Life Sans Cable

It took about a week for the cable company to get out to our apartment. Then about 15 minutes and $145 to have Internet and Cable TV set up. And finally less than 24 hours for a cable shortage to be declared in our area. An entire weekend later, we are still devoid of our connection to the modern world.

But I need to send emails! I must peruse my favorite food blogs! I have yet to research and personally determine who I thought was best dressed at the Oscars last night! Finding an Internet café to stay in touch/sane had become primordial, but soon proved almost as unfruitful as our cable company's attempt at fixing our technical difficulties. I went to Starbucks, and had to sit on a little stool hunched over my computer. I tried the local coffee shop, but ended up spending three times as much as I did at Starbucks to be served. I went back to Starbucks, and the connection was glacial.

Convinced that I was just going to have to accept my fate of living in a pre-tech Stone Age for a few more days, I walked by this little gem: Van Leeuwen artisanal ice cream and coffee shop in the East Village. I stepped in, gazed at their loose leaf tea selection. Asked if they had wifi, worried it might be too good to enjoy hot tea with honey and high-speed Internet in a cool coffee shop with flowered wallpaper. Luckily, it wasn't. Within a few minutes, I was sitting at a mahogany table with a cup of Mystic Mint tea (with free hot water refills!), finally catching up on all my unattended business.

Happily, I will leave this coffee shop with this - I won't be rushing back to Starbucks, but I certainly will be coming back to Van Leeuwen even when my Internet is restored.

NY Moment

And just at that moment, I realized it was inevitable. It had been a long time coming. The tempting claws from which I had somehow managed to escape firmly grasped me now. At 3:30 am walking out of a club, we were hungry.

I was about to have my first slice of New York pizza.

And it was all the comforting deliciousness I anticipated. The crust was just crispy on the bottom so that you heard a faint crack when biting into the folded slice (one should always fold a pizza in NY, even I know that), giving way to a thin, hot layer of bread-y dough. My toppings - crunchy broccoli, tomatoes and onions - played a perfect to balance the fact that I was wolfing down a huge slice of pizza after-hours.

I even got to witness a fight between a guido and a bouncer over the use of the restrooms by non-patrons. Clearly, I look forward to this NY moment happening again soon.

First Meal in New York!

I just moved to New York City a few days ago, and have already become well aware of the serious budget I am going to have to keep. But the cold is making me hungry! Luckily, as a former student, I am not new to the pressures of watching and stretching one's dollar. Here is my first attempt at making a quick, tasty lunch on the cheap on the East Coast!

My go-to for a financially conscious meal: canned and frozen foods. Apparently they are comparably healthy to fresh, yet far less expensive. So I got myself some canned black beans, preserved roasted red peppers and frozen green beans and made a salad. Admittedly, I found myself wishing I had some avocado laying around, or maybe some leftover roasted vegetables. But I'm excited to find more ways to accommodate my budget while still making food I look forward to eating. More to come!

Super Bowl Feasting

I don't follow sports and don't declare loyalty to any team in particular. But I also don't turn down a perfectly valid excuse to celebrate with a feast. Today began with a monstrous take-out order from Wise Sons Deli, boasting smoked salmon bialys, rueben sandwiches (best I've ever had), a club sandwich, matzo ball soup, cole slaw and fries. And a half order of chocolate babka. In truth we really weren't as many people as such an order might seem to require...

We kept the party going (after many hours spent contemplating how to best join San Francisco in rooting for its home team) by making more food and drinks. Mimosas, beers, chips, guacamole, a cheese plate, as well as grapes for good measure were happily demolished over the course of the game, its power outage, legendary commercials and unbeatable halftime show.

Maybe Super Bowl Sunday ain't half bad!