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2015 Asia Trip | Day 1

October 29, 2015 by Mellie Dee Leave a Comment

Hello from the other side of the world! We finally made it after so many freaking hours. I’m too lazy to figure out how many hours it really took. Plus I’m not too sure how to transition the hours to make it line up to where I am now but … let’s start from the beginning. ((Note: The “<<>>” are for me to remember to put up pictures. It’s super late right now over here.))

Asia 2015 | Monkey Boarding Pass

Tuesday, October 27th, we left the house around 7pm and hung out at Sissy and BIL’s for a bit before heading to the airport. Surprisingly the wait wasn’t as long as I thought. Soon enough we were on the aircraft and our liftoff was on time on Wednesday, October 28th at 12:55am. If you’ve never been on a super long plane ride, you might not know about the little screens for each individual. I started the Ted 2 movie since one of my co-workers said it was funny and much better than the first one.

Asia 2015 | Eva Airlines Meal 1

Not even an hour on-board (1:45am) we were fed our first meal. Sissy had her special vegetarian order while BIL and I got to chose between chicken or beef. We opted for the beef which turned out to be beef stroganoff with carrots and peas, dinner roll, salad, fruit, and red velvet cake. I asked Sissy why she wasn’t watching her movie while eating and her response was that she wouldn’t be able to concentrate on both at the same time … wow. Haha … it made me laugh because … wow. Ted 2 wasn’t too horrible, but it wasn’t that amazing either. Definitely better than the first one though.

Asia 2015 | Eva Airline Snack

At 8am we were fed a snack of roast beef and provolone on ciabatta bread. I only liked the provolone and tried eating some of the roast beef. No bread for me since I just felt I was carb loading … I shouldn’t complain though because it was definitely much better than Sissy’s grilled onion, zucchini, something sandwich. BLEUGH. During this time I started the movie Trainwreck which I end up loving. It was cute and the girl reminded me of myself at times. I was surprised John Cena was in it. Mmm … <3. I agree with what he said about how why date someone or start anything with someone if you don’t intend to be something more in the future because “we aren’t in high school anymore” in which she replies, ” I didn’t know we were exclusive”. Ugh.

If you know me well enough, you would know I make 11:11 wishes. Oh … and I have to touch it. Haha that always creeps people out. But I was able to make my wish. Then I finally went on my pee break at 11:13am. I started watching Workaholics which I downloaded to my IPad through Amazon Prime. I wish I was able to download all the seasons. Darn Amazon limitations.

Asia 2015 | Eva Airlines Meal 2

We were served another meal at 2:08pm. BIL chose the scrambled egg, sausage, potato combo while I opted for the pork and thousand year old egg congee with fish floss, mantu (Asian type bread), fruit, celery and soy something slices. It felt like all we were doing was eating, sleeping, and watching telly. I’m pretty sure we were gaining weight and bloating up. Grossss. I was able to finish the movie Vacation which I also ended up loving.

Asia 2015 | Taipei Taiwan Layover

We finally landed in Taipei at 5:30am on Thursday, October 29th. This is where the time difference has begun. Our four hour layover became a five hour layover since we arrived an hour early. We walked around for a good while to stretch our legs and decided to eat … again since we wouldn’t be served anymore food and it would be a good few hours before we would get to eat when we arrived in Hong Kong. We took our potty breaks and headed to Hommee Kitchen.

Asia 2015 | Hommee Kitchen Taipei Taiwan

I ordered the Shredded Pork + Pork Chop with Rice that came with daily soup and side dishes. For the drink, I ordered Tapioca Milk Tea. Too much food. Thank goodness for BIL in helping me even though … he really didn’t. We were yet full and unable to breathe. We went and freshened up and headed to our gate. After a little while we find out our flight was delayed due to technical difficulties. So our four hour layover became a five hour layover to a delayed 7 hour layover. JOY!

Asia 2015 | Eva Airlines Meal Voucher

They gave us a voucher of NT.250 for lunch. Ugh … but we just ate … with our own money! So … we ate again. Yes, I know. We’re gaining weight. I get it. Don’t need to tell us that. But what else were we going to do with it? Can’t let the money go to waste.

Asia 2015 | Mos Burger Taipei Airlines

We walked to MOS Burger where I ordered the Japanese Fried Chicken, french fries, Toffee Nut Latte, and Hot Matcha Cappuccino. Thank goodness for Sissy and BIL in helping me eat the chicken and fries. I chugged my Hot Matcha Cappuccino and gave the Toffee Nut Latte to Sissy.

