Monday, November 8, 2010

Stuck in Postmodernity.

Ok, so I'm fed up
I'm fed up with literally not having the minutes in the day to blog
I'm fed up with having to plan out every single hour of my day
today's agenda?
4-6pmSociology paper about brands and postmodernity
6-9pm library time & psychology study guide
9-10pm pilates (a possibly futile attempt at relaxation)
10-11pm more soc
11-1am more psych studying
there isn't even time for dinner in that mess
maybe I'll have cornflakes in a cup
cups of cereal, I've just discovered,
are ten times better than bowls of cereal
speaking of cereal,
and other sources of happiness...such as consumerism
I know it's bad
I'm writing a paper about how postmodern and amoral brands are
but I just cannot help but love the best brand of them all:
Coldstone
when I was home, I trekked all the way to the brand mecca:
Times Square
to visit the 4 story abyss (Forever 21)
and the enormous happy-making factory (Coldstone)
I didn't just like it, or love it,
I got an Ours
for the "coolness impaired"
(thats what Coldstone calls those who don't get their sizing)
thats a whole quart....
of birthday cake remix love
and yes...I took pictures with my Coldstone shopping bag
on Times Square and in the Subway
yes, I was that elated
although I may have looked like a loopy ecstatic tourist,
should I have cared?
tourists are naive and happy
(which might be the perfect state of existence)
should I care that Coldstone fills my postmodern void?
apparently taking the place of relationships, morals and piety
(as the good ol' sociologist Lyotard taught me?)
nope,
I stashed my leftover ice cream behind a pile of frozen peaches
to elude any predators (ie. my brother)
and ate it over a few days while I watched Everybody Loves Raymond
ahh how postmodern: vicariously living through sitcoms,
and eating a branded, romanticized commodity
obviously, I've become delusional
unable to separate social theory readings and reality
either which way, that was the life,
now alls I have are 6 stale ice cream sandwiches
I stole from the dining hall
and a few more pages of my paper to write.



Monday, September 20, 2010

Tastes of Home



I'm craving maduros
and if anyone doesn't know
maduros are the life source of any Latino household
they are what people secretly love, more than rice and beans
more than Adobo, Sazon, and cans upon cans of Goya beans and salchichas




If any of these things are foreign to you, please go to the closest
Latin restaurant and enlighten yourself
what makes me sad is that,
when I google 'maduros', I get a lot of porn....
if anyone walks by me in the library and happens to look at my computer
they are going to think I'm being dirty while reading my
extremely boring book entitled Higher Education and the Color Line
I love eggs, but I feel so oppressed when I desperately wait
for there to be omelets all day so I could finally have a meal
I'm going to drag myself to Stop & Shop
to buy some platanos and canola oil, and get to frying up maduros in the kitchen
just like my momma would do,
maybe I'll even play some salsa
and wear a tiny nightgown
so I could be just like her.



In other news, the wonderful freshman baker just brought me a blondie,
with M&Ms in it, right to my desk at the library



Monday, September 13, 2010

Angels in the Library [Fresh(man) Baked Goods]

I love life right now
a little while ago
I was attempting to understand synesthsia and phantom limbs
whilst tackling a statistics assignment in Excel
when I got a frantic phone call at the library desk
it was a poor girl and she said "is there anyone there that can help me with Excel?"
she's probably an English major, or better yet, a Religion major
with no concept of what math is anymore
taking intro Econ
puts a smile on my face to know
I'm not in this boat alone
the next great thing that happened?
I found a book called
The Bagel:The Surprising History of a Modest Bread
which got my foodie senses tingling
and made me miss Astoria, home of the best, fattest bagels
just when I started feeling a growl rising in my stomach
a freshman from my dorm came over to the library, like a savior
and brought me a perfect square of apple crumble,
this isn't your run of the mill freshman
this is a supreme lady baker freshman angel
(she's out of this world cute: think neon pink berets and scuba masks)
who concocts delicious baked goods every single day
I hear a quiet knock on my door every night at around 8,
at peak study time, while I'm jamming to some JLO,
and she's there with a new treat
so far I've had to die for walnut banana bread
(I'm such a sucker for walnuts)
strawberry cupcakes,
oatmeal, chocolate chip peanut butter cookies
(the chocolate was gooey just like on TV)
and apple walnut bread,
the food gods sent her to live in my dorm
to help me combat the blues I get from
not being able to watch the Food Network

The library is poorly lit
(which is why I can't sit at my desk without getting sleepy crossed eyes)
so the crumble doesn't read in a photo as the shining beacon it truly was
but it saved me.



