Beating the heat

So like the rest of the country, Boston was in quite a heatwave these past couple of weeks, and I can't say I'm sorry that it's finally broken. I do not like heat. I would much rather freeze to death than burn. Heat makes me anxious and cranky and ill-feeling and worst of all - it steals my appetite. Being cold is preferable because a) you can warm yourself up more easily than cool yourself down, and b) cold weather is very romantic. Think about it, you get to wear fashionable coats, scarves, gloves and hats, and huddle for warmth with a special someone; the cold seasons bring magical weather with falling autumn leaves and sparkling snow; and of course, food in cold weather is all about heat and comfort and indulgence - roasted meats, baked root vegetables, savory sauces, mulled wine and cider and as many different hot pies as you can stomach.


And now I can't wait until Christmas... Anywho, so the heat made cooking with the gas range quite undesirable, and I went searching for something cool, fresh and easy to make. I found just what I was looking for at The Kitchn, Apartment Therapy's cooking blog. (Btw, Apartment Therapy is downright addicting and a really fascinating, fun and inspirational site - go now.) The recipe was for bún, a refreshing Vietnamese noodle dish that I had fallen in love with while in college in Worcester, MA, a city saturated with Vietnamese restaurants and shops. While I love the dish, I admit that I had forgotten how perfect it was for summer heat, and probably never would have attempted to make it on my own without a recipe.


It's extremely simple: a bed of vermicelli rice noodles piled high with raw leafy greens, herbs, cucumbers, bean sprouts and a protein (I used fried tofu), with a sweet tangy sauce of soy, lime and sugar.

While admittedly the boiling of the noodles and frying of the tofu required use of the stovetop, it literally lasted about 5 minutes, and was well worth a little sweat. This dish hit the spot with cold, sweet noodles and fresh crunchy produce from the farmer's market. GP and I made it several times and holed up in our one air-conditioned room to enjoy it.


But as I said, the heat has finally broken, and it's been raining for a couple of days. I did manage this before the sun disappeared:

because I wanted to do something 'summery' and go to the beach and eat seafood, my hatred of heat notwithstanding. So I'm a bit tender at the moment, treating myself with aloe outside and in. Tonight my co-workers and I headed to a newly renovated restaurant nearby, 49 Social, and I had the Cherry Bomb cocktail (cherry rum, aloe, lime and Thai basil). It was sour and tasty and the restaurant was very nice. I'll probably Yelp about it soon...


So that's all from me. I'm going to use this rain to my advantage and try some warmer dishes like udon noodle soup and a puffed pastry tart. Mmmmm.