Vegetarian Soul Food Does Exist

March 14th, 2011

view from the street

Proudly calling itself  “All American Vegetarian,” “Kate’s Joint” located at 58 Avenue B (on the corner with East 4 street) is truly a place where a vegetarian and even a vegan can enjoy the food he or she is eating. Skillfully created dishes imitate favorite American food and are called accordingly, “Philly Not-Steak,” “Meatless Loaf Hero” and TLT (Tofu, Lettuce and Tomato). And the good thing is that these vegetarian variants taste just as good as the regular food we are all used to.

Walking into the restaurant, a diner enters a spacious room that resembles a veranda of a large summer house. There are huge open windows that bring sunlight to the rows of tables and green plants, some of which are as tall as a human of a medium height. Only the brick walls remind the clients that they are actually in a closed space. The welcoming atmosphere encourages the diner to sit down by one of these enourmous windows to the world, relax and enjoy the food or a drink, depending on what one is looking for there.

The idea for “Kate’s Joint,” which opened in 1996, was to cater delicious and affordable ($8-13 for a dish, on average)comfort food to vegetarian customers. It is amusing that the owner of the place, Kate, who created the menu, is not vegetarian herself, even though she admits that she tried several times and never succeded in giving up meat, while her restaurant serves meatless food to both vegetarian and non-vegetarian clientele.  As far as I, not normally a vegan eater, am concerned, when I tried several plates at the joint, which were appetizing, filling and didn’t make my stomach feel at risk of explosion, I seriously thought that I could go vegan for more than just until Easter.

Indeed, with Kate’s homebaked bread, choice of dairy or non-dairy cheeses, mashed potatoes made with soy milk, non-steak, un-sausage and fakin’bacon, one doesn’t lose much giving up meat.

Have Huevos Rancheros for breakfast, a delicious plate of Mexican-style crispy flour tortilla filled with fried organic eggs, beans, cheese, a side of salsa and hash browns. If you are a vegan, you can have tofu scrambled as a substitute for eggs (a good option for those who are not vegan but want to try soemthing different as well).

While the breakfast menu is only available until 4pm, lunch can be served at any time. The most brilliant appetizer is a plate of Buffalo Un-Chicken Wings. As tofu is a product that takes in any flavor, like a sponge, it is absolutely savory with spicy buffalo sauce. The snack tastes exactly like those boneless chicken wings with some sauce served in many restaurants around the city, only the sauce here is jucier and the “meat” is tenderer and not over-filling. Along with traditional carrots and celery sticks and a side of a non-dairy ranch dressing, they are a great way to start a meal.

As for the main course, the all-time favorite is an Un-Turkey Club with un-turkey (made of deli-sliced texturized soy protein), “fakin” (crispy and salty non-bacon, the restaurant’s secret homemade recipe), lettuce, tomato and dairy or non-dairy mayo served with either potatoes or a salad.  Bread lovers will definitely appreciate the fresh baked base for the sandwich spiced up by the unusual taste of the mayonnaise which is spread generously over the bread. If you try the un-turkey by itself, it doesn’t taste great, but in the combination with lettuce, tomato and mayo, the sandwich is the dish that will quickly disappear in your mouth with not even crumbs left on the plate.

one of the joint's specials

Adding up to the regular menu, there are day-to-day specials you should always ask about. A nurtitious meal with luscious portobello mushrooms, spinach, artichokes and mashed potatoes is a great dinner plate, but it’s not on the menu and is not available every day, so don’t you miss it.

With the culinary inventions that satisfy not only vegetarians, “Kate’s Joint” proves two myths wrong. First, yes, vegetarian food can be flavorful. And secondly, no matter how delicious it is, it doesn’t have to cost you an arm and a leg. Moreover, if you go to college, here is a student discount for you: come any time before 8pm on Mon-Fri, bring the coupon attached in the end of the post and receive a 20% discount with your ID, so if there had ever been a myth that there are no student savings on vegetarian food, it is now proved wrong as well.

Ekaterina Lalo

Visit my blog at http://nycvalues.blogspot.com. And check out www.campusclipper.com for amazing deals and coupons for students.

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Eating Out and Vegan: Incompatible?

March 8th, 2011

image credit: animalsuffering.com

New York City: a going out paradise with lots of student discounts on food, entertainment, books and clothing. If you wish, you can try different cuisine every day. There is such a great variety of cultures here: Italian, Thai, Cuban, Dominican, Moroccan and what not. However, where do you go if you are strictly vegan?

Always being a passionate carnivore, I have never faced this problem. However, I suddenly decided to take on a challenge: Christian Orthodox religious fasting that I was always supposed to do, but never cared to limit my diet to vegan only. Eating is just one part of the fasting, but it seemed overwhelming to cut back on milk products especially, as I love them so much.

