Going 50% Raw

Part of my self-restoration plan includes going raw/vegan to the extent possible for as long as possible. Realistically, it's near impossible to go fully raw living in HK unless you are a stark raving mad hippie because honestly, how can you live here and not eat xia long bao, dim sum, rice or noodles? There are certain things I can't go without eating at least once a week. First is my favorite Sichuan food at Chili Fagara, my favorite restaurant in Hong Kong. Since there's no really good Korean food here, my cravings for Korean food are cured by the crazy-spicy food at Chili Fagara - fiery hot chicken on a bed of fried basil, fiery hot slices of tender fish in sweet chili sauce, fiery hot hot and sour soup (I don't even like hot and sour soup, but I love theirs), fiery hot mapo tofu, and medium hot doubled-fried beef in a sweet ginger glaze. It's only the best Chinese food in the entire world.

Second is my Vietnamese fix at Nha Trang. One thing about Vietnamese food in HK is that it's much cleaner than the Vietnamese food in SF - the flavors are less "dirty" and less greasy, which makes for less flavorful pho. But the non-pho Vietnamese food is so amazing that I never miss pho. Salad rolls made with softshell crab or flaky fried filet of sole. Vietnamese ravioli - a paper thin steamed rice skin wrapped around a medley of meat and mushrooms, dipped in fish sauce. Banh hoi - thin rice vermicelli topped with grilled meat, wrapped with lots of lettuce and herbs and dipped in fish sauce. It's so delicious!

Then there are nights when I go out to meet friends for dinner, and it's too sad to order a salad when there are way more interesting things on the menu like grilled scallops or truffle gnocchi or succulent dumplings.

But on weekday nights and weekends when I don't have any plans to eat out, I try to eat completely raw, with the exception of quinoa. I figure quinoa is so good for you that it's not really an exception to raw food, but rather a supplement. So recently, some of my dinners have included:

- "kimbab" made with quinoa instead of rice, avocado, cucumber, bell pepper and porcini mushrooms marinated in agave nectar and Bragg's amino acids
- quinoa pilaf tossed with cold-pressed olive oil, fresh sweet basil, sweet cherry tomatoes, semi-dried tomatoes (one of my favorite recent food discoveries), cucumber, red onion and bell pepper
- raw pasta (peeled zucchini spirals) topped with raw marinara sauce made with sun-dried tomatoes, fresh tomatoes, garlic, fresh basil and olive oil
- quinoa salad tossed with Korean gim, cucumbers, bell peppers, sesame oil, Bragg's amino acids and sweet cherry tomatoes (tasted like a veggie sushi bowl because of the gim and Asian flavors)
- assorted lettuce leaves tossed with raw sweet corn, avocado, red bell pepper, red onion, lemon, sea salt and cold-pressed olive oil
- sweet vine-ripened tomato salad tossed with sweet basil, cold-pressed olive oil and sea salt
- sprirulina and cashew bar made with agave nectar, dates and sprouted flax seeds

And honestly, the more vegan meals I eat, the more delicious they are. And I'm really enjoying indulging myself in the joy of perusing local markets and produce sections in grocery stores for the freshest vegetables and thinking of a way to turn them into a meal - I used to LOVE cooking - the entire process of shopping for ingredients, chopping vegetables, creating a meal out of random things, and since moving to Asia, it's something that I rarely do. I think I've said it before, but for me, happiness really comes from enjoying the small things in life - time spent with loved ones, cooking, exercising, reveling in good weather. This past week there's been a lull at work and it's been so nice to just LIVE.