Takoyaki

Moving is tricky. 

First I lived in Pittsburgh for 18 years. My parents (both) and grandparents (all 4) were born and raised in the area and Mom and Pops still reside there. My remaining Grandma, Sally, moved to Indiana in her 80's and lives there still, at 95 years young! 

Somehow, I was bound and determined to leave at 18. Sure, college just 3 hours away (and still within the home state) isn't a HUGE deal. People do it all the time and come right back 4, or 5, years later. Not I - after my four years were up I moved to Hawaii! Crazy - yes. Far away - you bet. Awesome - of course.

Hold the phone here Ang, this is a blog about food. That it is, my friends! 

Food in Pennsylvania was all I knew for a very long time. Dad's cooking and Mom's baking. Pierogies, cannoli, sticky buns, and arguments over 'gob' vs 'whoopie pie'. French fries on sandwiches and salads and topped with gravy. Farmers markets put on by the Amish where things are home grown or freshly baked. Chinese food with fortune cookies and 'sushi' from plastic containers in Panda Express kiosks.

Moving to Hawaii was a real eye opener as far as cuisine goes, naturally. Sure there are plenty of coconuts and pineapples, but the real game changers for me were all of the Asian foods. First I developed a love for pho and Vietnamese food, later it was Chinese dim sum that I couldn't get enough of (no fortune cookies to be seen), and eventually I grew to love takoyaki from the giant Japanese department store. Once I knew we'd be leaving Hawaii I started to better photograph my favorites and I'm hoping to catch up on their corresponding stories now that we're off island. 

Takoyaki are savory little doughy dumplings made with pieces of octopus inside. They're topped with tons of sauce, lovely Japanese mayo, and dried fish flakes that wiggle from the heat of the fresh-from-the-cooktop takoyaki.

Here you can see how they begin, with the batter poured on the cooktop at the bottom of the photo. After being solidified and pushed together into individual portions over the little wells, they're flipped over using the special tool and become a complete ball of goodness as seen in the top of the photo.

Lasagna Soup

So Seattle... we're all here now! First Bryce and Bagheera arrived together before Bryce took off on a business trip. Bagheera made herself at home atop the kitchen cabinets while in the absence of cozy things to lay on. I joined the party last week and our furniture and household goods arrived just 2 days later! We've been getting acclimated as best as we can. Thankfully I purchased a coat during our visit a few months ago and it goes everywhere with me! 

If you follow me on Instagram, you've seen the cliche in-Seattle-drinking-coffee posts that I've succumbed to! In my defense I can't get enough coffee to warm my bones and I was:

1. Excited about my brand new French Press and coffee grinder
2. Sad that I ruined the first brew but didn't dare attempt a caffeine-free morning
3. Pleased to successfully make an edible cup of coffee at home using the crazy contraption
4. Tickled by the adorable and delicious mocha at a neighborhood coffee shop

Pike Place Market

My apologies, as I prematurely published this post before I was finished! Here's the whole shebang. Grab a snack because it's a long and delicious one.

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Our very first adventure in Seattle was a guided food tour of Pike Place Market through Savor Seattle Tours.

The market is absolutely alive on a Saturday morning! We headed down to the Lower Post Alley area to meet our tour guide at the Market Theatre.