How to appear younger: 7 Restaurant Behaviors + Wassabi in Beaverton

Wassabi on Cornell near Streets of Tanesborne
Great Pan Asian Food + a sports bar!

Las Vegas, NV.
 Giant California Roll

Many of my friends are not biting, literally, when it comes to sushi. YUCK! they will say. The idea that something might have a raw fish in it or on it just does not rock their boat! Not that I am judging but I have an opinion retirees. Here it is!

Last year I wrote a post on "looking old".  It included advice like don't wear a watch - just look at your cell phone and don't be the office archivist...even if you know you are right be quiet and buy some new clothes because polyester is out of style and get a new hair style because long gray hair drags you down.  

Now I'm on a new kick... please don't act old when you go out to eat. Here are 7 things that bother me:

• Don't complain about the prices on the menu. Honestly, if you aren't in the Cracker Barrel or McDonald's, things are going to cost more. A very middle of the line non-franchise restaurant is going to cost you a lot more. $16-$25 is not high priced. Remember the cost of putting that item on the table involves more than the cost of the food. It really doesn't matter what you think and it just makes you look bad when you complain...don't even gulp! For example, here is a review about Wassabi in Beaverton posted on yelp.com. Notice the price was mentioned (other people think about the prices too):

"probably the most stylish sushi place in Hillsboro. I don't remember the first visit because it was quite a while ago. Anyway, when I first looked at the menu, I thought the price for their specialty rolls was overpriced. But when the order arrived, I realized, they're twice ..."‎ - Denise M. ‎ - Apr 27, 2011   www.yelp.com/biz/wassabi-hillsboro

• In the Portland area a tip of 15-18+% is expected. Don't be cheap.
• Please leave your ills at home. Order what you can eat and don't give the people with you an "organ (internal organ) recital" listing why you cannot eat spicy. No one wants to know and it ruins everyones appetite.
• Include a new taste in your "things you will eat" list. Try curry or Thai food. You will find they can tone the spices down and your children/friends will think you are very cool.
• Learn to use chop sticks.  It is not that hard I discovered. When we travel, we have to use chop sticks or our fingers. I am so glad we took the challenge and learned to do this.   
• Eat sushi!  Now listen here...not all sushi has raw fish on it or in it. A California Roll for example, is made with rice and vegetables.  It is delicious and so good for you. The best part for seniors is that it is really inexpensive!!!!  I thought you would like that.
• Don't share a meal...order appetizers instead. Now here is the deal...my husband and I share a meal at the local franchise.  Sometimes I don't care how old I am. But when I am eating at a nice restaurant, we order just the entre or an appetizer.  It is plenty of food and we aren't acting like we have just climbed out of the 1950's. (This helps with that "cost" thing too.)



Wassabi in Beaverton Oregon...great!

• If you are a nose curler/yuck sayer, stop that. Living a full life requires that we learn-to-learn new things...even when we are old!  

I think that people who are not willing to experience new tastes and experience age at the speed of light.  It seems to me that we do not get old because our body ages. We get old because we don't continue to learn new things. For those that get stuck, the world shrinks with each "yuck" or "it is not safe". So there you have it.  Live life and you will look young! It is not rocket science people.

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I want to thank Wassabi's for being to gracious and allowing me to photo the interior. This is a very nice restaurant with excellent service and the appetizer menu was all we wanted or needed. The prices were not any more than any other Pan Asian food in the area. I would encourage you to try it out.

Question # 1: How many Grandchildren do you have?

My husband and I have eleven grandchildren. We are very proud of them.  Retirement and grandchildren just seem to go together. Isn't that wonderful.  I wanted to share some pictures with you today.

GRADUATION DAY

2011

Ethan with his parents (my daughter and her husband)

My husband and I with Ethan

Family party!

A DAY WITH THE SMALLEST

Taking care of  Brycen and Brayden (3 years old)!

Brycen (17 mos.)

Have a wonderful day.

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It's all Portland Metro Week: Farmer's Markets

I love our local farmer's market.  I walk the three short blocks on Sunday morning to pick up my produce, a bouquet of flowers and lots of information for my blog.  Hillsboro is the location for three of these markets. My Sunday farmers market is here in Orenco Station, Hillsboro Oregon and downtown main street hosts one on Tuesday evening and another on Saturday morning. Here in the Portland Metro area you can find a farmers market somewhere every day of the week.

