Posts Tagged ‘sushi’

How NOT to Date in NYC

Wednesday, October 4th, 2023

A humble guide to the Do’s and Don’ts of dating in a big city; don’t worry you can’t make as many mistakes as I did.


Instead of waiting for a text, I painted in my sketchbook.
  • Do not get into a car on the fifth date, tenth date, or even the twentieth date. Maybe just avoid cars altogether?

If you are a young person in a city using dating apps, at some point, you will end up on quite a few dates with one person. You may think, I’ve seen enough of this person, and they were really nice and funny at the Chelsea markets and so sweet when we rode the subway to Brooklyn. When they offer to pick you up in a car, and let’s be honest, that’s so exciting because nobody ever has a car in the city, you may agree in a heartbeat. But just because a person is no longer just a profile on a screen, it does not mean you know them! This person may drive thirty minutes outside the city before trying to weasel out of going to dinner as planned. This person may not be a serial killer, but they may still be a jerk and leave you stranded for not being “down” to only chill at their apartment. The taxi may be $70 to get home. 

  • Do meet in public places.

I’m not just saying this because of safety. That part is obvious. I’m saying it because when your family and friends start coming to visit, they are going to ask for the list of food and drink recommendations. You have a responsibility as the recommendation person. Men, women, or people you are dating may come and go, but good Spanish tapas or Indian recommendations will be with you forever. 

  • Do not let the first date be meeting up with a guy + their friends.

You may think meeting up with a guy while he is out with friends means two birds, one stone! Maybe you’ll make a friend or two. Maybe you’ll meet a husband. What it really means, though, is that you end up at some packed bar, with a suspiciously wet bathroom, a rude bartender, and one awkward man and his one awkward college roommate buddy. The guy you are supposed to be on a date with will give up yelling over Sweet Caroline at some point and sit next to you, silently bopping away to the beat. The college roommate buddy will not have uttered a single word in the last thirty minutes. In the end, your ears will hurt, and you will still be a boyfriend short and a friend short. 

  • Do go on friend dates. 

Yes, friend dates are a thing. Plenty of dating apps have a friend option where you match and meet up with people who are just like you- young, alone, and looking to do something fun in a platonic, unromantic, asexual way. Wholesome intentions only. It seems sort of odd to meet people this way, but it is better to utilize dating apps to meet friends than using your date to meet them.

  • Do not rush.

I’m not talking about sororities. Have your Alabama rush week. Just don’t rush dating. Dating may not seem like something you can rush; it isn’t your commute to work or a last-minute essay. Your first date goes well. He texts and asks to see you tomorrow, and you could punch a hole in the wall in an excited way, not an angsty way. Cut to two weeks later when you are eight dates in and telling your parents about him, and he lets you know he leaves back to London tomorrow. He lives in London. He was only visiting New York. 

  • Do treat dating as a meander.

Not a race, not a marathon, maybe not even a stroll, but a meander. Let yourself feel the highs of a great first date. Don’t try to squish the excitement. Meanders are meant for smelling the flowers. Thoroughly smell them for as long as possible; in fact, drag it out over a few days. Drag it out over a week. Drag it out until the high has inevitably faded and your brain chemistry is stable, then plan the second date. If you are meant to be together, then there is no rush. So, make your doctor’s appointments for the year. Clean that one cabinet that has both potatoes and a stack of old mail. Be a happy old woman in her English garden before you go plodding along back to the same rose.


Everybody gets Sushi on the first date. It’s an unspoken rule To Eat Sushi.

Olivia Sully is a Junior studying English Literature at New York University. Olivia spends most of her school and professional life writing and reading, but she likes to decompress with her paintings. 


 For over 20 years, the Campus Clipper has been offering student discounts in NYC,  from the East Side to Greenwich Village. Along with inspiration, the company offers students a special coupon booklet and the Official Student Guide, which encourages them to discover new places in the city and save money on food, clothing, and services.  At the Campus Clipper, not only do we help our interns learn new skills, make money, and create wonderful ebooks, we give them a platform to teach others. Check our website for more student savings and watch our YouTube video showing off some of New York City’s finest students during the Welcome Week of 2023.