Sunday, September 12, 2010

23 minutes.

Ok,
I'll address the obvious: it has been a while
but if you calculate all of the hours in the week I spend
attempting to learn everything about Islam,
dreaming of Marx,
trying to figure out the exact difference between a Baptist and a Methodist,
contemplating my life's goal
(to be an elementary school teacher and then a lady baker)
and waiting on line for my egg white omelet twice a day
(complete with tomatoes, onions, and American cheese)
I have approximately
23 minutes of spare time
and now that 23 minutes belongs to Sleeping Venus
I also promise more posts, because I miss my roommate
she'll be Tanzania bound in a few weeks
and while she worries about covering up her bodacious body
as to not start any riots, getting malaria, and finding herself
I'll be across the ocean
and my biggest problem is probably trying to figure out
which religion is right for me (it's really been a problem),
and how I'm going to manage to get on the packed shuttle to the mall
every Saturday
thus, I have remind her that life has its menial ups and downs
my favorite up: learning that Oreos and soy milk
are the absolute best study snack
Fun fact: Oreos float
Chips Ahoy may sink to the bottom of your cup
to become a delightful mushy mess,
but Oreos just chill
and wait for you to finish up that last sentence of your essay
so you could enjoy 'em
I need some Oreos right about now
I just had to breakout the graphing calculator for my psych assignment,
you know the Texas Instruments TI-83
that most of us attending liberal arts colleges
haven't touched in a hot minute
mine is covered in Hello Kitty and My Little Pony stickers,
it makes me wish I was still 15.






Wednesday, August 18, 2010

Back to School (sans blues)



Back at Vassar
I started my day out with donuts, blueberry, tres leches, square jelly
I should have figured today was going to be great
any day that starts out with a right-angled pastry
is guaranteed to be epic
I've discovered a guy who has a pet peacock named Kevin
another girl who is thinking of joining a circus troupe after graduation
another girl who had a bag full of fresh organic tomatoes,
right from her garden
and I had a whole, juicy, yellow tomato as a late night snack
I've got my subway map hanging above my desk
my last meal was pad thai with mock duck
I just dropped nearly 400 bucks on books
it smells like summer: fresh cut grass
my bed is two and a half feet above the ground,
I feel like a queen
I'm not gonna lie,
it feels good to be back.





Friday, August 13, 2010

Countdown: (Chinatown Gems)

5 days
I'm even starting to get that warm fuzzy feeling
about Chinatown when I think about PK
or maybe I'm getting that feeling because I discovered
some great food spotsI've been ignoring for all these years
Lucky King Bakery, and Quickly, both on Grand Street
I'm sure its no secret that I'm a slave to pastries
I'm especially weak for cutesy anything,
mostly cupcakes with hot pink frosting
and anything covered in glitter
Lucky King Bakery gave me all that, think mini sponge cakes
encrusted with rainbow sprinkles and decorated like adorable mice
or pink and seafoam layer sponge cakes topped
with a sexy strawberry and white chocolate twirls
I'm not gonna lie, I was never the type of little girl
that would set up her stuffed animals, around a table
and pretend to have tea
but with these mini-delights I might,
yes at the old age of 19, start doing that
I could see it now,
me, my ducky, my hippo, my pink poodle, and my pony
enjoying these Technicolor treats, it would be magical
when I was younger I remember taking the F train to East Broadway
and without fail my mom would stop at a Chinese bakery and
buy me a delicate, fluffy sponge cake
after all these years, they are still my favorite
perfect simplicity
have I mentioned that all these inventively adorable pastries are under $1.50 each?
the pink white chocolate strawberry treat is only 80 cents
some girls love handbags, I love bargains....and cake





