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2.20.2013

My Romance with Trader Joe

I love Trader Joe. My toddler really loves Trader Joe. Whoever he is, we love him. When we step into the store, T drags me to the 'yummy' area for a sample of their daily product tasting. He has his own grocery list when I visit Trader Joe's.

Pretzel Stick Bread, which is eat on premises
Freeze Dried Strawberries, eat in car on way home
Blueberries and Cream Yogurt, eat first thing when we get home
Ground Turkey (for meatballs or burgers) and Frozen Petite Peas, used for dinner that night
Mini Pancakes with fruit and agave, breakfast the next day
Edamame Hummus, for sandwiches the next day
Guilt-Free Pita Chips, to finish off the hummus by the evening

I can actually keep going just on snacks alone (honey wheat pretzel sticks, kettle popcorn, peanut butter filled pretzels, etc.). We love Trader Joe. Whoever he is...

T in the Far East

16 hours from JFK to HKG. A week later, 4.5 hours from HKG to Denpasar, Indonesia. At the risk of malaria and Bali Belly, we touted our 2 and a half year old T on a 3 week trek through Hong Kong, Bali and Macau. I think T is made for travel- the many times that he's flown, he never had problems with air pressure and motion sickness, and though we worried about upset stomachs and mosquitoes, the biggest problem we had to deal with was T getting too comfortable sleeping on our bed.

I'm almost ashamed to admit the amount of Hong Kong street food that he had, the curry fish balls, the mini cakes, the waffles, the bowls of noodles and steamed rice crepes. Add to that, all the freshly made juice that we bought in street stalls, whose equipment and ingredients lay open and accessible to dirt, people and gaseous fumes. But he had the time of his life! I have to say, I'm pretty proud of him.

T even got to see the fancier side of Hong Kong food. He loved it just the same. It was just more painful for us when he decided that he'd eaten enough and wanted to run around instead. I'm really ashamed to admit that we pulled out the electronics all too often. But there was no way anyone was letting him loose around Lei Gardens or the Four Seasons. So, iPhone it was.

Salt Cooked Chicken and Quail Eggs- Street Stall in Tai O













Baked Portuguese Chicken and Rice- Mei Do Cafe
Smoked Duck Egg- Ningbo Restaurant

Stinky Tofu & Shrimp with Egg Yolks- Ningbo Restaurant 


Satay Beef with Tomato Broth Rice Noodles- Star Cafe
Shrimp Caviar on Noodles- Six Cafe in Macau
Street Stall- Tai O
Beef Chow Fun- Mei Do Cafe