Soybeans in Cake Form

Otherwise known as tempe. It's like tofu, but it retains the whole bean, thus making if richer in protein, dietary fibers, and vitamins. Unlike most soybean products, which originated in China or Japan, tempe is from Indonesia.

Whenever I go home, which unfortunately is very infrequently, I try to take advantage of the ethnic diversity of restaurants in Madison. Bandung is on the list of favorites, mostly because of the Oseng Oseng Tempe. I can't say I'm a tempe fanatic or anything, but I do know that it is tasty.

When I was a senior in high school, I danced basically every day after school and into the night. So much for family dinners. My parents resorted to going out a lot and bring me home the leftovers. I didn't have a problem with that, in fact, I quite enjoyed it. My favorite treasures to find in the fridge were enchiladas from Mi Cocina, or Oseng Oseng from Bandung.

Tempe is also good for something else, namely being the city that my brother, David, and his wife, Adrienne, live in. I am visiting them right now.

Aren't they cute? So I am in Tempe. Unfortunately, Adrienne was called away a few days ago on a sudden adventure, and my brother is beating 7th graders with rulers at school. So what did I do today? Here's the top 7:

1. Kept dollars in the local economy

2. Created jobs

3. Helped the environment

4. Nurtured community

5. Conserved tax dollars

6. Created more choice

7. Invested in entrepreneurship

Little did I know I was doing all those things by walking into a new and used bookstore to get some books about Taoism for a class I'll be taking in China. The abundance of books I usually find at even your run-of-the-mill bookstore inspires me to quit my life of doing anything else and hide away somewhere to learn as much from books as I can. What books catch my eye at bookstores? Classics that I feel like I should read, history books that I know I won't be able to mentally digest, books about hobbies I wish I had such as photography or gardening, scientific non-fiction that might help me understand the world better, and occasionally a novel with a pretty cover and catchy title. Someday I want a big library in my house.

Other highlights of the day so far (it's only 2:55 p.m.)

~jogging and hanging around with Paul. He's all tuckered out.

~driving Dave's jeep trying to find places

~coming back to listen to a great song by Jose Gonzalez ("Cycling Trivialities") and realizing that the lyrics speak to my life.

5 days until I leave for China!