About Me

Welcome to the Miss Hangrypants blog!

Here, you'll find the random musings and cooking experiments of an always tired and always hungry medical student. Below, I've answered some frequently asked questions about me...

me! with matcha pocky glasses ;)

Who are you? 
My name is Mabel, a general surgery resident in the Big Apple (NYC). I enjoy baking, reading and operating!

Where are you from?
Oh, this is complicated. I'm pretty sure I was conceived in Busan, Korea, but my dad (who is from Hong Kong), really preferred that my twin sister and I hold HK passports. So my mum and two tiny fetuses were flown down 1 month before popping out. Once we were blessed on HK soil, we moved back to Korea, where I learned to walk, talk, eat and poop. A few years later, my family then moved back to HK, where I received most of my schooling, until I moved to Houston, TX for college. Yea, I still don't know how I picked Houston of all places to go. After college, I lived in LA and DC for a bit, more schooling in Richmond, VA and now I'm working in NYC.


When did you start blogging?
I started in 2011 under a different domain name. I was studying in DC at that time and had just met the now boyfriend. I think I was just getting into reading food blogs back then and the bf was really into cooking meals. Before the bf, I only admired beautiful food photography, and proceeded to eat my "dinner", which was usually a mish mash of all kinds of leftovers (highly non-photogenic). But since I started cooking and baking with the bf and asking my mum about Korean food, I thought I might as well document what I was making and record recipes to keep forever on internet space.

So I started with a rinky dinky point and shoot - and wow, I couldn't take a focused picture to save my life. I didn't understand lighting, arranging props or how to make food look good. Those posts are hidden away in the first blog I started with (which is too embarrassing to tell you guys but... mdcooksfor2.blogspot.com >.<)

I still have so much to learn about food photography and blogging. But, I've met some wonderful bloggers and other med student bloggers out there and it's been pretty terrific.

What does Hangry mean?
Hangry is derived from the words Hungry + Angry. I don't know about you, but once my sugar dips a little out of my comfort zone, my stomach starts to gurgling and I start to get a little irritated with life (in general haha). It's like the waiter can't come quick enough with your food, people are talking too loudly all of a sudden or the queue between you and food feels like forever. And then you just want to start gnawing on someone's arm...and then brains. HA kidding. I'm no zombie.

I'm not too terrible when I'm hangry. The only people who witness it is probably my bf and my mum. I get a little too silent and they know it's cue to feed me. Otherwise, I'm generally really nice! :P

What do you usually eat?
Honestly, I don't have much time to prepare elaborate meals, even if it looks like I'm eating like the queen of England on my blog or instagram.  I used to try to cook traditional Korean meals that my mum used to make me (did I mention that she was Korean?), since I have been away from home for like forever. But, I'm now enjoying mashing different food cultures together, like my bulgogi kimchi waffles, ramen cheetos or matcha tres leche cake. As a mish mash of cultures myself (half Chinese/half Korean), I love taking a traditional dish and then playing around with it. It's exciting when such contrasting flavors work, but also not so great when they don't work and I still have to eat it :/

Where do you find the time to blog? Shouldn't you be studying or slaving away in residency?
This lifestyle/work balance is overrated :P Yes, there are times when it's super busy and I take a blogging hiatus. But, usually I try to find some time to do what I like. I mean I probably should work out more instead of pigging out after baking something. But, it's all about balance...right??

What kind of camera do you use?
Sony nex 6 with a SEL-30 macro lens
I don't know anything about cameras and photography, so I would be the worst person to ask for tips. I've just learned tid bits of information throughout my blogging years and it's all really been trial and error!