A Stove Top Haiku

Stuffing from a box
Just add water and butter
I'd like some more, please.

To accompany our organic free-range Thanksgiving turkey prepared Judy-bird style, we had roasted organic brussels sprouts and fingerling potatoes with pancetta and thyme, homemade giblet gravy and...Stove Top stuffing.

No homemade gourmet stuff. No mixture of cornbread, sage, fancy charcuterie, chestnut or random autumn fruit here. Just a familiar red box filled with dehydrated seasoned bread crumbs that cook in just 5 minutes and fond childhood memories of my parents doing their best at creating the most American Thanksgiving meal that they could.

Only the best for my family.


(Note: This post was in no way, shape or form paid for by Kraft. I honestly like Stove Top stuffing. Yeah, yeah, take away my food blogger badge already.)

No. 1 Noodle House, Rowland Heights: 1 of 10 Reasons My Job Is So Cool

A Daily Gluttony blog just wouldn't be a Daily Gluttony blog without the irreverent food/work combo posts so here goes.

My job kinda rocks.

But interestingly enough, not very many people understand what it is that I do without having worked in the retail industry. My own mom to this day couldn't tell you exactly what I do. She still tells her old Chinese mom friends that her daughter works in Finance. Usually I am referred to as a Financial Analyst but I've heard myself being labeled a Financial Planner too. Her friends then nod in approval because it's something they can understand. No offense to any of you financial analysts or planners out there, but I didn't shed an insane amount of blood, sweat and tears for years in the retail industry for nothing. No way--my job is so much cooler because:

1) I get to work with fashion and other cool stuff.

2) I get paid to go shopping.

3) I get paid to stay updated on fashion, style, and pop culture news.

4) I am not required to travel.

5) I get to see a bunch of private music shows.

6) I get to listen to music and watch music videos all day.

7) I can wear jeans and 5" platform stilettos to work and not get reprimanded for dressing inappropriately. Visible tattoos and piercings are completely acceptable.

8) I work with a lot of both interesting and nice people.

My mom and her friends would totally not get why reasons 1-8 would make any one think they'd hit the job hunting jackpot. But they would totally get why I'd love my job because of reasons 9 and 10...

9) At the end of the day, I'm doing what I do best which is being a numbers and data nerd.

Things involving math have a decent position on the career totem poles inside my mom's and her friends' heads. High up on that same totem pole are stuff like "doctor," "dentist," "lawyer," "investment banker," "engineer." Bonus points if one had such a career and lived at home with their parents at the same time.

And finally...

10) I work near a bunch of good food.

If my mom was able to meet me for lunch one day, I'd skip having her meet everyone at the office and instead take her to lunch at one of my favorite weekday lunch spots No. 1 Noodle House in Rowland Heights.

No. 1 Noodle House is nothing more than a small space with a counter at Rowland Heights' Yes Plaza. The official menu is in Chinese but there are large photos and English names of the restaurant's most popular selections behind the counter. If, like me, you're not a Mandarin speaker and/or the person behind the counter happens to be English-challenged, just point or talk in broken Mand-glish like I have in the past. Find a table in the indoor seating area to the right or at one of the patio tables outside and someone will bring your order to you. I like sitting outside and being surrounded by Yes Food Court's faux Neo-Classical facades--it makes me feel like I'm on vacation at Disneyland. Or Europe. Or Euro-Disney.

Despite how much I like my job, there are still days where I feel like my head is going to explode from crunching too many numbers. My brow gets furrowed and my face gets all squished up from thinking too hard. On such days, I know I can count on the spicy options at No. 1 Noodle House to clear my head up and relax my forehead. Take that, Botox.

On colder days, I usually opt for their spicy beef noodle soup, niu rou mian, to warm my belly and clear my sinuses. I've heard conflicting reviews about these with critics saying that the soup's bland and lacks spice and/or depth which fortunately for me, has never been the case. Sure, it's not the best I've had, but its rich, beefy broth is fine by me. Tender chunks of beef and pickled greens help to round the whole thing out. If you're worried about the broth not being bold enough, be sure to tell the counterperson that you want it spicy. Usually they'll ask what your preferred level of spiciness is, but in case they don't, just tell them.

When it comes to wontons in chili oil and dan dan mian, my heart still belongs to Shufeng Garden (in the form of Zhong's Dumplings) down the street, but unfortunately, Shufeng Garden doesn't have patio seating where you can work on your tan whilst sweating out chili oil. That doesn't mean that No. 1 Noodle House doesn't make decent versions of the two dishes, however.

