Year of the Tiger

Last weekend, my family celebrated Chinese New Year and the upcoming year of the tiger the way we usually do - with a big family feast! Check out the below for a celebration in pictures. From Wok stir-fried shrimp and simple steamed fish to a whole chicken and fried rice flour sesame balls, it was a family fun day full of food! In addition to honoring our ancestors with delicious, luxurious foods, a lot of traditional menu items graced the table because their Chinese pronunciation sounds strikingly similar to the Chinese words for fortune, prosperity or happiness (e.g., bowls of tangerines are always present because their pronunciation in Chinese sounds similar to "gold"). God knows I wouldn't mind more of that.

Homemade by Grandma - Fried rice flour sesame seed ballscrispy pork skin, steamed crab legs, wok stir-fried shrimp, simple steamed soy sauce fishHomemade spring rolls

WTF??? > Spanx for Men

Images from Spanx.com

WSJ's Heard on the Runway blog had quite the eye-catching post yesterday on Spanx Body Slimmers... for Men. You heard right. Every girl's favorite girdle (let's call it what it is, ladies) available for pre-order on the Spanx site now. Also available at Neiman on March 15. It's being dubbed as a "cotton compression undershirt" and looks pretty harmless - like a simple plain t or tank. Looks like they have three different types: crew tees, v-neck tees, and a tank, each for about $55-$58. The tops really don't look as scary or contraption-like as "women's undergarments," and the blog post reports that it's quickly become Spanx's fifth-best selling item?!?My shock hasn't really worn away at the idea of "Spanx for Men," (maybe it's the title that's more shocking) but I guess if guys want to rein in their beer bellies, all the power to 'em. I don't know any of my girlfriends that aren't Spanx fans (I also swear by Cass & Co.), but can't think of one guy I know that would understand what this was, other than a really expensive Hanes. To prove how scientific I explored this test, see below for a few hilarious copy and paste IMs.

From my 24-year old brother:

Me: hey, would you ever wear spanx for men?

Brother: Spanx?

Brother: what are those

Brother: spandex?

Brother: diaper?

Me: AHAHAHHAHA

Brother: wtf is it 

Brother: whyyyyy

Pure. Inexplicable. Utter confusion.

Testing > Supermarkethq.com > the tastemaker's etsy

I'm a big fan of etsy, the online store full of handmade and vintage items for people to buy (my forte) or sell (not so much). Everything from clothing, antiques, art and jewelry, can all be had with a little PayPal click of the button. As a fairly avid etsy shopper, I've found a number of great screen prints, jewelry and even an office wall calendar, that I love.

The problem? How do I say this nicely... it can get a little too, anything-goes-crafty-crappity-crap for my tastes. Okay, maybe that wasn't nice. But it's true. The world needs a shabby Victorian rose toilet seat cover like a hole in the head. And it's like the outlet strip mall of online stores - it's great when you find a gem, but requires some digging. 

Enter: Supermarket! Just like etsy, you can buy and sell handmade artsy items online, but this site differentiates itself with a great design tagline and a screening process for sellers. Not only is it a beautiful site, they seem to handpick or approve all the sellers before allowing them to list on the site. So it's not a free for all. It's like having your friend with the best taste and design sensibilities screen out all the crap. And it has a more modern style to it too, which I love. 

I haven't bought anything yet, but I'm rapidly adding up my favorites. Here's some of the stores and items that I'm loving so far... will report back after a successful purchase. Oh, my goals in life.

1. Word Letterpress Cards, OrangeBeautiful
2. Small Coral Bowl, Element Clay Studio
3. Necklush Ultra - Natural with black print, Necklush
4. Shadow Bulb Pendant set, Melissa Borrell
5. First Crush Collection Ear No. 1 earrings, Melanie Favreau
6. Chain tape, Gradiate
7. Trapezoid skirt, Micaela Greg

MOOVin' and shakin' > the perfect cold weather boots

A couple weeks ago, my cheapy rain/snow boots from Target bit the dust – big, gaping holes at the seam of sole. Not good, as Chicago winters don’t take pity on people without a good pair of waterproof boots. So I was quickly on the hunt for replacements, when Robin showed me these Moov boots, and I LOVE them.
 
For a couple reasons, I actually ended up going with something else, but think these boots by Australian company MoovCulture are the perfect winter weather boot. I’m sold on the idea of sheepskin lined Wellies in simple but fun colors and prints. And they’re really the best of both worlds – waterproof like Hunters and cozy and warm like Uggs (which aren’t meant for the snow and slush, ladies.)
 
Fair warning that the price tag for these suckers is steep – up to $300. But usually about half of the inventory on Moov’s online store (the only place I think you can buy them) is on sale. Right now, there are a couple cute styles available for $168.

diy burgers > the counter

I'm convinced this place (The Counter) takes some practice to enjoy. The make-your-own-burger premise isn't anything new, but the choices are overwhelming. Due to some unfortunate topping selections (fried egg and dried cranberries - not good), my two previous visits were just "eh." But I went again on Friday... and success! A crabcake burger that I kept pretty simple with cucumbers, sprouts and tomato on a pretzel bun.