Lumpia Shanghai and Bonfires

So on Wednesday, my friend decided to have a bonfire and had everyone bring foods. I wanted to put some effort and actually bring something made from home (there were 12 bags of chips--I'm not even joking) so I rummaged through my pantries, searching for an idea. My friend asked me to bring something savory since most people would be intent on bringing cookies or something of the like.
I flipped through various cookbooks trying to think of something to make. Maybe tortilla cups with ground beef...
No, there's no ground beef. Maybe something with a graham cracker crust, I have a lot of those...
Oh shit, she said something savory...

*brainstorm*

I opened my freezer door and started frantically taking things out. Sure enough, I found packets of Filipino deliciousness all the way in the back. Lumpia Shanghai, in chicken and pork varieties. I thought they were going to be more of a chicken crowd (everyone there was white except for me--Welcome to orange County...) so I decided to make those. I went to sleep, making sure to be awake early so I can get ready. I was showered and ready by 11 am, smelling of Fiji scent Old Spice deodorant. Then I get a text from my friend saying "**** is not going to be at the bonfire until about 3 or 4 so I'll pick you up then"

Slightly saddened at my early franticism, I sat down in my living room and watched some movies. A session of the Breakfast Club and a Transamerica later, it was 3 pm. I got up, fetched my lumpia from the freezer, and got our deep fryer from beneath the sink. I started preheating my oil at 400 degrees fahrenheit, and breaking up my frozen-together-lumpia with a scraper blade. With success, I waited for my oil to heat up.

I fetched some sweet chili sauce from the pantry, and prepped a few tupperwares ( a large one for the lumpia, and a small one for the sauce).

In the small tupperware, I mixed :
~1/3 cup of Sweet Chili sauce
~about 1 tbls of Sriracha sauce
~1 packet of ketchup (from any fast food place--mine was In-n-Out)
~1/2 tbls of Honey
~and a dash of soy sauce

I put the cover on a zhoozed (zhuh-zd) it up a bit before frying up my lumpia. I fried it in 3 batches, lining my tupperware with sheets of paper towel to soak up the oil. I separated each layer with another sheet of paper towel. My friend soon there after came to pick me up.
Everyone raved about the lumpia. Its about the only Filipino food that is slightly familiar to Americans. Imagine their faces when I show them balut, dinuguan, or No. 5 soup.
But that's for another time.
I came home smelling like bonfire, and in turn, my clothes, hair, bedspread, and room smelled like it for a couple of days as well. Suffering from only 5 hours of sleep, I soon went to bed about 3 hours earlier than I usually did. I woke up the next morning in a daze, wearing my clothes from last night, my contact lenses still on, and smelling of smoke. I chalked it up to it being summer.

Restaurant Review: Oeeshi Sushi Bar and Grill

I entered the restaurant as I have many times before, with my family for dinner. We were immediately seated at our usual table with the gentle waitress asking us for drinks. Everyone ordered hot tea and watched Jeopardy on the flat screen tv, the other permanently stationed on the sports game of the night.


Given their extensive menu, I contemplated a sushi roll plate...or maybe teriyaki salmon? I asked my dad if we were to order a sushi and sashimi plate to share amongst us ("pika pika" as Filipino's like to share: A term I've come to define as share and munch amongst others, like a tapas or appetizer plate) and he said yes. So I decided against a sushi roll plate to see one of their many dinner entrees. They come with a bowl of rice and two house salads: A spring salad with mandarin slices and bits of chicken, and shredded iceberg salad with crushed ramen, both salads topped with wonton strips. Bowls of miso came for everyone who ordered other things, me stealing one of the bowls for myself. I snacked on pieces of sushi and sashimi while waiting for my chicken and grilled shrimp plate.

I ate every bit of food that was on my plate, partaking in my ritual of grabbing the teriyaki-soaked piece of lettuce my chicken rested on and placing it on my bowl of rice, letting it soak up all of the sweet and salty goodness. The teriyaki sauce at Oeeshi is probably the best teriyaki sauce I've ever eaten. It's delicate balance of sweet, salty, and a hinted background of smokiness contribute to its tastiness. When I finished my plate and cup of tea, the bill came with a complimentary plate of honeydew melon slices. I contemplated asking for a scoop of azuki bean ice cream, but I noticed how enlarged my stomach had gotten, and let my body recover from its large meal while nibbling on melon slices.

I sat in the car on the way home letting it all hang out-- your body's way of saying "whoa, nice job eating that creative piece of awesome--now let it show for all to see so that others may know that you, a person of great taste, just ate a delicious Oeeshi meal".

I give Oeeshi Sushi bar and Japanese Grill a 9.0 out of 10 for a clean, friendly atmosphere, perfectly kind waitresses and chefs, and delicious food in perfect portions.