#215 Lightly Fat Well-Done Beef & Tendon Brisket w/ Rice Noodle Soup aided in alleviating such woes, as it always does, with a flavourful (yet oddly gelatinous) broth, fresh veggies, crunchy bean sprouts, mild acidity from the lime wedge, tender brisket slices, and feel-good rice noodles.
Despite having prepared myself for the worst, the lone egg was quite possibly the worst egg I had ever tasted in my lifetime. Overdone specimens adorning naemgmyeon had once been slotted in most despicable slot, but eggs braised beyond ingestibility has surpassed these in recent months. A rigid film had formed outside of the egg - a phenomenon I hadn't known to be possible! - while the insides were stiff, relatively bland, and wholly unenjoyable. Horrible was an understatement.
It is critical to remove the eggs as soon as they reach a soft-boiled state, then shocked with cold water to prevent the yolks from cooking in residual heat. The braising liquid should also be allowed to cool fully before submerging the eggs within, for the same reason of preventing further solidification of the yolks. The eggs should then be allowed to rest within the braising liquid, ideally entirely submerged, for 48 to 72 hours.
I had previously tested eggs at 24 hours (inadequate complexity) and 48 hours (passable, but not fascinating), until finally admitting that 3 days' worth of chilling was needed to attain the luxurious, golden goodness of slow-braised eggs.
These scrumptious units were consumed in conjunction with Steamed Tofu with Scallion-Infused Soy Sauce and Vermicelli with Napa Cabbage, Shiitake Mushrooms, and Pork Meatballs.
Information was compiled into notes, which was then supplemented by a flowchart. Manual data entry/manipulation was reduced by formulating a script. Resulting from the end of the three-week onboarding period was a WIP handover document - with proper headings! - that would be continually supplemented with the arising of outlier circumstances.
Lunchtime saw outings to the Merrithew Training Studio and Indigo for research purposes. All hopes of maximizing my downtown time with after-work pilates were shattered as I learned that the studio would not offer classes past 5 PM. Furthermore, the only available slot for a private session was Monday between 4-5PM - a date and time that demanded comprehensive schedule adjustment more troublesome than it was worth.
Upon learning of the event's proximity to the office, I hesitated not in purchasing a hard cover edition for signing. Naturally, I would also be scoping out the venue in preparation.
Just prior to heading back, I entertained the idea of a Pumpkin Spice Muffin from Timmies. Given the lack of time though, I resorted to a Cranberry Orange Muffin from the nearby McDonald's, a tiny outpost frequented by Crosslinx labourers and residents of the streets.
Within Isle of Coffee was bar seating by the entrance, a stout shelf of brewing merchandise and specialty beans, a quieter seating area towards the back. Upon navigating closer to the bar/cashier area, one would find the drink menu framed on the wall and the day's assortment of baked goods in a glass display case. Additional seating could be found at the bottom of a staircase, untraversed by yours truly.
The shop's offerings were priced reasonably. Madeleines were individually associated with $2.99 price tags. A 2-pack of Whole Wheat Ginger Cookies range in at $3.10, while the Fig and Caramel Scone at $3.50. These rates were lower than market value, should you ask me, and I had initially contemplated the Vanilla Cookie Choux as well. Eventually, I decided against the idea, in fear that the icing sugar-dusted creation would not survive the subway trip (and extensive drive home).
Flavourful was the Coffee Madeleine, though its roasted qualities were offset by distinct sugariness. I presumed a high proportion of granulated sugar to obtain the pastry's wipsy, crisp edge.
We continued to observe the scene, altering between the first and second floors for a more comprehensive view. It wasn't until the caution tape was extended to our property that I experienced a wallowing sense of foreboding. I immediately geared up in attire fitting of early November nights and dashed outside.
Lo and behold, our tree had been smashed - unearthed from its base and shattered to pieces beyond recognizable. Lone twigs and branches enveloped my car, which assumed a permanent position on our driveway.
As I gazed in horror at the scene, a second ambulance arrived. Traffic control vehicles and tow trucks also hovered nearby. Through traffic was minimized while EMS vehicles remained on site. About eighty minutes later, they began to depart, one by one. At 10:38 PM, crews - presumed to originate from the City's Forestry division - arrived to remove fallen trees from the affected driveways. Shrill grinding of gears could be heard along the street for the dismemberment of lengthy branches. Then, at 11 PM, peace was restored once again.
Horrifying had the incident been, and even more terrifying was the speed at which the vehicle had been travelling. To induce such a tremendous degree of property damage and not halt movement until slamming into its fifth (or sixth) obstacle, it was impossible for us to stop pondering "Just how fast was this person going??".
- 270/390 banana ratio = 0.69
- 0.69 x 334 g flour = 230 g (directly proportional)
- 230 x 0.75 = 173 g
- 173 g rounded up → 180 g
The order arrived swiftly, considering its physical location in Oakville. Neatly wrapped with the receipt tacked on the bag, the portions were as generous as they had been when purchasing in-store.
Salt & Pepper Calamari had arrived soggy, and didn't see much improvement even after toasting. Its accompanying dipping sauce evoked the illusion of plum sauce, spiced with chili flakes.
That said, I didn't emerge from the store with any more than BOGO bracelet straps and charms. The Scentsicles rang in at $12.99 apiece, a steep price in spite of its BOGO offer.
I opted not to sample sleepy polar bear's Caramel Brulée Latte in fear of caffeine jitters and instead took to a Peppermint Mocha Frappuccino. The beverage succeeded in satisfying the brewing void for pepperminty chocolate creations.