But the time came, and I felt like doing it for the first time in March of 2009. I enjoyed it a lot, as fasting made me feel healthy and energetic, and my favorite part was that I had to cook for myself all the time because I didn’t trust food from outside (who knows if it’s really vegan).

There came the problem: I had a hard time going out with my friends and my boyfriend. I have experience working in restaurants, and I didn’t want to be a pain in the neck for the waiters asking, “Is there cheese in my spaghetti?” Once my boyfriend persuaded me to eat at a small Chinese-Latin (what a combination) restaurant, and I ordered a plate that was specified on the menu as “rice, lettuce, tomato and fried plantains.” When I actually got my food, there were pieces of pork and shrimps in it (I never eat either of them even when I’m not fasting), and I felt bad. When I complained, the waiter replied that the dish comes with it, took it back and brought it within 2-3 minutes, which made me come to the conclusion that the kitchen staff merely took out the meat and send the plate to me (did they use gloves, at least?). I didn’t eat anything there but plain white rice that came with my boyfriend’s dish, and I never went out while fasting again.

The whole experience was embarrassing. There are a lot of products that I refuse to eat because I don’t like them, for instance, seafood and yellow cheeses (sounds crazy, right?), but I’m not used to being extremely picky while ordering a meal at a restaurant. There always happen to be a steak with mashed potatoes on the menu for me. I rarely ask for more. But with the fasting in mind, this choice is automatically excluded. I was at a loss about where to go and I felt terrible for the people who have to (due to allergies or something else) or choose to eat vegan all the time.

The most difficult thing was to get around my sweet tooth, as most pastries contain eggs and dairy. I would wander around my college cafeteria studying the labels and always finding “eggs” there. The good thing was that I learned how to make pancakes from just flour, yeast, water and vegetable oil. They were delicious, even though people who tried them said they were “too healthy.” The bad thing was I didn’t have time to make them often.

But as the fasting continued, I started hearing about different vegan places in the city, and I talked to a couple of people who gave me useful advices on where to find those products I could eat. I realized that it was so difficult because it was my first time and I had no clue about vegan culture in the city. Now I feel more confident about going out and I learned to like salads a lot more than during my first fasting session, and I found out that a lot of vegan places also offer student savings menus or give discounts to those in college.

There I was yesterday, my Easter fasting 2011 day one, sitting at Whole Foods cafeteria drinking a fresh squeezed orange juice and munching on vegan cookies (no eggs and no dairy, hurray!), feeling happy and wholesome. Therefore, if you are a vegan like me (whether temporarily or permanently), life in the city is a little bit more difficult for you (if do your research, though, it will become easier), but not impossible.

Ekaterina Lalo

For more about my experience with Christian Orthodox fasting, read http://hubpages.com/hub/Healthy-Body-Healthy-Mind

Visit my blog at http://nycvalues.blogspot.com.

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How to Get Through Your Reading Assignment

March 7th, 2011

image credit: stage30.scholastic.com

Another reading assignment. Boring as hell, worse than the one you have just finished the day before. It took you three weeks to complete the previous novel, and you feel that the book wasn’t worth spending time on it. Ok, it is not an exciting detective story that makes you rush towards the end anticipating who committed the crime. It is not a fluffy love story about two people who finally found each other and will be happy forever, either. However, you still have to read it, as your grade and the content of your essays depend on it. No matter how expensive the food is and whether or not the supermarket you shop at has student savings deals, you still have to eat. Similarly, you still need to read novels you are assigned, no matter how intimidating and useless they seem to you. Here are some tips that may help you get through the assignment:

1. Don’t be seduced by cliff notes. They will kill the reading process for you. Why bother going through every page if you already know what happened? The only time you are allowed to use cliff notes is when you have only one day before the final on the book and you have no idea what happened. This way, you’ll at least, have a slightest clue. Otherwise, read it, and you’ll definitely find something (there has to be) interesting for you, whether the style, or the language, or maybe, even plot.

2. Learn a little bit about the author first. It helps when reading the book, and this is the reason why many professors give a lecture on authors’  biographies and tell students what literary movements they belonged to. Knowing details about the author allows you to fill the book with an additional meaning.

First thing that is important here is the time when the author lived. It restores the atmosphere of the century. There may have been different moods and goals in the United States 200 years ago as compared to now. What was going on in history at the time may be implied in the text, so the plot is not only a story of Mister Smith and Miss Evans (or anyone other), but it is a relationship that took place in certain surroundings under particular historical circumstances. For instance, such a simple plot as “two people love each other, but the man is married” may have a happy ending if the married man gets a divorce (if action takes place in the 21 st century), or an unhappy ending because his wife may sue him for unfaithfulness and leave him bankrupt. If the events occur at the time when divorce was a sin and the only way one could get out of marriage was the spouse’s death, then it’s a comletely different story and different struggle. You get the point.

