New York, NY
Temp Home, 5th FL

42 degrees, heavy rain, and gusts to up to 60mph, the degree of wind the umbrella I just ordered off of Amazon can withstand before it flips over and the ribs bend out of shape. Patterns. There is no way I am leaving the house today and I feel guilty about ordering delivery so I decided to make Braised Red and White Carrots.

In Mandarin, carrots would be translated as red carrots and turnips as white carrots…I guess since both are root vegetables, they are really just the same thing or maybe all Chinese people are lazy like my family where we slap the word "small" before any color of the object and decide it is a good enough name for whatever the object is. My older sister, M, has since graduated to a more mature degree of naming her pets after video game characters but we have in our lifetimes known an array of little whites, little blacks, little yellows, little blues and they could be anything from a beautiful golden lab to a VW Jetta. So I guess if I should have a child one day and the Hsu family is in one of our lazy moods, he/she might very well be called little yellow for the rest of his/her life…along with the stray dog that our garage attendant feeds everyday.

Anyway, I digress. Red and White carrot is a traditional cold weather dish that fills your kitchen with the smell of a cozy round-table dinner with your family. Watching the carrots and turnip dancing around in the simmering broth, I am mesmerized by how the contrast of colors between the carrot and the turnip is something that adds to the appeal of the dish. The brightness of the carrot implies its rich and full-bodied flavor and the almost translucent turnip guarantees a refreshing taste. This really is a most well-balanced dish for the winter because it is hearty yet not heavy. And of course, no self-respecting Hsu would spend hours braising or stewing something without dropping an egg or two in the dish (even when it’s inappropriate). So there you go.

I made this dish while watching Up in the Air and somehow, I just found it all very appropriate. Nobody likes to be alone and braising such a traditional dish made me feel as if I have my whole family and my entire history with me on the couch today.

Final Product: Dinner for One and my light saber chopsticks.