Their wontons in chili oil are perky porky pillows that really pack a punch in its glistening orange chili oil bath and sprinkling of scallions and peanuts. A word of advice though: don't take them to-go if you can help it, else the wonton wrappers tend to turn quite doughy.

On warmer afternoons, which is usually the case in Rowland Heights, my dish of choice is the dan dan mian--a bowl of warm chili-oil, ground pork and peanuts slathered over a bed of cool noodles. Mix it all up for a bowl of absolute carby goodness that packs a nice spicy punch. As with the wontons in chili oil, these noodles should be eaten on the spot.

Regardless of what size noodles you get (No. 1 Noodle House offers them in a small or large size), all three of these dishes can be had for under $20 which I imagine would make my mom quite proud of me for finding such a gem in the same neighborhood that my paychecks come from.

"My daughter's a financial analyst and really good at math, and she works near a lot of good, cheap Asian restaurants," my mom can say with a smile. Mom's happy. Her friends are happy.

And I'm happy because of numbers 1-10 above and because my mom and her friends are happy. And that's all that really matters.

No. 1 Noodle House
18180 Colima Rd. #B (Yes Plaza)
Rowland Heights, CA 91748
(626) 839-7093
Cash Only

Be sure to read Mmm-Yoso's, Naked Sushi's and Hungrybunny's reviews of No. 1 Noodle House too!

Osteria Mamma: Love To My Mama and My Mamma (Mini Gluttony's Very First Blog Post!)

Hi, I'm Mini Gluttony!

You might know my Mommy. She's Daily Gluttony, the lady who writes this blog.

Well she keeps saying something about how there aren't enough hours in the day and how she's tired. I don't know why grown ups are always tired and want to sleep. Who needs sleep anyways? I don't! In fact, I like to wake up every night between 1 and 3am. It's super fun! Anyways, my Mommy is always doing nice things for me, so I thought I'd do something nice for her and let her sleep while I write her latest blog post for her. I'm a good boy.

My Mommy and Daddy and I went to this place called Osteria Mamma the other night for a family dinner out. We got there right when it opened because 1) my bedtime is 8:30 pm, which means the closer it gets to 8:30 while we are out, the closer I get to melting down from being tired, and 2) Mommy and Daddy said something about being considerate to the restaurant and the people who eat there. I have no idea what they're talking about.

We sat in the corner near a window so that Mommy could take her pictures. You should see my Mommy's bag when we all go out and she brings the big camera. It feels like she's carrying a bowling ball with all that stuff in there. Daddy thinks it's a giant pain in the patootie when Mommy takes pictures of food when we go out because he has to wait until Mommy finishes focusing and composing and all that fancy stuff before he can eat. Grown ups are silly.

First they brought us some bread which I thought was really cool since carbs are yummy. It was warm and sliced kinda thin and soft on the inside and crusty on the outside but not so crusty that I couldn't chew it with my teething gums. They also gave us a side of delicious marinara sauce that Mommy and Daddy had to help me dip my bread in. I'm not that coordinated yet.

Polipolata! I like that word 'cause it sounds like it could be the name of a cartoon character. But it is really the name of a dish of grilled octopus, celery, potatoes and lemon that we started our dinner with. I learned to count to 8 by squeezing the legs on some toy octopus at school. Somehow I don't think this was the same octopus, but it was mmm-mmm good. I like crunchy things like cookies and french fries, so the celery and potatoes in here were right up my alley. And then Mommy and Daddy kept using the word tender to describe the octopus. Do you think "tender" has something to do with the number ten? Hey, I can count to ten all by myself now!

I also made this really cool artsy deconstructed plating out of this dish. Yeah, I'm thinking I could win a future Top Chef competition one day, piece of cake.

Noodles and pasta are my favorite thing to eat in the whole wide world, so Mommy and Daddy ordered three kinds of pasta for me to try.

First was the Trenette Nere alla Bottarga which was black squid ink trenette with organic cherry tomatoes, shrimp and bottarga, which is Italian for dried fish eggs. Most kids my age would think dried fish eggs and black pasta made with squid ink are yucky, but not me. No sirree! This was super! The botarga and tomato made the sauce all nice and tangy and briny, and the shrimp were plump, just like my legs! I even learned some more new words: "al dente" which Mommy and Daddy said is the perfect texture for pasta. It means when something is cooked to have a toothsome bite which I could definitely feel in these noodles even though I don't even have all of my teeth yet.

