Korean Spicy Chicken Bowl

There are a thousand places in New York that are lunch delis, food stores, buffets, etc. And I like one of them, Cafe Duke.  I am skeptical about all of these places, figuring it is low quality food kept in unsanitary conditions. (A side note. In a building I was once lived in, there was an inexpensive and popular Chinese restaurant on the ground floor. They kept their food in the basement of our building, where our laundry was. It was disgusting. Bins of raw chicken and fish just laying out.) If you visit New York, do not think I am urging a visit or that you eat at Cafe Duke. If you live in New York, make no effort to find this place or eat here.

They have everything to eat here.  EVERYTHING.  A grill, sandwiches, salad, pizza, pasta, sushi, a buffet (which I have not sampled), noodles galore cooked to order (ramen, udon, soba, rice, etc.).  Every kind of energy bar imaginable, including every Cliff Bar flavor known to man.  British candy bars, which even the NY Times agrees are much better than American ones. Japanese Hy-Chews.

My dish of choice here is the deceptively simple sounding Korean "Spicy Chicken Bowl." One day I was a little under the weather and wandered in here and thought, what the hell. It is mushrooms, onions and scallions tossed in a stir fry pan. Some precooked chicken bits. And then some magic red sauce and one minute later, spicy chicken, served with rice, pickled daikon radish, ginger and sesame seeds. A picture:

I was blown away.  It is wonderful, really.  The secret is the sauce, spicy, flavorful, and I don't even know what.  I asked the guys what was in it and they said:  Korean pepper paste, chili oil and garlic.  It is spicy in a way that is different than Chinese or Mexican spicy.  I can't describe it really.  I have tried to duplicate it at home by hunting down Korean pepper paste and experimenting.  I have not even come close.

And this place is efficient.  The service is not polite or friendly; just brutally efficient.  They serve hundreds of people at lunch, and they have people ready at the food stations and at the cash registers.  I think they should be put in charge of the US health care system.

So, a shout out to one place that does something deceptively simple incredibly well.  

And no, I haven't been to the doctor yet.  What is he going to tell me?  Stop running, ice and rest.  As the Paper of record said today, tough it out.

Sun and Ice

Finally! Last weekend was the breakthrough -- as of last Friday, all weekend was set to be sunny and relatively nice (high 40s). Thursday night was another late night treadmill session, which honestly went great; reading everyone's posts and comments made me reflect a little and lighten up. I was planning that great Saturday morning run, and I wanted to run a little longer than I had been. 8 to 9 miles was on tap. I live close to a pathway along a river (now a stream really), that is quite scenic, relatively flat and a good place to run and walk. (My older daughter learned to ride a bike there, actually.) I thought I would get up and gooooo!

Saturday morning came and I went outside to get the paper. Sun! But, uhhhh, it really wasn't that warm. I checked the weather: 30 degrees. Eh, whatever, I just dressed warmly and headed out.

I felt great. I have posted splits below, but I ended up going 8.1 in 1:04, for a 7:54 pace.The strange thing was the path was not completely thawed out. Various stretches still had ice and snow on them. And because we have been thawing and freezing, it was like this pockmarked, crunchy snow ice mixture with frozen footsteps. I wasn't worried I would slip so much as I would twist an ankle. But made for some slow going, so the pace was even better.

Of course, given the great run, I felt absolutely entitled to enjoy myself cooking for company Saturday night. At my wife's request, I made an old recipe I know for Potatoes Gruyère. Contents: potatoes, spice, 3 cups of heavy cream and 3/4 pounds of cheese, shredded. Every time I have made these potatoes I haven't even bothered to look at the calories involved; ignorance is bliss. Saturday, I peeked at the heavy cream. 3 cups equals 1.5 pints, by the way. One pint heavy cream: 60 calories per serving, with 32 serving per pint. So the cream accounted for over 2700 calories, before adding the cheese and potatoes. Definitely not low cal. They tasted divine though. So either that or the 16 bottles of wine that night really sunk the diet this weekend.

But it felt great to be back outside. This weekend: a race, the NYRR 8000 meters (about 4.95 miles). That race was the first race I ran last winter that kicked me back into gear. I'll post before and and after pictures to prove what a difference a year makes.

UPDATE:  the promised splits (more for posterity):

Distance    Split time    Pace vs avg.    Elev. chg.    Time

1.00    7:12    -00:48.60    -75    0:07:12
2.00    7:50    -00:09.96    +10    0:15:03
3.00    7:53    -00:07.61    +13    0:22:57
3.97    7:58    00:12.94    +0    0:30:53
4.97    8:47    00:46.43    -1    0:39:40
5.97    7:45    -00:14.64    -8    0:47:26
6.97    8:02    00:01.96    -15    0:55:29
7.97    8:24    00:24.04    +77    1:03:53
7.99    0:10    01:50.49    0    1:04:04
8.01    0:06    -03:25.79    -1    1:04:11

Snow Patrol

Stuck in New York and waiting for another big snowstorm tomorrow!  When will this madness end?  It has been a crazy winter with no let up since December.

Because of the frozen tundra like conditions, I've been running on the treadmill a lot.  Which means a lot of Olympics watching.  I have become strangely interested in curling, of all things. I think CNBC has been turned into the curling channel!

Given the treadmill running, not a lot if interesting runs or running insights.  I have been obsessing about heart rates, maybe because that is the only feedback I really get from a treadmill run.

