Gastro Monkey // 美食家

On the way back from San Diego, I stayed a night in Anaheim. My friends already knew that they wanted they wanted for dinner, so I went along for the ride. This was the best meal we had all weekend! I've eaten my fair share of Vietnamese food, but this was a first.  I'm not normally a snail loving person; I prefer bivalves. These escargot though, were delicious . That's right, these stupid snails were so good I told everyone we should get another order because I was feeling greedy and wanted more! My friend suggested I calm myself and wait since they ordered so many other things. It was a struggle, but I made it through. And then ordered another of the snails, and another of the squid salad. It was a big party of flavors and textures and I loved every moment of it. We ordered two types of clams and both were fantastic. One had a meatier flavor (the cherry stone), while the other had a bit more of a tang (the one with the fried pork belly). Both were delectable.  It...

As a big fan of all things QQ, when my friend suggested we head over to Black Ball after dinner, I was all over it. What I didn't realize was that the black balls they were named for weren't pearls, but balls of grass jelly. Thus, pretty much everything has grass jelly in it. Back before I got sick of it as a child, I would have loved this. As an adult who got sick of it as a child, it was not much of a treat. I don't like picky eaters, but I guess I found my weak spot. Everything about my shaved ice bowl was great. The taro balls were actually better than I thought they would be, albeit a bit sweet overall. I ate everything except the grass jelly. Sorry! I know there are starving kids in China! I just couldn't do it. I tried a few bites but gave up.  I ordered the "Jiu Fen" Yam Balls Crushed Ice - mostly good. I'm sure the grass jelly is good, but I personally don't like grass jelly. The taste is too strong and doesn't work for me. Texturally...