Asia 2015 | Mellie Dee Full Taipei Taiwan

Example of how I looked after our five billionth meal. I’m nasty looking since we were in recycled air for so many hours. After that meal we couldn’t breathe. We were stuffed to the brim and I was dehydrated. If you knew me personally and spend enough time with me, you’ll know I drink copious amounts of water and only water 98% of the time; so I was dying. We walked around again and I was certain my food sweats were beginning (gross, I know) and headed back to our gate to find out that it would be a little while longer.

Asia 2015 | Eva Airlines Meal 3

We finally boarded our flight at 12:45pm and lifted off at 1:35pm due to so many planes needing to take off as well. And once again we were fed which was news to us. It was some kind of Asian chicken with Rice and a side of nut mix. The smell of the food made me want to throw up. And when I told Sissy and BIL I had never been this full in my life, BIL’s response was, “It’s like a never ending buffet”. True but at least at a buffet, you get to walk around to get your food.

Asia 2015 | Hong Kong Landing

We finally landed at 2:53pm and got through customs pretty quickly along with getting our luggage. Mum and Kathy were waitng for us at the gate. After getting our Octopus cards filled (for transportation), we went on a bus and headed to our little abode for the week.

During the ride, I got a little sad. I found out I wouldn’t be seeing my little cousin (at least that’s what I was told). He was one of the ones who picked me up from the airport back in 2012 and the whole ride to the home, he and I talked trying to get to know one another. It’s sad to think he won’t be here for the memories.

When we got to the abode, we all relaxed for a bit and went to PoPo’s place by Metro then another bus where she pretty much couldn’t stop hugging any one of us. She told me I looked burned (like by heat), which is apparently for I lost a lot of weight since the last time I saw her.

Asia 2015 | Hong Kong Meal 1

We went off to dinner and laughed and joked so much. It just felt nice having everyone together for the first time and getting to see the family we only see once in a blue moon. After dinner, we went back to PoPo’s place where we picked some watches Kathy had for us to take home. I think I finally own a grown up watch. Eeek. Not too sure when I’ll ever wear it though.

Afterward, we headed back to our abode, showered, and everyone is currently knocked out as I type this out. Time for me to follow suit! Bye!

Filed Under: Travel Tagged With: Sightseeing

2015 Asia Trip | Liftoff

October 28, 2015 by Mellie Dee Leave a Comment

Ni Hao! haha I’m currently flying halfway around the world to Hong Kong. Our flight is set to a little before 1am, which many think is crazy. Maybe so, but it’s cheaper. This also means I’ve been on the plane for a good few hours now and my butt is probably numb from all the sitting. And since I’m one of those weirdos that liked the plane meals on my last Asia trip, I’m probably happily stuffing my face right now.

The last time I was in Hong Kong was with Mum for almost an entire month in which we made a pit stop to Taiwan to visit my cousin and his wife. This time, they will be meeting us in Hong Kong. We don’t have everything planned out other than a pit stop in Thailand but I don’t mind it. I’m looking forward to seeing my family again and showing BIL and SIL our world. Maybe one day my significant other can experience where I came from and the lifestyle of stuffing his face with gross foods I love.

Cannot wait to be home. See you soon.

Hong Kong

via

Filed Under: Travel Tagged With: Sightseeing

2013 Oregon Trip | Day 4 and Day 5

October 23, 2013 by Mellie Dee 4 Comments

Let’s just finish this up, eh? Just look at the pictures.

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Gravy
3957 N Mississippi Ave
Portland, Oregon 97227
(503) 287-8800

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Blueberry Pecan Pancakes | $8.75

Mmm … yum. Need to remember to make pancakes like these. We all shared this and we thought it’d be two small pancakes. We were very wrong.

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The Bacato [bacon, green onion, cream cheese & tomato] | $9.75

You can pick a side of eggs, tofu, house potatoes, or hash browns.

Mum got a side of hash browns. I will DEFINETLY come back for these if I ever had a chance. I’m sure they’re horrible for you since I’m sure they fry them but … holy moly. It’s like eating a giant potato chip!

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The Dalise [bacon, sausage, ham, sweet peppers, mushroom, onion, and cheddar covered with sausage gravy] | $10.75

I chose house potatoes. I don’t think I’d pick this again though. The meats made everything too salty for me. It wasn’t a favorite. The house potatoes were tasteless. I guess I got a bad plate?

