Eatery for the soul

[judyeats]

Even though I graduated a few months ago, it’s hard to admit that I’m not in contact with my closest college friends. Yes, there are a few exchanges on facebook once in a while, but those aren’t real conversations. Surprisingly, the only person whom I remain in touch with is the one person who claims she’s an out of sight, out of mind person. Why do I find that hard to believe? Because she plans on going to Philadelphia and Boston to visit her college friends while I’m at home blogging about why I don’t make more of an effort to see them. I thought work was a reasonable excuse to get away with my lack of social interaction, but it doesn’t seem to be the case for my friend. Seeing the difference in our lives, I decided to try a little harder and care a little more for my distant friends. Maybe this year will be the year of change. 

What I ate: Mediterranean food at Gazala’s in New York, NY. Gazala’s platter of appetizers: Potato cigar, meat cigar, kibbe, grape leaves, falafel, tabouleh, babaganoush, hummus, tahini, turkish salad, labanee Moshakal: combo of lamb, chicken, and kafta, with rice and salad

Don’t forget to check out my Yelp page if you want my opinions on the restaurants mentioned! 

[judyeats]

It’s been a long time since I’ve shared a meal so I thought I would start 2016 with a lunch that brings me back to my roots. No, I’m not chinese, but what makes this lunch so memorable are the two best friends I met in the fourth grade who unlock my true inner self. All of our personalities are polar opposites, but something keeps bringing us back together. I swear opposites really DO attract because I wouldn’t be able to get rid of them even if I wanted to. Anyway, we talked a lot about the new year and the past year, what we loved, what we wish to work on, and what we see forthcoming. You know...typical conversation topic for the first week of the new year. This amazingly cheap dim sum meal made me evaluate my life and how far I’ve come since 2014. I wish I can boil it down to a brief synopsis, but 2015 has been a life-changing time for me and I can’t wait to organize my thoughts into proper sentences. So stay tuned...

What I ate: Dim sums at Bodai Vegetarian Restaurant in Flushing, NY. Steamed vegetable buns Vietnamese rice rolls (pictured) Steamed vegetable dumplings (pictured) Sticky rice in bamboo leaves Mango pudding (pictured) Don’t forget to check out my Yelp page if you want my opinions on the restaurants mentioned! 

[judyeats]

Birthdays are amazing. I don't think of birthdays as aging one more year, but celebrating the day someone came into this world making it possible to enter my life. This particular day was my friend's 21st birthday and that's pretty darn special because you're an adult. Just kidding, it's because you can finally drink legally! Best way to commemorate a day like that is going out for a fancy dinner with your pinkies up and toasting to the first of many delicious drinks.

What I ate: Pre-fix dinner menu from The Capital Grille for Restaurant Week. Clam chowder Filet mignon with mashed potatoes and green beans  Flourless chocolate cake

[judyeats]

This is Sunday brunch done right. It took about a year to finally grab a decent meal with this guy because he's so busy, but the three hours I spent helped me to learn a lot about him. I don't have a lot of guy friends so I treasure the few that I have. Plus, it's easier to maintain a friendship with a guy because they usually don't require as much time and attention. Even though this meal came out of a stupid bet, I came out with a deeper friendship. And a finer taste for beer... I also realized that absinthe is the worst tasting alcohol ever.

What I ate: Margherita pizza from Area Four Hot mess (Potatoes, sausage, bacon, cheese, runny eggs and banana pepper relish) Beer flight Drunk in the afternoon (Absinthe and prosecco)

[judyeats]

As much as I love eating with other people, I also savor the moments when I can kick my feet up and eat alone without any judgement. That's where desserts come in. Desserts are a treat that I don't keep around the apartment. So once in a while, I like to treat myself with an entire pint of ice cream or a box of gourmet cookies just to get some sanity. I would much rather be happy and satisfied with my sugar rush than force celery sticks down my throat. I know being healthy helps you feel good on the inside and out, but it's also super stressful. So instead of piling on the stress, I dedicated the past two weeks to watching my favorite shows while indulging.

