The RoundUp: May 2021
May really just flew by!! May was the first month things feel back to normal. The CDC lifted the mask mandate for those who are vaccinated (please get vaccinated, but if not WEAR.A.MASK) and DC is really starting to fully open up again. This month also marked a lot of change, some friends leaving DC, some friends returning to DC, eating out, having plans, etc.
I am surprised by how much I am ready to start socializing/getting back to normal. Sitting at home and watching TV just sounds so unappealing. I have started making a ton of restaurant reservations to have some weekend plans and have started trying to keep myself busy outside of my apartment! Overall, May was good to me!
Favorite Foodie Things:
Back in March, I visited Korean Way in Ellicot City, MD to try out some different Korean restaurants/ businesses and wrote a food article about it for Maryland Road Trips! In May, the article was published!!! (I have been dreaming about this Kimbab since!)
I bought two new cookbooks in May Cook This Book by Molly Baz and Nopalito by Gonzaolo Guzman. I made the Kimchi Chicken from Molly Baz’s book and it was out of this world and made the chorizo queso from Nopalito and it was a huge hit. I can’t wait to cook more from both cookbooks!
Now that I am grocery shopping in person a bit more often (still ordering most of our groceries), I have been exploring all the new Trader Joes items I missed over the last year and a half. I have no idea if this is new or not, but I am obsessed with the Jalapeno Sauce. It’s a nice salad or meat topper without being so spicy! It is really yummy! Other honorable TJ’s mentions go to the chili lime chicken burgers (perfect for a quick lunch, on top of a salad) and the patio chips (a roulette game of chip flavors including salt & vinegar, ketchup, BBQ and dill pickle).
I took a long overdue trip to an indoor mall (Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda) and the highlight of the trip was definitely getting to try some Korean corn dogs from Ssong’s Hotdogs. We got three flavors, the potato sausage, mozzarella sausage and the crab stick. My favorite was definitely the mozzarella sausage flavor!
Other Things That Made me Happy:
Over the last few months we have been watching all of the Marvel movies in order (thanks, Disney+) and in May we finished them all!! I loved the Thor movies and I think my two favorite characters were Ant Man and the Falcon?! If you haven’t watched them already, I really recommend it!! Did I sob during the last Avengers movie? Maybe…
I read Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner and it made me feel some sort of way. It was incredibly sad, heart wrenching and yet such a beautifully written memoir of her mother/food and memories. It also tied in one of my favorite Korean Youtube channel chefs, Maangchi, and made me want to cook. (I also just wanted to shout out the book store I bought it from, Four Seasons Books in Shepherdstown, WV- if you are in the area, check them out!)
One of my friends introduced me to Dax Shepherd’s podcast “Armchair Expert” through his episode with Prince Harry and I haven’t stopped listening to it since then. Dax is really great a making his guests feel comfortable by sharing his own vulnerabilities and I love the balance of super serious conversations and crude comments. Highly recommend!
Since I have been reentering the world, that also means I have started wearing makeup again. I used to be a full-face of makeup kind of girl, but I think those days are behind me. Some of my favorite products include the Kosas Eyebrow Gel, Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer, Ilia Mascara, and the Supergoop! Cream Eye Shadow.