let's go to asia...

lately, i've found myself with an inexplicable affinity for all things asian. and when i say all things, i mostly mean food, boys and decor...

1. food

first of all, i cannot stop eating this salad:

greens + coleslaw mix (cabbage, carrots) + mandarin oranges + snow peas + chow mein noodles + kraft reduced fat toasted asian sesame dressing + chicken (if i feel like it)

i also, as of late, dip pretty much everything in toasted asian sesame dressing. pretzels, broccoli, celery, more chow mein noodles, my finger, etc. try it, you won't be sorry. 

other mentions i'm currently obsessed with:

a. who doesn't like rice? i've been on a huge kick lately. especially stir-fried and with veggies and kikoman low sodium stir-fry sauce. if i'm not eating the salad mentioned above, i'm probably eating this.

b. you can interest me any day, any time in a little japanese. i'm on a first name basis with our local toyko express staff.

c. spring rolls. oh my gosh delicious. 

d. i recently had hot and sour soup for the first time. the flavor kind of scared me at first, but i've decided i really like it. 

e. pf changs. lettuce wraps! mandarin chicken! beef and broccoli! lo mein!

 

f. sushi. yes, please.  

g. wasabi. deserves its own category. can i put it on everything?

2. boys. 

secondly, i am tall and most asian men are short, but that doesn't change the fact that i suddenly find them very attractive. here are a few of my current asian celeb crushes...

a. ballet dancer/actor chi cao. yum. he dances for the queen with the birmingham royal ballet, but also nabbed the part playing dancer li cunxin in the 2009 movie mao's last dancer, which i already have on pre-reservation for its upcoming redbox release. 

b. actor terry chen, who looks extremely attractive in scrubs and camo on abc's new show combat hospital. i'm also strangely a fan of all the tats.

c. and, or course, one-half of glee's asian fusion couple, harry shum, jr. we've all seen his abs and we all know he can dance. okay, then.

3. decor
asian decor can be scary. i'm sure you've seen examples of over-inspired spaces that end up looking too opulent and tacky. but, chinoiserie (a french term, meaning chinese-like) pieces mixed in to a space can be really unique and beautiful.

i'm not sure i could handle so much shiny in my house, but i still really love this look.

i've had this domino magazine image saved in my files forever. chinese-inspired wallpaper is exceptionally cool in small spaces or on select walls.

see all the little asian details? they're perfect because they don't overwhelm the overall feel of the room. i love it. well done, ivanka. 

chinese blue and white porcelain is my favorite. especially large ginger-jar inspired pieces, like these lamps.

holy mirror. if i found you at the goodwill, you would be mine. 

such a cozy, chic bedroom. 

and, of course, elephants are very in right now. i loved this little guy at homegoods a few weeks ago. 

as far as asian inspiration in my house goes, blair gave me this incredible chinese-inspired bird chair last year because baby elliot and all her baby things take up a lot of room. i don't know if it's possible for me to express to you my feelings about the chair via my blog. it is one of my favorite, favorite things ever. blair had a baby and fell in love with her. i got a chair and fell in love with it. sometimes i just sit on my bed and look at it like a proud mama. in fact, i'm very surprised this hasn't made the blog sooner.

i've also recently purchased this large, bamboo-inspired art frame ($3 at a yard sale - should i paint it?), a blue and white chinese porcelain pedestal dish ($3 at goodwill) and a small green flowered asian vase ($3.50 at tj maxx).

loving these looks? head over to chinoiserie chic for a lot more gorgeous asian inspiration. and check out thrift stores. i hit value village with my brother yesterday and saw several affordable asian pieces in the housewares section.

4. honorable mentions.
there are a few more asian things that deserve a little shout-out:

a. my friend elizabeth's daughter anna, who is the cutest little chinese girl i've maybe ever seen, and the daughter of the thai family that owns my shoe repair place. asian babies are very, very cute.

 
b. disney's mulan. my brother's favorite (his girlfriend actually bought him a mulan figurine) and in my opinion, one of the best disney movies in history.

c. fortune cookies. this could go in the food category, but i get much more excited about the fortunes than the cookie itself. we americans need to start putting surprises inside of more foods than just cereal boxes. remember this fortune? best ever.

d. takeout boxes. they're so cute and versatile.

so...who wants to take a trip to asia with me!?

1.etsy 2.me 3.thephotoargus 4.-5.imdb 6.google 7.chinoiserie chic 8.domino 9.ivanka trump via chinoiserie chic 10.-12.chinoiserie chic 13.me 14.gwenllana 15.save-on-crafts