Cali Sundays: Denim Shorts and Dim Sum

What was an obligatory food review for my school's magazine publication became a blogging opportunity. Sunday was idyllic and warm enough that the environment enabled me to wear shorts. Even though the warmth was quickly replaced with a cool chill on Monday, the reprieve from colder temperatures was greatly appreciated. I've always been a shorts-and-tank kind of person because I love the tingling sensation of sunshine on my skin that comes every spring and summer. Please excuse my awkward stance as I found this was the least awkward photo from a plethora of other horrifying options. 

Many things I want to say about this shawl that I'm wearing: 1) I made it for five dollars using this tutorial and a scarf from H&M  2) It should *not* be called a kimono. Calling this shawl a kimono is actually cultural appropriation. Cultural appropriation is when someone takes part of another culture and adopts it without recognition of the significance of what they have appropriated. This doesn't sound bad but it can get offensive really quickly. I don't think many people know what cultural appropriation is (at least I didn't until the magazine I write and draw for wrote an article on it)  and how insensitive and inaccurate we are every time we call this article of clothing a "Kimono". A kimono is far more elaborate and holds much more cultural importance than those at Brandy Melville could ever express. I'm not calling for a boycott of these trendy shawls (though lets be real selling flimsy fabric for over $50 is kind of an injustice), but let's just rethink what we call these breezy pieces :) 

This shawl took me about 5 minutes to figure out? It was really easy and I love the colors! 

I found this gold snakeskin print bag in the recesses of my mothers closet. I have no idea where she got it and how often she must have worn this baby in her 20's but I now use it for almost every outing. 

This silver bracelet was actually a gift from a beloved Aunt in China. 谢谢小舅妈！You can't really see it in this photo but the bangle has a star charm and a doll face charm. It goes with so many outfits and every time I wear it I'm reminded of the family I have in China <3

I bought this crop top from Choies and it came out to be a little more cropped and looser than I'd hoped. However, it works out well here with the high waisted shorts so that I'm only exposing a classy bit of midriff. It's a very comfortable, stretchy material but the sleeves also end at a bit of an awkward length, and without staying tight. Overall I really like the items I got from Choies but I wish processing and shipping was a little quicker :/ It was my first time ordering but I thought the VIP membership points were very disorganized and not made lucid to customers. They have very cute clothes and very affordable prices though so I can't really complain.

Shawl- DIY (scarf from H&M) 

Striped 3/4 Sleeve Crop Top- Choies

High-waisted Shorts- F21

Sunglasses- Stanford Bookstore 

Silver Bangle- Gift 

Assorted Leather Bracelets- Choies

Gold Bag- Mom 

Flip Flops- Old Navy (not pictured)

After my lovely photographer, E, helped me with these photos we went to divulge in my favorite food: dim sum. 

Ahhhh yes, obscure asian drinks! I grew up going to dim sum every other sunday lunch with my family in the very cantonese town of Union City. I've never gone without my family so this was exciting for me and I felt like such an adult. We went to Cooking Papa because it was the closest authentic dim sum place around. 

^ My photographer and partner-in-crime besides S.

Hong Kong Milk Tea $2.50- The tea flavor was deeper, richer, and more... burnt? But in a good way. Taiwanese milk teas tend to have more sugar and milk in them than I would like but this is more appropriate for a morning drink than boba.

 Steamed Pork Buns $2.50(I think?)- Cha shu bao, I've missed this so much! The fluffy, sweet and white dough resonated well with the barbeque-honey flavors of the pork. This is one of my childhood favorites.

 Steamed Shrimp Dumplings $4.50(I think?) The wrapping is clear and the bamboo in the shrimp filling offered good texture to the dumplings which I either never noticed or has become a unique variation on dumplings. 

 Siu Mai $4.50?- Another one of my favorites. Steamed pork and shrimp dumplings with fish eggs on top. 

Steamed Turnip Cake $3.50?- I usually like the fried version better but this was flavorful too. 

After dim sum, E and I went to Sno-Zen to have some shaved snow! I'm not sure how the Taiwanese come up with so many amazing snacks but props to them. 

 Not sure of the price but the shaved snow is vanilla with sweetened condensed milk, strawberries, and lychee jelly. The flavors together offered a quintessential asian taste commonly found with shaved snow and pearl milk teas. 

- K

Foodie Adventures: Umami Burger

u·ma·mi /o͞oˈmämē/ noun - a pleasant, savory taste

For the namesake of our blog, we inevitably had to go on some adventure. And what could possibly be more adventurous than downtown Palo Alto? While we didn't go far, we were able to explore some interesting flavors. Time to put that 10 credits of CTE to good use in this food review.

K: The Umami Burger restaurant can be described as a library meets cabin-in-the-woods meets art school. Bookshelves offer some form of privacy between tables which was nice. 

