Style LookBook: August 2024

I cannot believe August is already here. I was at The Shay Culver's rooftop pool yesterday and had to bundle up with towels while napping after sipping on their Banana Mai Tai because it felt cold as the afternoon turned windy. That was one strong and delicious cocktail, which is difficult to achieve.

Banana Mai Tai from The Shay Culver

Fret not if you want more heat! The temperature is expected to climb high over the weekend and remain hot, at least in Los Angeles. With that in mind, I'm keeping this LookBook casually seductive with casual icon denim.

[top]

SILVIA TCHERASSI Flor Cropped Top

[shorts]

DIESEL De-Yuba Denim Shorts

[heels]

GIANVITO ROSSI Portofino 85mm Denim Sandals

[bag]

BAPY BY *A BATHING APE® Adjustable Denim Tote Bag

[sunglasses]

QUAY Tempted 46mm Cat Eye Sunglasses

ps: While all items are curated by me, I receive commissions from retailers on purchased items.

pss: Items shown are not shown in scale.

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Culpability in Mr. Jordan Neely's Death

It had been a hellish two months. I am not quite ready to share that story, but I can say with some serenity that it is now behind me. On my way home from one of my solo dinners — a book in hand, celebrating the quiet return of civility to my life — the Lyft paused in traffic in front of 1313 W. 8th Street. The building houses the ACLU, one of the NGOs I once supported. The past tense there is a longer story for another time. Above the entrance is painted a list of demands: housing, healthcare, green space — all reasonable things a society should strive to provide. At the very bottom of the list, just above the ACLU sign, the words “More Police” have been crossed out. The sight of it brought to mind the death of Mr. Jordan Neely and the man who restrained him on a New York City subway train, Mr. Daniel Penny. Photo by Matt Collamer on Unsplash You may not have heard of Mr. Jordan Neely. He died before reaching thirty-one years of age. At the time of his death, he was on New York C...

Jeju Linguine al Nero di Seppia: Gochujang Squid Pasta

Off the southern coast of the Korean peninsula lies Jeju Island, a place where the sea shapes both livelihood and cuisine. Among its prized catches is Jeju squid, known for its clean sweetness and tender bite—qualities that have long made it a favorite in Korean kitchens. Whether grilled over charcoal or gently simmered in spicy stews, Jeju squid carries the unmistakable flavor of the surrounding waters. This dish brings that ingredient into a conversation between two culinary traditions. Linguine al nero di seppia, the Italian pasta tinted black with squid ink, becomes the canvas for a sauce layered with Korean flavors. The foundation begins with olive oil, onion, and garlic, followed by white wine and tomato paste that deepen in color as they cook. Then comes gochujang, whose fermented heat introduces the unmistakable character of Korean cooking. Ceramic bowl has wheel-thrown and glazed by me What makes the dish sing, however, is its balance. The richness of butter softens the intens...

Was I Wrong to Have Accused White Men?

It began as an ordinary morning. Coffee. Stretching. The familiar ritual of scrolling through Apple News and The New York Times. Then it wasn’t ordinary. A gunman had entered a dance studio in Monterey Park and killed eleven people. First nine, then ten, then eleven. The numbers shifted. The dread did not. The studio was largely patronized by Asian Americans, located in a Chinese American community, on the eve of Lunar New Year. The specificity made it intimate. It felt close. I paused. Should I go to the ceramic studio as planned? Should I stop at Whole Foods afterward? A White man did it. That was the sentence that formed, fully constructed, in my mind. There is a racist White man loose in the greater Los Angeles area with a gun. Photo by Gayatri Malhotra on Unsplash As a Korean American woman, I felt fear move quickly and without permission. Monterey Park is not far from Koreatown. Not far from Downtown. We know how one violent act can loosen something dormant in others. Late...

Are we living in 1864?

My heart sank. There it was on my iPhone: New York Times headline- Justice Dept. Asks for 1-Day Sentence for Ex-Officer Convicted in the Killing of Breonna Taylor . It took me back to 2020. The deaths of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and George Floyd made headlines and triggered Black Lives Matter protests across the nation. Thousands of us marched, raised our fists, shouted Black Lives Matter, kneeled, shouted I can't breathe, and continued to march as we shouted no justice, no peace. It was the year that made many of us realize that we hadn't changed much since the brutal torture and murder of Emmett Till in 1955. He was only fourteen years old when two white men brutally beat and killed him. There was no justice for Emmett Till 70 years ago. The judge rejected the Justice Department's sentence recommendation of one day and sentenced Brett Hankison to 33 months in prison for violating Breonna Taylor's civil rights. Was it justice? Photo by Ryan Stone on Unsplash I...