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We then headed to Portland Saturday Market which are opened Sundays as well from March to December.

Portland Saturday Market
2 SW Naito Parkway
Portland, Oregon 97204
(503) 241-4188
www.portlandsaturdaymarket.com

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Don’t get this confused with the Farmer’s Market. Two separate things. Here they sell things they make and there are food carts. I wanted to buy everything.

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They had weird statues for everyone to see.

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One of the views when walking around the market. How gorgeous.

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We got thirsty and got Bubble Tea. Not that amazing compared to Houston of course.

We headed to our next destination. Mum LOVES gardens so we had to make a stop at one before we could go back home. We got a deal off Groupon. Thank you, Groupon!

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Lan Su Chinese Garden
239 NW Everett St.
Portland, Oregon 97209
(503) 228-8131
www.lansugarden.org

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How freaking gorgeous.

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Sissy and I weren’t really looking forward to go to the gardens. But by golly, I’m thankful we did. What a sight.

We went back to the apartment to rest then headed out for dinner.

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Mio Sushi
9757 SE Sunnyside Rd
Clackamas, Oregon 97015
(503) 654-7060
www.miosushi.com

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Gyoza [vegetable fried dumplings] | $4.25

They had it with pork but seeing how Sissy is vegetarian …

It was really delicious. Much better than I thought it’d be.

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Seafood Yaki Udon [stir fried udon noodles & vegetables (onion, carrot, cabbage, broccoli, red & green peppers), green mussels, scallop, shrimp, yaki noodle sauce] | $15.95

Came with a Miso which tasted way better than the Miso I had back in Sinju Restaurant.

The Udon wasn’t bad either. I would of eaten it all if I didn’t have so much sushi.

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Sweet Veggie [cucumber, avocado, asparagus rolled in tonkatsu] | $4.50

Asparagus [asparagus, sesame seeds] | $2.75

Tofu Veggie Roll [cucmber, radish sprout, asparagus, deep fried tofu, sesame seed] | $4.95

Sissy three vegetarian rolls which we didn’t touch. Who wants this when you can get what’s below?! Regardless, Oregon really does have a lot of vegetarian and vegan choices. Makes it much easier to eat out for them!

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Tempura [shrimp tempura, cucumber, avocado, sesame, sweet sauce] | $ 5.25

Spider [deep fried soft shell crab, cucumber, avocado, sesame, sweet sauce] | $7.75

Beauty & the Beast [spicy tuna, creamy scallop, masago, spicy mayo, sweet sauce] | $8.95

Masago [smelt fish roe] | $3.75 each

Mt. Fuji [cucumber, avocado, crab, baked spicy salmon, sesame, green onion, creamy sauce, sweet sauce] | $9.95

Tiger Roll [krab, avocado, cucumber, shrimp, peanut, sweet chili sauce] | $10.95

Bloody Vampire [spicy tuna, spicy salmon, creamy scallop (deep fried) with sweet chili sauce] | $8.95

Always wanted to order a crap load of sushi on one plate and finally got a chance to! My favorites were Masago (of course!), Beauty & the Beast, and the Bloody Vampire! YUM YUM YUM!

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Bruno. I miss you! Him all up in my sleeping bag.

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Day 5 … day of goodbyes. Always get the wing seat … unintentionally.

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We landed in Phoenix, Arizona for our layover. Mum and I got our early lunch.

Paradise Bakery & Cafe
3400 E Sky Harbor Blvd.
Phoenix, AZ 85034
(602) 681-0909

Pesto Pasta [with a side of Cesar Salad]

Also came with a chocolate chip cookie! Everything was delicious. Airport food is actually pretty good …

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Gah … finally done with Oregon update. It was a fun trip and if I ever had a chance to I would go again to half the places I went. Who wants to go with me? We can make a trip of it!

Filed Under: Eateries & Drinkeries, Travel Tagged With: Sightseeing

2013 Oregon Trip | Day 3

October 22, 2013 by Mellie Dee 6 Comments

With the pace I’m going with this Oregon update, I’ll never finish so let’s get to it.IMG_20131004_094431

Half a bagel sandwich. Homemade by yours truly. 2 egg whites. Slice of cheese. Ham. Delicious and simple.

Luckily BIL got out of work early as in he was only there for an hour and got sent home since they didn’t need a lot of people today. That meant he got to spend the day with us!

