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.

Oh Hi, July

Can there be a more perfect day?

cheap food & free finds

those might be the things I love the most

by cheap food, I don't mean just any normal eats

I mean pizza, from Artichoke

the most epic slice of pizza ever to exist,

and coincidently the best in the city

this is the pizza I dream about while eating Baccio's take out at Vassar

(and just in case any non Vassar people, by some odd chance,

visit Poughkeepsie, Baccio's margherita pizza is a lovely,

olive oil laden, addiction-in-a-box)

just by the line that is perpetually snaking out of the small shop,

you can tell, this pizza is not to be missed

14th between 1st and 2nd is a sea of people making their way through a mammoth slice

some stand at the counter, sit on sparse wooden benches, loiter on every staircase available, and others just simply stand on the sidewalk,

because when you're in pizza-bliss, location hardly matters

the price just went up to 4.50 a slice, but it is massive & oh so worth it

I'm impressed with anyone who could finish their own slice

it's creamy, super savory with such a thick crust

think a few normal slices stacked,

slathered with an intoxicating spinach artichoke concoction and pieces of artichoke hearts

yes, it is a two plate pizza

Not only was there great pizza in my life today, but lots of freebies

I was pleasantly surprised as I walked down Ludlow St.

to find bags & boxes full of books, and old records

I went through that awkward moment of looking at the treasures,

and wondering whether these discarded items

were actually up for the taking, or if I got too close

someone would emerge from the shadows, and claim the stuff

embarrassing me, and crushing my dreams of free stuff

luckily, as I spied the Complete Vegetarian's Cookbook

I could not resist and I got past my apprehension,

to find out, it all was free!

I grabbed that cookbook (which can be bible # 2, seeing as I already have my Zagat 2010)

as well as the Tao Te Ching, a book on yoga & consciousness,

Kite Runner, the Canterbury Tales, and some vintage records

other people were encouraged by our searching and soon there was a small crowd

picking through books, shoes and records

this is why I love New York City,

you can be a broke intern, and shopping is still possible

in other news,

today is a celebration, I ordered Food Network magazine.

Birthday Cake Remix [The Song of my Heart]

When I sit alone at Vassar

with only the solace of a sometimes working fro-yo machine

that emits "fro yo" that just tastes like bad vanilla soft serve

not the tart tangy goodness that I'm used to

the kind that goes with chopped bananas and strawberries

and kiwis and pineapple 

[its sad when you're at college and the one thing you crave is fruit]

because all the dining hall has is

half sweet oranges, not quite ripe bananas, and apples :/

so my heart yearns for Cold Stone

the creamy, yummy, almost sexy goodness of 

those ice  cream confections

and when I think about the combination

of cake batter ice cream, brownies and sprinkles

my heart sings a ballad

a lamenting melody

because, what can be worse than impostor fro yo?

absolutely nothing... except not having Cold Stone...or fresh fruit

so basically, when I got Cold Stone

and ordered that Gotta Have It! Birthday Cake Remix

my heart no longer sang its sad ballad

but it began to bump

some electro beats

and I filled that empty Cold Stone 

on that cold winter day

with music, loud music, and smiles

and now, as I watch Iron Chef from 5 years ago

I'm craving ice cream

for it is my one, true love.

P.S. I hate college food, I'll never go back.