Orenco Station Farmer's Market Sundays 10 AM-2 PM

Oregon Farmer's Market Association web page lists over 100 market from throughout the state.  The organizers like to support local farmer and artisans food creators as well as local artists.  As a result the market here in Hillsboro has some rules for what vendors can and cannot sell.  For example, importing vegetable from out of the area is not permitted.  The time the market can and cannot be open is set and a bell is rung for when sales can begin and when they must end. (Don't be late!)  The atmosphere of the market is friendly and welcoming.

The last Sunday I stopped and talked to two of the artisans that were selling their creations.  The first was a woman that owns a business called Basketry Bontanica by Carol.  Her beautiful baskets are available through her Etsy Shop and are priced very reasonably. She has over 100 people rating her service and the baskets she creates at 100%.  If you are a basket lover like me I encourage you to take a look at her artwork and maybe even order a custom designed piece. (503-336-1176) Tell her I sent you over.

...specializing in Appalachian melon and Cherokee style storage baskets, open-weave garlic and onion storage, Market baskets and other styles for household use. You'll find a number of basket designs here and if you don't see what you desire, contact us with your ideas...custom baskets can be woven just for you.

Botanica basket in Orenco Station Farmer's Market

Owner of Basketry Botanica

Garden Art by Roberta

The second booth that caught my eye was one called Garden Art by Roberta.  She will teach you how to recreate the beautiful items she has for sale. Her classes for creating concrete leaves are $30 and if you can get a couple more people to join you she will have a class just for you.  The $30 includes all the materials.  Her number is 503-350-2348.  Her class schedule for 2011 is:

• June 18 Saturday 1-3
• June 29 Wednesday 1-3
• July 13 Wednesday 10-12
• Jule 16 Saturday 10-12
• August 2 Tuesday 1012
• August 13 Saturday 1012
• September 3 Saturday 10-12
• September 3 Saturday 10-12
• September 7 Wednesday 10-12

I always buy my vegetable from the Martinez Family Farms but there are many other local small farms that are selling each Sunday.  

If you are here from out of town be sure to check the schedule for the markets held downtown.  Artisans are always set up for you to enjoy their creations.

HFM Sunday at Orenco Station

Located in the parking area between NE Orenco Station Parkway and NE 61st Avenue, just off Cornell Road., Hi Hillsboro, OR

Market manager name: Laura Conroy

Market phone number: 503-844-6685

Email: support@hillsboromarkets.org

Hillsboro Farmers Market in Downtown Hillsboro

Main St. between 3rd and 1st Avenue's, across from the Courthouse, Hillsboro, OR Hillsboro OR, OR

Market manager name: Laura Conroy

Market phone number: 503-844-6685

Email: manager@hillsboromarkets.org

It's all Portland Metro Week: Links to Websites

NOTE:  all links are in orange.

Take a backroad to a Carlton, Or. winery!

Whether you are a visitor, new to the area or even a long time resident, there are things that you can learn about Portland if you do some research online.  While a few websites like City Search or Urban Spoon are just a given, there are others that give you a more personal and less commercial view.  Those are the ones I want to share with you.  I hope you find this helpful.

• MIX Magazine (online edition) is published by OregonLive.com and is an arm of our local newspaper, The Oregonian.  We received this magazine with our newspaper for a whole year and I was hooked. The online edition will give you a lot of information.  The very best of all restaurants in town are featured along with enticing pictures and personal information on bartenders, chefs and owners.  I love this website.