Next we had the Tagliatelle Bolognese which was my absolute favoritest dish of the evening. I really, really, really, really REALLY like any kind of pasta bolognese. My Mommy can tell you because she makes me spaghetti bolognese at home. Even though I like Mommy's, I love Mamma's (sorry Mommy, you know I still love always you the best) The veal, pork, sausage and tomato sauce was so rich and hearty and the tagliatelle ribbons so (oooh, I get to use some new words I learned!) al dente, that I slurped almost all of this up by myself. The nice lady tried to take my plate away thinking I was done but I wasn't so I gave her some of my best stink eye. She just laughed.

Then we had the Ravioli Burro e Salvia which were (again-new words!) al dente pillows of pasta filled with spinach and ricotta cheese in butter and sage. Me and Mommy and Daddy thought this was good but compared to the squid ink trenette and tagliatelle bolognese, this definitely wasn't as awesome in flavors. Still, very nice and simple.

By this time, my little tummy was stuffed full with pasta, and I was a happy little boy, but Mommy and Daddy still wanted dessert, so they got the Panna Cotta with fresh berries. They said they liked it alot and that it was smooth and creamy and just real yummy.

I liked Osteria Mamma so much that I was a good little boy and behaved myself for almost all of our dinner, except when I tried to stick my hand in the purse of some lady sitting behind us, so I am hoping that Mommy and Daddy take me back here real soon. Mommy and Daddy, are you reading this?

Hey, this blogging thing is kinda fun. Maybe if I help Mommy write more, she will take me out to eat more.

Bye for now :)
Mini Gluttony

Osteria Mamma
5732 Melrose Ave
Hollywood, CA 90004
(323) 284-7060
www.osteriamamma.com

Know It. Fight It. End It. November is Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month!

Between the flu and a busy work and parenting schedule, I haven't found much time or motivation to write lately. But there is a cause that is very near and dear to my heart that I am making the time to post about. There won't be the usual food porn or cussing or irreverant food to life stories that you're used to seeing around here, so I hope you'll hear me out.

In July of 2006, I lost my Dad to pancreatic cancer. Before he was diagnosed with this horrible disease, we hardly knew it existed. I mean, the pancreas...who really cares, right? It's pretty much on the bottom of the food chain as far as all our body parts are concerned. The brain, lungs, colon, boobs? They're the popular kids at school. The pancreas? He's the quiet little guy who hangs out in the back of the cafeteria. And then one gets a pancreatic cancer diagnosis and one comes to discover that cancer of this tiny little organ has killed so many that have crossed its path. And quickly too.

As someone who's lost a loved one to pancreatic cancer, I am making it my personal mission to raise as much awareness as I can about it. Awareness is the key to building the strength and support we need in the fight against pancreatic cancer.

Did you know that pancreatic cancer is the fourth leading cause of cancer death in the U.S. and has the HIGHEST mortality rate of all the major cancers? According to the American Cancer Society, 42,470 Americans will be diagnosed with pancreatic cancer this year and 35,240 will die from it. By 2030, the number of cases is expected to increase by 55%.

Did you know that unlike other cancers, there are NO early detection tools for pancreatic cancer? An estimated 76% of patients will die within one year of diagnosis.

Did you know that pancreatic cancer research is DRASTICALLY underfunded? Less than 2% of the National Cancer Institute's budget is allocated to pancreatic cancer.

Did you know that the types of cells that make up pancreatic cancer tumors are unique—which contributes to the unfortunate resistance of the tumors to chemotherapies?

If any of the above made you stop and think "Hey, this disease DOES indeed suck and we need to do something about it," you can! November is Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month, and here are 10 things, as quoted from The Pancreatic Cancer Action Network's website, that you can do to join the fight against pancreatic cancer:

1. Raise Awareness—Our Know it. Fight it. End it. campaign builds awareness about pancreatic cancer so more people can take more action in November. Please forward the Know it. Fight it. End it. link to as many friends as you can. Raise awareness about the disease so that together we can End it.
   
   
2. Get Involved with Your Community Affiliate—We have active affiliates in more than 70 cities across the United States. Click here to find one near you.
   
   
3. Contact Your Member of Congress—We need your U.S. Representative’s support on the Pancreatic Cancer Research & Education Act (H.R. 745), the first-ever substantive legislation that could have a significant impact on advancing pancreatic cancer research. During November, remind your U.S. Representative of the importance of supporting this critical bill. Share your story and ask your U.S. representative to support H.R. 745..
   
