Yesterday morning, I finally went into the dentist to get all my wisdom teeth pulled out! Everything went just fine, and Taurin was holding my hand when I woke up from anesthesia in the recovery room.
I’m on some strong painkillers, dozing on and off, watching Hoarders and Portlandia. I can’t complain about eating copious amounts of triple chocolate ice cream or homemade Korean congee, but I’m getting hungry for solid foods. So here’s to reminiscing about food highlights from the past week:
Homemade fried chicken with Momofuku’s Octo-vinaigrette. From brining, steaming, drying, and finally, to frying, it took us about a day of preparations; but it was worthwhile. The skin was perfectly crispy, meat was juicy and flavorful, and that dressing was just amazing.
And of course, Lunar New Year food with my family! We had some Korean rice cake soup (ddukguk) topped with julienned eggs and scallions. The colorful rice cakes are from Cconma.
Hand-pulled noodle soup with so much pork belly at M Noodle Shop in Brooklyn.
Pork shank with purgatory beans, poached egg, and kale + crispy pork belly bits. I love Roberta’s!
For Christmas, Taurin’s father gave us a delicious gift: a 7-course tasting meal for two + wine pairings at Restaurant Eve. I only photographed my meal, but Taurin’s food was just as tasty and beautifully prepared. I especially loved his butter-poached lobster. Yum!
“OOO” – Onions and oysters in a puff pastry, topped with Ossetra caviar
Filet of Chesapeake Rockfish with house smoked bacon, salsify, and foie gras-lobster emulsion
Pan fried veal sweatbreads with Grüne Soße, scarlet turnips, and borage blossoms
Terrine of crozier with fried pork belly and sweet and sour maple syrup
Coffee-Cardamom cheesecake with navel orange, salted caramel sauce, and graham cracker crumble
P.S. Any wisdom teeth stories or soft food recommendations? Please do share!
34 Comments
Galine
January 25, 2012 at 8:21 pmThis post made me SO HUNGRY!!! haha I have been craving Korean food for ages 🙁 Do you know, I’ve never tried pork belly soup…it always sounds really gross to me but the photo looks delicious! I think it’s just the word “Belly” that confuses my taste buds hehe & mmm puff pastry, I had escargot on a puff pastry the other weekend, soooo delicious.
As for wisdom teeth stories, yes I do have one hehe…It was a great experience for me, I remember feeling like it lasted a whole of 5 seconds. I actually remember hearing cracking, which sounds gross but in my drugged up/passed out head I was like “hehehe..those are my teeth being removed”. When I came to, I had a mouth full of cotton and was drooling (apparently, I didn’t know because my face was numb). I looked at my mom and was like HEHEHE…MY MOUTH IS FULL OF COTTON, I SOUND FUNNY and she was like YOU’RE DROOLING.
It was fun being on pain killers, and I spent my rest days watching Disney movies. The best advice I can give you is to sit upright for a few days (I even slept upright) and always keep something cold on your cheeks! Because I did this, I experienced no pain or swelling (My hubby on the other hand didn’t, and he suffered a lot / had puffy cheeks for a week or so!)
Have fun and enjoy yourself!! ^^ I always say having my wisdom teeth removed was a joyful experience! haha
Sewon
January 25, 2012 at 8:44 pmI’d totally cook you a big Korean feast, complete with homemade kimchi. 😀 I know the “belly” bit is sort of disconcerting, but I love pork belly everything. If you’re ever in NYC, I highly recommend the pork belly ramen at Ippudo (http://www.yelp.com/biz/ippudo-ny-new-york).
Ahh, I can’t believe you heard the cracking!!! When I first woke up from anesthesia, I sort of started tearing up with all that cotton in my mouth. Apparently it’s sort of common to get irrationally emotional. Then I started thinking my tongue got partially chopped off, so I reached into my mouth…
Thankfully, my cheeks aren’t too puffy today, but this medicine makes me feel so woozy, I can’t even believe I’m writing this reply to you now. 🙂
Galine
January 25, 2012 at 8:23 pmOh and did you see your tooth!? I saw mine, a full one…it was huuuge! Impressive 😉
Marlous
January 25, 2012 at 8:54 pmOh the first pictures of your homemade food look so delicious! I’d love to get some recipes of it!
