Really moving...

Bi Bim Bop

I have been wanting to make this FOREVER.

Active Time: 50 minutes (including time to make the pepper sauce)
Marinate Time for Beef: 3-48 hours

Note: I froze the meat, then allowed it to sit at room temperature for 2-3 hours. This allowed me to slice the beef in paper-thin slices against the grain, partially frozen, with ease.

Ingredients for Bulgogi

2/3 cup soy sauce (I used a reduced-sodium sauce)
1 tablespoon toasted sesame seed oil

1 cup apple cider or juice

4 tablespoons vermouth* sweetened to taste, or combination of mirin and sake
1 tablespoon grated or finely chopped garlic
1 tablespoon grated ginger
2-3 tablespoons dark brown sugar 

1 medium onion, grated
1 nashi/Asian pear*, peeled and grated
1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds, plus additional sesame seeds for garnish
2 pounds sirloin, brisket or rib-eye, sliced into paper thin pieces (see above note)

2 green onions, finely sliced (optional garnish)
Whole bibb leaf or romaine lettuce leaves
Steamed white rice, as needed
Kim chee, home-made or purchased
Korean Red Pepper Sauce, recipe follows

*Asian pears are availble at Hyundai Asian Market and other groceries; or substitute with another large, peeled firm-ripe pear.

Directions

1. Whisk together soy sauce, sesame oil, apple cider or juice, vermouth, garlic, ginger and 2 tablespoons sugar. Stir in onion, pear and sesame seeds. Add additional sugar to taste. Place in extra-large resealable plastic bag or in a bowl large enough to accommodate beef. Marinate at least 3 hours, refrigerated, and up to 48 hours.
2. When ready to serve, remove meat from marinade and drain on paper towels. Heat a large, dry sauté pan over high heat a minute, then add meat to pan without crowding. Cook until golden on each side then remove and reserve. Repeat process with remaining meat slices.
3. Top beef with additional sesame seeds and green onion, if using. Serve with lettuce leaves for stuffing, white rice, kim chee and Korean Red Pepper Sauce.

Korean Red Pepper Sauce

2 tablespoons Korean-styled Seasoned Red Pepper Paste*
1 1/2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
1/2 tablespoon dark brown sugar

*Available at Korean markets.

Whisk together pepper paste, sesame oil, sugar and 1 tablespoon of water. Delicious with Korean specialties such as Bulgogi or Bi Bim Bop.

Would like to be back doing this...

You've got to stand for something or you'll fall for anything...

First, I am hugely procrastinating on the many papers I have to read and grade.

I had another head butt moment with doctors this week. I am reminded of waaaaay back when I was a new graduate nurse and a jerky doctor said to me " young lady, you need to learn how to talk to a DOCTOR' and I said, " YOU need to learn how to talk to a nurse- I am a professional and I expect to be treated like one" and I looked behind me for my colleagues to support me and..... they had all disappeared.

I basically did that again this week. And it was super awkward. But extremely needed. And when I got into my car afterwards, I cried ( to a doctor but also a husband). To paraphrase what I am learning in my feminism in health class, we nurses need to fight the hegemonic and patriarchal power structures inherent in our health system!!

I think my ideal job would be to be the boss of people who love me all the time, let me work from 930-330, and have great benefits that include the golden handcuffs (free college tuition for kids at the uni you work at). I hate conflict.

NYT shout out!

36 Hours in Ann Arbor, Mich.

Photographs by Tony Ding for The New York Times

From left, University of Michigan students perform for strollers on Main Street; Michigan Marching Band in Michigan Stadium at football season opener; the pan-Asian Pacific Rim restaurant.

By JENNIFER CONLIN

Published: October 6, 2011

IT is not just the throngs of University of Michigan students dressed in maize and blue singing “Hail to the Victors” that makes Ann Arbor the ultimate college town each fall. Nor is it Michigan Stadium, with the largest attendance in the country (114,804 at one recent game), and recently renovated to the tune of $226 million. Rather it is the urban sophistication of this town — with its mix of restaurants, bars, boutiques, art-house movie theaters and world-class art museums — that keeps many University of Michigan alumni from leaving long after they have graduated. For travelers, the sheer energy and the abundance of cultural opportunities, from classical dance performances to bluegrass concerts, makes a fall visit here a good time to get into the college spirit, even if you’re not a student.