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Driving towards our destination we saw gorgeous landscape. What else is new. That mountain pretty much never left our side.

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Multnomah Falls
50000 E Historic Columbia River Hwy
Bridal Veil, Oregon 97010
(503) 695-2372

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It was already a little cold and this little coffee stall must make a lot of money daily. We got our coffees and went on our hike.

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Freaking gorgeous. Reppin’ THON. Coffee in my hand. Next view pictures are just the same waterfall at different angles. All too gorgeous not to share.

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We made our way to:

Marchesi Vineyards & Winery
3955 Belmont Drive
Hood River, Oregon 97031
(541) 386-1800
www.marchesivineyards.com

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Cutest guy pouring us our wine. Need. To. Come. Back.

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They won a lot of awards recently. Pretty cool to see it on their door.

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Tagliere Di Legno Con Antipasto (Wooden Antipasto Tray) [freshly sliced Salumi, Italian Pecorino Cheese and sliced Fresh Baquette]

We got the Medium (4-6 people) for $15. Loved the whole tray.

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I didn’t take a picture of the wines we took. Who would want to see that. But here’s a list of the ones we tried all for $5.

  • Uvaggio, 2012, Columbia Valley (Bianco)
  • Dolcetto, 2012, Columbia Gorge (Natal)
  • Barbera, 2011, Columbia Valley (Achille) “Bronze Medal” San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition, 2013.
  • Sangiovese, 2011, Columbia Valley (Emma) My favorite.
  • Nebbiolo, 2010, Columbia Valley (Buja Nen) “Best of Class” San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition, 2013.

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Headed to our next winery …

Pheasant Valley Winery
3890 Acree Dr.
Hood River, Oregon 97031
(866) 357-9463
www.pheasantvalleywinery.com

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Antipasto Platter [premium salami, marinated olives and mushrooms, premium sliced cheeses, dolmas and gigante beans, crakcers] | $10

Pesto Hummus [served with bread or crackers] | $7

Mmm .. eating stuff like this and drinking wine for lunch … the best. I wish I had time in the middle of the day to do this during the week.

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Sissy and I signed up to try ALL 11 wines they had. BIL and Mum only picked 5. Actually Mum pretty much gave up because she was so tipsy. Too funny.

REDS

  • 2011 Estate Organic Pinot Noir
  • 2010 Primitivo
  • 2011 Barbera Silver Medal, Northwest Wine Summit, 2013.
  • 2009 Tempranillo  90 points – Wine Spectator, November 2012. My favorite.
  • 2009 Syrah

WHITES

  • 2012 Estate Organic Pinot Gris Silver Medal, Northwest Wine Summit, 2013.
  • 2009 Vino Bianco Bronze Medal, Northwest Wine Summit, 2011.
  • 2012 McDuffee Chardonnay
  • 2012 Rose de Pinot Noir My favorite.
  • 2012 Riesling
  • 2011 Organic Pear Wine

We drove back to the apartment where they all slept their wines away. I just sat up and watched Suits with Bruno. By the time everyone was awake and hungry it was late. There was a long wait for our table so we went next door to their bar where we ordered drinks.

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le Bistro Montage
301 SE Morrison Street
Portland, Oregon 97214
(503) 234-1324
www.montageportland.com

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I don’t remember what BIL got. I just remember we all didn’t like it and left the rest on the table.

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Safe Word [Jameson Black Barrel, Vanilla Vodka, Creme de Cocoa, cocoa powdered rim] | $8

They failed at a cocoa powdered rim. This was also very strong. Wasn’t ready for that since um … I hadn’t eaten. I wouldn’t order this again. I don’t think Jameson and I mix well together.

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Suffering Bastard [Absolut Mandarin, fresh orange, and soda] | $7

I know Mum well when I picked this out for her. It was a favorite at our table. Everyone loved it.

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This place is dark so it’s hard to get pictures of the food without my flash. Didn’t want to bother the other guests. Sorry for the bad picture quality!

BREAD and butter.

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Oyster or New Zealand Poached Mussel Shooter [served in a shot glass with cocktail sauce, horseradish & lemon] | $1.95 each

We got one of each. Best one? The Oyster Shooter. A hit of salty and sweet. Wish I ordered more.