   
4. Contact Your Local Media—Pancreatic cancer is the least understood and least known of all the major cancer killers. Help us raise the visibility of this disease by sending a Letter to the Editor of your community newspapers. Click here to send the letter now.
   
   
5. Get a Hug When You Give Back—Tempur-Pedic, our new cause marketing partner, is fighting pancreatic cancer with their new Hugs Back Teddy Bear campaign. To learn more or purchase this adorable and super cuddly bear, with net proceeds from the sale of each bear going to the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network, go to: www.tempurpedic.com/teddybear.
   
   
6. Raise the Cure—There’s hope for pancreatic cancer patients, and it starts with you. You can help us create progress through research and create hope for pancreatic cancer patients and their loved ones. Donate today.
   
   
7. View and Forward Our New Public Service Announcement—You will find this 60 second spot to be compelling and emotional. Please view it and forward it on to as many friends and family as you can to help build even more awareness. Click to view.
   
   
8. Create Your Own Personal Online Fundraising Page—Creating your own webpage is a great way to share why making pancreatic cancer awareness and raising funds to advance research, support patients and creating hope is so important to you. Click to start your page.
   
   
9. Join the Conversation Online—Help spread awareness in your social networking community. There are numerous ways to make a difference and join the fight. Here’s how:
   
   
   • Follow @Pancan on Twitter and retweet our tweets to your Twitter followers. A single tweet has the power of reaching over thousands on Twitter!
   • Join the conversation on Facebook to stay informed on upcoming fundraising events, get information on how you can get involved and receive news from inside Pancreatic Cancer Action Network.
   • Tune-in to our YouTube Channel to watch and share our new PSA video, volunteer and survivor stories. You can help us create awareness by copy and pasting the video URLs into an email or web page, or embed the >videos into your web site or blog!
   • Make an online statement with a Pancreatic Cancer Action Network Twibbon! Just add to your Twitter and Facebook profile icons so your friends can see that you’ve joined the fight against pancreatic cancer. Get one here: Make an online statement with a Pancreatic Cancer Action Network Twibbon!
     
     
10. Go Purple This November—
    
    
    • Wear something purple all month like a pancreatic cancer awareness wristband!
    • Paint your front door purple
    • Bake something purple and share it with co-workers and friends
    • Tie a purple ribbon around the trees on your street
    • Put a yard sign up that says: November is National Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month – Get Involved – Go to www.pancan.org.

They're small steps, but you know what they say...many small streams make a big river. I know you probably like it more when I write about food, but please know that each person reading this puts us that much closer to someday finding a cure. I thank each and every one of you who took the time to hear me out.

My Favorite Childhood Dish, Loud and Proud: Steamed Pork With Salted Duck Egg

Coming from where I come from--a podunk little suburb about 25 miles outside of San Francisco--growing up Chinese-American back in the 70’s and 80’s was tough work. As one of a small handful of ethnic minority kids in my grade school classes, I was always guaranteed that anything I did that was remotely culturally diverse was a free pass for taunts, teases and hurt feelings. Had I known then what I know today, those Slant-Eye-Ching-Chong-China insults would’ve been met with the finger and a resounding “Fuck You” from that little Chinese girl with the bowl cut. Unfortunately, I wasn’t that self-confident back then and resorted to taking the “If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em” attitude in order to avoid being the laughing stock of my school.

I watched shows like the Brady Bunch to figure out how a stereotypical American family lives. Easy enough, right? Everyone calls each other "dear", they eat roast beef for dinner every night and they like to go camping. It would be my job to convince my classmates that these kinds of things were what my family liked to do too.

So when my 6th grade class was studying nutrition and had a homework assignment to keep a food diary and categorize those things into the four food groups, I was determined to replace stir-fried pork intestines and pickled mustard greens with pot roast and potatoes. I didn't think anyone in my class would understand that at my house, we ate from the vegetable, meat, and bread/grain groups as well as the offal group, the soy group and the various-preserved-foodstuffs group.

It was a total shame because my embarrassment and cowardice led me to leave some of my all time favorite dishes off of this food diary. What's worse, my parents somehow got a hold of this project and were crushed that I'd rather show people that I ate meatloaf instead of my favorite dish that they'd prepared with so much love: steamed pork with salted duck egg, or hahm dahn jzing jee yook.