Friday

2 p.m.
1) OLD-TIME SHOPPING

Start your weekend in Nickels Arcade, an elegant glass-covered atrium that opened in 1918 and still houses businesses dating back more than 80 years. Van Boven Clothing (326 South State Street; 734-665-7228), for instance, is a men’s clothier that has long catered to well-dressed fraternity boys. The intimate Comet Coffee (16 Nickels Arcade; 734-222-0579) brews coffee from Ethiopia to El Salvador one cup at a time. Then cross State Street to Moe’s Sport Shop (711 North University Avenue; 734- 668-6915; moesportshops.com) to suit up for tomorrow’s game. “U of M” apparel has been sold here since 1915, and you’ll find such items as T-shirts and temporary “M” face tattoos.

3 p.m.
2) STUDENT SCENE

The Diag, as the open space on the central campus is called, is a leafy oasis intersected by sidewalks connecting academic buildings. Relax on a bench and take in the student scene, featuring everything from charity bucket drives to Ultimate Frisbee games. Just don’t step on the brass inlaid “M” in front of the Harlan Hatcher Graduate Library — lore has it that freshmen who step on it will earn an F on their first exam. Then visit the architecturally stunning Michigan Law School quadrangle (625 South State Street), which could easily stand in for Harry Potter’s Hogwarts, as could the library’s Reading Room with its vaulted ceilings, oak wainscoting and stained glass windows.

5 p.m.
3) NEW NOSTALGIA

Between the Law School and the Ross School of Business you’ll find Dominick’s (812 Monroe Street; 734-662-5414), which has been serving students and the area’s aging hippie population ever since the ’60s, when the town was at the forefront of the Vietnam War protest movement. Though its picnic tables and booths are increasingly filled with entrepreneurs and M.B.A. candidates, everyone seems to enjoy the sangria served in jam jars on the patio. But avoid the temptation to eat here; instead head to Mark’s Carts (markscartsannarbor.com) — a jumble of ethnic food carts in a cozy courtyard on Washington Street between First and Ashley Streets, where, on Friday evenings throughout the fall, you can eat paella ($8) or tangy Thai slaw ($3) while listening to jazz, folk and rock performers.

8 p.m.
4) COOL CULTURE

The University Musical Society (ums.org) offers a range of dance, theater and musical productions performed at places that include the Hill Auditorium, with its superb acoustics and the small but elegant Lydia Mendelssohn Theater. But it is the Ark (316 South Main Street; 734-761-1818; theark.org), one of North America’s oldest nonprofit acoustic music clubs, that has developed an international reputation, not just for preserving American music (folk and bluegrass, in particular), but also for showcasing world music from Africa, the Caribbean and elsewhere. Tickets start at $10.

Saturday

9 a.m.
5) SUNNY SIDE UP

Beat the crowds at Angelo’s (1100 Catherine; 734-761-8996; angelosa2.com), where thick slices of raisin toast ($2.35) are second only to the pumpkin pancakes ($6.99). Work off the calories with a brisk walk to the Farmers’ Market (315 Detroit Street; tel: 734-794-6355), with stalls stocked with local products, from fruit-flavored syrups (rhubarb, peach, cantaloupe, $8.99) to wooden bird houses ($20).

Noon
6) PATIENCE & PUMPERNICKEL

Don’t be put off by the line outside Zingerman’s deli (422 Detroit Street; 734-663-3354; zingermansdeli.com); waiting is part of the experience. The friendly servers hand out nibbles of fresh bread, cheese and brownies while you decide which of the 99 sandwiches you want (most popular: Zingerman’s Reuben on Jewish rye, $15.50). Or cross the street to Monahan’s Seafood Market (407 North Fifth Avenue; 734-662-5118; monahansseafood.com) for an oyster po’ boy ($8.95) and fresh chowder ($4.95).

