Update to end all updates (I think)!

I haven't written in a while, and the midwest/east coast trip is progressing rapidly. Basically, I'm in New York right now, staying in a cheap-ish hotel. What has happened since my last post:

1. On my second day in St. Paul, I made the discovery f University Avenue, a big, ugly street that houses the local Asian population. There are Hmong restaurants, video-rental shops, delis, groceries, etc. There are also Thai, Cambodian and Vietnamese businesses. One of my favorite lunch items that I frequently buy at home is Banh Mi--Vietnamese sandwiches made with some kind of meat (usually grilled/barbecued), pickled veggies, cilantro, jalapeños, aioli and soy/fish sauce on Vietnamese french bread. I decided to see if I could find these tasty sandwiches on University. Lo and behold, after about five minutes of driving, I noticed a small Vietnamese market, situated in what looked like an old movie theater, advertising "sandwiches." In the very back of the store, past cans of what appeared to be Chinese Spam, was a deli counter, where two women and a man were dutifully churning out the biggest, most delicious looking Banh Mi I'd ever seen. Barbecued meat hung tantalizingly behind glass. I noticed that, on many of the sandwiches, the women were putting on a kind of bologna-like lunch meat that is used often in Vietnamese dishes. When asked if they would put barbecued pork in the sandwich instead, one woman behind the counter replied that it would be extra--bringing the sandwich to $3.50, rather than $2.75! This was fine with me. The woman proceeded to pour on three different kinds of sauce--soy, and a few others that I'm not sure about (one may have been fish). There were plenty of delicious pickled veggies, the pork was amazingly good (so much better than any meat I've had on Banh Mi before) and the bread was thick enough to not get soggy and retain its crunch. For my money, this is the best Vietnamese sandwich I've had anywhere. I enjoyed it with a cool can of sweet soy milk while sitting in the sculpture garden across from the Walker Art Center. (Later I went into the Art Center, and reappeared again with a Moleskine sketchbook and a collapsable Japanese sandwich box, courtesy of the gift shop!) That night, I went after a quick dinner to try Izzy's Ice Cream, a local, all-natural (sort of) ice cream shop in St. Paul. Some of the flavors were a bit off (banana key lime, anyone?) but the two I got, bananas foster and 'peace coffee' were delicious! Izzy's has this concept where, when one orders a single scoop or larger, they can also get a small "izzy" scoop on top of their first. It's a great way to maximize flavor choices, while not having to order too much ice cream. Although I am personally biased and slightly prefer the ice cream of my work, this was very tasty and I went back a second night, unable to resist another scoop of the coffee.

2. Mall of America. I actually went on the second day, just because...well, I was curious. Yes, it is a huge shopping mall. Yes, after twenty minutes I felt zombified. Never again. That's all I'll say.

3. Met some old family friends on the last day in Minnesota. They were nice, old-fashioned, New Yorkers by birth. We ate at a cute little pub in the tiny town where they live, but unfortunately, my food wasn't very good. The root beer was great, however!

4. The next day, I flew to Boston. Once again, I had a layover in Chicago, so I can proudly claim to be reasonably well-acquainted with O'Hare. Hmmm. Boston was overcast, but still quite hot and muggy. I discovered a Taiwanese restaurant in Cambridge that was just great. I ordered Chinese squash with some kind of mountain vegetable, which came in a clear, garlic and ginger sauce, and the fish of the day, which was steamed and served in a hot garlic chili sauce containing so many Szechuan peppercorns my tongue went numb! Yes! After this successful dinner, I went to Toscanini's, because it has been my mission to compare ice creams on this trip. I have to say that Toscanini's is very, very good. The pistachio was rich but heavy on almond extract, which tasted good but didn't allow the pistachios' flavor to really shine. Their burnt caramel flavor was amazing, and not very sweet--something I value in desserts (because, despite my job and my love of baking, I really don't have much of a sweet tooth). I'd definitely go back for more burnt caramel, and my only complaint was that it was kind of melty. The texture was just perfect--silky and creamy.

5. Day five entailed a drive to Western Mass., (what seemed like) a ten-fold increase in humidity across the state, and a torrential downpour that lasted for hours. I actually enjoyed this bizarre weather, and ended up exploring Northampton while getting rained on. I had to exercise extreme self-control on a visit to Faces, which is a store selling apparel and home decor (think Urban Outfitters, but half the price and decidedly cooler). I was particularly besotted with a pear of teal, feathered, patterned moccasins that were wild, bizarre, and seemed to have been made for me. Even now, I dream of them. I also met a person who I'm convinced is supposed to me my new other best friend: this guy at a cafe who made me a (really tasty) au lait, then pronounced the name wrong, adding that he "really likes to mispronounce things." Finally, someone who understands the need that I have harbored, from a very young age, to incorrectly pronounce words. I thought I was the only one.

6. Today, I spent the entire afternoon in New York City. It was an amazing experience, and I feel that I can't really do it justice because it all happened too recently. I haven't had time to play it back in my mind and retrace the details, and honestly, I'm not even sure if I'll be able to do so at a later date. But there will probably be a NYC post in this blog's future. Tonight, I actually ate in the restaurant that is in my cheap hotel. And by cheap, I don't mean pretty-nice-but-also-affordable-cheap. This is Best Western style, baby (though not actually Best Western, because those don't exist in the East). The pizza turned out to be good. Seriously. The crust was perfect and crisp and thin, and I swear they put an entire bunch of basil on top. Plus, it was only $11. Woo, cheap hotel pizza!

Concluding this post, I'd just like to say: six days until Germany.