Thursday, November 12, 2009

FSOT results, break it down

The results are in, sort of. As I commented in a brief (but exciting) post, I did in fact pass the Foreign Service last month. Hooray indeed. On the other hand, I'm glad I'm not holding my breath on getting a coveted FSO job anytime soon; you'll see why in a second. Even though I passed, it certainly wasn't with a tremendous score. The cutoffs for passing the exam are a cumulative 154 points on the multiple choice and a 6 on the essay. The following are my scores:

Job Knowledge: 51.98
Biographical: 47.85
English Grammar: 55.76
Total: 155.59
Essay: 8

I'm very happy with my score (I passed didn't I?) but I won't quit my day job anytime soon! Regardless, I will continue with the application process and if that doesn't work out, I still have other options (including a potential internship at the Department of State).

Congrats to the fellow testers who passed and all the luck to those who will take the exam next cycle. On to the QEP!

Sunday, November 8, 2009

Pragmatic Chicken Curry

I love Indian food. It is one of my favorite things to eat but I don't eat it nearly enough unfortunately. The other day I stopped by a friend's house for a few minutes to see how things were going, and she has prepared an incredible curry dish for herself and her Indian boyfriend. (You know that food's good when natives are singing its praises!) After smelling and seeing this amazing food and not having eaten any (I ate right before), I decided I would try my hand at making curry. Now, I've never made Indian food before so this was all new to me.

This morning I thought I would bike down to Food City (oh yeah, you know what I'm talking about!) Food City is the best grocery store in Phoenix, nothing gets me going quite like shopping to Mariachi music with oddly-shaped fruits and vegetables all around. It's not the best food, but it is value.

Value, es mucho value,
Value, Food City es, es, es, es!

If that isn't enough for you, look at these awesome food specials. Yum! Saboroso!

Yep, this is where I sometimes go shopping. Here are some other reasons I love Food City (aside from being really inexpensive):

1) The music in those videos is pretty much what you hear inside the store. How can you not be happy listening to that music?
2) Off-brand Mexican goods. If you like chiles picantes or real tamales, shop at a Mexican market.
3) The selection is great. Where else can you get cactus or feel like you are in a carneceria mexicana?

Enough about Food City though. Let's talk about my curry. It was easy to make (I used a crockpot) and very flavorful. Here's my not-so-secret recipe:

2 lbs chicken breast
1 medium white onion
4 cloves garlic
3 carrot sticks
1 red bell pepper
8 oz frozen peas
1 can coconut milk
1 tablespoon curry powder
1 teaspoon ginger
dash of salt & pepper

1) Cube chicken and stick in crock pot.
2) Quarter onion, mince garlic, peel and cut up carrot,
cut thick strips of red pepper and add it to the pot.
3) Add spices to coconut milk and mix thoroughly and add to pot
4) Add half a can of water to the mezcla
5) Add your dash of salt and pepper
6) Cook on low heat for 5-6 hours (or high for 3-4 hours)
while stirring occasionally
7) Add peas, stir, and wait another 30 minutes
8) Check to see chicken is cooked through
9) If it is all healthy and fully-cooked, eat!

All in all, spectacular. I had a few friends join me for dinner and it was a hit.
I know you wish you were here. And to make it that much better, my house smells like an Indian restaurant!