the question i’ve been asking myself all week has been “who (who?!) let me do back to back weekend supper clubs in a different city??”
i’ve spent every night this week menu planning, going through my new york prep list, and finalizing the inventory list. i’m not that worried about tonight’s dinner as i feel like after having a few under my belt, i have a good routine. the ny supper club however holds a few challenges, among them: it’s double the size, in a new location, and i don’t have access to any of my own equipment. a lot of the logistical work has been on sourcing — do we have enough bowls? where can i borrow chairs from? how am i going to print out menus? who do i know with a carbon steel pan?
all that being said, i’m excited and believe it’s somehow going to work out well. i land wednesday and supper club is saturday, giving me 72 hours to assemble a full chinese kitchen and prep, while also catching up with friends and trying to enjoy our time in the city.
a friend recently asked me if i was into type 2 fun and i was like “what is that??” i’ve only ever heard it in reference to hinge boys being like ~i’m into type 2, skydiving wheee~. chat gpt says that type 2 fun is an activity that is not enjoyable while it’s happening but becomes enjoyable in retrospect, typically due to the sense of accomplishment or memories created. while there is definitely an adrenaline rush going into a supper club and lots of excitement idk if it’s actively *fun*. maybe i am into type 2 fun ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
a big-ish life update
ok i’m just going to rip off the band-aid.
i’ve been looking for a corporate job.
aaahhh. admitting that makes me feel a weird mixture of emotions and some of that is rooted in uncertainty on how people will react — what will people think? do they think i’m giving up? will they think i’m a failure? saying it out loud also makes it so much more real. like now i’m committing to this forrealforreal.
i’ve talked a little bit here and there about how 2023 was financially rough. the desire for financial stability is definitely one of the things driving this search but there’s also a dozen other reasons why i’m choosing to go back to corporate for now — i’ll save those for a future newsletter/youtube video.
i left my corporate job two years ago and while part of me is dreading going back into the corporate world, the other part of me is excited. i’m excited to be around people again, to have an office to go into (hopefully), to learn from people, to feel challenged!
i’m sharing updates on my job hunting journey over on my youtube channel if you want to follow along there :3
what’s cooking in the test kitchen
i have been a sucker at the farmer’s market!!! and by sucker i mean, i’ve been drawn into buying so many things that weren’t on my list and that i had no plans for. but that’s just part of the farmer’s market experience right?
this week i walked away with a bunch of green garlic which i’ve never cooked with before! they kinda look like giant scallions and have a garlicky taste to them reminiscent of garlic chives but more mild. i turned half of it into an infused oil but i don’t think i used enough because the olive oil flavor dominates. i was stingy with usage because i plan to incorporate the other half into a tofu cream sauce!
i’ve also decided that this is my year of shrubs. shrubs are kinda like a drinking vinegar. they’re made by macerating fruit with sugar and vinegar so it becomes sweet + tangy. you can top it off with sparkling water to make a mocktail or incorporate it into a cocktail. as someone who loves tart things i’m hyped to drink these and also experiment with them for supper clubs!
because i’ll be traveling the next two weeks i’m getting a head start on recipe testing for may’s supper club! i feel like savory tangyuan (mochi dumplings) is one of the most unique things i serve at my dinners and i really want to develop a vegetarian version of it! this first batch had firm tofu, dried shiitakes, carrot, and scallion. i was expecting these to be kinda annoying to fold but they ended up being sightlier easier than the meat ones! tbh they’re pretty good for a v1 but i think there’s more room to experiment with the filling combination.
plant-based chinese supper club on 5/18!
i would love for you to join me in exploring plant-based chinese food! it’ll take place on saturday, 5/18 @7pm in downtown sf, seats are $88 per person. to reserve your spot(s), please fill out this form + send your payment via venmo to @wangchristy. i’ll send you an email once your spot is confirmed!
the menu is currently vegetarian, not vegan, but if enough attendees prefer a vegan option, we can make it all vegan-friendly!
sample menu:
thanks for noodling around with me this week!
x christy