I've been kicking myself in the ass for that food diary incident for as long as I can remember. How could I have been so stupid as to lie about something that made me feel so good? Knowing that it was my favorite dish, my parents always let me have the first scoop, and I strategically dug my spoon into the center every time so as to get some of the salty, velvety egg yolk. I'd plop the spoonful of this porky, eggy Cantonese village dish onto a steaming mound of rice, mix it all up, and start shoveling the stuff into my mouth. My parents would also purposely leave a little bit of the hahm dahn jzing jee yook in the dish because they knew I liked to dump the last bit of rice from the rice pot into it and scrape up every last juicy pork and egg bit.

I therefore made it my goal to make sure I knew how to make this dish for my own children. Even though my son is a little too young to be eating such a sodium and cholesterol bomb right now (hey, I never said this dish was healthy), it's comforting to know that I can one day make this dish for him the same way that my parents made it for me. And being that he's mostlikey going to be growing up in the Chinese-heavy San Gabriel Valley, I don't think he'll have a problem putting steamed pork with salted duck egg on his own food diary.

The basic recipe follows; sorry I don't really use exact measurements. Do like I do--trial and error until the taste and texture is to your liking. You'll be surprised at how super-simple it is!

Steamed Pork With Salted Duck Egg/Hahm Dahn Jzing Jee Yook

Ingredients:
-A large handful (about 1/2 lb?) of ground pork butt preferably chopped by hand for a coarser texture
-Sesame oil
-Soy sauce
-Shaoxing rice wine
-Cornstarch
-1 large chicken egg, beaten
-1 uncooked salted duck egg (available at Chinese markets such as 99 Ranch)

Put a swig each of sesame oil, soy sauce and wine onto the ground pork. Sprinkle with a little bit of cornstarch. Mix it all together with your hands.

Add the chicken egg and mix again with your hands.

Separate the salted duck egg--the big bulbous orangey-yellow yolk will remain intact.

Combine the salted duck egg white with the pork & chicken egg mixture and mix thoroughly with your hands.

Pour the mixture into a shallow dish and put the salted duck egg yolk in the center of the mixture.

Steam for approximately 20 minutes or until the pork is no longer pink.

Serve with steamed rice and enjoy!

Note to parents: I recently started cooking an alternate, lower-sodium version of this for my toddler. I simply omitted the salted duck egg and added an additional beaten chicken egg. It won't have that subtle salted flavor that the duck egg lends to the dish, but at least my kid can enjoy something similar now. It still has that wonderful aroma of steamed pork and sesame oil and the custardy texture of the steamed egg. He's already been eating it at daycare and loving it--he makes mama so proud!

Back Where I Belong: Wonton Forest, City of Industry

It sucks to be lost.

Like the time we got lost in the Northwestern tip of Maui and were driving on a one lane road on the side of a mountain next to the ocean.

Like the time I made one wrong turn and got lost in Downtown LA's skid row for the first time. (*Disclaimer: Notice I said first time. Don't think I'm I big ol' priss; I drive through it all the time with no problem now.)

Like the time I got lost in Anaheim for oh, 27 months???

OK fine, so what if it's only figuratively speaking? Sue me. Since October 2007 until the day I was let go, I took at least two hours out of my day to drive to this place where I worked around beach people all the time (sorry beach people, I love the beach but I'm a city girl at heart so I've never understood the whole beachy lifestyle thing), where with the exception of a few friends the people I worked with were complete two-faced assholes, where all these two-faced assholes' idea of real Mexican food is Chipotle, and where the nearby dining options were limited to chain restaurants and one mediocre pho joint. I mean, where the hell was I, the Twilight Zone??? Two fucking years I was lost in this hell hole! Two fucking years!

With one hand on the steering wheel and one hand holding my Google Map (I don't do Nav- Systems either--I'm a map girl. Nav-Systems are for sissies), I exited the 60 Freeway across from Diamond Plaza in Rowland Heights on my way to my first job interview for the company I work for now. I think I felt my heart jump out of my mouth when I saw the Chinese restaurant signs. Could it really be true that this potential employer was located close to some actual non-chain Asian restaurants? With the much improved food choices as my incentive, I pushed myself to do extra, EXTRA well at that interview. And guess what? I nailed it and landed that job in three days. Sweet.

