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   Adrianna Tan (skinnylatte@hachyderm.io)'s status on Sunday, 23-Mar-2025 06:24:52 JST Adrianna Tan

   One of the more interesting things about splitting my time in two places is it makes pantry design and groceries kind of random.

   Obviously we buy less food now coz I spend less time in SF, so my wife just gets what she needs (and what she has time to prepare on a busy grad school schedule).

   In Monterey, I have a base here as well but I end up favoring more shelf stable foods since I don’t have a set schedule where I am here vs SF yet. Sometimes I am here for 10 days, other times 2.

   Sometimes when I have here I end up not cooking as I have business meals.

   Luckily I share a home with people who live here full time and who do cook similar food to me. So I end up mostly pitching in for stuff, and then just buying the extras that I want.

   We share shared supplies like rice, soy sauce, sesame oil, wasabi. If I have perishables that I can’t finish, they cook it; and just replace with something I need when I return.

   I buy a lot of pretty high end Korean soups in a bag ($7-12 a bag), and have those for dinners when I have no energy. At that price point these instant Korean soups are comparable to a meal that costs 2x; plus I don’t really have any good Korean restaurants here anyway.

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     Adrianna Tan (skinnylatte@hachyderm.io)'s status on Sunday, 23-Mar-2025 06:27:41 JST Adrianna Tan

     in reply to

     When I am here for a bit longer (say, 4 days at a time) there is a pretty nice rhythm we have where we take turns to cook dinner for each other. As we like similar food, it’s not hard, and everyone has a similar skill level as well. I live with a Filipino and a Japanese couple; our mains and desserts are very similar.

     I almost never end up cooking my super epic and involved, hours long meals that I sometimes do in SF. I just don’t have the time.

     I’m also figuring out my rhythm of getting back into a pretty involved full time position with a lot of face and onsite time.

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     Adrianna Tan (skinnylatte@hachyderm.io)'s status on Sunday, 23-Mar-2025 06:32:02 JST Adrianna Tan

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     What this means is I end up doing a ton of culinary fusion without really meaning to.

     Yesterday I ended up making a orzo porridge with tonkotsu soup. Because my noodles had gone bad but the soup had not. Lol

     The other day they pulled up a giant bunch of scallions from the garden, and they made scallion kimchi.

     I also made a take on a cilantro lime rice, except I used yuzu instead. We all have different condiments from our respective cultures and when we use each other’s stuff, delicious things happen.

     I also started making Malaysian food for folks, as they certainly don’t have that here.

     Eating together and feeding people truly feeds my soul.

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     Adrianna Tan (skinnylatte@hachyderm.io)'s status on Sunday, 23-Mar-2025 06:38:41 JST Adrianna Tan

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     Example of the Korean soup in bags that I get:

     Soybean brisket soup
     https://www.sayweee.com/en/product/weee/105706?referral_id=4972487&lang=en&utm_source=copyLink

     Bulgogi stew
     https://www.sayweee.com/en/product/weee/21453?referral_id=4972487&lang=en&utm_source=copyLink

     Ginseng chicken soup
     https://www.sayweee.com/en/product/weee/96191?referral_id=4972487&lang=en&utm_source=copyLink

     I don’t have these all the time. It’s a bit of a splurge. But they’re hearty, and truly comparable to the types of soups you would have to spend hours making from scratch, or that cost way more at a restaurant.

     My primary comfort food is East Asian soups, so it’s extremely important to me that I have good soup.

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     Adrianna Tan (skinnylatte@hachyderm.io)'s status on Sunday, 23-Mar-2025 06:48:54 JST Adrianna Tan

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     • .

     @fembot it’s wonderful. I go to talks in bars about marine science. Totally different from talking about computers or whatever.

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     . (fembot@mstdn.social)'s status on Sunday, 23-Mar-2025 06:48:55 JST .

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     @skinnylatte ok, that's amazing, the culinary melding in your household. It sounds warm and natural (and delish). How's it going with the different pace of life in Monterey when you're there? Sounds like a pretty cool adventure all around.

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     Adrianna Tan (skinnylatte@hachyderm.io)'s status on Sunday, 23-Mar-2025 07:05:35 JST Adrianna Tan

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     • Martijn Faassen

     @faassen lots of cultures too! The first time I encountered utilitarian perspectives on food and eating together, I was so confused. Maybe as much as others coming into these and confused at why it’s such a big deal

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     Martijn Faassen (faassen@fosstodon.org)'s status on Sunday, 23-Mar-2025 07:05:36 JST Martijn Faassen

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     @skinnylatte
     Food being so important is very Singaporean. The Netherlands is a country where food is often treated in a utilitarian way and I sometimes call it a benighted barbarian culture for that, half joking. Other cultures are so much better at the social aspects of food.