When I got back from Hong Kong (the trip I took with my mom), people would ask me about the food and whether it was like Monterey Park. I would immediately say no, but for the most part I could tell most did not believe me. There is something different about food in Hong Kong, but I have to say that San Gabriel Valley really provides an array of Asian cuisine and it comes close…yet Hong Kong is still better. Even Taro didn’t quite believe me and I was quite sure that dim sum overseas surpassed restaurants close to home. The closest I have come to finding a stellar dim sum place was Triumphal Palace, now known as Lunasia Chinese Cuisine, in Alhambra (which I have not gone to since the name change). There are no carts and you order off a menu; the food seems to taste fresher and the quality is just that notch more. So I had to show Taro that Hong Kong is a place to eat and to get great dim sum.
I figured the best place to go was the dim sum restaurant my mom took me to. I had to dig back in my brain and trace the steps – literally, the steps from the hotel my mom and I stayed at and recalling the landmarks because that is how I find my way around sometimes – and I also used the power of the internet. By some magic, I was able to recall nearly everything – One Peking and the way there. However, I could not recall the name of the restaurant so Taro and I went to every single one and I poked my head out of the elevator. However, I then realized the restaurant changed! Isn’t that so typical of an Asian restaurant? One minute it is…oh, let’s say, Triumphal Palace, and the next it is…Lunasia! Despite the name change, we decided to try the restaurant (which was on the same floor as the one my mom and I went to) anyways.
The view from Prince Restaurant is great because you can see the bay, the buildings on Hong Kong Island, and the cargo ships and boats that pass by. You can witness the start of the day and the busy city life of Hong Kong. This is just one aspect of Prince Restaurant that stands out. The most important element, though, is their food. The dim sum was nothing short of superb; everything was just so fresh and cooked perfectly. Both Taro and I thought the har gow, sui mai, char sui bao (barbeque pork in a steamed bun), beef cheung fun (rice noodle rolls) and fried lo bak goh (turnip) were one of the best that we have had – and really just that notch above the rest.
I was bummed that I did not have room for don tot (egg custard tart). Regardless, we both thoroughly enjoyed our experience at Prince Restaurant and hopefully, when we return back to Hong Kong, it will still be there…or perhaps a restaurant equal to it.
In the San Gabriel Valley, you do not have to travel far in order to see the wonders of nature – Arcadia Arboretum, The Huntington Library, the Los Angeles Zoo, or Arroyo Seco in Altadena, just to name a few. You can just head over, take your camera, and shoot away. This is when you can get the best practice – shooting relatively still objects, understanding and adjusting to different types of lighting, and experimenting with angles and perception. In addition to that, you can embrace natural beauty. Luckily for me, I do not always have to hop in my car and drive to these areas. I can open the back door and step outside.
Before purchasing the house, Taro and I were impressed with the array of plants, flowers, and herbs that filled the backyard. Now it is our yard and garden, a place where we can hold BBQs and let Peanut roam around freely to explore. Each time we go out there, we discover more and more. First it was the cat nip bush; Peanut was just rolling, a little bit of heaven for him. Then, during the summer, we discovered we had two peach trees which, by the way, produced amazing, delicious, juicy fruit! Recently, two gigantic stalks emerged. Taro and I realized that thanks to our bionic squirrel friends, they planted sunflowers. The sunflowers are so tall – taller than me, which means they are over five feet in height!
So whenever I want to get in tune with nature or just practice shooting, I just step outside and enjoy.
I randomly took this picture of a blue jay which flew out of our bush. Low and behold, it is carrying a peanut. No worries, not my Peanut though!
To leave you with something that embraces nature (the English major is coming out here):
“I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud” by William Wordsworth
I wandered lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o’er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden daffodils,
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.
Continuous as the stars that shine
And twinkle on the Milky Way,
They stretched in never-ending line
Along the margin of a bay;
Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.
The waves besides them danced, but they
Outdid the sparkling waves in glee;
A poet could not but be gay,
In such a jocund company;
I gazed -and gazed- but little thought
What wealth the show to me had brought;
For oft, when on my couch I lie
In vacant or in pensive mood,
They flash upon that inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude;
And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the daffodils.
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