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Make Your Own Sushi: Sushi For The Doubtful – California Roll

Saturday, February 11th, 2017

Image Credit: https://www.sushihaven.co.uk/california-roll.html

Image Credit: https://www.sushihaven.co.uk/california-roll.html

For those who are doubtful of trying new things, or even just of raw fish, California rolls are a great place to start, and to introduce your friends to sushi. In fact, they were originally made “inside out,” with rice on the outside, to make sushi more accessible to Americans. The most commonly used ingredients in California rolls are avocado, cucumber, and crab meat.

The first step is to cook the rice itself, then to season it with sushi rice vinegar. Cut your ingredients so that they’re ready for use. Gently tear the seaweed into halves. Place your bamboo mat in front of you, and lay a sheet of plastic wrap, roughly the size of the bamboo mat, on top. Lay a half sheet of seaweed on top of the plastic wrap and cover it entirely with a layer of rice. Sprinkle sesame seeds on the rice for extra decoration and taste.

Take another piece of plastic and lay it on top of the layer of rice, just to keep the rice from sticking to the bamboo mat. Flip the whole thing over, so that the seaweed is face up. Now peel the top layer of plastic off. Line up your ingredients in the center. Just like with the salmon roll, I’d recommend putting the avocado, the softest ingredient, in between the others; for example, surrounded by the crab meat and cucumber.

Now you’re ready to roll the sushi together! Just as you would with a standard roll of sushi, pull the seaweed back so it aligns with the edge of the bamboo mat, then hold the edge of the seaweed and the bamboo mat together with your thumb and index fingers. Holding the ingredients in place with your remaining three fingers, fold the seaweed layer over the ingredients and press down. Peel the bamboo mat back, realign the sushi, and finish rolling it together. Now unroll the bamboo mat, and gently tug the plastic wrap out from inside the sushi. Leaving the plastic on the outside of the sushi, roll the whole sushi again in the bamboo mat.

From here, simply cut your sushi. Because the sticky rice is on the outside, it’s easier to just cut the sushi through the outside plastic. Once you’re done cutting, pull the two edges of the sheet of plastic apart from each other and take the sushi out of the plastic layer. Enjoy!


This is the third chapter from an e-book by one of the Campus Clipper’s former publishing interns, who wrote about how to make sushi. Follow our blog for more chapters from this e-book. We have the most talented interns ever and we’re so proud of them! For over 20 years, the Campus Clipper has been offering awesome student discounts in NYC,  from the East Side to Greenwich Village. Along with inspiration, the company offers students a special coupon booklet and the Official Student Guide, which encourage them to discover new places in the city and save money on food, clothing and services.  

At the Campus Clipper, not only do we help our interns learn new skills, make money, and create wonderful e-books, we give them a platform to teach others. Check our website for more student savings and watch our YouTube video showing off some of New York City’s finest students during the Welcome Week of 2015.

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Make Your Own Sushi: A Salmon Roll

Saturday, February 4th, 2017

Image Credit: http://12tomatoes.com/impressive-homemade-sushi-recipe-handrolled-salmon-avocado-and-cucumber-sushi/

Image Credit: http://12tomatoes.com/impressive-homemade-sushi-recipe-handrolled-salmon-avocado-and-cucumber-sushi/

Let’s start with a salmon roll. For this dish, you will need: seaweed, sushi rice, sushi rice vinegar, smoked salmon, cucumber, and carrot, as well as your bamboo mat. You should also have a cup of water and a spoon ready. The first step is to prepare the ingredients, starting with the rice. Begin by washing the rice, then cook it in a pot, just as you would with any other type of rice. If you don’t have a stove, you can use a microwave instead.

While the rice is cooking, go ahead and cut your ingredients into strips about three or four inches long and a quarter of an inch wide. If the vegetables are tougher, like carrots, it’s a good idea to boil them a little first so they’re easier to cut. Fold down about two inches from the sheet of seaweed and gently tear it off. Now place the large piece of seaweed horizontally on top of the bamboo mat. Dip your spoon into the cup of water; if your utensil is a little wet, it will help keep the rice from sticking. Spread the rice onto the seaweed, leaving a border of about an inch on the top, and about half an inch on the bottom.