I am also not really training for anything.  The goal is to get in shape now, and run my first serious race in late March, a 15K (9.3 miles) in Central Park.   That should be a good benchmark.  Then over the next several months leading up to July 4, running in the spring races for the NYRR, just like last year. 

I made some good food over the weekend also.  Sole Meuniere (which turned out to be flounder pan fried in butter) and then a cheese and panko coated chicken breast on Sunday night.  One thing I have become obsessed with is Rick's Picks ( a pickle company) and their "mean beans" -- green beans pickled, with garlic and wasabi.  They are tremendous, and healthy too.  I ate a whole jar last Saturday.   And tonight I made a salad nicoise with the pickled green beans -- yummy.

Finally, a motivation quote (something I haven't posted in a while):

"The harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly; it is dearness only that gives everything its value. I love the man that can smile in trouble, that can gather strength from distress and grow brave by reflection. Tis the business of little minds to shrink, but he whose heart is firm, and whose conscience approves his conduct, will pursue his principles unto death"  


Thomas Paine

Super Sunday and Gridiron 4M race report

On Super Bowl Sunday, the day started early, with a 4 mile race in Central Park. It was cold -- about 17 degrees, with a 10 mph wind. I was ready for it, though, after the Boston freeze out. I had on a long sleeve compression shirt; a long sleeve shirt over that; a long sleeve running shell, and a running fleece. A hat and gloves. Cold weather Asics tights. I saw a grand total of 4 people running without tights. Discretion is the better part of valor.

The race, although cold, was on a sunny, pretty day in Central Park. We were supposed to get all the snow that buried Washington, but we did not even get a flake. 50 miles south of the city they got 14 inches; us, none. Odd. Anyway, I started again in first corral, but I was under no impression I would go fast or set a PR or be where I was at my "high water mark" in November. I was just happy to be out there again. I didn't set Garmin race buddy. Deep inside, I hoped to make 7:00 miles, but realized I was not going to push to that goal. A more realistic goal was to match my 7:27 pace, which had been my PR pace until last fall. So, I would just run to a fast pace and see how I felt and how my heart rate went. (Before the race started my Garmin had my resting HR at 41. Umm, I don't think so.)

First mile was fast, with about a 7:14 pace. I felt like I was really struggling though. Really trying hard to keep that pace. Second mile, I slowed down, but it was downhill and came in around 7:20. Much better. Mile 3 was a disaster. My glasses completely fogged up -- like so bad-I-couldn't-see fogged up. And my shoe came untied. So I had to stop, take my gloves off, unzip one of the pouches in my shirt, stuff my glasses in, tie my shoe and go again. But it was a good break honestly, I was kind of winded. Mile 3 was 7:50. In Mile 4 I just wanted the race to be over really, and call it a day. Ended up in 7:26. Total time: 29:54, for net pace of 7:28 per mile. 900th place out of 5200 runners. Eh.

I give myself a B- for the run. But I am very, very glad I did it. It really dispelled the memories of Boston, and how unpleasant that cold run was. This one was just a nice run, albeit labored, in the chill.

Saturday night we went to see "Up in the Air." I was a little disappointed. First, Geroge Clooney looked way too good for the movie. Everyone else was sort of unattractive and gray; Clooney can't help it if he is a movie star, but he just looked out of place in the movie. I think a no-name actor could have been tremendous in the role. And, as someone who travels and works a lot (although no where near Clooney's character), I sympathize with some of it, but I also have a loving wife and family, so another part, I just didn't. I give the movie a B.

Super Bowl Sunday (after the run), I made fresh Guacamole and Super Bowl Jambalaya (with Dixie Beer, which is not easy to find in these Yankee lands) for some friends. I forgot to put lime juice in the guac (which I think only I noticed), so I thought it was only good, not great. I give it a B. (Detect the theme of my day?) The jambalaya was OK, even if it was a big hit with the crowd. I tasted it and though, eh, it could be so much better. I give it a B-.

All in all, a thoroughly average day. But, all things considered, that is sort of life, no? We can't have every day with a PR followed up with the best food ever. And what is so average about a race, with a home cooked meal made with my kids, served to a crowd of friends, drinking Dixie Beer watching the Super Bowl?

That gets an A+.

Foods and Farmers Market

My little hometown has a farmer's market, and it opens on Saturday. I can't wait. I am not an organic, eat what you grow, raw foodie type. I like meat, potatoes, vegetables, and fruit, and probably in that order. But recently I have been eating less meat (of all types) and more vegetables, and can't wait for the summer.

What made me miss the market the most is strawberries. Through the magic of modern agriculture, we can get Driscoll strawberries 365 days a year at our local grocery store. My toddler loves them, so we feed them to her. Except I can't taste them. I will eat one that looks like a strawberry, smells like a strawberry, but has no discernible flavor. To make it sweet enough to eat in a shortcake or macerate into a sauce, I had to add sugar. I call them fauxberries.

But the little strawberries, grown locally, that we get at the farmers market? Wonderful. They taste great, and I can eat handfuls at a time. Same with blueberries. And the tomatoes. The carrots have so much flavor and color that they look like something from a cartoon, not the lifeless bag of orange stalks in the grocery store. We are now entering the time when all of that goodness is a short walk away. Mmmmm.