Accomplishments, again
Posted: October 24, 2010 Filed under: Great Expectations 4 CommentsI’ve decided to try doing (or at least starting) one thing from my Day Zero list every week. This week’s goal is #22, watch Miracle on 34th Street. (Really – I’ve never seen it before. No spoilers!)
I think next week I’ll look for a photo album for our wedding photos (#61). But don’t hold me to it.
Baby steps, right? I read a book this weekend for the first time in months – to be fair, it was a re-read: The Client by John Grisham. Actually much more interesting now that I have minimal secondhand knowledge of the legal world. And after finishing that (thanks to the many, many late-night hot baths I’ve been taking) I started on Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese. I have the Kindle edition, so no bathtime reading, but today I’ve spent a lot of time lying in bed trying not to have contractions, and it’s nice to have something to do…even if the “something” is just reading.
What do you hope to accomplish this week?
Orem Shabu Shabu House
Posted: October 24, 2010 Filed under: James and the Giant Peach 2 CommentsLet me begin by saying that I love shabu shabu, and as such, I have high expectations for it. I was introduced to it while on my mission, and it was one of my favorite dishes in Korea. I was told at the time that it was a Mongolian dish, but most sources say it originates from Japan. For those of you who are unfamiliar with shabu shabu, here’s a quick rundown.
You start out with a broth in a large pot, and then order what type of meat you want. The protein is usually served very thinly sliced and is accompanied by another plate of vegetables. The vegetables can include cabbage, mushrooms, or whatever is in season. You bring the broth to a boil, and cook the vegetables and meat in the broth. Because the meat is paper-thin, it cooks very quickly, and by the end you’re left with a very flavorful broth. You can then add in some noodles and eat it as a soup.
Now for my more specific experiences at the Shabu Shabu House in Orem, UT.
A plateful of napa cabbage plus two carrot sticks, two mushrooms, and a chunk of tofu does not equal “a lot” vegetables. It was definitely not a substantial amount of vegetables and once everything was in the pot it was still mostly broth. To give you an idea, here was the pot once we added HALF of the vegetables and meat at the last shabu shabu place I went to in Korea.
Our pot looked VERY empty. Then there was the meat. While I was impressed with the marbling and tenderness of the kobe beef, there simply was not enough of it. Paying $21 for the “large” sized portion, you get maybe 15 slices of beef. Remember, that this beef is very thinly sliced, so 15 slices probably under a half-pound of beef. Lest you think that the high price for the portion was just because it was kobe beef, even the large portion of the regular beef or chicken was around $19.
Our service was also lackluster. We went on a Friday night, but the restaurant was not very busy. Even so, we went 15 to 20 minutes between the waiter visiting our table. We probably sat at the table for a half hour after having asked for our check.
The experience, however, was not without its impressive points. The sushi was, for example, quite good. I ordered the spider roll, which had soft-shelled crab. The couple we were with ordered the California roll and also said it was above average. Also, once the vegetables and meat were cooked, the soba noodles and broth made an excellent soup.
All in all, I cannot recommend Shabu Shabu House in Orem. All ratings are out of 5
Food Quality: 4
Portion Size: 2
Service: 2
Atmosphere: 3.5
Overall Experience: 3
tl;dr: good food, but high prices for the portion size, and mediocre service.
Shabu Shabu House
73 south state st
Orem, UT 84058
Another first
Posted: October 22, 2010 Filed under: Dangerous Book for Boys 3 Comments…and not one I ever wanted: the Bwun’s first ER trip.
I’m sure part of the reason we went was because this is our first kid, and first major (or seemingly major) illness. But my poor little guy! He was not doing well.
Yesterday afternoon I noticed that the Bwun was feeling a little warm. I mentioned it to the Romgi when he got home from class, and we tried taking his temperature (seriously, have you ever tried to get a toddler to hold still even for an underarm reading?), but it wasn’t high at all. He definitely felt warm, though, so we decided to give him some Tylenol just to be safe. (Hopefully that isn’t actually unsafe…) By the time the Romgi got the bottle of medicine, the Bwun was lying in my arms and almost asleep – at only 4:30.
Very odd: the Bwun, as a rule, does not take naps anymore. (Yes, you can send your condolences.) And he does NOT fall asleep unless he’s in his bed or his carseat. So we figured he must really be exhausted; a new tooth showed up a few days ago, and I thought maybe another was working its way through. I put the Bwun in his bed and went on with my afternoon.
The Bwun didn’t sleep much more than an hour, and he seemed fine when he woke up. Since he’d had a nap so late in the day I expected him to be riled up or at least his usual self until an hour or so past bedtime. (He usually goes to bed at 8:30.) Another strange thing…by just past 8 he looked and acted like he was tired again. He sat with me for a while, almost falling asleep, and I put him to bed for the night before 8:30. My little Bwun went right to sleep.
Several Perry Mason episodes may have been watched over the next few hours.
Around 11 I was getting ready for bed and heard the Bwun call out, “Mama!” I’m glad I went in right away instead of seeing if he’d go back to sleep, because when I picked him up he felt like he was on fire. He was whimpering and moaning and was obviously miserable. I hated to do it, but I made him hold still to get his temperature – 102.1°. We offered him water and more Tylenol, both of which he refused; then he threw up.
Poor little guy!
The Romgi and I had been talking about what to do, and after the Bwun threw up we were convinced that we should take him to the doctor. The Romgi gave him a blessing and we headed out at 11:30.
Can you imagine going to a strange place, having people poke and prod at you without understanding why, and not being able to explain what hurts or how you feel? My poor little Bwun had his temperature and blood pressure checked several times; they gave him more Tylenol; a doctor looked in his ears and throat; and finally, they did a chest x-ray. The doctor told me to wait in the ER while the Romgi took the Bwun for the x-ray and he was absolutely right to do so – after hearing what they did to the Bwun, I don’t think I could have handled being there. The Romgi described it as a high chair that clamped around the Bwun’s waist (after he was undressed, of course), with the Bwun’s arms pinned up and the x-ray screen pushed against his front.
Poor little guy!
Fortunately, by the time the x-ray was done, the Tylenol was starting to bring the Bwun’s fever down and he seemed to be feeling a little better. The final diagnosis was “He has a fever; it may be the beginnings of strep or the like, or it may be something viral.” We got a prescription for Amoxicillin in case the Bwun does seem to be developing strep throat, and that was that.
The Bwun fell asleep on the way home.
It was 2am when we got back to our house; the Romgi and I were exhausted. I was sure that the Bwun would sleep late into the morning. Wrong! At 7:30 he woke up and was his regular perky self.
Welcome back, the Bwun! I’m glad nothing more serious took you on your first ER trip.
P.S. The Romgi pointed out that now everyone in our family except him has been to the ER this year – me (ear infection), jr (wanting out), and the Bwun (fever). The Romgi…this is a good time to feel left out!
Jarom
Mika
hilleries 