wei over seasoned

The owners of P.F. Chang's (the "upscale" chinese restaurant chain whose food doesn't live up to its forced pretentiousness) recently opened Pei Wei in Cherry Hill. This establishment bills itself as an "Asian diner" - a unique concept for South Jersey, a region inundated with cookie cutter chinese/japanese fare. The interior shares a similar style to Chang's with lots of reds, golds and dark wood - a rich palette contrasted nicely with framed black and white slice of life photos of China. I suppose these photos are meant to establish some authenticity. There is a long bar where one can sit and observe the chefs cooking in front - but nobody was seated there by the hostess. Maybe we aren't supposed to examine what the cooks were actually doing. Anyhow, we place an order up front at the register and wait for our food to be served at our numbered table.

The menu offers various Chinese, Korean, Thai and Vietnamese dishes - all fairly basic and suitably Americanized for its location. I ordered the spring rolls for appetizer and the Mongolian beef, while my wife sampled the Pad Thai. Spring rolls were decent but both of our entrees were totally over-seasoned. It was so salty that I discovered new veins in my forehead throbbing from my blood pressure going through the roof. My wife comes from the Japanese school of minimal seasoning with the belief that over seasoning distracts from the natural flavor of the food. Too much oil actually disrupts her stomach. So as you can imagine, she wasn't enjoying her Pad Thai at all. She kept mixing the noodles furiously in a futile attempt to dilute the heavy flavors. I looked around for sympathy. The family near us was eating it up and adding hot sauce. On our other side, the waitress was recommending one dish because it has so many flavors going on. Yeah, don't forget to recommend 20 glasses of water with that. I did see one couple leave with their dishes half-eaten. So we weren't alone.

My hunger actually overrode my health concerns and I nearly finished my Mongolian beef. I did walk out craving water. The only other time I crave water is after a dehydrating 5 mile run. Funny thing is I was more disappointed by P.F. Changs because it was pricey and faux-pretentious. Yes, Pei Wei was over-seasoned beyond belief...but it was cheap...and thus a sub-par meal more easy to swallow...or forget.

Palmyra Flea Market

The Tacony flea market takes place every Saturday on Route 73 near the Tacony-Palmyra Bridge to Philadelphia. This event has a lot more hustle than the quaint farmer's market that I visited in the cornfields of Berlin, NJ. The pulse of this event is evident as you step on the parking lot concrete which vibrates with the bass of bootleg hiphop backing up merchants selling pirated CDs and mixtapes. Not suprisingly, the local police feel compelled to "assist" in the proceedings. I don't remember any police supervising the farmers down at Berlin. But this crowd is probably 95% people of color. 75% of the people rocked patterned hoodies or bubble goose.

Plenty of asian sellers - including a 10 year old chinese girl hawking mobile phone accessories on a fold up table. And a middle aged asian lady showing Shaw Brothers movies to a crowd of kids. Instead of dainty houseware, you'll find sports jerseys, fitted caps, sneakers & timbs, kung fu DVDs, bras, fake gucci and fendi bags, and yes, neon patterned hoodies.

Then in the farthest part of the parking lot you'll find people selling whatever junk they got in their house. Old electronics (how about a single tire to go with that double cassette deck or top-loading VCRs?). The collections are almost as interesting as the hustlers themselves. For many, its a family affair. A Saturday ritual where they intermingle with a variety of people from different races and ethnicities to earn an extra buck and to rid themselves of their junk. Junk which transforms into treasure in the hands of its lucky buyer. No treasures for me today, but the walk through was enjoyable.

summertime ramblings

Summertime in Jersey. Not exactly a paradise... but we do what we can. Summer is all about hitting the Jersey shore. Friday afternoon traffic from the bridges across Philly to all southbound routes are maddening. We used to enjoy the quiet calmness and family atmosphere of Ocean City. But nowadays we opt for the outlet shopping, slots and dining in Atlantic City. Since our return from Vegas, we've been dreaming like degenerates that AC would adopt the relentless development of Sin City and provide us with endless amounts of empty fun!
More summertime traditions - bouncing out of work early and grabbing a mango gelati at Rita's Water Ice. Nothing's sweeter than that mix of mango water ice and creamy vanilla ice cream! Taking trips to the ghetto-fied attraction known as Great Adventure...or dipping in and out of malls. That's culture baby!