Sewon
January 26, 2012 at 3:24 amBe careful frying the chicken! This recipe isn’t quite the one I followed (it skips the steaming/drying steps) but seems fairly similar: http://bigboldbeautifulfood.blogspot.com/2011/01/omg-chicken-wings-with-momofuku-octo.html
teresa
January 25, 2012 at 9:46 pmhow brave of you to post food photos in your condition! i remember getting my wisdom teeth pulled out and being reeeally irritable because i couldn’t eat anything solid for two weeks.
the pork shank dish looks delicious!
as for post-op recovery, i suggest eating porridges! you can try making from fruit ones to oat ones to chicken ones, whatever! because eating ice cream can be comforting for your appetite for only so long.
take care! hope you get better soon!
Sewon
January 26, 2012 at 3:26 amI’m always hungry! 🙁 Chicken porridge sounds really good now. Thanks, Teresa!
Krys
January 25, 2012 at 9:49 pmI’m not even sure if my wisdom teeth have grown in yet…not looking forward to getting them taken out though, based on what everyone’s said. Hopefully the apparently chipmunk doesn’t last long. Homemade congee does sound quite good though! The noodle soup looks sooo yummy, I always feel really hungry after looking at your food photographs haha– probably after this I’m going to go into the city soon and get myself some kimchi. Or something Korean, I’m craving it now. Have a good rest of the week xx
Sewon
January 26, 2012 at 3:32 amI’m definitely starting to look like a chipmunk now! Gah, I want some spicy food…
Veronica Fish
January 25, 2012 at 10:56 pmWhat gorgeous food – amazing!
I miss NYC eating – went to college there and loved it. Chinese New Year in NYC is super fun!
HAHA Hoarders – what an depressingly addictive show
Sewon
January 26, 2012 at 3:34 amHoarders really is depressingly addictive! Being bed-ridden is a perfect excuse to watch it, too. And I totally agree about food in NYC. So good! 🙂
Jane
January 25, 2012 at 11:04 pmGlad to hear your teeth extraction went okay, I heard it can kill! These pictures are amazing, by the way.
Sewon
January 26, 2012 at 3:53 amThanks, Jane. It’s pretty painful now, but I think it’ll pass soon. 🙂
winnie
January 25, 2012 at 11:49 pmOH my god. Seriously your food pictures look absolutely stunning! I wish I could eat everything right now.
On a side note, hope you’ve fully recovered from the wisdom teeth! I’ve not had mine through…but guess they can appear at any time….
Sewon
January 26, 2012 at 4:02 amI’m so ready to eat! Haha, thanks, Winnie for the well wishes. Maybe you’re one of those lucky ones without wisdom teeth! 😀
Ru
January 26, 2012 at 12:13 amHello! I chanced upon your blog, and those are some really great pictures! Sorry to hear about your wisdom teeth! I’m missing my hometown food here in Japan too! Get well soon!
Sewon
January 26, 2012 at 4:08 amHi, Ru! Ah, I know what you mean about missing hometown food while abroad. I really missed certain things when I was working in China, too. Thanks for the kind words!
Kelly
January 26, 2012 at 2:07 amOh wow those food photographs are really making me hungry even though I just ate lunch oh well. I ate alot of soup when I had my wisdom teeth pulled out. I really would love to know why they call them wisdom teeth considering most people have them pulled out not alot of wisdom there really, HA HA
Feel better soon sewon
Sewon
January 26, 2012 at 4:16 amThanks, Kelly! I ate some soup for dinner tonight. 🙂 In Korean, they call wisdom teeth the “love teeth” because it usually pops up around the age people first fall in love.
omar
January 26, 2012 at 4:12 ami had my wisdom teeth pulled when i was a freshman at w&m over winter break. i remember hours spent reading this huge biography of the beatles (was also getting into the beatles for the first time in my life), so wisdom teeth recalls some very specific musical episodes for me. also engaged in some really hallucinatory writing which i think i have lying around somewhere. have fun, feel better!
mika
January 26, 2012 at 5:17 amyikes, wisdom teeth extraction? I hope there are plenty of Hoarders episodes to get you through full recovery! sometimes you need more, and there just isn’t enough. speaking from experience.
it’s been years since I got my teeth out; I can’t remember many good food remedies. can you just drink through it? a large pot of sangria perhaps?