Quickly, on the other hand, not only delivers
exotic and delicious bubble teas, and slushes
but also happens to be one of the best places to experience Shabu Shabu
What is Shabu Shabu? That's exactly what I wondered
when my boyfriend suggest we go after watching some Cooking Channel show
on the Japanese food craze
its basically a cook-your-own-food bonanza
all the tables are set up with heating devices and you get a pot with water
inserted into your table, as well as a tower of different raw vegetables, noodles (and meats)
the water boils and you drop in your assortment
as well as any seasonings and condiments, like garlic, chives, and soy sauce
to make your own broth, and veggie combinations
its DIY dinner, and its super fun
I, being a novice, made quite the mess
there were noodles, and hot water spread all over the table
not to mention that I was eating my noodles with a ladle,
instead of chopsticks, what a Westerner
it beats the stir-fry station at school by a million.


I'll miss you Chinatown
you're the only place where a naked little girl
can sell "ice crean" and get away with it.


She's my hero.






Wednesday, August 11, 2010

Countdown: (Hope & Jim Joe, Snapshots of Home)

7 days until Vassar
I managed to pack only 20-something pairs of shoes
I call that skills, and restraint
besides missing all the shoes I'm leaving behind,
I'm going to miss Jim Joe, his wisdom
and his knack for always having the perfect message for me
wherever I go, he's like that best friend that gives the greatest advice,
he always reminds me to keep on truckin',
even on the most unbearable days
Beau also keeps me smilin',
I always have my camera
just in case one of my favorite men pay me a visit
IloveyouJimJoe


Inspirational messages might be at their best in Willyb

At Vassar I get all of my hope and inspiration from
the ladies at the Deec (my surrogate moms)
or whoever is making omelets,
I can't complain, I miss those egg white dreams.

Sunday, July 25, 2010

Savor it While it Lasts

Vassar is fast approaching
and my days of working an internship and a job will soon be over
so will be the days of restaurant hopping in Hell's Kitchen,
hanging out in Chipotle on those sweltering hundred degree days,
just for the refillable soda with the lemon twist
real ice cream cones will be long gone, and I'll be stuck eating fro-yo from wafer cones
my dog won't wander in to my room late at night
air conditioning will be a thing of the past
so I have to bask in the things I love, for the next three weeks



My devotion to Cafe Bustelo & Pilon will never falter,
Spanish coffee all day everyday, con leche and lots of sugar
just the way my mom makes it every single morning
heating the milk in a separate pot, it becomes my job to make sure it doesn't boil over
and boy, that sure is a lot of responsibility
I appreciate our cabinet shelves, lined with assorted Goya products so much more now
my mom & Goya really make magic together

The best thing is being able to travel to any continent,
from the comfort of the East Village
First Avenue takes me to India, with all the lights
and celebration of a festival
not to mention deliciously addictive cheese naan
(think a match made in grill cheese-Desi fusion heaven)

At work I can revel in both Japanese & Afghan cuisine
Even Ukraine isn't out of reach, I gotta love authentic pierogies
even though I think at Vassar they do them pretty well,
my roommate would always look forward to pierogie night
the one night of the month she would decide to emerge from
the cave that was our room, and when she didn't
I would smuggle ziplock bags and tupperwares of them
so she could freeze them and have real dinner (ie not cereal) for days
she's the one thing that I don't have while I'm at home,
and I miss her & her Midwestern charm
but most of all, I miss her stressed out habit
of making turbans out of scarfs
she'd don them at night, while struggling with chemistry chapters

My (few) days of being a home-cook were awesome
I'll have to give that up in the communal dorm kitchens
which frequently are missing key things, like spatulas

I'll have to trade in the tastes of my childhood
I remember sitting in small Puerto Rican restaurants
waiting on my pernil & tostones, sipping Coco Rico coconut soda,
light and refreshing
Kola Champagne to accompany my rice & beans,
its not the same having Diet Coke out of soda machines
The last thing I must savor in these last 3 weeks
are beautiful mountains of ice cream
my heart breaks at the thought of being without the creamy goodness.