Oxtail Risotto

Inspired by Korean Oxtail Soup , this risotto builds on something familiar and deeply comforting. The foundation—oxtail and its broth—comes from a dish I return to often, especially in colder months. It is a staple I keep on hand, both for its simplicity and for the depth it develops over time. Here, that same broth is carried into something different, paired with arborio rice to create a risotto that holds onto its richness while taking on a more structured form. Ceramic bowl was wheel-thrown and glazed by me. INGREDIENTS [serves 2 as a main dish] three oxtails, cooked and deboned thirty-six fluid ounces of oxtail broth one cup of arborio rice one-third cup of diced pancetta a half cup of grated Parmigiano Reggiano a quarter cup of thinly sliced Brussels sprouts one tablespoon of olive oil salt to taste In a pot, bring the oxtail broth to a low simmer. Heat a Dutch oven over high heat. Once heated, add the diced pancetta and sauté until the fat has rendered and the pancetta is ligh...

Slow Cooked Gochujang Chicken

Created while I was developing a Dakdoritang (Korean spicy chicken stew) recipe for a slow cooker, this dish turned out to be something entirely different. Although the ingredients resemble those used in Dakdoritang, the flavor and texture developed in an unexpected way. Instead of a stew, the gochujang-based sauce thickened and clung to the chicken drumsticks as it slowly cooked, deepening in flavor over four hours. In a slow cooker, the sauce does not reduce the way it would on the stovetop; rather, the natural thickness of gochujang and the starch from the vegetables help create a rich sauce that coats the chicken. While not what I originally intended to create, this Slow Cooked Gochujang Chicken turned out bold and deeply flavorful. Sometimes the results we did not plan for are far more interesting than the ones we set out to make. ceramic bowls were wheel-thrown and glazed by me A note about the spearmint: while not traditional in gochujang-based dishes, it adds a subtle herbal br...

Should Los Angeles Remain a Sanctuary City?

I was coming out of a lovely restaurant in Downtown L.A.—Le Petit Paris. My Uber was waiting across the street, annoyingly parked on the wrong side of a one-way road. As I approached, a homeless man was shouting at the car. The driver didn’t move. Did he not realize I would have to walk right past a screaming, clearly distressed man just to get in? Photo by Nathan Dumlao on Unsplash As soon as I closed the door, the driver apologized. He wasn’t sure he should even be driving. After his last ride in Old Town Pasadena, a homeless man had thrown something at his car, damaging it. He was still shaken. A few weeks earlier, someone had hurled a brick—or something like it—through his parked car window. For someone who drives full-time for rideshare, every dent or crack isn’t just an inconvenience; it’s a financial crisis. As an Angeleno, I’m often told I’m a rarity—I don’t drive. I gave up my car and license over a decade ago. I walk, take the Metro, and use rideshare. In many ways, I see ...

The Tomato Sauce

Small pleasures. Often overlooked, simple things in our lives that bring us small pleasures make our daily lives opulent. I don't mean those breathless moments, but the moments that bring us serene smiles and comfort in familiarity. And for food, small pleasures often come from most simple recipes. One of my simple pleasures is this tomato sauce, which I learned about two decades ago in Veneto, Italy. Although slightly modified from the original recipe, this simple tomato sauce started my love affair with Italian food and it is the root of the Spicy Italian Sausage Orecchiette recipe shared back in 2022. While the Spicy Italian Sausage Orecchiette has layers of flavor from various ingredients and is more involved on the stove, the tomato sauce relies on one flavor, tomato, while being bolstered by garlic, basil, and salt. The salt? It helps to bring out the acidic flavor of tomato. Shown above with French Miso Lamb , the tomato sauce with spaghetti is a versatile comp...

Cilantro Chili Sauce

The blender was already out on the counter, liberated from its usual spot on the shelf, and half a bunch of cilantro lingered from my Piri-Piri recipe testing. The stage, also known as the kitchen counter, was set. So I figured: why not? A few minutes of tinkering later, a vibrant green chili sauce came to life. This little burst of flavor confetti goes well with just about everything, but be warned: it’s highly addictive spooned over warm basmati rice. Consider yourself warned. Just blend all the ingredients listed below in a blender. INGREDIENTS a garlic clove a half bunch of cilantro, roughly chopped a serrano pepper a red pepper a shallot, halved a lime, juiced a half cup of extra virgin olive oil a half teaspoon of salt, plus a pinch or two more to taste a Calabrian cherry chili pepper (from a jar)

Lemon Honey & Soy Sauce Chicken

I know I promised myself I would not reset and start anew here. Still, so much has happened since the beginning of September that continuing as if nothing had changed no longer felt honest. I am grieving love lost and feeling anxious about what lies ahead. At the same time, I am breaking away from the domestic violence I endured over the past year. Leaving brought old wounds to the surface, including childhood traumas and secrets I carried quietly for far too long. Shame once convinced me that the abuses inflicted on me were mine to hide. While it is still difficult to speak openly, I am beginning to understand that healing only happens when we do not hide ourselves along with the abuse. I do not know if I will ever forgive or forget. What I do know is that I want to heal. I want to tend to the wounds and allow the scars to soften with time. You may be wondering what any of this has to do with the Lemon Honey and Soy Sauce Chicken recipe. Nothing, and yet everything. This is th...

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