Studio Meez
January 26, 2012 at 8:28 amI got my wisdom teeth out a couple off years ago and it didn’t hurt a bit. Just make sure you put ice against you cheekes the first days, otherwise you can look like a hamster 🙂 and I only ate/drink yoghurt, ice, milkshakes and juices for a whole week.
Charlotte
January 27, 2012 at 12:47 amAh darn, I should have read this post /after/ I ate dinner. But alas…
I haven’t had my wisdom teeth pulled out yet, but I do love soft food. I love pureed mangoes and then eating it with a spoon. Papaya milk (just blend the two together) is yummy and nutritious too. Mash potatoes are good too, if you haven’t had that yet. (:
Claudia
January 28, 2012 at 11:21 amI had only local anaestetic when the doctor cut out all wisdom teeth. From the injection I collapsed. So it all took a lot of time. The teeth were so deep that they were not able to come out alone (not enough place in my mouth). When the doctor cut them out I heard the bone crushing. Much much blood, much much pain. I would say, never again, but luckily you can have them only once removed 🙂
I wish you a good an fast recovery!!
Ps: all the food on the pictures looks so delicious!
Lindsey
January 29, 2012 at 3:10 amI’m glad everything went okay! Going under really freaks me out thankfully I’ve never had to. I’ve still got my wisdome teeth, but the dentist told me they don’t need to come out :[
Vicky
January 29, 2012 at 8:18 pmAll this amazing food (brilliant photos, as always btw) is making my uni pasta look very…boring.
xx
Cookie Cutter
January 30, 2012 at 3:33 amI have horrid memories of wisdom tooth extraction but great to to hear yours went well 🙂 Have a speedy recovery!
Gosh these food photos are making me HUNGRY!
anastasoa
January 30, 2012 at 3:35 amomg i just ate and im hungry all over again. ive always wanted to try ddukguk ;-; and cardamom cheesecake? oh my!
Johanna Tagada
January 30, 2012 at 10:00 amWisdom teeth urg :s I hope you can eat every thing you love again.
You were courageous! And so lovely that Taurin came
Since four years every three first weeks it gets very very cold (like now since ten days -_-) my wisdom teeth manifest themselves, they start to incredibly hurt. A few doctors said I have enough space for them and its just a weird reaction but if those three weeks of pain are too bad I can also “just take them away.”.. I totally don’t want, so since a bit more then ten days I have so much to do and I’m eating really really slowly and trying to not feel the cold too much.
That’s my kind of wisdom teeth story.
xxx
alma
January 30, 2012 at 8:33 pmThis looks so delicious!!! I hope your tooh’s fine.
Ashleylbaluyut@gmail.com
February 1, 2012 at 3:02 amThis info is probably way too late but sucking on wet tea bags helps with swelling! Also (for future reference if you have any friends who will be getting their teeth out) DO NOT LAY DOWN after you come home!! That is a one way ticket to swollen face-ville! Sit upright/ recline upright just don’t lay horizontally! Also, now is definitely the time to indulge in ice cream 😉
Diane
February 2, 2012 at 1:10 amOk, now I’m starving. These were your food highlights from the past WEEK?!! Yowza. If you’re in for eating some mushy food the next few days I suggest gelato or mango sorbetto! They made all the difference when I had my wisdoms out!
Rina
February 3, 2012 at 10:46 pmSewon, I’m always drooling over your food post!!
Oh no! Wisdom teeth!! ouch!!! Though, I’m sure you have recovered by now. I haven’t gotten my wisdom teeth removed yet, but I fear that I might. And if I do, I’ll also probably want to eat lots of ice cream. ( ;
p.s. i’m going to Chicago in March, and I was wondering if you have ever been, or if you know of any places I should go and check out. please let me know! ( :
Amelia
February 15, 2012 at 12:05 pmYou need a food pr0n warning. Seriously. A warning would be nice!