Lamb shank at Persian House
Up until partway through college, I was not a big fan of food. I didn't hate it, by any means, but I definitely ate to live rather than lived to eat. In fact, aside from those specific dishes I'd enjoy enough to seek out, I could have happily subsisted on the fabled nutrition pills of modern sci-fi settings.
Even after I moved downtown for school, I didn't explore my palate. Then again, poor college student, right? Who the heck goes to a four-year university in a city - not on scholarship, I mean - and not including trust fund kids - and can afford to go out all the time? The occasional trip to conveyer belt sushi was a luxury, and Bluefin's plates are only $1.50 each. Not exactly top-of-the-line dining but the bills got paid and the stomach got fed.
And then I went to Japan.
Closet Cooking
The lifestyle, the culture and the sights were lovely. Visiting shrines and temples and seeing cherry blossoms in Kyoto are lovely, and shopping in Harajuku and checking out maid cafes in Akihabara were fun. Seeing a Takarazuka Revue show was a dream come true. But the one thing I would relive over and over and over again until the end of my days and never get tired of?
The food.
Even my university's cafeteria food was amazing. Chicken katsu curry for 300 yen! Kitsune udon for 150! An enormous plate of fresh sashimi straight from Tsukiji Fish Market for 3000! Kill me now; I've already tasted heaven.
Seafood paella at Persian House
The downside of coming back to Portland after that lovely but oh-so-brief four-month stint was that I was now quite addicted to good food. Readily accessible good food. Unfortunately, I prefer spending as little time in the kitchen as possible. I can cook if I have to and even enjoy baking on occasion but for the most part I leave domestic chores to The Roommate/BFF who loves to cook for me. (Yay!)
Luckily, my return Stateside coincided with two things: graduating from college and getting a full-time job. It wasn't an impressive job, it was most definitely not a high-paying job, but it was steady income for 40 hours a week - and really, what more could a recent college graduate ask for?
One of the wonderful, wonderful things about living in Portland is how accessible everything is. You don't really need a car; you can bus virtually anywhere. No car payments! No gas! No fighting traffic/bikers/pedestrians for the roads! Better yet, more money in my pocket to buy food!
And buy food I did.
Goat stew at Karam
French, Japanese, Korean, Persian, Thai, Lebanese... mmm. Crêpes galore! I still aggressively avoid Mexican and Vietnamese food because the very scents make me nauseous, but anything else is game.
Favourite Restaurants:
- Le Happy (crêpes)
- Chez Machin (crêpes!)
- Pudding on the Rice (crêpes!!)
- Persian House (omigodlunchbuffet)
- Karam (divine chicken couscous)
- Khun Pic's Bahn Thai (drunken noodles to make you high)
- Urban Fondue and Bartini (crab cakes with amazing basil remoulade)
- Bush Gardens (unfortunately, recently closed and replaced by Kare)
- Kalé (took Bush Gardens' place)
- Cheesecake Factory (a pricy standard classic)
- Elephants Delicatessen (best. deli. ever)
- Sambi (family-owned in Beaverton for real Japanese meals)
- JP's (at the beach)
Portland food blogs:
- Dining Out in Portland by Burton Simmons
- Renaissance Culinaire by Amber
- Portland Food and Drink by various authors
- Je Mange la Ville by Michelle L. Biehl
- And... oh, hell. Here's a list of Portland food blogs including the above.
··· there's so much more room for happiness ···
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