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cold weather necessities: food edition

Sure, it’s fall. The trees turn from a bright green to crisp yellow, leaves falling down on the pavement. Whilst this is cute to watch, the temperature definitely is not. This year, the temperature skipped fall and went straight to Winter, an everyday temperature being 30 to 40 degrees.

Since the cold weather came earlier than expected, eating something hot to warm you up is probably one of the best feelings in the world. About 3 weekends ago, me and my boyfriend roamed around Manhattan and went ice skating at the Rockefeller Center. After doing these activities in the cold, we were both freezing and starving. A few blocks away from Times Square, is a famous ramen shop called Totto Ramen.

Totto Ramen is a small ramen shop that caters about 6 different kinds of ramen bowls, with extras like seaweed salad, pork buns, and kimchi. The ramen bowls are very well worth it, being only $12 that can fill you up to the core. The only struggle about this restaurant is the size of the place. Since it is so small, it only caters a few people at the same time, meaning that wait time will be long. Another thing too is that they do not take reservations. Even though these can throw you off, the quality of the ramen and the price you pay for will be worth the wait.

Veterans Day: Brings friends and family together!

Veterans day is all about honoring military veterans that served the United States Armed Forces. Like every other year, it’s observed on the 11th of November. This year, the annual New York Veterans Day Parade took place in 5th Avenue.

This morning, as I was walking around Manhattan, roads were blocked for a couple blocks to prevent any interruption. Groups of band players were getting changed and ready as the parade was about to start and ROTC classes from different schools are assembling to represent their state and/or school.

Like most college students that barely see their friends and family back home, it’s a struggle to catch up and make time for them over the weekend. Veterans day changed all that. Because of the Veterans Day Parade, my friends were given the opportunity to come up to New York and have a brief moment with me.

Both senior high school students Reynaldo Christiano and Camille Roberts from West Potomac High School in Alexandria, Virginia, think that Veterans Day is more than just about Veterans. “I’m thankful for this parade because if it weren’t for it, I wouldn’t have seen a friend that I haven’t seen for so long.” comments Roberts.

Because of this holiday, friends were reunited.

Two is better than one: The Poké & Blossom in one store!

As soon as Halloween ended and November came rolling in, my friend decided that we attend an MTV show called “Wild ‘n Out.” that’s hosted by Nick Cannon. The location, however, was not in Manhattan, but in Brooklyn. This is my first time to walk around Brooklyn, and as we were walking towards the nearest subway station to head back to campus, we happen to pass by a cafe that collaborated with both poke and boba.

In case you have forgotten, I’ve made countless of blog posts about boba, and one about poké so I will not further explain what they are. This place is somewhat similar to Pokéworks, but instead of going in line and telling the worker what you want, they give you a piece of paper for you to fill in.

The special part of this cafe though is their rolled ice cream. Rolled ice cream is when a staff worker pours a base liquid onto an ice-cold metal surface, and from there, the liquid turns into a creamy texture, which then the worker mushes it and spreads it equally for him to use a spatula and start scraping columns of ice cream forward, creating roles. Their rolled ice cream is impressive, not melting and turning into normal ice cream until the very last drop. They have endless choices of toppings for you to choose from if you are one of those gals with a sweet tooth!

Sun Yat Sen Memorial Hall presents art gallery that focuses on women empowerment!

On October 26th, my Communications class made their way towards Sun Yat Sen Memorial Hall to appreciate an art gallery that was directed by Yulia Tikhonova, who moved to the United States over a decade ago from Russia.

The art gallery consisted of paintings, cartoon drawings, and handmade basketball hoop stitches. But what really stood out that caught everyone’s attention is the tall mannequin wearing a dress of jerseys that are stitched into one another.

The story behind this dress, Tikhonova says, is based on women and their inequality working conditions. Looking at it from a unique perspective, these shirts are worn by men players in the United States but are made in third world countries like the Philippines. When finished, they are sold for $20, while the workers only earn 5¢, and the profit is mostly given to athletic teams, that is again, consisted of men.

“This piece tells us that these inequalities even happen during fashion and sports.” Tikhonova answers with tears in her eyes. At the end of the conversation, you can definitely tell that she is very passionate about women empowerment, and just from this, you definitely need to see the gallery while you can!