Secondly, it helps to learn what the author’s personal experience was. Writers often use the stories they lived through or observed for their pieces. Pondering about what really happened and what the novelist imagined may be a thrilling puzzle for you to solve, so try to get all the information your time and resources allow you to gather. This includes the author’s family, upbringing, jobs, romances, etc. The more you know, the better the reading will seem to you.

Third, literary influences and movements reveal a lot about an author. If you research on what writers he or she admired and who was the novelist’s mentor, you will clearly see where the style and ideas of the book are coming from. Belonging to a literary movement often explains “why this book is so weird,” and accordingly, you will appreciate the piece of fiction more if you find how the ideology of the movement came alive in your assigned writer’s work.

Remember that all this information and also the interpretation of the book can be found in articles written by critics. Therefore, it is useful to read those, too.

3. Imagine that the situation described in the book happened to someone you know. Some books, unlike other ones, don’t need any context or a setting. Most classical stories are relevant for any generation because they can apply to anyone at any country at any given time period. What would you suggest the characters do if they were your acquaintances? Using your imagination spices up the process of reading, and it’s a completely free and available tool waiting to be exploited.

4. Discuss the book with other students. In the same conversation they share their information about new student discounts local restaurants offer, they may give you a hint that regards your reading. If you don’t understand some words, or a character’s behavior, or the idea of the book, ask your peers. They may be more knowledgeable than you are, and they may even relieve you of doing research on your own if you ask the right questions and they know the right answers. Note that if they tell you something about the author that you didn’t know, clarify where they got that information from. If they say that they “think so,” you shouldn’t use it in your essay as a stated fact. If they give you a particular source, make sure to check it out before you use it in your classwork. This way you won’t steal their idea completely and may get a different interpretation of the text, not mentioning that next day you will have a lot more to discuss.

By the way, you can also ask your professors about anything that is unclear. The majority of them are always willing to give explanations or to share their knowledge. Doing this is a brilliant strategy: the professors will be happy that you are interested in the subject they are teaching and you will get a lot of material for your essays and class discussions.

Even though all this may appear overwhelming when you take into consideration how many other homework assignments you have to do, but think about it in the long run: once you gather information necessary, you won’t have to work so hard on it anymore. You will know where to get the ideas and sources for your essay, you will be more interested in the book itself and you are likely to get a good grade for your class (sometimes professors give you an “A” just for doing all this extra work not required by the course, for trying hard, even if your knowledge is not profound enough for the excellent grade). And of course, the more you read, the better your writing gets. Sometimes you don’t notice it, but you pick up grammatical structures and new vocabulary from the literature you read. The novels that you are assigned may not be the most exciting thing you’ve ever come across, but they are well-written and meaningul; otherwise, why would your professor pick them for the class?

The moral is: if something is unknown, it is always scary, so learn a lot about the “boring” assignment you are given, and watch you fear disappearing and your confidence boosting. College years are the time to challenge yourself, overcome the difficulties and grow to find a likable aspect in any work that you loathe.

Ekaterina Lalo

Visit my blog at http://nycvalues.blogspot.com.

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Hello, I Love You, Won’t You Tell Me Your Name?

March 3rd, 2011

Photo thanks to Ajaytheonly.blogspot.com

The French expression for falling in love translates to “falling into apples,” which I correlate to sweet, but painful. Dropping the “L” bomb is a bit of a sticky situation. There are the blurters, the stagers, the first daters, the long termers, the constant reminders, the special occasioners, the whisperers, the shout it from the roof topers, whatever you’re style, the tricky part is figuring out whether your beau shares your sentiments or not. If one of you feels it first, it’s not the end of the world, nor is it necessarily the end of the relationship, but if you have to get it out there here are some pointers for not overwhelming (or underwhelming) your significant other.

You’re Ready, They’re Not: You’re most likely in a terrified state, with a candy coat of bubbling excitement. Hold onto that, don’t let it fester and rot the roots of your courtship. If you’re certain that your beau isn’t in the same place, feel them out a bit. If you’ve been dating for more than four months, and they’re still a bit frigid toward the idea of professing statements of affection, it’s okay to say it as long as you preface the statement with something along the lines of, “You don’t have to say it back, I just need to tell you how I feel.” This will give them the out, relieving a little pressure. A wedge can be stuffed between you if you push the idea too much. I know, it’s taxing, but if you care about the person (well, you say you love them) you should be considerate of where they are in the relationship. Not everyone moves at the same pace. Maybe they need more time to get there, they mean serious business when they say it, or maybe they’ve been badly burned in the past. Sometimes the people who are reluctant to love are so because of a painful past.  Give them time. Don’t use breaking up as an ultimatum, because then you’re pushing them to leave you when they want to stay, or they’re saying something they don’t mean because they’re afraid to lose you. Granted, losing you may snap them into realizing something, but that’s not fair, that’s making the relationship a game.

