Illustration: Tram Nguyen
Lately I have frequently found myself wide awake at 6 a.m., tired but unable to fall back asleep, frantically googling things like “what can a person eat with one hand?????” This is because my body is currently hosting a child and, did you know, it is impossible to sleep when you have a human fetus crushing your internal organs. Read more
Illustration: Tram Nguyen
Remember that great ‘80s movie “A Christmas Story”? About a basketcase of a family trying to make it through the holiday season? I remember it vividly, not least because for a brief, confusing period of my young life, I thought it was a home video.
illustration: tram nguyen
A few weeks ago, I visited Tram in Chicago for the most magical weekend. Usually when I visit Tram it’s about -20 degrees (I tend to find cheap tickets in February, plus, the freezing temperatures can last through May in Chicago), but this weekend was the most glorious, sunny, mid-70s weather. The sun was shining. The sky was blue. The hoochies were done up in their skimpiest tube top-and-miniskirt ensembles. It was perfect. On Friday, we roamed around town stirring up trouble (um, eating pizza and ice cream and paella); on Saturday, we walked along Lake Michigan to a secret and mystical “witches’ circle,” drank margaritas, ate homemade mussels and French fries, and considered trying out for the Amazing Race.
Illustration: Tram Nguyen
Lucy was in town the other weekend,which obviously made it the best two days of my life. To prepare for her impending arrival, I made plans to buy fresh flowers, stock the fridge with tasty snacks, and scrub my apartment until it was absolutely spotless. After a few minutes of sweeping up the dust bunnies behind the fridge, I thought to myself, “This is hard and boring.” So I stopped and decided I’d have no choice but to use my body as a physical barrier between the kitchen wall and Lucy if she ever felt the inclination to move the fridge. The best I could manage was a clean towel and letting the Roomba take a single lap around my living room.
illustration: tram nguyen
This recipe was inspired by Irazu, my favorite Costa Rican restaurant in Chicago, which also has the distinction of being the only Costa Rican restaurant in Chicago. This place is always packed, and for good reason. The food is fantastic, authentic, and vegetarian friendly. There’s something so magical about walking into that restaurant in the dead of winter. The rustic beach-y decor always makes feel as if I’ve just stepped into the movie The Blue Lagoon. One of the things they are famous for is their oatmeal shake, which sounds healthy and unpleasant, but I was delighted to find it was in fact, quite delicious. It’s more like an horchata milkshake, with a generous dusting of cinnamon on top.