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Jambalaya [spicy Louisiana rice dish with onions, celery, tomato & Cajun gravy]

Price varies on what you add in it. I believe Mum got it with crawfish which makes it $14. It was delicious. She said that this was her favorite meal out of the whole trip. That’s how great it was. Or we just ate meh food the rest of the trip.

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Spold Mac [the perfect blend of spicy (Cajun gravy, parmesan & jalapeno) and old (garlic, heavy cream & parmesan)] | $8.25

It costs more when you add stuff to it. I added Andouille Sausage (extra $2) and Roasted Garlic (extra $2). Total of $12.25.

Their famous for their mac & cheese so that’s why I ordered it. It did not disappoint. The Roasted Garlic was WHOLE. Stinky breath for dayyyyyyys. Their mac & cheese is more of a sauce than usual mac & cheese. If I ever had a chance to go here again I would pick this again and made the pasta Gluten Free Penne for another $2.

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If you don’t finish your food, they wrap it up in aluminum and sculpt it into something. Sissy got a snail.

This might ruin the rest of the trip updates but this was the best day ever.

Filed Under: Eateries & Drinkeries, Travel Tagged With: Sightseeing

2013 Oregon Trip | Day 2

October 18, 2013 by Mellie Dee 8 Comments

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We ate our leftover donuts from Voodoo Donuts we bought the day before. Still good. But not my kind of breakfast. Too sugary and definitely not filling.

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Went to walk Bruno with Sissy and this was the view I captured right behind her apartment complex. How gorgeous is this?! Right when the sun was rising. The picture does not do it any justice. So foggy and green.

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Mum got jealous she missed it so I took her after we all got ready for the day. Still pretty as ever.

We went shopping at some places where they sold local crafts. I love seeing things like this. I just wished Houston had stuff like this. If there is and I’m missing it, let me know! I would of bought some of their stuff it I had more room in my luggage.

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Crafty Wonderland
808 SW 10th Ave
Portland, Oregon 97205
(503) 224-9097
www.craftywonderland.com

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Tender Loving Empire
412 Southwest 10th Avenue
Portland, Oregon 97205
(503) 243-5859
www.tenderlovingempire.com

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We made our way to lunch at …

Sinju Sushi Bar Restaurant
1022 NW Johnson Street
Portland, Oregon 97209
(503) 223-6535
www.sinjurestaurant.com

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Beef Tataki Roll [thin strips of seared beef strip loin & green onions on top of a shrimp tempura roll; served with ponzu and plum sauce] | $10.95

I was not a fan of this at all. I felt it had no taste in it other than the shrimp tempura and the beef on top felt very … rough on my palette.

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Sinju Stone Bowl (Bibimbap) [seasonal, fresh garden vegetables sauteed and served with Sinju Signature BBQ Beef in sizzling Stone Pot with side of house made Sinju Hot-Chili paste | $10.95

Mum’s bowl came with a side of cucumber. It felt like I was eating cucumbers in vinegar or something.

But her Bibimbap was pretty good. Of course not as great as the ones you get here in Houston.

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Silky Tofu in Clay Pot [spicy, organic, locally sourced, non-GMO silky tofu in spicy seasoned soup with a generous serving of assorted seafood and vegetables] | $11.50

Nothing special with this bowl. Wasn’t spicy enough for me either. Was way smaller for the price. But I guess it’s expensive because of the seafood they put in it which they do not skimp on. Filled with lots of seafood.

If I had a choice to choose here or another place, I’d suggest going to another place. Do not think the food here was worth this kind of money.

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We then walked over the the:

Museum of Contemporary Craft
724 Northwest Davis Street
Portland, Oregon 97209
(503) 223-2654
www.museumofcontemporarycraft.org

They had an exhibit opened to where each artist can only use one tool to design their piece. It was pretty cool to see what the people came up with. I don’t think Mum or Sissy found it interesting though. Mum flat out said that she can never understand art like that. *sigh*

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We headed back to New Seasons Market to buy things to cook dinner since BIL was going to be off work and tired. Didn’t want to make him go out since he would have work again the next day.

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We made salmon, beef, broccoli, French bread, and I got a side of apple something quinoa for myself. SO GOOD. Their quinoa selection is so much better than Whole Foods! Come on Whole Foods. Get on it!

Day two has ended. Day three coming soon!

I hope you all had a great week! It’s been a tough one for me but at least no work tomorrow! Just my side job of creating flyers for people!

Filed Under: Eateries & Drinkeries, Travel Tagged With: Sightseeing

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