Dinner at Peking Gourmet. It hasn’t changed since I first went there ten years ago and probably much longer than that. It’s the same wait to get there in traffic and the zigzagging around to find a parking spot, the same tables in a long narrow corridor with a faded carpet and elaborate lanterns from the ceiling. The same pictures of George H.W. Bush shaking hands with the restaurant owners are prominently displayed on the walls. Of course we had to wait in line for our reservation to be ready. That is part of the experience, just as much as when they cut up the Peking duck next to your table and prepare your first Mandarin pancake with a couple slices of duck breast, a slice of skin, and a few narrow slices of cucumbers. There were plenty of birthday dinners that night, at least one group of high school students, and many families with large or small children, and when I heard people talking about work, homeland security seemed to feature prominently. But enough of that. The only important thing to say is their food is still very good. After we finished the duck, next came the garlic sprouts with shrimp, and then the broccoli and mushrooms with oyster sauce.
I planted my first vegetables of the year, starting the seeds inside. I tried to do this last year and it was a 100 percent failure, so this time I used peat pellets to make it as easy as possible and I’ll hope for the best. I flooded the pellets with warm water and then misted them with more of it, and I created a makeshift greenhouse by placing the tray on top of a heat pad and under a plastic lid, keeping the seeds as warm as can be without putting them in the microwave. To begin with I’ve decided to try serrano peppers, jalapeños, Brandywine tomatoes, sweet bell peppers, and eggplant.
(Photo: You always have to start out with dirt.)
365 Days of Food 