Years ago, summer in philly was about rockin' jeans shorts to your ankles with a fresh pair of white kicks and hitting the meat market known as South St. Twirling some newly bagged sneaker boxes from Samsun and grabbing a slice of Lorenzo's. Or driving along Kelly drive blasting Fresh Prince's "Summertime" (of course) cheering on bikers, runners and rollerbladers who braved the heat. Or waiting for next game of pick up ball - dribbling and watching the scene through a chain linked fence. Or catching a mindless summer blockbuster for the mere purpose of staying cool from summer in the city.

Last night we caught a late night showing of the forgettable "Pirates of the Carribean 3" flick. The sillyness of the movie was washing away from our senses as we stepped outside of the theater past midnight. When we pushed through the doors, we were greeted by a rush of warm late night air embodies summertime.

Jersey Stand Up!

Don't hate...Appreciate:

New Jersey is the only state where all of its counties are classified as metropolitan areas.
New Jersey has more Cubans in Union City (1 sq mi.) than Havana , Cuba .
New Jersey has the densest system of highways and railroads in the US .
New Jersey has the highest cost of living.
New Jersey has the highest cost of auto insurance.
New Jersey has the highest property taxes in the nation.
New Jersey has the most diners in the world and is sometimes referred to as the "Diner Capital of the World."
North Jersey has the most shopping malls in one area in the world, with seven major shopping malls in a 25 square mile radius.

You know you're from Jersey when . . .
You don't think of fruit when people mention "The Oranges."
You know that it's called Great Adventure, not Six Flags.
A good, quick breakfast is a hard roll with butter.
You've known the way to Seaside Heights since you were seven.
You've eaten at a diner, when you were stoned or drunk,
at 3 A.M.
You know that the state isn't one big oil refinery.
At least three people in your family still love Bruce Springsteen, and
you know the town Jon Bon Jovi is from.
You know what a "jug handle" is.
You know that WaWa is a convenience store.
You know that the state isn't all farmland.
You know that there are no "beaches" in New Jersey --there's the shore--and you don't go "to the shore," you go "down the shore." And when you are there, you're not "at the shore"; you are "down the shore."
You know how to properly negotiate a circle.
You knew that the last sentence had to do with driving.
You know that this is the only "New" state that doesn't require "New" to identify it (try . . . Mexico . . . York ..! . . Hampshire-- doesn't work, does it?).
You know that a " White Castle " is the name of BOTH a fast food chain AND a fast food sandwich.
You consider putting mayo on a corned beef sandwich a sacrilege.
You don't think "What exit?" is very funny.
You know that people from the 609 area code are "a little different." Yes they are!
You know that no respectable New Jerseyan goes to Princeton --that's for out-of-staters.
The Jets-Giants game has started fights at your school or local bar.
You live within 20 minutes of at least three different malls.
You refer to all highways and interstates by their numbers.
Every year you have at least one kid in your class named Tony.
You know the location of every clip shown in the
Sopranos opening credits.
You've gotten on the wrong highway trying to get out of the mall.
You know that people from North Jersey go to Seaside Heights , and people from Central Jersey go to Belmar, and people from South Jersey go to Wildwood.
It can be no other way.
You weren't raised in New Jersey --you were raised in either North
Jersey, Central Jersey or South Jersey .
You don't consider Newark or Camden to actually be part of the state.
You remember the stores Korvette's, Two Guys, Rickel's, Channel, Bamberger's and Orbach's.
You also remember Palisades Amusement Park .
You've had a boardwalk cheese steak and vinegar fries.
You start planning for Memorial Day weekend in February.
And finally . . .
You've NEVER, NEVER NEVER, EVER
pumped your own gas.