Family Diptych: Summer Ridiculousness

I don't know about your family, but mine goes from being silly and fun to then talking about philosophy and politics and then getting "drunk" on a thimble sized drop of whiskey only to then pressure everyone to try some chocolate they found in the cabinet, promising it to be life changing.  Yes, that pretty much sums an afternoon with my family.  And I would be lying if I ever denied loving every minute of it.  I'm going through a slew of images today in preparation of a crazy week and found these two, which made me laugh out loud and instantly knew they had to be a diptych…they are just too funny side by side.  We'll see if my mom ever reads these posts, because if she sees this one, it may be on view for a limited time.  But honestly, it captures a normal summer bbq with my family.  Happy Labor Day weekend!

Cooking for Pops

Father's Day with my family wouldn't be complete without cooking.  In fact, most occasions with my family are completely centered around what's happening in the kitchen.  This year we took to the bbq and created a mini feast…While I didn't end up photographing much since I was helping (wo)man the grill, I was able to snap a few shots of some of my favorite items.

The biggest problem with photographing food around my family is that no one wants to wait for me to finish with the photos.  They are constantly trying to snatch up whatever hot food is around because we are a family of vultures.  We descend upon everything edible and basically hoover it down and continue on with bizarre and fact filled banter.  It's always an evening to remember...

stuffed jalapenos the healthy way…

we scooped the peppers and stuffed them with goat cheese and blue cheese.  

*Beware* these were legit!  Super hot and delicious!!

a scrumptious appetizer made by our friend Shanti…

paired perfectly with her homemade spicy mint chutney

grilled veggies to pair with…everything!

Family Traditions

While I'm sure it's not the average American family's Christmas tradition to eat dim sum and wander the streets of Chinatown, it is most certainly what my family looks forward to every year. We enjoy a fabulous traditional Christmas Day with turkey and mulled wine, but every year we gather together in downtown LA and eat cha siu bao until we think our stomachs will explode. This year that blessed event happened today. I figure if you are reading my blog and as it is Christmas, you might as well get a taste of my family since that's what this holiday is all about.

The best part left to mention is that after we stuff ourselves, we head over to the "wishing well" on Broadway, throw pennies, and then….we jump. I honestly can't remember how this tradition started, but this year we were a ridiculous spectacle. I refused to let any kind passerby take the photos when they offered and instead I rigged my camera to a bench and used the timer to start the madness. There are about 20 photos of us laughing as we miss the flash and correct timer. I will save you from the all the rejects but one. We joked about putting out a hat to collect money seeing as we had a large crowd by the time we got one decent shot.

So, here is a very fun way to end the holiday and laugh at some people that are NOT your family:

as close as we got to the money shot…

Want to start your own family tradition in China town? Our favorite restaurant is Empress Pavilion. http://www.empresspavilion.com/

And you can get to the wishing well where these photos were taken by walking around the corner to here:

Wishing well location