Signs They’re Not Ready: You gaze at them lovingly, they look away. You make plans for the future; they make plans for dinner instead. Holding hands, even when you’re alone is a no-no. If you’re not in bed, there’s no affection. Take these as subtle hits, and to use the oh-so-popular phrase: maybe they’re just not that into you.

Signs They’re Ready: Take the situations above and reverse them.

They Said It, You Didn’t: You haven’t been together that long, this is your first date, or you’re just not feeling it, but you’re happy in the relationship so far. The first point should be that if you’re just in it to be in a relationship (you know who you are), that’s fine, but when the other person is serious about a long term commitment and you’re not, you need to let them know. It won’t get better, they won’t learn to feel less or make it more casual. Once they have the heart throb, it’s only going to end in pain, so don’t augment this by dangling a carrot in front of them. Remind them of how wonderful they are, how undeserving you are, and break it off nice and clean.

If you think that you may feel this way, just not yet, explain this to them. You can do this without being harsh. Explain your sentiments, but don’t give reasons for why you don’t love them yet. This can be used against you for the entirety of your relationship. Every fight will be about this, even if it’s masked as something else.

First Times That Don’t Count:

– After being intimate, during, or before. After you’ve already said it, go ahead and shout it at the top of your lungs (or whisper loudly if you have roommates), but don’t say it for the first time in while snuggling with your honey. 

– As a form of apology. If you’re in the middle of a fight, unless it’s due to a romantic comedy-esque misunderstanding, this kills the sentiment. If you did something to cause pain, grief, or anger, don’t pull the L-card to get yourself out of the dog house. This taints it, makes it jaded.

Saying it: Think about it this way: after the excitement, shock, what have you, of the sacred words, they’re going to tell their friends, especially the ladies. Do you really want them to have to explain that you said it to get out of trouble, or in an inappropriate moment? My personal recommendation is to say it when you feel it. It will mean that much more if you’re in the moment, not in some rehearsed set up. Sure, flowers and violins are nice, but they amp up the anxiety and create a sensation of false sentiments. This isn’t Hollywood. If you’re brushing you’re teeth together one morning, or they pick up a treat for you just because, and you feel a rushing sensation, tell them. You can tell when someone really means it when they’re in the moment.

Alternatives to Love: Neither of you is ready for the commitment that accompanies saying I love you, but you still have strong feelings for one another. Use these carefully, as they can irritate if the other person has said I Love You and you respond with a luke warm declaration.

-I adore you (see Stranger Than Fiction)

-I covet you

-You’re my happy thought

– I’m crazy about you

– I think you’re the greatest thing since the wheel (make up your own)

– I’m so glad you exist

Love is a wonderful thing, and once you get the words out you can say it almost whenever you want. There is also a sweetness to the period before you express this, a time when the tension of affection, of the unsaid words, is palpable and being together creates an electrical charge of potential energy. Savor the beginning, people, don’t push it. You’ll get to the next stage, but remember that you’ll never have a beginning with this person again, so quit chomping at the bit. If you’re going to say it, think carefully and tread cautiously.

Written by Ashley Teal, Campus Clipper Blogger

See my blog:  amteal.tumblr.com or twitter @amteal

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10 Things I Do on My Blackberry

March 1st, 2011

image credit: http://www.journal-echos-directs.com/media/blackberry_bold_9700.jpg

When cell phones first appeared, they were nothing more but the means of communicating with people while you are not at home. Now that more and more of us get smartphones, a mobile device is not only for calling and texting; it serves as a portable computer with variety of functions. Here are 10 things I use my Blackberry Bold 9700 for:

  1. Writing papers. Sometimes I have an hour between my classes, and I usually try to spend it wisely, so I got used to typing my papers on my cell phone. When I come home, I e-mail the text to myself, copy and paste it into a document, format it and read it over before printing it out. I usually find a lot of mistakes, but the most part of my job is done here, and it often takes less than 30 minutes to complete the paper if it’s already typed.
  2. Taking photos. Even though I have a digital camera, it is not always with me. Once I was doing a restaurant review, and my editor e-mailed me asking for a picture. Luckily, I was in the city, not too far from the place where the restaurant was located. Unluckily, the camera wasn’t in my bag, so I took pictures on my cell phone, which I hadn’t done before, as I didn’t think that the quality will be good. Let me reassure you, though, that pictures came out nice, and my editor got them via e-mail in the following five minutes.
  3. Listening to music. A big I-pod fan, I recently found out that it’s easier to put music on my Blackberry than on my I-pod (no I-tunes required for my phone). Moreover, with Pandora Internet radio I can listen to my favorite songs wherever I am, and the only thing I need is 3G network (which I have with T-mobile) and good reception (doesn’t work on the subway inside the tunnel).
  4. Looking up words. The best application I have ever got is the one from dictionary.com. Wherever I am, I can check the meaning of any word and find synonyms for it through the thesaurus, which is also on my cell phone. It saves me space, as I don’t have to carry my paperback dictionary with me, and it makes finding words easier, as you only have to type them in. Sometimes I am not sure how a word is spelled, so I usually check it out. If I make mistakes, the dictionary gives me suggestions, and I get the correct spelling. This is perhaps the most useful free application for me as a writer, and I am glad I found out about it.
  5. Checking the weather for the day. I used to put on channel 12 with local news and weather, but I am often in a hurry, and I don’t have time to wait for the weather forecast to appear on my TV screen. With a Blackberry application, “The Weather Channel,” I can quickly find out what the weather is like, how it will change later and even what to expect for the next day. It is free, quick and helpful, as it saves you a trip back if you forget an umbrella, and it starts drizzling.
  6. Locating places on the map and getting directions. With my Google Maps application, I can make sure where any local business is and how to get to it by car, walking or public transportation. It also helps to go to www.mta.info to get updates on service changes, as the Google app does not have information on that, and since many bus routes were changed last year, I prefer to double check the information I get from Google. As far as local businesses are concerned, I can always check their reviews before I go there, and even call them to ask if they offer any student discounts or specials.
  7. Staying in touch with my social networks. I hardly ever use Facebook on my computer. All messages and invitations I get are coming to my cell phone, and I check them. I also registered for Twitter on my Blackberry, and it took me about six months to actually start using it on my laptop. It’s just so easy to update my status and check my page on the go that I go to the actual web page on the computer only to see pictures more clearly, as on my cell phone they appear small and unclear.
  8. Talking to my friends on ICQ. When I moved to New York from Russia, most of my friends were left behind in my country, and I don’t get to talk to them too often. But I found a way to connect with them through my cell phone, as it is always with me, and I can exchange short messages with people I care about every day. With the time difference (eight hours), it is so convenient to say hi to them while I’m in the train going to school or in a cab coming back from a club, the times I would not normally be able to get to my computer.
  9. Recording appointments and birthdays. This can be done on any cell phone; however, due to the connection with Facebook, I often find out about birthdays of my Facebook friends through my Blackberry calendar (I would never know otherwise), in addition to the actual page. Last year, in July, I was reminded of my boyfriend’s birthday three times: once through Facebook, once through my cell phone calendar (thanks to Facebook) and once through the same calendar (I put his birthday on his contact information). With so many reminders I would never forget the date even if I tried hard.
  10. Ordering books on Amazon. Getting textbooks became easier. I like to compare prices before I buy a textbook, so before I had my Blackberry, I would always go to my school bookstore to find out how much they asked for the book I needed. Then I would come home and check amazon.com. If the price was better, I ordered online, which added up a lot to my student savings. If it was cheaper or about the same in the bookstore, I came back next day and purchased books in the bookstore. Now I check Amazon’s prices during my breaks after each class, so when I get to the bookstore at the end of the day, I know if I should buy it there or not.

Ekaterina Lalo

Check out my personal blog at www.nycvalues.blogspot.com.

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Breakfast Is a Must

February 28th, 2011

image from dealbase.com

Even if you were studying all night before or couldn’t fall asleep pondering where to get more student discounts on food and clothing, you still have to wake up early enough to have breakfast. I know, it is so easy to make (or even buy) a cup of coffee and run off to college. But do you realize that having or skipping breakfast has a direct influence on your mood and the way your day will go?

Believe it or not, it does.

First of all, when you are hungry, you have no desire to learn or do anything. All you can think of is a loud purring of your stomach, which is so embarrassing in the silence of a class when the only voice heard is the professor’s one. “Where is that apple that I left in my refrigerator?” you think, reproachfully, “It may have been so useful right now.”

Secondly, while you are struggling to concentrate on what your professor is saying, your stomach acid is working hard on the walls of your stomach. I am sure you have heard that if you don’t eat, the acid that is meant to digest the food that is not there still does its job, and your stomach gets hurt. Why do it to yourself if even small things like a bowl of cereal or a cup of fruit helps to avoid it?

Third, food gives you energy. When you don’t eat, you usually feel powerless and what’s even worse, you bring your bad mood to people around you. You feel easily irritated, angry with others for no reason and probably, do something you will later regret. This, too, can be easily avoided if you eat before you leave home.

You may argue, of course, that you don’t feel hungry when you wake up. If this describes you, then you are, in most cases, guilty of snacking late at night, when your stomach is not prepared to digest food. When I learned that the food is broken down easier during the day than throughout the night, I made it a rule to eat no later than four hours before I go to sleep (it’s good to never eat after 8pm; however, if you study in the evenings and come home after that, then make sure that you don’t have dinner right before you head to bed). My problem is also that when I fill my stomach, I suddenly become active, and I often have a hard time falling asleep. Just by giving up late snacking, I managed to lose a couple of pounds, improved my sleep and became accustomed to waking up in the morning craving for breakfast.

