what I loved in October

almost on time

Nov 01, 2025

October was a good month, It really feels like fall now, and we’re accelerating towards the end of the year. Having nothing to write about is a problem, but having too much to write about is another. We were almost at the latter with this month’s recap. Onwards!

Produce

IT’S TIME. The persimmons have begun. Commence the Hachiya aging. Truly the gifts that make winters bearable for me. Persimmons! Pears! Sweet potatoes! Chestnuts! Pumpkins! “Winter is such a barren season--”, FOOLS.

I’ve also gained a newfound appreciation for Asian pears. When I was younger, I didn’t love the grainy texture(tbh all pears have this), but they are crisp beyond compare, and I’ve never had a not-juicy Asian pear. AND they’re so nectary in taste.

Apples and grapes are some fruits that have been done a disservice by... the masses? Commercial agriculture? Mainstream agricultural media representation? And slapped into the 2-D label of simply “apple” or “grape”, differentiated only by color, if anything(egads). So many delicious varietals of both, all so diverse, and yet the market is saturated with... Red Delicious? Screech. The only thing I envy the East Coast for is their apple varieties. Actually, the Washingtonians may have a pretty strong showing in that field as well.

Cooks

Tis the season of home cooking. Mother went on another escapade across the world, so I was cooking.

I craved mitarashi dango with the fiercest of passions and made some for the first time. Very satisfied.

I “milled” my own joshinko, and did a side-by-side with the dango I made with store-bought. Homemade was better, it felt more chewy despite being kneaded the same amount.

I also made some tangyuan-esque 송편 with the remaining joshinko, which has a long way to go in form, but tasted great.

Had a disappointing Kabocha that was turned into a better nimono, and finally took the tamagoyaki pan I received last Christmas(oops) for a test drive. I don’t know what delusions led me to make dashimaki tamago for my first attempt -- the liquid is added to a breaking point, making the folding process a nightmare, but a passable product was achieved.

The next time, I reduced the liquid : egg ratio much more and found greater success. Currently the composition is 3 eggs + 30ml water + 5ml shirodashi + 1T sugar.

A lot of ochazuke was eaten.

Bakes

I baked a pie for the first time, the quintessential apple pie. My first attempt at a pie crust was a success, even though some psycho decided to make rolling pins out of silicone(wtf?)-- maybe the crazy one is whoever bought this monstrosity. I do think next time I will incorporate the butter and flour a little less before adding the water, because I want the dough less short.

This entire endeavor was a bit last-minute, and the crust was not comfortably enough for a 9.5” pie dish as we had(I want to buy a smaller one), but scrappy visuals aside, it was very satisfying to finally get the degree of bite I want from my apples.

Father said he prefers the filling softer. Overruled!

I cracked open a tarte-tatin confiture from Paris, and used it to top financiers. I tried making them fat this time, like the ones found in Korean cafes. I don’t know why they have such an obsession with making baked goods fat, like madeleines, financiers, macarons. I think I prefer them thinner like the originals, but plenty dark and crisp.

New York

I had to go to New York for a night. I swore after the JetBlue debacle in May that I wouldn’t step foot in the city for at least another two years, but life is funny like that.

I checked in early and got straight on the L Train to get matcha. I went to Maru Coffee, funny because I’ve never bothered to go to the one in Los Feliz despite always passing it. I chose to go that day because it was near my lunch reservation, but apparently it only opened end of September, so it’s still quite new and buzzy.

Definitely a very vibey place. It was a Thursday afternoon, so not too crowded. The pastries were from Lysée and Frenchette. I have wanted to try Lysée for a while, and their goods especially looked very appealing. I got the yuja madeleine to have with an unsweetened oat matcha, and was inspired by this and the pecan financier to try making my own.

People watching was fun. There were a lot of people wearing Adidas trackpants styled with non-athleisure tops and outerwear. A lot of work jackets and dark denim, very Brooklyn.

The madeleine was solid, I felt like the cake itself was a little dry(the recipe I usually use gets moister as it sits, so I wonder...) but there was a bright yuzu curd and some marmalade inside, which added moisture. There was candied peel on top, and I love the crunch of glaze on a citrus cake always. The yuzu scent was strong, and definitely something I want to recreate.

The foliage outside was nice to stare at.

When I arrived for my lunch reservation at Okonomi, it was empty. It felt like entering a friend’s small but cozy apartment, where it smells like roasting fish and soup is on the stove.

The place filled up fast in the next ten minutes, but the few moments of quiet were nice, defrosting over a warm cup of hojicha.

The default menu is rice with okaka / furikake, miso soup, tsukemono, tamagoyaki, and grilled fish. You can choose to have 1 or 3 seasonal vegetable sides, and add-ons like an onsen egg($2.5) or ikura($5). I desperately wanted the ikura, but abstained for a commitment the next day.

You also choose from a few fishes of the day, which happened to be miso salmon, shio kanpachi, and soy-yuzu black cod. I chose the cod.

The fish had a shatteringly crisp exterior but was so melty soft and moist on the inside. I liked the near-burnt soy flavor but didn’t detect any yuzu. The radish tsukemono was well-pickled, a good balance of sour-sweet-salty, with a floral yuzu scent. I liked the napa cabbage and apple included, it reminded me of Korean white kimchi. The tamagoyaki here is not a rolled omelet, but a baked, custard-like flan. I can’t call it a savory flan, as it was entirely only sweet, with no dashi flavor at all. It was good, but I think I prefer the classic thick rolls better.

The seasonal vegetable side was nasu yakibitashi - eggplant grilled then marinated/soaked in dashi. It had lightly sweet flavor, retaining some bite. I was lucky to get a side I especially liked. I peeked at my neighbors and saw the other two sides were a Delicata squash nimono and blanched greens with a creamy miso or sesame dressing. The onsen egg floated in a dashi-shoyu bath with shichimi on top. The dashi in the miso soup was bonito-based, as most Japanese ones are.

It was a really well-rounded, balanced meal. I would definitely return if I was in the city with no kitchen.

I cried a little inside paying this price for something I could make at home, but I was willing to pay for home cooking away from home. If anything, my biggest critique would be about the rice, which was fine, not wet or anything heinous, but truly good rice, with shiny grains and chew, would take the meal above and beyond.

I later ordered douhua from Fong On for dinner/dessert(dinnert?).

The next day, after a change of plans, I went to Rhythm Zero in the West Village on my way to the airport, found it was temporarily CLOSED, and pivoted to Do Not Feed Alligators for a matcha. The cafe was not my style, but I was not going to lug my suitcase any further than a block. I was at the end of my rope. Thankfully no delays.

Reads

I finally returned to reading the book on my flight back from JFK, but made the decision to drop Stranger in a Strange Land after the story entered its “orgies to spread the faith” arc. It’s not even that there is smut, it’s just boring and felt the most dated.

Listens

SPECIALZ - King Gnu, I wasn’t obsessed with the song when it came out, but I think it was because I prefer the live version much better. I don’t know why they added the muffle effect in the studio version, the “restraint” doesn’t add to the progression, and just feels uncomfortable and stuffy.

I also started listening to Christmas jazz mid-October. I don’t care if it’s unhinged, I’ll enjoy the holiday spirit as early as I wish.

Until next time. I must go work and distract myself from my thoughts(I would do UNSPEAKABLE THINGS for a crisp taiyaki w tsubuan, piping hot).