Fold the bottom border up to the edge of the rice and pat it gently, then place the two inch strip of seaweed next to the part you just folded up. From here, line up your ingredients. I generally place the carrot on the bottom, smoked salmon in the middle, and cucumber at the top. This way, your softest material is surrounded by more solid ingredients, and your fingers aren’t in salmon mush. Now line a few extra grains of rice along the upper edge of the seaweed; the rice will act like glue when you roll the sushi together.

Pull the seaweed down so it aligns with the bottom of your bamboo mat. Hold the seaweed and the bamboo mat together at the bottom edge with your thumb and forefinger. With your three remaining fingers, hold the lined-up ingredients in place, then fold the seaweed and rice layer down over the ingredients. Then peel the bamboo mat back, pull the half-rolled sushi so it aligns with the edge of the mat again, and roll the bamboo mat and the sushi together completely.

The roll is now finished! When cutting it, use back and forth sawing motions to help maintain the sushi’s round shape. Enjoy!


This is the second chapter from an e-book by one of the Campus Clipper’s former publishing interns, who wrote about how to make sushi. Follow our blog for more chapters from this e-book. We have the most talented interns ever and we’re so proud of them! For over 20 years, the Campus Clipper has been offering awesome student discounts in NYC,  from the East Side to Greenwich Village. Along with inspiration, the company offers students a special coupon booklet and the Official Student Guide, which encourage them to discover new places in the city and save money on food, clothing and services.  

At the Campus Clipper, not only do we help our interns learn new skills, make money, and create wonderful e-books, we give them a platform to teach others. Check our website for more student savings and watch our YouTube video showing off some of New York City’s finest students during the Welcome Week of 2015.

Become a fan on Facebook and follow us on Twitter and Instagram

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Make Your Own Sushi: The Starter Kit

Saturday, January 28th, 2017

Image Credit: http://www.japanesecooking101.com/hand-roll-sushi-recipe/

Image Credit: http://www.japanesecooking101.com/hand-roll-sushi-recipe/

I don’t remember the first time I ate a piece of sushi, but I do remember the first time I made it myself. I was in middle school. I wasn’t a great cook, and I was trusting my mom’s friend when she said that it wouldn’t be that hard. At the time, my culinary repertoire consisted solely of scrambled eggs and peanut butter & jelly sandwiches. Picturing the delicately arranged sushi in Japanese restaurants and the grocery store, I thought there was no way that I would be able to pull off a dish of sushi.

As it happened, though, my mom’s friend was a slow and patient teacher, and it turned out that sushi wasn’t that hard to make. One of the reasons it’s pretty simple is that there’s little actual cooking; it’s mostly just arranging the ingredients in the right way. This makes it perfect for students just venturing into the world of cooking. Always burning things in the oven? Scared of your toaster? Don’t worry, sushi is simple!

Before we begin, it’s important to know which ingredients you’ll need that you probably don’t have already. Carrots and cucumbers can be found in any grocery, but sushi rice and nori seaweed might be a bit harder to find. These ingredients can be found in a Japanese or Asian grocery, for a far lower price than they might be at a gourmet grocery. In addition to sushi rice and seaweed, you’ll need sushi rice vinegar, which is not the same as rice vinegar (it’s a little sweeter) and a bamboo mat with which to roll up the sushi itself. Once you’ve gathered these essentials, you’re ready to begin!


This is the first chapter from an e-book by one of the Campus Clipper’s former publishing interns, who wrote about how to make sushi. Follow our blog for more chapters from this e-book. We have the most talented interns ever and we’re so proud of them! For over 20 years, the Campus Clipper has been offering awesome student discounts in NYC,  from the East Side to Greenwich Village. Along with inspiration, the company offers students a special coupon booklet and the Official Student Guide, which encourage them to discover new places in the city and save money on food, clothing and services.  

At the Campus Clipper, not only do we help our interns learn new skills, make money, and create wonderful e-books, we give them a platform to teach others. Check our website for more student savings and watch our YouTube video showing off some of New York City’s finest students during the Welcome Week of 2015.

Become a fan on Facebook and follow us on Twitter and Instagram

 

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A Ramen Haven at Umami Shoppu

Sunday, October 20th, 2013

The weather is getting noticeably colder as New York approaches the winter months. I’ve been seeing more scarves, more boots, and more unhappy faces as blasts of chilled air smack into unsuspecting passengers departing the subway. One thing comes to mind when I think of the treacherous months to come; a helper of sorts to relieve me of the brutal wind tunnel that is New York City: a hot, steamy bowl of soup.