Let’s say this was persuasive enough, and you are now convinced that your breakfast is a must. What should you eat? It all depends on how hungry you feel and whether or not you like to eat a lot in the mornings.

Note that the best strategy is to include a piece of fruit into your every meal, and breakfast is no exception. Your other options may be a light sandwich or a toast with butter, jelly or a slice of cheese, or a cup of oatmeal. I got so used to making quick oats that I hardly ever bother to cook hot oatmeal anymore, even though nothing is easier than that. All you have to do is to bring some water or milk mixed with water to boiling, and then stir oats into the boiling liquid. Make sure to stir thoroughly while cooking, and then cool off your culinary masterpiece, and enjoy it. It is much healthier to make your oatmeal from scratch rather than boil water for an instant one, but if you have little time and no other option, that will do as well.

By the way, quick oats are usually more expensive than those that you have to cook, so if you make it a habit to make your breakfast in the morning, this may add up to your student savings. Not only is it cheaper to buy a big box of farina (it’s a great breakfast meal as well, if you like the taste), it also saves you from buying a danish or a doughnut while at school, which are fattening and expensive on campus.

Another quick morning meal you can easily make is an egg platter. Two or three eggs your way with sausage, salami, or a beef frank is my usual choice. The greatest discovery for me was Hebrew National salami, as if you go to your local deli and ask them to slice it a little bit thicker, you can fry it on a pan with no oil, in its own fat. Brown it for two to three minutes and serve with eggs or on a toast.

As far as toasts are concerned, if you have a toaster, you can always brown your bread and eat it dry or with butter. If you don’t have the equipment, though, you can put some milk into a bowl (you can mix an egg into it as well), and then dip a slice of bread into it. After doing this, brown your bread on a pan, and it will be soft, fresh and tasty.

From my experience, pancakes usually take a long time, so I usually make them when I’m not in a hurry, as I am not a big fan of quick mix packages. I mix flour, two eggs, a tablespoon or two of vegetable oil and a half cup of milk adding some yeast to it. It is best to let it stand for an hour, and then start cooking. It is a time-consuming breakfast, though, and I seldom have time for it.

All in all, no matter what you prefer to have, you should always eat something in the morning before leaving. Just remember that breakfast is a must, as a good start defines the way your day will go. Therefore, begin your morning with something you and your stomach enjoy, and energize yourself for great deeds.

Ekaterina Lalo

Visit my blog at http://nycvalues.blogspot.com.

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Your Next Favorite Burger Eatery: Pauls’ Da Burger Joint

February 28th, 2011

View from the street

On the verge of its 22nd anniversary “Paul’s Da Burger Joint” located at 131 2 ave (at the corner of 2 ave and St.Marks), a family-run business that was established in 1989, keeps serving delicious and affordable burgers to the neighborhood diners who know all the servers and managers in the place and feel at home amongst welcoming tablecloths with red and white checkers on tiny tables, and also tourists appearing at the joint during different seasons looking for the best burger in town.

And here they find it, indeed.

Being the house specialty, ½ pound beef, turkey or vegetarian burgers make up 90% of all food orders. Just looking at the juicy patty tempts one to bite into it right away, ripping apart the soft fresh bun that serves as a great body for the meaty “soul.” Choose the right cheese, add lettuce, tomato, and onions – and you got yourself a filling lunch or dinner. The size is just right: it neither lets you go home hungry nor leaves anything to bring home in a doggy bag. Once you bite into it, you will not stop chewing until it’s gone, so good it is.

Irresistible taste

And the price is just right as well: $7-8 on average for a burger depending on what you prefer to have on it. Out of the house’s large variety you may be willing to try St. Marks, a special cheeseburger topped with mushrooms and fried onions, or the diners’ favorite Eastsider, a bacon cheeseburger with ham, mushrooms, tomatoes and onions; those will be a little fancier and more expensive.

Even though food prices increase as we breathe, the owner, Matt, insists on keeping the cost of burgers on the same level. “I’d better have more customers and make less money than have less people and charge them more,” he says. It is believed at “Paul’s” that the main thing is to supply the customers with high quality burgers that don’t cost them an arm and a leg.

Understandably, though, not everyone is a burger lover. There are plenty of choices left for you, if you are one of those. For instance, you may opt for a chicken or fish fillet sandwich, or an Italian sausage hero with peppers and onions, or a beef frank with sauerkraut. Having a lot to choose from, you may be sure to find something that will satisfy your empty stomach. And if it’s big and craves for more, accompany your sandwich with a side of curly and slightly spicy cajun fries, sweet potato fries or crunchy onion rings.