Old Wheeler Hotel, Manzanita, Oregon
On the Oregon Coast

• Portland Magazine (online) This online magazine aimed at the Portland Metro area consumer has it all. You can find information on everything from food to real estate. The current issue has an article on a day trip of even an overnight stay in Manzanita that appealed to me. The Old Wheeler Hotel is only $99 per night so it is affordable. While the magazine is available on magazine racks I find that the online version is enough for me! 
• PortlandNeighborhood.com  bills itself as the "insider's guide to Portland".  Really, Portland is not a big city but the trendy and historical neighborhoods are spread out across the city.  Some of the best neighborhoods are not that easy to find.  If you take an insiders advice you can see a lot in not much time.
• Around the Sun is a website for those of us that are looking for something to do but don't have a lot of money.  If you are just wanting to fill a day this may be the place for you to go.
• Explore the Pearl Map  Portland's Pearl District is the location of one of my favorite book stores...in the world.  Powell's Books located on the corner of Burnside and 9th Avenue may be the largest used book store in the United States and even the world.  The online map of the Pearl is a must for any visitor to Portland.  In fact if you love to just look, shop and eat this is absolutely the place for you.  Be sure to check this map and the attached website with all the ads for businesses in the area.
• BikePortland.org is a website devoted to people that love to ride in the urban area.  Bicycle is a big deal here in the Portland metro area.  I am not saying that everyone in the area loves it but it is not going away.  People here are trying to find ways to get around, exercise and enjoy the outdoors without climbing in their cars.  Events like the Criterion and Bridge Pedal are a huge draw for the downtown area.
• Public Transportation Our metro area is linked by a beautiful and very useful train line that this supplemented by bus routes. We live outside the city and are about 3 blocks from a Max Line station. We can pay a senior citizen fee and ride Max to downtown Portland in less than 45 minutes. The trains run into the city center and after arrive downtown you can catch a trolley into the Pearl or even go as far as the PDX airport. It is a very good idea to check on this system if you are visiting. Parking, and traffic cease to be a concern. All you need is an all day ticket and a good pair of shoes. From downtown you can go to the Washington Park Zoo, Washington Park Rose Gardens, the Japanese Gardens and even the Children Museum. Hiking in Washington Park is very popular with locals.
• Day Trips from Travel Portland Website You really should either rent a car if you have flown in a take at least one day trip.  You can go in any direction to find what you want.  Wineries, the Columbia Gorge, the Oregon Coast, Mount Hood are all possibilities.  This website lists several suggested day trip.  The concierge at any hotel can help you our with this type of planning.  Sometimes a drive down country backroad can give a person the most pleasure. The point is there are lots of choices.

Portland is one of the most beautiful urban area you will find anywhere.  The climate, people and setting will just blow you away.  I hope you find something useful here.

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It's all Portland Metro Week: ANDINA RESTAURANT

Living in the Portland Metro area is a delight.  Food, fun and friends springs to mind.  People from the Portland Metro area are friendly. Even new people to the region seem to pick up the vibe. Locals honk their horns when you are going to run into a tree not when you take a little too long at a stop light.  We use 4 way stops signs and yellow turn signals on red lights.  It seems to work out just fine.

So I am going to spend next seven day taking about my favorites. I love to go on a date to a restaurant in the Pearl District in downtown Portland so I need to start there.

On Mother's Day several weeks ago my daughter and her family took us to Andina for dinner. The byline for this eatery is "A taste of Peru in the Pearl!" My husband and I had stopped in for lunch a while back but we really didn't appreciate how unique this place is. The special event we attended featured a performance by a local jazz musician. The food was so spectacular I am not even going to describe it.

My thoughts on Andina:

Andina's

Pure Luxury

Ambience:  The feel of this space is pure Pearl! Classy, casual and artsy beautiful.
Food:  I was delighted to find a non-gluten menu post.  Food prepared with quinoa allows people with diet restrictions to enjoy the tastes of Peru.  Quinoa is used in Peru in much the same way we use wheat.  The name is significant to their cultural respecting the earth.  Luncheon menu feature entres created with beef, chicken or Serrano ham.    My favorite is a vegetarian special:

QUINOTO DE HONGOS DE LA MONTAÑA 

The Incas referred to quinoa as "chisaya mama" or "mother of all grains;" grilled market fresh vegetables on a bed of golden beet and local mushroom "risotto" laced with truffle oil  19.

Location:  If you are wanting to spend an afternoon in downtown Portland or are a visitor to the city, you really should just take an afternoon to explore the Pearl District.  It is so rich in style and urban feel you will go away with the sense that you have traveled to a foreign country.  The restaurants website cannot help but wax poetic about it's location.

"Andina is located in Portland's beautiful Pearl District, a unique area where you'll find antique shops, Portland's best known art galleries, traditional and trendy boutiques, and upscale lofts." 

Cocktails: They serve the best cocktail I have ever tasted.  The item is written in Spanish but when you speak the word aloud its say SexyWoman.  The ingredients are just amazing and the drink itself is one of those that can fill the whole evening sip by sip:

SACSAYHUAMÁN Habanero pepper vodka shaken with pureed passion fruit and cane sugar,served up with a sugar rim and a cilantro leaf garnish.

Dress: If you want to wear on those new spiked heels and put on the dog you can do that.  If you are a more casual dresser, that is okay too.  Portland is more about good food, art, hip living and bicycles than it is about how you look.  Brush your teeth and put on a clean pair of pants or blouse.  You will be fine.

Andina is a ***** as far as I am concerned and I would recommend it to anyone.  

Have a great day!

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City Search Comments/Reviews

How to fit technology into a small space!

Feeling a little crowded?  Have too much stuff but still want it all?  Sharing an apartment with a friend?  Let's talk about living a studio/loft apartment or even in your bedroom.

