This week was all about laying down some important groundwork (i.e. registering for an EIN, shareholders agreements, by-laws). Huh? Yes, you know, business. I can write about any tips or things I've learned in the future, but at the moment, I don't think I can add any valuable insight into this aspect.

What I can tell you is that Mo and I filmed our Kickstarter video and I felt like Jack Donaghy over-analyzing his 'acting' in the episode of "30 Rock" where he had to film a clip about GE Product Integration.

"Hi, I'm Meilina. What's my next line? Something, something rooftop BBQ?" I really thought I'd had my talking points down, until the record button was hit. I have a newfound respect for actors--meaning the ones I thought were dumb. I now realize you have to be kind of smart to be in front of a camera. Or at least totally impervious to the fact that lots of people will see the video. I happen to be one of those "Do I really sound like that/make that weird motion with my head/please say I do not" people, sooooo...

Mo and I also took a trip to Flushing to get some shots of Xinjiang skewers, the original thing that inspired this spice blend. We loved that our research was pretty much eating and taking pictures.

Yums.

I also forged ahead with recipe tweaking and finally came up with something that I feel much better about. I added sumac, dried shiso and a bit of dulse to play with tanginess, brightness and salinity. Fingers crossed that this batch is the winner...