver's career. 

      I quickly found out why the children's section was the bottom rung of book shelving. I didn't keep a running count but more than half of the children's books seemed to be coated in some unidentifiable sticky substance. Pigtailed three year olds came in demanding that their mothers pick out for them the "brightest", the "newest", the "most interesting" books. I watched in horror as book after book was rejected and the pile of out of placed books grew and grew. Finally, the "perfect" book had been chosen and the hassled mother would lead her child wearily towards the checkout desk. I wearily trudged toward the pile of books and mentally calculated how long it would take me to reshelve them. Darn! The books ranged from A to Q, and Z.

  

    

What I've learned so far

-Insect repellant all too easily removes nail polish.

-White gravy is not oatmeal and shouldn’t be eaten by the bowlful.

-Covering your calculator in stickers doesn’t make you the coolest nerd.

-Using literary references to tell somebody you like them is not effective. 

-Cracking coconuts by dropping them on your floor will stain your floor rather badly.

Asian Drinks to try

At first I decided to come up with a list of Vietnamese drinks but then I realized some of these drinks are popular all over Asia so it made more sense to come up with a list of Asian drinks. I hope that you will have a chance to try or even make some of these drinks and experience something new!

1.Pennywort Drink-I drink this every summer and it can be easily found in the drinks section of your local Asian supermarket. It's intense dark green color might make you a little squeamish but there's nothing too be scared about how it tastes at all. Pennywort drink is sweet, refreshing, and supposedly and makes your skin look better.

2.Soy milk-Asian soy milk is different from the soy milk sold in many groceries. Asian soy milk is less thick, more watery, and usually a good deal sweeter. There are many Asian soy milk brands such as Yeo's but I prefer the taste and flavor of homemade soy milk which is easier to make than it may sound. To locate a soy milk machine, either look online or your local Asian supermarket may carry one (the particular model I have plays "Ode to Joy" when it's making soy milk). Asian soy milk is sometimes flavored with a special green herb that gives it a green color and a nice aroma.

                                                      A glass of Yeo's soy milk

                                                          A soy milk machine

3.Artichoke juice-Artichoke juice is very healthy for you. Making this drink is very simple; you simply boil artichokes and collect the juice that comes out. The flavor? It tastes and smells like tea.

Vietnamese snacks galore! Part 1

So after a quick unrelated post, we're back to more yummy Vietnamese food. This time I'll be focusing on those delightful meals between meals-snacks! 

1. Spicy burned rice

While the name sounds less than appetizing, this snack is absolutely delicious and it doesn't taste like burned rice either as its name would suggest. Similar to rice krispies, this snack is crunchy, flavorful, and extremely addictive. It is flavored with various spices and spicy peppers so if you can't handle spicy food it's best to choose the plain flavor which this snack also comes in.

2. Fish Jerky

Nothing smells and tastes quite as good as a hot piece of fish jerky fresh out of the oven. Remember to always eat when hot since the jerky becomes sort of hard and difficult to chew once it cools.

3.Tapioca Cookies

These are lovely little cookies that can be molded into many beautiful shapes and dyed an array of colors. They even taste as good as they look! I remember making these when I was little and how much of a fun experience that was.