Monday, July 12, 2010

Summer Food Feature



After seeing the Wafels and Dinges food truck
throwdown with my man & lover, Bobby Flay
I had to a taste their authentic liege wafels
a liege waffle is the other Belgian waffle,
the one that they don't serve in diners or at brunch spots
the liege waffle is a richer, wonderfully soft & chewy waffle,
with a sweet caramelized crust
dinges is an awesome Belgian word that means "whatchamacallit",
gotta love that that's what they call the waffle toppings
so when Bobby Flay could not compete with these heavenly liege waffles
I was intrigued, and when I saw the bright yellow truck in Park Slope,
I could not resist
the men were super enthusiastic & explained
everything I needed to know
about the waffles & their accompanying dinges
I opted for a liege waffle with spekuloos spread: a Belgian favorite
think nutella & peanut butter of the Flemish sort
its smooth like peanut butter, but is made out of
gingerbread cookies & spices
it was sweet and melted beautifully on the waffle with the powdered sugar
my advice: this truck is on the move, so if you spot it,
consider yourself lucky, and enjoy a waffle!



Monday, July 5, 2010

4th of July Photo Diary


I got to grillin' yesterday
which reminded me of all those summer barbecues
when I was younger, spent playing hours of baseball
with improvised bases made of frisbees & styrofoam plates
and eating shish kebabs slathered with bbq sauce, with that amazing taste of char
me & my best friend would run around with cups of lemon juice,
dipping our kebabs and pieces of italian bread inside
to add extra zesty flavor
those golden days were before I was a vegetarian
so I had to adapt the ingredients without sacrificing
the perfect barbecue taste I hoped for
so I made
lemon grilled asparagus (my all time favorite veggie)
marinated cherry tomato skewers with mozzarella
balsamic portobello burgers with provolone
Mexican-inspired street corn
& classic apple-walnut pie
it was the best meal I have ever cooked
(it was even mom-approved & my mom is a tough judge)
the food was better than the fireworks.

marinating portobellos

prepping the asparagus

topped it with cookies & cream ice cream

spicy goodness

classy, open faced of course

this should be the cover of Noms Weekly

Sunday, July 4, 2010

A Beautiful Day in Park Slope

Yesterday I took a break from my obscenely long walks
that zig zag from the LES to Tribeca to Chelsea
and instead, I gave my feet a break and let the train take me somewhere
I went to Park Slope, to enjoy some eats and visit my favorite flea market
I forgot how much I love Park Slope, I just feel out of place sometimes
because the sidewalks are literally seas of baby carriages,
(do people just get knocked up and move to Park Slope & Tribeca?)
but I had a wonderful day, probably because Uncle Louie G's icees
greeted me as I emerged from the 7th ave F train stop
these irresistible icees are my absolute fave,
so I got a chocolate jell ring & cannoli icee
the cannoli literally tastes like rich cannoli cream, yummm

The flea market on 7th ave has always been my favorite, its in a playground,
giving it even more of a nostalgic ambiance
when I was 15 I would visit to buy hot pink vintage pumps &
to ogle sequined 80s prom dresses I longed to wear to high school
thank god I've gotten more classy since those days in '06,
so now I dig the granny earrings, decor, and kitsch
my best find was a 1957 issue of Ladie's Home Journal
the pages were beautifully illustrated, the ads were witty,
the recipes were classic,
and all of the women were glamorous & flawless (before the days of photoshop)
which left me wishing I was born in the 30s,
yea Kotex "napkins" were sanitary belts in those days,
(I'm sure that idea makes any 21st century girl cringe)
but I'd make that sacrifice just to be a 50s woman
with beautiful kitchen appliances

There were so many other interesting finds at the flea market,
like vintage anonymous family photos, glassware, appliances &
housewife dresses & creepy dolls
one Woody figurine caught my eye,
it was a small toy from when Burger King put Toy Story toys in their kid's meals
which was in my childhood, this little figurine was going for 5 whole bucks
for a 50 cent Burger King toy, a steep vintage price
which made me feel oh so old,
1995 wasn't so long ago!....was it?





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