And if you are a student, there is a new special just for you, so you should put it on your student savings list. If you visit “Paul’s” on a Tuesday or Thursday at any time, buy any burger and show your student ID (what can be easier), you will get a complimentary milkshake. Choosing between vanilla, chocolate or strawberry, you might as well go for a “Michael Jackson,” the mixture of the first two. The milkshake is the greatest student discount you can get anywhere, as it is a creamy, delicious full-size dessert that will complete your meal and satisfy your sweet tooth for free!

Having started as “Paul’s Palace,” the restaurant is definitely not the dwelling of kings, but it may become your next favorite eatery on the East Side. After all, it takes only one try to make it your regular stop-by.

Ekaterina Lalo

For more of my reviews, check out http://reviewfix.com/author/katrina-lalo/

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Reserve: Unforgettable Thai Experience

February 27th, 2011

Walking into Reserve, on 3rd Ave between 28th and 29th, I felt all the chaos and exhaustion of my day melt into the warm, red walls. A low light hovered over each table, with wine bottles stacked in every which direction. Even the bottoms of bottles protruded from the walls around the bar in the back, somehow without cluttering the small restaurant, but tinting the ambiance with the theme: a Thai inspired wine bar. While Thai restaurants are known for spicy foods in cozy nooks, Reserve adds an unexpected twist to the Thai experience: wine. I’m sure you’ve been to a number of Thai restaurants and been remiss about the quality of beverages, well, partner Luck Watanasuparp felt the same way. Luck’s family owns a number of Thai restaurants throughout New York, including All Luck and Thai Select, but this is her own venture in the restaurant business, at which she is doing amazingly well and loving it. Luck wanted to pair the four flavors of Thai food: Spicy, sweet, sour and salty with fine wines that would enhance each other when combined. The restaurant serves over fifty different wines, all within affordable ranges with a few higher priced bottles tossed in.

Reserve has been open for less than a year now in the Gramercy neck of the proverbial woods. Tucked among hot clubs and loud joints with drunks bouncing and stumbling out the doors or shouting from in between the cracks in the walls, Reserve is an oasis. It’s small, quiet, and personal. This is the perfect place to bring a date, or close friends when you want to sit down with a little background music and a lot of great food.

If you’re looking for something exciting and loud, why not head to Reserve for dinner as a calm before the storm?

The service is four star, with the shock of street cart prices. Before glancing at the menu, I assumed that it would be a stressor on my limited funds, but was pleasantly delighted to find that it’s cheap. I don’t mean New York City cheap, which is irrelevant to the rest of the world, but Kansas cheap, Mississippi cheap. I once ate a large, amazing meal at the Ajax Diner in Oxford, Mississippi for eight dollars, and this brought me back to the economy of the south, inducing a school girl giggle at the prices. I’ve spent more money on dirt, have I made my point?        

I brought two close friends of mine with me for dinner, and we lived like kings. We started with a Losen Bockstanz Resiling, a sweet wine, and paired it with spicy beef, duck wraps, and crab cake tapas. Everything was tender and cooked to perfection. The duck wraps, rich, fatty duck wrapped with fresh veggies in a flour tortilla roll, sushi style, was paired with a thick, sweet sauce. The large crab cake, enough for the three of us, was surrounded by three elegant sauces. The spicy beef was mixed with equally spicy and salty sautéed veggies. We indulged in a mango salad, larb pizza (with chicken and melted Mozzarella) and a curry green pizza. We ate slowly, discussing the flavor combinations and our awe at the portions. For very little money, the three of us left full, but not overstuffed, and feeling like we ate a healthy meal that tickled our tastes. Our cheeks blushed from the sweet wine as we walked out in a euphoric daze.

If you’re feeling bogged down by the sometimes treacherous city, tired of the rain and cold, and never having enough money to go out, Reserve is the place to go. It will pick up your spirits without draining your bank account. Long Island or Jersey commuters can even walk from Penn Station on their way home from work or class. Keep Reserve on your list, because you simply can’t miss out on all it has to offer for the economically challenged taste buds that require more refinement.

Written by Ashley Teal, Campus Clipper Blogger

See my Blog, Still Life With Teal

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Sweet Killer

February 27th, 2011

We all know that sugar isn’t great for you, but recently there has been a lot of media on the evils of sugar. I’m not going to say having a little sugar in your coffee or tea will kill you, but if you read the nutrition labels of your food and drinks, you’ll find an astonishing amount of sugar. According to dietary guidelines, the allowable amount of sugar per day is around 32 grams.

It’s rough out there, and you need your energy to handle to hustle of the city, but if you’re downing a Redbull, look at the label and you’ll see that the little can holds two thirds of your day’s sugar intake: 20 whopping grams. So, what’s the big deal, you ask? Take a little tour of your body and what sugar does to it:

Weakens Your Immune System: We know vitamin C keeps you healthy and helps your immune system fight off viruses and bacteria. Now, imagine sugar as the villain of this story, fighting for a place and pushing vitamin C down the staircase of your immune system. Sugar makes you sluggish as it weakens your body’s ability to maintain itself.