So yeah, you bet your ass that the first thing I did upon getting that job offer besides going on a rock star lunch tour was do some serious web-tective work as far as where to eat near the office. Thanks to a four star review on Yelp, an inquiry on Chowhound and a very favorable post from the blog Go Ramen, Wonton Forest would be the first of a long list of local restaurants to try. This little restaurant, located in a railroad-track adjacent Smart & Final mini-mall in the City of Industry, would also represent all the positive change that was happening in my life.

When I was lost in Anaheim, I felt like I had the life sucked out of me. Constantly angry. Always tired. Never had time for myself. Looked like shit. Felt like shit. Every day that I was there could have been tagged with the infamous FML. Since I found my way out, er, I mean got booted out, I feel like I've gotten a piece of my life back.

When I was lost in Anaheim, I became somewhat disconnected with my passion for food for a few reasons. One, as I mentioned before, there was nothing great to eat around the office, at least nothing that I could drive to, eat, and drive back from within reasonable time limits. And two, my job was wearing me out so badly that I lost both time and desire for much of my gastronomic pursuits.

When I was lost in Anaheim, the simple goodness of a bowl of wonton noodle soup was nowhere to be found. A few visits to Wonton Forest later, and I realized what I had been missing.

Being Chinese-American, wonton noodle soup is and always has been a staple for me. Maybe it was because my parents secretly put the stuff into my baby bottles, but whatever the reason, I've looked to this dish to warm my stomach and soothe my soul since childhood. Sometimes, my parents would treat me and my brother to a steaming bowl of wonton noodles soup at some Oakland Chinatown restaurant (usually Gum Wah) after we spent the morning lugging several plastic grocery bags and following our parents closely as they weaved in and out of Chinese markets. But more often, my parents would make noodles for us at home. Everything, with the exception of the noodles, was homemade--the soup, the wontons, the toppings--all made from scratch and all made from the heart.

With its minimalist modern decor, Wonton Forest looks more like a mainstream fusion sushi roll joint than a place I'd be able to find a bowl of noodles that is not far from those noodle lunches at home with my family. Like anything made by hand at my family's house, there's always something about small batch operations that lends a certain coarseness to the final product; the wontons that Chef/Owner Paul makes fresh daily are no exception. At my parent's house, no food grinders or mills were used to make their wonton fillings; the pork and shrimp were chopped by hand at my house and though I'm not sure of the exact method to Paul's wonton madness, his wontons' textural imperfections (which trust me, are a good thing here) tell me that there's minimal machine or mass-produced intervention here.

Same goes for their soup which, rather than tasting of MSG and being strained to the hilt as is the case at many larger scale restaurants, has the clean, pure taste of chicken or a beef/chicken combo and made even better by the tiny bits of meat or luscious fat globules that made it past the strainer.

Sit at Wonton Forest's counter and watch as Paul preps each bowl of noodles himself, separating and plumping up the springy egg or rice noodle strands with long chopsticks. Each bowl of noodles' toppings are carefully arranged atop the noodles (something that my parents also always took the time to do) before the soup is poured in. Order their signature Wonton Forest Noodle Soup and you'll get an array of goodies including wontons (duh), yau choy-sum, a soy infused boiled egg, tender slices of pork, scallions and cilantro and fried garlic bits atop the noodles. Or, you can order the Chiu-Chow Noodles and get a slew of meaty and seafood-y goodness arranged carefully around your bowl: shreds of chicken, minced pork, plump shrimp and springy fish balls. Add some of Chef Paul's homemade chili garlic sauce (which is supposedly made in a three-day process and is actually available for purchase, by the way) to your steaming bowl of noodles before you start slurping and add in extra dabs as needed. It's an extra kick that actually enhances the flavor of the soup and all the tasty bits within rather than detracting from or overpowering it. Really good stuff.

Food-aside, this little City of Industry gem has played an important role in bringing me back to my blogging life. The delicious food and super friendly vibe of the first restaurant in my must-try-restaurants-near-work list helped to kick start this part of my life that I had become so detached from. "This is totally doable," I thought to myself after my first visit to Wonton Forest, "Back in Anaheim...not so much." Subsequent lunchtime visits to Wonton Forest for me would include an interview for a foodie documentary (story for another post) and a meetup with fellow bloggers Go Ramen and Pepsi Monster. Would I have ever been able to do that in my previous LOST life and still get all my work done? Hell no.

I was lost, and now am found. Thanks, Wonton Forest, for bringing me home.

Wonton Forest
18230 Gale Ave.
City of Industry, CA 91748
(626) 435-1430
Cash only