Warm and delicious!

Because the majority of my time is spent behind the walls of The New School University, finding a great place to sit and eat a hearty bowl of goodness is even more appreciated when in close proximity to school. Lucky for me, there is the Japanese restaurant Umami Shoppu: two blocks away from my college, incredibly reasonably priced, and some of the best ramen, sushi, and tempura I’ve had in a while.

I was immediately met with smiling faces and an incredibly cozy atmosphere upon walking into the restaurant. Escaping the cold to enter Umami Shoppu was definitely the right decision. The tables were intimately placed, topped with light blue stone mugs, proper wooden chopsticks (not the splintered set you find in a red wrapper at your local Chinese takeout place), and an array of chili oils and soy sauce. The lighting was calming and the exposed brick gave the restaurant an indie feel while still possessing hints of Japanese culture. As an added bonus, a flat screen television was placed on the brick wall. Playing was a stream of music videos from the late 90’s and early 2000’s. This may just be me, but I couldn’t get enough of the nostalgia felt when listening to some early Britney Spears and Destiny’s Child.

Awesome spot for a lovely lunch!

What cute mugs!

In simpler terms, Umami Shoppu has a unique quality not normally seen in more traditional Japanese restaurants. Opening the store with his father a mere four months ago, owner William Wu took his prior knowledge of Japanese cuisine, specifically from his past work at ramen shops, and created something fun and contemporary while still providing great food. Wu acknowledges and embraces the area that Umami Shoppu is now a part of. When asked his favorite aspect of owning the restaurant, he replied, “Meeting people, all kinds of different people. In fact the show Louis is filming here pretty soon. It’s all pretty cool. I get to meet a lot of college students and it reminds me of being young.” Wu matches this concept to create a youthful vibe that lingers throughout the shop.

Tyler is loving her ramen!

Now for the food! There were so many options, both from a Lunch menu, 11 AM to 4 PM, and a dinner menu. In order to get an well-rounded take of the food at Umami Shoppu, I asked the owner for a few of his personal favorites. He immediately responded with his first choice of ramen and sushi. He recommended the Spicy Butaniku Ramen, great for cold weather, double the pork of most ramen dishes, and a spicy flare to really warm you up. His sushi choice was something he had actually created himself. Named the Autumn of NY roll, this type of sushi had everything: spicy king crab, mango, avocado, all topped with salmon. Damn.

As a pesscatarian, the only “meat” I eat is fish; I had to pass on the pork. On the other hand, my companion joining me for lunch was intrigued. She got a rendition of the Butaniku, the Cha Siu Tonkotsu Ramen, the same idea with a little less spice. I myself got the Shrimp Tempura Shoyu Ramen, a soy based broth with a side of some of the best shrimp tempura I’ve ever eaten. We split a large plate of the Autumn roll to begin our feast. While listening to “Hit Me Baby One More Time” and basking in the warmth of the intimate Japanese shop, we happily waited for our meals.

Best shrimp tempura ever!

The sushi plate was brought out rather quickly. It was a large plate beautifully presented and designed with each piece of sushi placed in a patterned order. With chopsticks in hand, we dove in. Graced with a light spice, the flavor was pretty incredible. Everything was fresh from the crab to the avocado. Plus, there was so much of it—definitely a good choice to share. Just as quickly as it had appeared, the sushi platter was devoured and then came the ramen. Both my friend and I were a bit unfamiliar with ramen outside of the to-go cups that have a blend of freeze dried peas and uncooked noodles jammed inside. We were pleasantly surprised. The bowls were ginormous and absolutely filled with fresh, thick noodles, bathing in a steaming broth. The flavor, both for the pork and the shrimp, was tasty and not overpowering. As mentioned before, the tempura was probably the best I’ve ever had—crispy fresh shrimp, and the blend of batter and seafood was delicious. Halfway through our bowls we both admitted defeat. More full than we had ever anticipated, we pushed them away in satisfaction.

 

So much goodness!

