I got some good (and logical) guesses, but here are my five contributions to TONY's #100best:
Under Bar Food: Torres Tots at PDT and Spicy Fried Chickpeas at Mother's Ruin
Under International Eats: the Sizzling Sisig at Maharlika
Under Vegetarian-Friendly: Crispy Chinese Watercress Salad at Sripraphai
Under Best of the Rest: Spicy Sliced Pork Jerky at Malaysia Beef Jerky
I've already got an idea or two for next year . . .
Time Out NY released its #100best dishes in NYC today. Can you guess which ones I wrote? Hint: there are five, and they're not all pork-related, like last year. Will post answers tomorrow.
During the High Holidays, I tend to get somewhat introspective. As the weather gets cooler, it somehow seems natural to pause and reflect over the past year and contemplate the year to come. According to Jewish faith, this is the week that seals your fate for the next year; you repent for your sins during the past year, and look towards improving your behavior in the upcoming year: What was good or bad about the past year? What changes to I want to make in my life? What are my goals for the upcoming year? How can I be a better person? As I've mentioned to some of you, I am trying (as usual) to slow down some. Conviently, my body is helping me out. I seem to need more sleep than I did a few years ago. Slowing down, to me, also means focusing on and savoring the present moment; less worring about the future or dwelling on the past. I have some lofty goals in place for the year to come; stay tuned. And Shana Tova to all — Jewish or not!!
Yet another interesting read this week: Parents of a Certain Age, from NY Mag, discussing the fact that advances in reproductive technology has resulted in first-time mothers in their late 40's and early 50's. But the question remains: is this good for the children of those mothers/parents? I often think about the fact that my brother and sister, who are ten years younger than I, had a somewhat different childhood than I did, one factor being the age that my father was when we were born. My father was in his late 20's when I was born, which likely had some advantages, but he was in a better economic situation by the time they were born, when he was in his late 30's. If I had a child tomorrow, I would be 58 when he/she graduated from high school, and 70 when she/she turns 30. Scary to consider . . .
Just food for thought. I promise I'm not having a child tomorrow.
This article in Sunday's Modern Love column truly spoke to me.* After having long term relationships in my 20's, since then I haven't had any relationship that lasted longer than 8 or 9 months. I have many friends in the same situation. We feel defensive about it sometimes, like the woman in the article. We question: what is wrong with us? what could we do differently? do we repeatedly gravitate towards the wrong men? We try on different strategies: extreme dating, dating hiatus (or guy-atus), introspection. As time goes on, we grow more comfortable with our flaws, as they make us who we are. And, like the author of the article, we know in our hearts that the answer is simple:
"We just found the right guys. We found men who love us even though we’re still cranky and neurotic, haven’t got our careers together, and sometimes talk too loudly, drink too much and swear at the television news. We have gray hairs and unfashionable clothes and bad attitudes. They love us, anyway.
What’s wrong with me? Plenty. But that was never the point."
*That said, as @daisy17 astutely observed, the author can only write such an article now that she has gotten married. Had she not, she never would have done so.
I don't think of myself as being particularly "girly." When I was a teenager, I barely wore makeup — maybe a bit of eyeliner and lip gloss every so often – and any hair styling was limited to mussing up my short 'do with some gel while my father pleaded with me not to get it cut too short at my next appointment with the clippers at Astor Place.
Fast forward to the present day. Although I do spend time thinking about the style of my hair when I get it cut, I always insist on a style that doesn't require much "work." As for makeup, yes, I wear it every day (although not when I'm rolling out of bed on a weekend to go to the gym or do errands), but I think my entire makeup routine takes three minutes or so.
That said, I generally gravitate towards skirts and dresses. I love wearing cute but comfy heels, and every so often I bust out the dramatic eye makeup or red lipstick for an evening. I also have to admit nearly letting out a squeal of excitement when I recently purchased a dress I had been eyeing for a few weeks. I diligently waited until I got paid and paid all of my other expenses for the month, and discovered, to my delight, that it was on sale. When I went to ring it up, there was yet another discount. For less than the original price of the dress I got the dress (a classic grey sheath, perfect for work) and a new (silver!) purse.
So I suppose it's time to own up to the fact that, yes, I'm girly. There. I admitted it. On the internet.
Foods I craved for at least a moment yesterday:
(well, several views, really . . .)
Those of us in NYC were spared by Hurricane Irene (although we may have gained a pound or two from all the cooking), but many of the farmers upstate who provide us with amazing local produce weren't as lucky. In case you were wondering what you can do to help, here are some ideas:
One of my favorite organizations, Just Food, is hosting their annual Let Us Eat Local event on Wednesday, September 21st at The Altman Building. This event honors local eating and those who support it. This year's honorees include Joel Salatin of Polyface Farm (you may have heard of him if you've read The Omnivore's Dilemma
If you're going to eat out in NYC, make sure you do so on Sunday, September 25th, when an ever-growing list of restaurants will be participating in Dine Out Irene. They will donate up to 10% of their sales that night to Just Food and GrowNYC to benefit NY area farmers hard hit by the hurricane. The only tough decision is where to go!
And despite these gorgeous fall colors, I'm not there yet. Still summer in my book. I'm not ready for wool sweaters, closed toe shoes, boots and scarves. I'm still jonesing to wiggle my toes in the sand, to let my skin (protected with sunscreen, of course) soak up the sun, and have picnics and barbecues. Who's with me?
