Thank you everyone for your all your birthday wishes and amazing comments on the postcard giveaway. Not only did you share your favorite veggie dishes and your locations around the world, but you also wrote some incredibly touching words of encouragement. Sometimes I second-guess what I'm doing, lose confidence, and think myself into a funk, but then you guys overwhelm me with goodwill and put a smile on my face. Really, thank you! :)
Well, I had a wonderful birthday. As I shared in my previous post, I went down to Cheonan to hang out with family first. My mom was the best and put together a delicious lunch for us and my aunt who also came over to celebrate. If anyone were to ask what I'd want for my last meal, it would look something like this:
Good ol' Korean food!
Bowl of hot miyuk-guk (sea vegetable soup). This is a traditional birthday soup for Koreans, but actually, I didn't grow up eating this on my birthdays because I used to hate seaweed! But then I went vegan, learned about plant nutrition, opened my mind, and now I love it. :)
Japchae noodles.
Fresh baby greens from my parent's indoor farm. haha. Can't believe the veranda farming is still going strong.
Vegan bulgogi made with soy meat, bought from here. Recipe here. I find it quite amusing that my mom, who's not vegetarian, is better at cooking tvp than me. Go umma!
Vegan chong-gak kimchi.
Dessert: persimmons, clementines, coffee.
Oh, and although I said I might not get around to baking a vegan birthday cake for myself, the thought of having a cake-less birthday was depressing, so for the sake of tradition, I (with the help of my mom and aunt) baked a simple vanilla sheet cake. Once it was done, we sliced it up and spread raspberry jam between the layers:
Happy birthday to me.
I also topped it with some lemony tofu cream and a frozen strawberry from my mom's freezer. I didn't blend the cream long enough so it was a wee bit lumpy, but it was a nice way to top everything off.
Nothin like a hunka birthday cake to ease the pain of getting older.
Later in the afternoon, I rushed back to Seoul to partake in a truly scrumptious dinner at Taj: Taste of India, with some of my favorite people. I really like this Indian restaurant. It's on the pricier side, but it's worth it for the classy, romantic ambiance, excellent service, vegan-friendly menu and staff. Oh, and their food is always delicious.
Yellow dal & spinach curry (no cream, cheese, etc), enjoyed with many baskets of vegan roti.
Mushroom & potato curry.
As for birthday loot, my uncle was so generous and bought a huge box of clementines for me. Fresh fruit: what an awesome pressie! I also got some lovely non-edible presents from both family and friends such as a beautiful wooden tray, body lotions, tea, pajamas, and a donation to the Humane Society made in my name. :) Love them all.
And check out these bunny socks I got! I shall be rockin' these til they get stinky and holey.