Diseases Associated with Sugar: Heart disease, obesity, diabetes, sugar can also aggravate asthma, and even mental illness. Sugar, for obvious reasons, can show increases in mood swings and changes in personality. Imagine, your happiness hindered by something that makes your taste buds swim. Would you rather have a brownie, Mountain Dew, or a good day? It’s a vicious cycle, because when you’re feeling low, sweets are your first craving (for most people), and they make your body suffer in turn. Sugar has also shown to increase the amount of yeast in your body, as the yeast feeds off the sugar and multiplies, leading to issues like liver disease, among many others.

What to do!: There’s no way you’re going to cut sugar out of your diet (because it’s physically impossible) and you can’t toss the sweets completely, just take it easy and be aware of how much you’re consuming. If you’re conscious of your sugar intake, I can guarantee that you’ll be better at limiting it. First off, don’t waste the taste on drinks. Stick to water, sugar free drinks, and avoid juices pumped with extra sugar. Read your labels, ladies and gentleman! Save your sugar for when you can actually taste it. Also, there are simple sugars that are okay to consume, like in fruits, vegetables, and honey. Try to stick to these when you’re looking for a treat, and maybe use honey or a sugar free sweetener in your coffee or tea. Just remember, you’ll feel better if you consume less sugar, and you won’t have those angry sugar crashes that make all day feel like nap time.

Don’t skip desert when you go out to dinner, or avoid your local bakery because you’re terrified of diabetes, just learn to limit your sugar intake to a reasonable amount. Try counting how much sugar you think you’ve consumed, based on labels, for a day or two. The first day count up what you would normally eat, and the second day eat based on how much you should be consuming and see how you feel on both days. What have you got to lose?

Written by Ashley Teal, Campus Clipper Blogger

See my blog Still Life With Teal

or follow me on Twitter @amteal

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Appearances Deceive: Stromboli Pizzeria

February 23rd, 2011

The view from the street

Looking historical and shabby, “Stromboli Pizzeria” located at 112 University Place does not attract new customers… until they actually try the pizza. How many times have you been told: appearances deceive? They have authentic pizza with variety of toppings and now new student discounts – two things that would definitely draw you to the place had you known about them.

What’s the student savings deal? How about $2.00/slice or $16/pie for a plain and $2.50/slice and $19/pie for one topping with your student ID? How about a fountain soda for 95c? Note that this includes tax as well. Knowing that the students are a category always willing to save money, the pizzeria’s management caters not only to their stomachs, but to their wallets as well.

How good is the pizza? The place was open since 1966, and the recipes haven’t changed, even though there is a new owner. The dough is soft and fresh, whether you choose white or whole wheat, the fresh mozzarella is yummy and ricotta is so tender that its texture seems to be close to that of whipped cream. Most pizzas are made with homemade marinara or tomato sauce, or, for pizza topped with ricotta, no sauce at all. Whole wheat pizzas come plain with cheese or topped with vegetables keeping the healthy trend. You can order mushrooms, spinach and broccoli and extra sauce if you’d like to make it juicier. Contrary to the popular opinion that whole wheat pizza is not as tasty as regular one, Stromboli’s whole wheat dough is just as delicious as white one, so if you, like me, switched from white to wheat bread long ago, this is the way to go.

Whole wheat pizza with mushrooms, spinach and broccoli

Interested in trying new flavors? Try Pizza Pesto, a slice with ricotta, fresh basil and homemade pesto sauce, juicy, cheesy and flavorful one, or Caprese with fresh mozzarella, fresh tomatoes, fresh basil and tomato sauce (most ingredients are fresh, so don’t be surprised). For good quick snack, try the house’s invention, “the wheel,” a small palm-size roll filled with mozzarella and ricotta. It comes vegetarian with spinach or, for carnivores, with ham and pepperoni, and it’s perfect to snack on if you are short of time or are not really hungry. You can eat it as it is or request some marinara sauce for dipping.

If you not a pizza lover, you can go for a hero or calzone, or get delicious garlic knots made of soft pizza dough with fresh garlic on top. Don’t forget to satisfy your thirst with a Snapple, a special-priced fountain soda, a cane sugar Coca-Cola or Ginger Ale from Boylan. If you are craving unusual flavors, try a Key Lime, Cherries’n’Cream or Cream Soda from Stewart’s.

So don’t be afraid of appearances, as Stromboli is going through a renovation, and soon the pizzeria’s exterior with match the quality of the food, appealing to both your physical and visual taste.

"The wheel"

Ekaterina Lalo

For more articles written by me, check out my blog: www.nycvalues.blogspot.com

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