Featured on Grubhub and Seamless, plus a 10% discount to students, you really can’t lose with Umami Shoppu. As a first time restaurant ramen customer I was very impressed and satisfied with my meal. Being so close to school, I’ll always know the perfect place to go for a warm bowl of Ramen and a cozy environment to take off my gloves and parka. Even better, Wu plans on catering more to vegetarians—now I really can’t say no. Umami Shoppu is the ultimate student hub for good, inexpensive Japanese food, plus we all need a little Destiny’s Child back in our lives.

 

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Daniela Bizzell, Eugene Lang College, The New School University.

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Monster Sushi: A Japanese Experience

Tuesday, September 25th, 2012

With the new semester unfolding and taking a large part of my daily routines, I haven’t had many opportunities to go restaurant hunting for reviews. Thanks to Rosh Hashanah last week, I was able to take a break from campus life and head to the city for some alone time – essentially some time for me to wind down with great food. I walked into a Japanese restaurant on 23rd Street called Monster Sushi, a restaurant that many of my friends frequently visit. According to my group of friends, Monster Sushi is one of the best sushi restaurants in the city at an affordable price, and I just had to check the place out for myself.

Monster Sushi has a chic modern interior while maintaining the air of a traditional Japanese restaurant: the furniture has a modern flair, whereas the décor, accessories, and sushi bar exude Japanese culture. I was immediately seated at a table and the waiter kindly explained the menu to me. Like most Japanese restaurants, Monster Sushi has a wide variety of sushi rolls. What I found to be unique about Monster Sushi was their bento box specials. “Bento box” can literally be translated as “lunch box;” the bento boxes consist of a variety of side dishes accompanying a main dish. Monster Sushi has an extensive list of main dishes for their bento boxes aside from simply sticking with the commonly found chicken or salmon teriyaki boxes. I ordered the Chilean sea bass bento box, which came broiled with a special light soy sauce. Each bento box comes with soup, salad, rice, a choice of spring roll or shumai (Japanese steamed dumplings), and a choice of California, tuna, or salmon roll.

Sushi Bar

Miso Soup

I was first served the miso soup as a part of the bento box special. The miso soup was light yet flavorful with the rich taste of the miso—a very traditional starter for a bento meal. Shortly after finishing the miso soup, the waiter served me the Chilean sea bass bento box. I was fairly impressed with the size of the box and how packed it was with food. The overall presentation was great, and after tasting the dish, I was even more impressed with all of the flavor combinations. The Chilean sea bass was crisply seared on the outside, then broiled with a light soy sauce that seeped into the layers of the fish. The sauce consisted of soy sauce, ginger, and vinegar to add on to the light flavor and to maintain the freshness of the fish. Along with the Chilean sea bass, I enjoyed all of the accompaniments to the bento box. The spring rolls that I had ordered instead of the shumai were crispy, packed with vegetable and shrimp filling, and seasoned perfectly so that there was no need for a dipping sauce. The salad was also extremely fresh, topped with a light ginger dressing that was just sweet enough to entice my taste buds. To top this all off, the salmon roll that I chose consisted of fresh salmon pieces wrapped in white rice and seaweed, and these salmon rolls were larger compared to those from other Japanese restaurants I have frequented.

Chilean Sea Bass Bento Box: spring rolls, salmon rolls, white rice, and salad

Apart from the bento box, I had also ordered the Godzilla roll, one of Monster Sushi’s specialty rolls. The Godzilla roll consisted of spicy tuna with avocado and flying fish roe on the outside. I had heard that this roll was one of the most popular rolls at Monster Sushi, and after tasting it, I had a clear understanding as to why this is so. The Godzilla roll had the right amount of spiciness in the spicy tuna which blended well with the freshness of the tuna itself. Everything about this roll was perfection: the ratio of rice to fish as well as a flavor balance of richness and light freshness.

The Godzilla Roll

Monster Sushi far exceeded my expectations of the typical Japanese restaurant. I absolutely loved the bento box, especially because I was able to have so many different dishes within one order. Although Monster Sushi is slightly more expensive than other Japanese restaurants, it is definitely worth the price considering the sizes of their rolls and the amount of food they give per entrée. My experience at Monster Sushi was wonderfully delicious and I would highly recommend this place to people who are hunting for some great Japanese cuisine without having to travel too far.

Use this coupon from the Campus Clipper booklet to save on delicious sushi!

Becky Kim, Queens College, Read my blog and follow me on Twitter
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