On The Move
I am in the middle of a move so the newsletter may look wonky. I am using my old iPhone 8Plus instead of my laptop to publish this missive. It’s a short move from the west side to the east side of my neighborhood but moving is stressful regardless.
The Best Cookbooks This Fall
I already knew about JJ Johnson’s and Klancy Miller’s cookbooks that were coming out this fall but Eater has a great list of all the cookbooks that you should be buying through Bookshop.org.
Make It Make Sense
When you work at a restaurant, you have to explain dishes to guests that they are not familiar with eating. I used to tell people that chow chow is like “southern Kimchi”. That explanation was ineffective because it lead to more questions. I realized that my former Brooklyn artisan food loving self assumed that everyone knows what kimchi is. I was wrong. Years ago, I took a kimchi making class taught by Kheedim Oh. Kheedim is the founder of Mama O’s Kimchi. Kimchi is a spicy Korean dish made from fermented cabbage and vegetables. It can used as a side, a condiment or the main component of a dish. Chow Chow is also made with cabbage but it is pickled and more sweet than sour. Chow chow is more like a relish and served cold. Here’s a recipe for chow chow.
Dang Diggy Dang
Kheedim is also a musician. He was the DJ for The Beatards, a hip hop group that was from Queens. I saw them perform at SXSW in 2010. Their biggest hit was a song called “Dang Diggy Dang”. I remember hearing that song on an episode of “Glee” and I was so proud like I know those guys. One of the rappers you may recognize. UTK (Utkarsh Ambudkar) is also an actor who stars in the CBS show, Ghosts.