S: I ordered the actual Umami burger ($11.50), also known as the Original Burger. Gotta try what a restaurant calls its original dish, right? The burger has a one juicy beef patty cooked to your preference of doneness (mine was medium rare), a sweet and succulent roasted tomato, shiitake mushroom, caramelized onions, crunchy parmesan frico, and Umami Burger’s unique house ketchup. It’s always such a great feeling when each ingredient in a dish work with each other to create the perfect harmony, and that is exactly what happened in this dish. The juiciness of the tomato, patty, and onion combined with the crunchiness of the bun and frico and the chewiness of the shiitake mushrooms create such a pleasant texture in the mouth — not to mention the extraordinary taste of the burger as well. After biting into the burger, I detected some sweet notes from the tomato and onion, then some fattier notes from the frico and patty itself. The patty was definitely made from high quality meat, cooked to the perfection, rounding off the perfect bite of the burger. 

K: Until I tried the Truffle Burger ($12), I had never tasted a burger that felt so luxurious in my mouth. My burger consisted of a succulent medium-rare beef patty, creamy truffle aioli, house truffle cheese, and a truffle glaze. I couldn’t distinguish which truffle ingredients were what because all together they just looked like cheese. However, the flavors worked in the most harmonious way imaginable. The juices from the burger paired with the depth of the truffle and creaminess of the cheese is a treat to the palate. I was expecting the truffle flavor in the burger too be too rich for me to scarf down the whole thing quickly but boy was I wrong… The main concentration of the truffle flavor resides in the cheese but overall is not overwhelming and is very pleasurable. The crisp bun in conjunction with the juicy patty and savory sauces offered the most satisfactory combination of texture and flavor in each bite.

S: The table placement at Umami is so beautiful - it is the little things that make the restaurant's cozy yet classy atmosphere so pleasing. The menu itself has so much to offer as well, anything off of the menu is sure to be an experience the taste buds will remember.

K: The burger paired perfectly with the crunchy sweet potato fries which were seasoned with brown sugar and spices that gave it a great kick. I found that the Umami ketchup sauce also had hints of truffle oil in it, so that every dip definitely gives that signature savory flavor that is known as umami.

K: After enjoying such a trendy gourmet burger restaurant, I feel the need to be just as artsy. After all, you are what you eat.

S: So, it was still a bit rainy the day we chose to go to Umami Burger — but of course we were prepared. K is rockin a dress and flannel combo, dresses aren’t just for warmer days! Along with that, she’s paired a leather messenger bag, cute wedges and a clear umbrella. For myself, I’ve still got my black rainboots and top paired with relatively lighter components of the rest of my outfit. I love the contrast of the boots and top with my peach and cream cardigan, gray infinity scarf, and white jeans.  

K: If I had to match a TV trope to S’s outfit I would say she embodies the adorable girl next door in that cozy yet feminine cardigan. I love that the femme color palette utilizing the soft peach and white is juxtaposed by the edgier black elements in her boots, shirt, and umbrella keep the outfit balanced literally from head to toe. It’s a very classy combination. I didn’t feel like it was that cold that day so I opted for a t-shirt dress with a daintier floral print to mix with the larger plaid checks on my flannel. I got the flannel while thrifting in SF and have found it to be a surprisingly versatile item in my closet. It’s also a larger (I think mens’ size) fit so its comfortable as well. The combination of the two prints gave off a rustic vibe so I paired it with leather and suede accents like my bag and shoes.

S: Cozy and comfortable - yet chic. That's always something to go for, looking good while feeling comfortable. Everything in this outfit feels good to wear, and is super versatile. Everything is either warm, or flexible when pairing with other elements of an outfit.

K's Outfit:

Flannel- Thrifted

Dress- Urban Outfitters

Necklace- DIY

Messenger Bag- F21

Boot Wedges- Nine West 

Umbrella: Amazon

S's Outfit:

Cardigan: Forever 21

Scarf: Nordstrom BP

Top: Forever 21

Jeans: Ralph Lauren

Boots: Amazon

Umbrella: Target

Super Bowl Sunday

 "I love this because it's something very comfy and casual that I'd love to throw on" - AZ

shirt-Gap

jeans-Hollister

jacket-Patagonia

boots-Steve Madden

backpack-F21

Pro-tip: Don't fall for the $150 jean jacket hoodie (I'm looking at you Free People) Just layer a hoodie under a jean jacket or vest. Save yourself some extra $ for more snacks to watch the Superbowl with.

Lip Stain- Sephora Cream Lip Stain in Blackberry Sorbet

Floral Shirt- friend's 

Hoodie- Hollister

Jean Jacket-Tommy Hilfiger

 Yoga pants- Lululemon

High-tops- F21

Peace and Love,

AZ and KC