In an earlier post, I mentioned that I was feeling unmotivated and uninspired, and that I was going to try to embrace a less coordinated approach to meal-planning and cooking.

I lied.

I’m not sure what happened, but after the weekend, I felt inspired again, and created a somewhat intense menu for the week. To be honest, I feel a bit ashamed that I couldn’t hold onto my public commitment to embracing a more nebulous mode-of-being. It would likely be healthy for me to learn how to not plan every day of my life with a high standard of precision. But maybe I’m not ready to embrace the possibility of a new Yejin.

In any case, I was lucky to spend time with lots of loved ones, over the weekend. A part of me wonders if love and good people give me life and inspiration (call me Needy McGee). Strangely enough, my soul’s reaction to being around my ridiculously talented, brilliant, and kind friends vacillates between (1) being driven by love and inspiration to do/be better (in a positive way), and (2) feeling totally unworthy of their friendship (definitely not a positive experience). I’m going to spend the next few weeks thinking about why that is.

In the meantime, here’s the week’s menu, and some pictures of stuff that I’ve cooked, so far:

Monday, August 3rd 

• D: Broiled Maryland crabcakes, steamed corn, and a cabbage/carrot/edamame salad
  

Tuesday, August 4th 

• L: Pasta salad w/ mozzarella, cheddar, olives, cherry tomatoes, tuna, and basil
  D: Whole snapper stuffed with lemon, herbs, and shallots, pan-fried and then roasted w/ bread and steamed asparagus
  
  

Wednesday, August 5th

• L: Pasta salad
• D: Black bean tostada topped w/ lettuce, avocado, roasted corn salad, and sour cream, and a cabbage/carrot salad
• Des: Double chocolate butter cookies
  

Thursday, August 6th 

• L: Leftover black bean tostadas
• D: Pesto pasta w/ green beans and potatoes, and an arugula salad

Friday, August 7th

• L: :Leftover pesto pasta
• D: Kimchi fried rice w/ tofu, and garlic sauteed bok choy

Saturday, August 8th 

• L: Fried green tomatoes BLT w/ garlic aoili
• D: Dine out

Sunday, August 9th 

• B: Sour cream and orange coffee cake with dark chocolate chips
• D: Homemade steamed buns w/ pickled cucumbers and braised pork belly

Coming Up: On White Chefs and Ethnic Restaurants: the Fetishization, Commodification, and Appropriation of the Other (plus a recipe for Chinese steamed buns)