1 p.m.
7) FUN IN THE BIG HOUSE

Kickoff time varies between 1 and 4 p.m., depending on the college football broadcast schedule. Don’t show up at the Big House, as the stadium is called, ticketless. Buying seats ($70) in advance is a must for most of the seven or eight home games a season; tickets are available through the university’s athletic site, mgoblue.com. Though alcohol is not allowed, there is plenty of spirit in the cheering of “Let’s Go Blue” and the tunes played by the Michigan Marching Band. When football season is over, there is ice hockey in the winter, softball in the spring, and some 20 other sports, from water polo to wrestling.

5 p.m.
8) COCKTAIL CRAWL

Whether Michigan has won or lost, students hit the bars. Avoid South University and State Street (student hubs) and head to the more civilized Main Street (the place Bob Seger, who grew up in Ann Arbor, is actually singing about in the song “Mainstreet”). With dozens of night spots, it’s easy to find a martini or microbrew; one favorite is Palio (347 South Main: tel: 734-456-3463; paliorestaurant.com), where postgame parties erupt on the rooftop bar.

7 p.m.
9) THE GLOBAL GOURMET

If it is ethnic food you crave, try Pacific Rim (114 West Liberty Street; 734-662-9303; pacificrimbykana.com) whose pan-Asian menu includes a delicate tuna tartare with taro chips, and pan-seared quinoa-crusted scallops (dinner with wine, $50). Head to Logan (115 West Washington Street; 734-327-2312; logan-restaurant.com) for Gruyère custard with caramelized onions and tomatoes or wild boar Bolognese (dinner with wine, $50). If you want a quick bite, Frita Batidos (117 West Washington Street; 734-761-2882; fritabatidos.com) serves Cuban specialties like fritas (spicy burgers of chorizo, black bean, white fish, beef or turkey on a soft brioche for $7 and $8), and batidos, fresh fruit shakes, with sweetened milk, crushed ice and the option of rum.

9 p.m.
10) WILD AT DARK

Housed in an old brewery, the Cavern Club (210 South First Street; 734-913-8890; cavernclubannarbor.com) attracts some of the biggest bands and D.J.’s from metro Detroit (when a band is performing, $5; $10 for 18 to 21). Or check out the Michigan Theater (603 East Liberty Street; 734-668-8463; michtheater.org). Opened in 1928 as a vaudeville and silent movie palace, it now offers live entertainment (the Ann Arbor Symphony performs here regularly), as well as independent films. Night owls will appreciate the Saturday midnight shows of cult classics like “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” at the nearby State Theater, an Art Deco cinema built in 1942 (233 South State Street; 734-761-8667; michtheater.org/state).

Sunday

9 a.m.
11) NOT JUST A NAME

As the town’s name suggests, there are many trees, both native and exotic, here. You can see some of them at Nichols Arboretum (1610 Washington Heights; 734-647-8986; lsa.umich.edu/mbg), a 123-acre site with panoramic views and a path along the winding Huron River (open sunrise to sunset).

11 a.m.
12) ECLECTIC BRUNCH

Café Zola (112 West Washington Street; 734-769-2020; cafezola.com) offers an eclectic menu that borrows from French, Italian and Turkish cuisines — like crepes, both savory and sweet, and Turkish eggs (with feta, spinach, tomato, olives and cucumber). Brunch, $20.

1 p.m.
13) PAINTINGS, POTS AND MORE

With over 18,000 works of art (European, African, Asian, American and Middle Eastern), there is something for everyone at the University of Michigan Museum of Art (525 South State Street; 734-764-0395; umma.umich.edu). Those preferring ancient and medieval art should cross the street to the Kelsey Museum of Archaeology (No. 434; 734-764-9304; lsa.umich.edu/kelsey), with more than 100,000 Mediterranean and Middle Eastern objects.

IF YOU GO

The Bell Tower (300 South Thayer Street; 734-769-3010; belltowerhotel.com) is a charming hotel located right on campus and close to downtown. A standard king is $175 a night.

The Inn at the League (911 North University Avenue; 734-764-3177; uunions.umich.edu/league/inn), with wonderful views of the grounds, offers a true campus experience, a convenience store, information desk, cyber lounge, several dining spots and a garden. Both a standard king and double room start at $135 a night. Suites are $230 and $15 for each additional guest.