My first apartment was a studio on the top floor of an apartment house in La Grande, Oregon. I had a view down the alley of Mount Emily. I loved that apartment with it's drop leaf table and small alcove that served as our bedroom.

I wonder now why we ever thought we needed more. Had it not been for children we could have spent our entire life in that apartment. We could have upgraded the furniture and painted the occasional wall.  That small space was so perfect for all ages. I have a feeling I might live in something like it again before I am gone.

However, the next time I live in that kind of space, I will find a way to fit in my computer.  Things have changed a lot in the last 50 years. In fact, in the world of technology, a lot has changed in the last 6 months. It is hard to keep up with the trends.

Here are two toys I spotted at the Apple Store the other day.

1. There is a device called Eye TV out now that allows you to watch TV wirelessly on any computer in your house.  The device works through your outlet for your cable. Imagine yourself in a very small space with only enough room for one TV.  Now imagine you have to share that one TV. Yuck!  My husband loves sports and I don't so much. One or the other of us will retire to the bedroom where our second TV is located. But, what if we did not have a second TV or even a separate bedroom?  Wouldn't it be wonderful if our computer station would become a second place to watch TV? We could add noise canceling head phones and pull up a very comfortable desk chair.  Bang! We have a second TV. I can see it now.



image from engadget

2. I talked about the magic track pad for my Mac computer the other day...I want it now. All the space I would need near my computer keyboard would be the space the track pad consumes.  My mouse requires a pretty large surface. These little babies sit next to the keyboard seamlessly.  Not only do they do what I would want, they also look good. I like that a lot.

I have also seen a few other ideas that would make small space living techno cool. It is all about finding room for all your toys. Making it beautiful is nice too.

Apartment Therapy Cable Decor

• Apartment Therapy's idea for making all those cords work for you in the small space...gorgeous. It is called Cable Decor. You can create this look by taking that very long unsightly cord and painting it. Then you create a design on the wall using clips that you can buy at your hardware store.  I think those clips we use for the lighted cords would work. If you don't want to make a sculpture on the wall the cute little Power Curls help keeping the cords corralled.
• While we're at it, let's talk again about the ipad keyboard dock. You can make that ipad your only computer with this device.  When you need to type on your computer, your ipad converts with the keyboard dock. While it is charging, you can type away.  It is small and works like a charm. We gave one of these to my son as a gift.  He is using it while he works on his masters program.

It is raining here (still) in Portland Oregon.  I have spent the week shopping and dreaming about what we might do next in our smallish home and computer life.  It has been lots of fun.  AND tomorrow is another day.  Friday dreams are the best of all.

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Shopping: How To Choose a Pair of Curtains!

     It is ALL about shopping this week. My husband has even been going along. Did I tell you it is raining a lot?  I don't why but he keeps stopping in front of the curtain displays.  Those are really nice curtains he says. I just get a blank look on my face. I have no idea where to even start when it comes to buying new curtains.
     I am not alone I guess. Those curtains are just another part of our home, they are there to keep out the light and nosey neighbors peering through my windows. I also think they add a touch of cosiness on an evening as we draw them to keep the warmth and light in. But they are simply part of our life and not something that we give too much thought to.
     But what if you had to choose a set of new curtains, would you know where to start? How would you go about choosing the right pair for you? Are there even different types of curtains to choose from? I did some research and it turns out choosing new curtains isn’t as difficult as one may think.

Tips and Information

Love these Celeste Lined
ring top curtains from
Very in the UK

     Simply pick out a pair you like. There are a few main types out there. The valance, which is used in conjunction with blinds to let in as little or as much light as you want. This piece of material is usually colorful or patterned. There’s also the box pleated curtain (my favorite), as its name suggests it is gathered in to pleats at the top to give it the tailored look. And most common in bedrooms is the blackout curtain, perfect for shutting out the light and getting a good night’s sleep. 
     First off all you need to measure up the size of curtains you need. Simple. All you need to do is measure the window right? Well almost! Most houses come with curtain rails, so all you need to do is measure the width of that to get the width of your curtain. The length depends upon your personal preference and the layout of your room.
      In older homes many rooms have, for some reason, radiators underneath windows, presumably because this is the part of the room that’s likely to be the most drafty, it makes sense. What doesn’t make sense is having long curtains covering up the heat from the radiator. So if this is the case in your room, simply opt for a length of curtain that falls below the windowsill but near the top, or preferably above the top of the radiator. If there’s no radiator, the length of curtain you choose is up to you, just as long as it falls below the windowsill.


Shopping Online
I love the idea of shopping online.  It opens the whole world up for me.  Even overseas products are at my fingertips.  Maybe Very is the place for me!


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