Hi, readers.  I know it's been a while, but you won't believe this post, for both its astonishing number of megapixels and Katie's latest first.  So picture this: there we were in Ballard, famous for its fishermen bars, proximity to water, great restaurants, and even the Ballard Seafood Festival.    

So we pop into the next place that catches our attention, and it's just about snack time.  Our group orders pretzels, fried pickles, German sausage and fish 'n chips.  Do you wonder which one Katie hasn't tried?  FISH AND CHIPS OMG WHAT!!!!!!!!!!  Everyone said "Katie, are you drunk?" and she said "Yes!" but that's beside the point.  Twenty seven years on this planet, and never had fish 'n chips.  It went down like this:
 

And then she was all:

What's next, olives?!

Keepin' it Citrus

Next up on the lineup was another citrus first: kumquat.  Kumquats are slightly larger than a grape, and also are eaten with the skin on.  Katie, with moral support, tried one. 


And she was downright angry about it.  When asked what she thought of her first kumquat, she said, "Too sour and not worth the effort."  What effort?  You just pop the lil' bugger in your mouth and autopilot to chew.  "You have to spit out all the seeds," she said while head rolling and z-snapping.  Don't catch Katie in a dark alley with a kumquat.

What's orange, bitter, and foreign to Katie?

There I was, minding my own business and unpacking my lunch.  I commented that I thought I had grabbed an orange, but mistakenly grabbed a grapefruit instead.  Katie takes a few steps closer to me, and says in a hushed voice, "I don't think I've ever had grapefruit".

 

No folks, she is not human. 

So, I sliced the fruit open and gave Katie half.  I educated her how serrated spoons can completely change the grapefruit experience.  I did neglect to tell her about a splash guard and she bravely took a squirt to the eye.  She ate her half and dodged the subsequent squirts. 

Yay for grapefruit!

The International District - pilot episode 1

In the land of hanging roast duck and humbow, we start this next foodie chapter in Seattle's International District.

While most place in the ID are Chinese, we've thrown in other firsts. Notably, one of them is not chicken feet.  Katie has refused them the last three times. 

Lone uneaten chicken foot, reserved for Katie

First sake:

And wonton soup, with add-your-own noodles and baby bok choy, or as Katie called it "whatever that is" as she pushed it aside.  Maybe next time.

whatever that is

Lastly, unagi! 

Unagi (eel)

恭喜發財 - 新年快樂!