Everyone has a food moment, a brief few seconds where you realize your idea of food as you knew it (whatever your mom fed you along with the pizza places between school and home) won’t be the same after whatever it was that you shoved into your mouth.

For Anthony Bourdain, the chef turned writer, it was when he tasted vichoyssoise, a french soup— served cold.  That soup could be served and be more correct in cold form than warm changed it all for him.

For me, it was the first time I had a raw oyster.  The textures, the daringness of it (I’ll admit, I tabasco’d the hell out of it).  Even the saltwater left in the oyster added to the flavors.  I was in connecticut, I was in shock, and I couldn’t be farther from Jersey pizzerias.

What was your moment?

BlackBook says, Seasons Greetings!
Click thumbnail to view full size/download.

if you’re familiar with the magazine, WIRED, you’re probably a huge nerd.  i kid, i kid.  for those of you who don’t know, wired is a magazine that features the latest gadgets, gizmos and futuristic technologies.  for the holidays, they’ve set up temporary shop in soho where they sell lots of cool new products.  open now through dec. 30th.  you should definitely swing by if you’re in the area.  they also have a calendar of events happening at the space, some involving free open bar.  the location/hours are below.  i’m too lazy to link the website.  just google ‘wired store 2007′.

if you’ve taken ever taken a walk down bowery on the south side of east houston, you’ve  probably noticed the gradual construction of a strangely geometrical stark white structure. it certainly stands out in its surrounding landscape of century old loft apartments where the lower east side, soho and chinatown converge.  the building was designed by tokyo based architects Sejima + Nishizawa/SANAA and will serve as the new home for the new museum for contemporary art.  the new mu will open its doors this saturday, dec. 1st.  our favorite big box store, target, is sponsoring a 30 hour free admission event.  tickets are required and can be acquired here:

http://www.museumtix.com/venue/program.asp?pvt=&vid=726&pid=1351997&code=

for someone who tries to stay below 14th street at all costs, the new mu is a great addition to downtown nyc.  along with the art it will house, the building is really remarkable to the eye.  much better than the hideous and over priced condos they continue to develop in the lower east side.  but thats a story for another day.

If you are a girl and you want to do something a little bit different with a group of girlfriends, or if you are a guy and you want some easy brownie points for the “cutest date” award with the chick you’re trying to score, check out makemeaning.com. I came upon this site while searching for something new to do for a birthday. Make is a pottery painting class - basically, you choose from their vast supply of pre-made pottery. Then using the paint and brushes they provide for you, let your creative juices flow. Once you’ve created your masterpiece, they do the glazing for you; all you would need to do is come back to pick it up two weeks later (guys - perfect way to trick your date into seeing you again!). The cool thing is that they have Adult Night on the weekends, where they provide wine for you. You can also bring your own alcohol and/or food!

There are two locations in NYC, and the cost won’t break the bank (6 dollars for every half hour, plus the cost of the pottery which ranges from about 5-40 dollars).

our craft table

Hint for painting: very thin, even layers! I gunked the paint on, and after it was glazed my piggy bank came out looking pretty streaky.

Mug, hippo, and two miniature cows.

It’s 4am and I’m still trying to finish work on Rhino 3D (best 3d tool), while simultaneously trying figure out how I can keep my feet warm without socks. Yup, being able to do 2 things at once is why people call me the multitasking king. Anyhow, I thought I’d take a quick break and revive this blog. The following clip that I’m about to show you can be summed up in 1 word: awesomeness. I suppose this is inevitable when your school’s marching band consists of the super-geeks at Cal. That’s UC Berkeley for those who don’t follow football. Can you identify all the classic games? Free shots by my table at Saturday’s Black Book Party if you can correctly identify all the games. No cheating. Oh, and if I can come to this party from Cali, then there should be no reason why you can’t. Special guest appearance by “Frank the Tank” and you do not want to miss that. Peace.

I am sure that I’m not the only one with this condition, but I suffer from “Large-Purse-Black-Hole” syndrome. I’m such a bag lady that its embarrassing. What goes in never comes out when I need it. I have to rummage through my bag for half an hour just to find my chapstick; it’s as if all my items get tossed in a black hole that leads to purse heaven. What? Why don’t I just get a smaller bag? And risk not having my portable battery operated Blackberry charger along with extra batteries with me at all times JUST in case I might need it? NO WAY!

But this is no longer my friends, for I have discovered the answer to all my problems.

I saw this link on a random site, and had to buy it. It’s called a Pursket, and it’s absolutely brilliant. Basically, it’s a purse organizer with multiple pockets that you can slip into your bag - and it really organizes! The website even includes a little video of how it works. The colors might be a bit on the cheesy side (and you’re talking to the Cheese Queen here) but its forgivable. In the past, changing bags was a chore. But all I have to do now is pretty much just lift my Pursket out of one bag, slip it into another bag, and I’m all set. It brings a tear to my eye just thinking about how easy it is.

As proof of how amazing it is, here’s my Pursket in action (Yes, I am slightly embarrassed that you will see how cluttered my bag is, but I am doing it for the good of womankind):

Muji is the Japanese equivalent of H&M for chic housewares, stationery, and furniture. You might have seen some of their stuff at MOMA. Well, they’re finally set for their grand opening this Friday, November 16th. This place gets as much hype as Uniqlo and it’s well deserved because their flagship store in Japan is pretty intense. The first 500 to make it for their grand opening at 12pm gets a free Muji tote bag. I expect a line so I’d arrive early if you’re planning on the tote bag. Click here for more info.

By the way, I just read an interesting rumor from the amex subscription magazine that In-N-Out Burger is making it’s way into the city. If this is true then Shake Shack better watch out. What a good year for you lucky bastards. I almost miss NY except it’s 80 degrees outside right now so maybe I don’t.