Ramen, UFC and Dinner

 

Cooper and I went out to dinner, David had a meeting. We went to Ramen Halu , a great noodle place located in a strip mall, across from Garden City Restaurant on Saratoga Avenue. 

Halu has actually been written about by ramen lovers from all over the world! We start with Okara salad, a small plate of iceberg lettuce topped with a scoop of white curd, it is the by product of tofu making from San Jose Tofu. Mixed in is some edamame, soy sauce and garlic. It is delicious.

Cooper then has a bowl of Halu, their signature ramen with a deep, rich broth. I have tsukmen with whole wheat noodles. It is a plate of noodles, mushrooms, bamboo, green onions, spinach and a slice of pork, all artfully laid out next to a bowl of delicate broth. You put the ingredients you want into the broth and eat it with your chopsticks. I always skip the pork and sneak in my 4 ounces of cubed chicken to add instead.

Tonight Cooper was telling me about the upcoming  UFC 129 on April 30, Cooper's 17th birthday. It will be George St. Pierre vs Jake Shields.

Having dinner with your teenage son is fun and interesting. At that age, they are men and what do men like? (well besides that)- food and fighting.

Cooper knows all about GSP, heck I even know all about GSP. But I didn't know anything about the guy Shields that he is fighting, seems this will be his first UFC and he has gone straight to the top? Interesting, he must be good! I think we definitely need this one on pay per view!

One reason that Cooper is so into fighting is that he has been taking private kickboxing lessons every week for the last couple years from a former world champion, Jerome Turcan.

Who is Jerome?

Here we are at a party, my goal is to have arms as big as Jerome's soon! Here is a bit about him.

WHBA founder and CEO, Jerome Turcan, began his fighting career in 1983 in Avignon, France. Competing in kickboxing, savate, and boxing, he acquired two World Championships, K-1 Vice-Champion, European Champion, and seven French National Championship titles. He retired from professional competition in 2002 with a career record of 65-14-2, with 37 wins by knockout. He has trained 3 World Champions, 4 European Champions, and 14 French Champions. Jerome has promoted over a dozen events throughout France and Europe. He is currently instructing at the world renowned American Kickboxing Academy in San Jose California.

David was talking with Jerome on Tuesday, and David mentioned my broken rib. Jerome got a smile on his face "Kristy is injured? That means no diet! Come to dinner Sunday!" (He knows all about the diets and the competitions).

Jerome comes by and has wine with David, he's a fun guy.  Usually I am on a diet though, so he is looking forward to feeding me.

So, dinner it will be, maybe I can get a few fighting lessons in before-hand? I think my ribs will soon be fine, I am ready to come out fighting!

People Watching

I love to sit outside and eat, watching people walk by. Everywhere in in Spain and France they will cram as many teeny tiny tables together as they can possibly fit onto a small sidewalk space, right up to the street edge, with cars and motorbikes zooming past, fumes everywhere, the tables as so close you sometimes have to crawl over other people to get there.

The funny thing is, these are considered the most desirable spots!

Not here though. At least no where that I have been in the United States. We are not generally a very social society. Yes, we do all have friends and we socialize with them, but we are very much into our private spaces, our own, plush surroundings, where no one can come close or bother us.
  

On the other hand, in Europe, you can sit and have a drink, water if you like, order some food if you want and continue sitting, and watching. The people watching is amazing.

I like to sit outside and look at everyone. I can tell who feels confident about themselves, and who is dressed up but feels uneasy because their clothes just don't fit right.

If you are comfortable in your own skin, you should feel right at home in just about anything. If you are not, it is time to look at your diet and your exercise (or lack of).

Take the stairs not the elevator; park in the outer most space at the grocery store (keeps those pesky carts from dinging your car too); go for a walk around the block after dinner instead of watching TV; walk your dog; walk your partner; walk your neighbor! It's a great way to catch up on things.

And food, well that is a subject I can go on about for ages. Let me just say here: avoid packaged foods. Don't eat at fast food restaurants. Limit any restaurant or pre-made foods. Be beware of "low fat" or "fat free", they often have just as many calories as the full fat versions. Learn to love vegetables. Drink more water than you can imagine. Limit alcohol to special occasions.

Feel good about yourself.