Merry Christmas, Y'all!

'Twas the day after Christmas, and on the internet...just kidding, I went shopping today after having a very enjoyable Christmas Eve and Christmas.  I was so hungry, that I legitimately forgot to take pictures.  In addition, it'd be strange to do with my surrogate grandfather and uncle there.  So I took some selfies and a picture of my gifts.

Shirt: Azul, Skirt: Silence & Noise

Look at me, I did my makeup.  You can't tell though because bangs. Collar: American Eagle

Top Row: Sweater, Free People; Sweatshirt, Abercrombie & Fitch; bath & body stuff; pants, Free People (navy); sweat pants, Abercrombie & Fitch (red)
Middle Row: ASUS laptop; pumps
Bottom Row: slippers, Macy's; sweater, Anthropologie; polka dot shirt, BDG; blazer, H&M

I love all the gifts I received, but my favorite has to be the computer.  It is so beautifully efficient and I am actually a big fan of Windows 8.  I am typing on it right now!  Part of the package I wanted to give myself was an updated iPod, with songs I never listen to deleted and new music downloaded.  It is just the way I want it and I could not be happier.

For food, I eat the same dishes for Christmas every year.  In Polish tradition, fish is eaten for dinner on Christmas Eve, Wigilia, when most of the immediate family gather.  We had four different types of herring, a broiled lake fish, barszcz, pierogi, vegetarian bigos, eel, and smoked salmon.  In some houses, they make as many as 12 different fish dishes, but we don't have the space or means to.  I got to enjoy some South African white wine with my eel, bigos, and fish; the meal was delicious and gluten-free.  The whole pescatarian Christmas feast stems from Catholic religious tradition, where eating meat is undesirable on the eve's of major holidays.  In my family, we always offer coffee and tea with the desserts platter.  For me, there was my mother's flourless cheesecake and we also bought chocolate mousse cake from Eataly, this Italian masterpiece of a grocery store.

Then Christmas day, my aunt came over for some roast ham, potatoes, South African red wine, meat bigos, and leftover smoked salmon.  It was a pretty relaxed day.  I hope you guys had relaxing Christmases/holidays as well!

Keep it yummy,
Jo

Salmon Roll-Ups

So, today I really don't feel like eating meat.  I have no idea why, but sometimes I get into these moods where it just does not appeal to me.  So today, I wrapped up salmon in cream cheese.  Not going to lie, I was a little ravenous and ate half the packet, but that's okay.  More omega-3 fatty acids for me!

Today, I also have an informal interview in a coffee shop.  Since I also had to go to bio-medical engineering lab today, I dressed functionally.  I bought a Peter Pan collar top from Free People a while back and could not figure out how to style it.  So, ladies and gentlemen, this is what I came up with:

The top looks different from the one above, but you get the idea (I hope)

Since my phone died over the weekend (moment of silence), I had to purchase a watch in order to know what time it was, is, whatever tense you want to use.  So there we go.  A simple meal and a simple, but functional, outfit.

Keep it yummy,
Jo

Chinese Food Pt. 4: Meals Served in Fruit

Hong Kong, which is a special region of China with its own laws and people, was one of my favorite places. It was the most westernized and beautifully laid out on a island with greenery a midst skyscrapers.  The nightlife was especially awesome, with certain areas just lined with bars and restaurants.  One restaurant we went to, you could actually watch as they prepared your food, which made me pretty excited.

He was making an egg-roll type thing except wrapped in greens instead of noodle sheets.

Now, I have never been a fan of mixing fruit with dinner items or meal items in general (don't ask, I'm just weird like that).  But the pictures of this fried rice with prawns inside a pineapple just looked so beautiful that I just had to try it.  Plus, I'm in a foreign land where I've been trying many new things, like various kinds of ice cream, duck feet, and regional drinks.  So I ate it.  And it was gloriously delicious.

Pineapple fried rice with prawns in a pineapple.

Since I was going out and doing some sight-seeing during the day, of course I wanted to look chic, but also comfortable.  Doubling up on slips is a great idea for this.  In addition, wearing muted colors compliments the brightness of the dish.

Along the Hong Kong skyline.  Purse (urbanoutfitters), dress and slip (free people), necklace (Chinatown, NYC)

And with that I conclude the 4-part series on China.  I will continue posting about twice a week, seeing as I have two entries backed up anyway.

Keep it yummy,
Jo