Bean Paste Party

It's still early, my favorite part of the day. It's not hot yet so, although the blinds are closed to keep the light out, the doors and windows are still open to let the morning's still cool air circulate through the house. As it gets hotter, we'll close everything up. This knocks at least 10 degrees off the temperature. We don't like air-conditioning so, although I miss the radiant desert light, the cave-like afternoon has a comfort of its own.

I'm throwing a Red Bean Paste Party in the Bird Park today. Whenever we go to Vegas we stock up on vegetarian delights in Chinatown. Among other delectables, such as soya "duck" for which Mr. Lee has a hound-like craving, we get red bean paste steam buns. The problem is that we both prefer grabbing something quick and grazing over our keyboards so even the task of steaming a pastry first is often just too much, especially for me given that I get very nervous trying to time the bun so it gets steamed just right. As a result, these frozen treasures sometimes end up freezer burned before we get around to them.

But the Bean Paste Party is a great success. The first blobs disappeared instantly. I didn't even see who got 'em so I put out a bit more but not too much, I hope. I don't want some sugar drunk crow cackling from the top of the street light all afternoon waiting around for more. I'll save the rest for the afternoon. There's a little black bird who's been dropping by at twilight looking for a bedtime snack. Red bean paste will blow his birdy mind.