What I ate: Ben & Jerry's The Tonight Dough featuring Jimmy Fallon

[judyeats]

Whenever I go home, I always bake treats and cook for my family because that's the only way I can show my appreciation for all the hard work they put in. I don't know how they came to a foreign land with no money, no friends, no knowledge of the language or culture and be successful. What crazy thought came into their head to leave their family and go try out their luck in a new land?! I can't even be alone in a room with strangers for five minutes... This is just one reason why I cook. Traditional asian parents aren't very affectionate and it's hard to express how much I love them. So I use food. The smile and excitement I see in their eyes when I have dinner ready on the table after a hard long day at work makes me happy. 

What I ate: Homemade blueberry pie Homemade earl grey shortbread cookies with reduced sugar

[judyeats]

Impromptu dinners are the best. After a night of drinking, cleaning up and working out, pasta sounded real good to refuel my body. The amount of pasta and bread I ate probably canceled my workout, but it was totally worth it. Seafood and pasta is probably one of the best food combinations. I just don't understand people who hate seafood... One other thing that came out of this dinner was opening the door to a new friendship. It helped me to appreciate one person a little bit more for her willingness to be a better person and for her humor. I may not be the most comfortable when I'm around her, but I've come to enjoy her company more now. It's hard to open up to new people once you've settled in with your group of friends, but that's why eating great food together is so amazing. It helps you to make friends. 

What I ate: Black squid ink aglio olio from The Daily Catch Three baskets of bread with olive oil and balsamic 

[judyeats]

At midnight while cozying up on the couch to stay away from the cold winter storm, my roommate decided to finally bake some banana bread. Partially because she's been putting it off for so long, but also because she was hungry. Her eyes told me she wanted food even though her mouth didn't. So she baked. And it was delicious. The warm sweet smell of bananas filled the living room making it impossible to resist even though it was 2am. So we stood around the masterpiece, our eyes preying over the poor innocent bread. In a matter of two minutes, half of it was gone. Throughout this semester, the one person who usually doesn't cook or clean has been in the kitchen more often. Don't get me wrong...it's still rare seeing her clean, but she's been cooking for us almost every week. How can you be mad at someone who shows love with food? Feed me good food and you'll have my heart. It's simple.

What I ate: Homemade banana bread with reduced sugar

[judyeats]

Doughnuts are my guilty pleasure. Nobody knows that because I try to refrain from eating too many, but I could eat an entire dozen box easily for breakfast, lunch and dinner. I love that doughnuts have risen up to be the trendy dessert and receive all the attention it needs. I woke up at 8:30am on a SUNDAY for these heavenly babies and I would do it again. It was the perfect little thing to jump start my day. I got to share these with a few core friends from my church. As we sat around enjoying our doughnuts, I couldn't help but appreciate all the small things in life. Doughnuts make my life a little sweeter.

What I ate: Lemon coconut from Blackbird Doughnuts and a small drip coffee Red eye: coffee and espresso flavored

[judyeats]

Whenever I come back home, I have to grab a meal with this kid. He works nights and sleeps during the day so it's hard to find the right time to meet up. But when we do, we feast. He's sort of a food expert as he is a sous-chef at an extraordinary michelin star restaurant in NYC. Though we barely speak when we eat, there's a sense of familiarity because I grew up with him. We don't need to force ourselves to talk every second. It comes naturally once we've had the time to truly enjoy the food. I think this is one of the best meals I've ever had. Despite having to call this place for 30 minutes straight trying to reserve a table.

What I ate: Mu ramen's U & I, which is uni, spicy maguro, ikura, rice and sesame roasted nori (not pictured) Tebasaki Gyoza: deep fried chicken wings with foie and brioche Steamed Mussels with spicy Mu dipping sauce (not pictured) Spicy Miso Ramen Mu Ramen

[judyeats]

First meal this year with most of my study-abroad friends from Australia.  It has been over a year since we first cluttered together to face a new country. These meals might be infrequent now that we are back in the States with our old friends, but we haven't lost touch. Past memories and new transitions from our ever-changing lives flooded over the food and into my dear dear stomach. These are girls who make me realize that people can be good. They are one of the sweetest bunch I ever met and I can't wait to see what other adventures I will be embarking with them.

What I ate: Elbow and rotini pasta with salmon, artichoke hearts and peas tossed in olive oil, white wine and spices. Steamed chicken dumplings Onion rings (not pictured) Hot chocolate with a splash of caramel flavored vodka and tiny marshmallows (not pictured)