The store was less than 3 feet away but it didn’t matter. In minus 5-degree weather (celsius for you lot), I removed the leather glove from my right hand and started googling to see if it was open. Maya Congee Cafe. A Chinese-American cafe and grocery staple. Spaced-out yellow letters danced on a red backdrop making up the store’s sign. It was a neighborhood favorite. Usually, I would order the veggie banh mi sandwich for lunch but today I only needed to pick up some Gochujang paste for this whole chicken I was making tomorrow because a friend told me she made it last week.
By the time I was done googling, I would have probably been done with the whole errand. But no. I had to check if it was open — on my phone — before taking any further steps. My right hand frozen, thumbed the screen of google maps telling me what I already knew: Open today 10 am.
I was so close. I could have just continued walking over there. Hand in glove in pocket. Warm.
Turns out they didn’t have the paste after all.
Afterward, I googled what Gochujang is made of: “Gochujang or red chili paste is a savory, sweet, and spicy fermented condiment popular in Korean cooking. It is made from gochu-garu, glutinous rice, meju powder, yeotgireum, and salt. The sweetness comes from the starch of cooked glutinous rice, cultured with saccharifying enzymes during the fermentation process.” Very cool.
You know what’s not cool? Consulting this little piece of titanium for every single little thing.
Thanks for sharing
LOVE maya congee!