Craving to quench your thirst for authentic tea? This is the right place for you if you’re a Johnny!

Despite St John’s University being in New York City, it’s still quite a hike to go all the way to Manhattan from Queens. St John’s University, known to be one of the most diverse schools in the nation, contains plenty of Asian students. From this, if you remember my very first blog post about Boba Guys, I mentioned that authentic boba places are mostly centered in the city. But lucky for us Johnnies, there is one located just 6 miles away from us; at Queens Center Mall!

This authentic boba place I’m talking about it called “Gong Cha.” Unlike Boba Guys, Gong Cha originated from Taiwan, not San Francisco. Just by knowing this, you know it has an authentic Asian background. The menu is very diverse as well, offering not only tea but slushes and Latte’s as well.

Another unique aspect they have is the option to choose your sugar and ice level. For example, customers with a sweet tooth will order a 100% sugar level while a person who prefers the bitter taste of tea can order a 25% sugar level so it’s not that sweet. Also, when talking about the price range, Gong Cha is very affordable, costing $5 for a large drink. Overall, very well worth it if you’re at your dorm, craving for some authentic boba!!

New bar in NYC: not alcohol but milk!

When you find yourself walking around Upper West Side, and you so happen to see a dessert store with neon lights, I could bet you that store is probably Momofuku Milk Bar. Momofuku Milk Bar is a recent dessert shop that sells cookies, cakes, truffles, and pies.

What Momofuku Milk Bar is known for, though, is their Cereal Milk Soft Serve topped with cornflakes. This dessert is basically like yogurt and ice cream meshed into one, and the purpose of this dessert is for the customer to remember the bottom of a cereal bowl of cornflakes! How creative is that?

Momofuku Bar, in general, is a really good dessert shop. The only downside is the price. When comparing it to other food chains, a small cup of Soft Serve is $9, close to $10 when added tax, and a bowl of Chipotle costs about the same. From this, definitely stray away if you are on a budget. But at the end of the day, you get what you pay for, and these desserts are really really worth their price.

(picture credits to my friend, Casey, who took a picture with her better phone quality!!)

#momofuku #softserve #dessert #nyc

MOS: Does Happy Death Day deserve all the hype?

With Halloween just around the corner, film studios are slowly releasing horror movies during the month of October. One of the movies that were released a few days ago is “Happy Death Day.” Happy Death Day is centered around a college girl named Tree, that is stuck in a time loop and kept dying over and over again, where the only way that can stop it is to find out who her killer is.

Freshman Erika Franco drove to her local cinema on Tuesday night to watch the new mystery/thriller movie.

“It was a movie you can laugh with your friends and have a good time with, and without having to get traumatized from scary scenes.” said Franco.

Unlike other famous horror movies, where the protagonist always dies, this movie had a different approach to it.

“In typical horror movies, the blonde one always dies first but in this movie, the fact that she just kept dying over and over again, and finally got her killer, it proved that the main character can do it.” said Freshman Alex Bresciani.

Although this movie isn’t straight-up horror, Bresciani still recommends this movie for people who enjoy the intensity.

#movies

The new Poke isn’t a video game, but a new kind of food!

When we usually think of the word, “Poke” we’re instantly brought back to our childhood watching Pokemon, and the game “Pokemon Go.” But within these past few months, most people would be thinking of the Hawaiian food, “Poke.”

The Hawaiian word “Poke” means “to slice or cut” and it’s a raw fish salad that is usually served as a main course. This weekend, as I was in Manhattan, I ate at “Pokeworks.”The setup is similar to Chipotle, having customers go in line, and you are asked whether you want a bowl, salad or burrito. After that, you get to pick your kind of protein (either Salmon, Tuna, Shrimp etc.) and what kind of toppings and sauce you would like.

Although the fish was raw, it was fairly fresh and didn’t taste fishy at all. How you enjoy your order mostly depends on how you mix and match the food options but they all seem to blend together well, so no need to worry!

#poke #pokeworks #fish

CBS news & HBO makes an appearance at SJU

“We beat them up [our interns]” CBS news staff Kathleen Kelly jokes as I asked her what to expect if I were to intern for them sometime in the future. It was on a Thursday morning, the sun scorching hot, when my class walked to Taffner Field House to attend the Fall Career and Internship Fair that St. John’s University set up for students to look for internships and jobs.

The fair started off at exactly 11 am and hundreds of students flooded in, rushing to every booth that correlates with their major and future dream jobs. Big companies like CBS news, Discovery Channel, HBO, and Applebees were there, kindly talking and offering a ton of opportunities for us, Johnnies.

Since I’m a Journalism major, I made my way to the CBS news booth and met Kathleen Kelly. At first sight, I was intimidated, but soon later, I realized she was one of the kindest people and gave really good advice to me. She asked me what I wanted to do with my major and I told her I was leaning towards print journalism, but always open to broadcast, and she says, “If you look at the smaller stations in New York, you will have to start small, before you start making an appearance or writing for bigger companies like ABC, CBS, CNN. You need the experience.”

Although most of the internships that were offered at the fair were for upperclassmen, it’s always a good idea to start planning ahead and have an idea what to do in the future. Meeting and talking to these people really opened my eyes and made me realize that what we want to do with our lives isn’t always easy, and we have to work ourselves up.

A new way of ice cream

Shaved cream is the newest frozen dessert that is slowly popping up all over the world. Borderline between ice cream and shaved ice, with a fluffy texture that melts in your mouth, shaved cream is the perfect late night treat.

Snowdays is New York City’s new obsession with lines out the door in all 6 locations all over the city with uniquely delicious flavors for you to choose from, and an endless amount of amazing toppings and drizzles. The price can add up quickly, starting at $7 with their regular size. Although it may be expensive, the quality and amount you get will be well worth it.

On Saturday night, I bought a regular sized “Made in Taiwan” which is green tea flavored with grass jelly and mochi with a drizzle of condensed milk. The shaved cream lasted long and didn’t melt even until the last bite. Overall, this dessert spot is worth it on a hot sunny day and when you are not on a budget.

#snow days #snow #snocream #shavedice

Is “Boba Guys” the next “Quickly?”

Over the last few years, boba, a Taiwanese tea-based drink that is usually paired with chewy tapioca balls, has taken over the dessert industry and took a toll in the year 2012. A decade ago, Taiwanese cafe chain called “Quickly” is considered to be one of the first boba chains that gained popularity and started the trend of what we now call “bubble tea.”

In recent years, more and more bubble tea chains started popping up all across the United States. A few of them being Kung Fu Tea, ChaTime and Gong Cha. Boba Guys, on the other hand, only started back in 2011 and originally located only in San Francisco. Thankfully, an additional 3 more stores were added to the list and this time around decided to branch out to New York City!

I happened to be in Greenwich Village, taking pictures at Washington Square Park when I remembered there was a Boba Guys branch just a few blocks away, so I made my way there with my group of friends. The entrance was smaller than most branches but it definitely catches your attention with the long line that never goes away. The interior looks like this (not my picture):

After a 10 minute wait, my turn to order finally arrived. Another very impressive part of this branch is the service. The line was impeccably long but they have a fast and organized system that it only takes 3 minutes to make your drink. This then helps disperse the crowd of people waiting for their drink. I ordered two drinks for myself: a large classic milk tea w/ boba and a medium rose black tea with boba.

This is where my thoughts about the drinks start. Boba Guys, to me, is unique in its own way. It doesn’t publicize itself as an Asian drink unlike most other chains would, and the authenticity of their tea can fool customers into thinking that Boba Guys is bland.

(My picture of my drinks:)

Tea isn’t supposed to be sweet like a dessert, but is originally supposed to taste like a subtle hint of bitter, but with a waft of aroma in the air, and this is where Boba Guys enter the picture. They perfect this certain taste so well that it will bring both traditional tea drinkers and drinkers with a sweet tooth to their branch that it will take over the bubble tea industry just like Quickly did years and years ago.

All in all, I highly recommend this place. If you find yourself wandering around New York City. Here is the link to their website with the list of their branches: http://www.bobaguys.com/new-york-locations/

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