My sweet tooth:
It is true, my sweet tooth seems to be always getting me into trouble. (Please allow me to clarify, I fully take responsibility for my actions and any weight gain which might occur as a consequence, thanks for asking). Note: unlike the common misconception, I do not have a sweet tooth, rather all of my teeth love sweets, but for the rest of this blog I will continue to use the term sweet tooth because it sounds better than saying “I have sweet teeth”. In a strange way, sweets make me really happy, I am not sure why, it might be due to their goodness and taste but perhaps there is some extra mystery factor of which I am as yet unaware. However, this passion for sweets always gets me down in the end: a sugar high to an esteem low, how do I go so far downhill?
It might start with something as innocent as a cupcake (yes, cupcakes are innocent until proven guilty). After reading an article in time out magazine, detailing where to find great cupcakes in the city, I have been on a quest to find the best. My most recent attempt was with the establishment known as cupcake stop: a truck that travels around Manhattan, posting its location on facebook and twitter, and selling tasty homemade cupcakes of all varieties. When I finally tracked it down, I was so happy, but my heightened expectations were my downfall so I could not accurately report on them (although I will try). All I can say is that they were good, not the best that I ever tasted but still quality cupcakes, I believe that they were better than most. The “cookie dough” cupcake was rich but with a light texture, with a piece of a cookie on top of the flavorful icing. I asked for a triple chocolate cupcake and instead received a red velvet one, I was slightly disappointed at the time but now I’m fine. In any case, it was also tasty, with a fluffy cake on the bottom and a mild tasting cream cheese icing on top. Overall, it was a good attempt, but my mission goes on.
Anyone who knows me should know my obsession with chocolate, especially with dark chocolate. Sure, you might think that dark chocolate is healthy with its antioxidants and flavanoids, and you might be right (I really hope so). However, I am always on a mission to find the best chocolate, which almost included paying for chocolates to be shipped from California. (Back story: I read online that some of the best chocolates being made in the United States were manufactured from this one person in California, the prices were expensive but not exorbitant for a chocoholic such as myself) For the record, I finally came to my senses (when I read the price for shipping) and now I’ll stick to what’s locally available in this great city.
I could go on and on, writing many pages more about this topic, I can be a very picky eater but there are just so many desserts which I enjoy, and I didn’t even get to ice cream! What I am trying to say is: moderation is the key (sorry, I needed a cliché phrase in here somewhere). Let’s try to enjoy these sinful foods on occasion but not go overboard, it is easy to say that but very hard to do in real life. Sweet tooth: you are on notice!
Dan
Friday, January 29, 2010
Friday, January 15, 2010
stress: you gotta love it
Hey everyone, wow I feel so stressed out right now, I am sitting here and trying to finish my take home midterm. I am feeling so much stress that I decided to write a blog about it in sort of a free form flow, just writing what comes to mind. This is my last class at Lehman, at least until I start the masters program in the summer (yes I know it’s not a given but with a 3.9 GPA you would think that they wouldn’t turn me down, and no I am not bragging just being sincere and stating facts). Anyway, rationally I don’t understand why this sociology course is causing me so much anxiety but it has to stop, right about now! Seriously, folks, I’m done, I am knocking this thing out before the MLK holiday on Monday and then I am done, well I’ll be done temporarily. Don’t forget: the final is of course next Friday and there is always more homework. Sometimes I feel that I am never done, that this work will never stop. This is obviously not the reality, in fact I get bored with too much free time on my hands so this is probably a good thing.
“Write, just write!” I keep telling myself this, three essays are all I need, actually that plus some chocolate, money, friends, a paying job, ok so maybe not just that, but it would be a very good start indeed. By the way, I apologize to any of you who might be reading this, if I carry on for too long or if you are thinking that there are more important problems in the world like the catastrophe in Haiti or the doomsday clock or our alleged impending doom in 2012 (really? Are you serious?).
Actually I do feel very bad for those who have been affected by the horrible events in Haiti, for the people of that country and for their families. For some reason it made me think about hurricane Catrina and its devastation, probably because I am a fan of the city of New Orleans and have been there a few times. I just wish for the best for everyone, enough said. No, I am sorry to disappoint those of you who thought that the world will end in 2012, that won’t happen. When, you might ask, will it end? I don’t know, but I do not pretend as if I have any clue. If Hollywood has taught me anything, perhaps it will be the day after tomorrow? (For those of you who are reading this blog after the 17th, then I was incorrect and new York is not flooded yet). In all seriousness, yes I like to joke around a bit, but all of these natural disasters, terrorism, and violence does scare me a tad (thank you Microsoft word thesaurus). Terrorism, in particular, frightens me. I am sure that there will be someone reading this post, maybe you do not live in a major city, and you are saying “it could happen here”… uh, no, sorry it couldn’t. New York in my opinion is the primary target, so I tend to be vigilant, even on the good old 4 train line.
Ok, I feel more calm now, thanks for listening to my thoughts, world. Let me conclude by saying this: I started this blog one year and a half ago and I write it for myself, not for the comments and not for notoriety, just for my own health and clarity, so thanks for tuning in.
Dan
“Write, just write!” I keep telling myself this, three essays are all I need, actually that plus some chocolate, money, friends, a paying job, ok so maybe not just that, but it would be a very good start indeed. By the way, I apologize to any of you who might be reading this, if I carry on for too long or if you are thinking that there are more important problems in the world like the catastrophe in Haiti or the doomsday clock or our alleged impending doom in 2012 (really? Are you serious?).
Actually I do feel very bad for those who have been affected by the horrible events in Haiti, for the people of that country and for their families. For some reason it made me think about hurricane Catrina and its devastation, probably because I am a fan of the city of New Orleans and have been there a few times. I just wish for the best for everyone, enough said. No, I am sorry to disappoint those of you who thought that the world will end in 2012, that won’t happen. When, you might ask, will it end? I don’t know, but I do not pretend as if I have any clue. If Hollywood has taught me anything, perhaps it will be the day after tomorrow? (For those of you who are reading this blog after the 17th, then I was incorrect and new York is not flooded yet). In all seriousness, yes I like to joke around a bit, but all of these natural disasters, terrorism, and violence does scare me a tad (thank you Microsoft word thesaurus). Terrorism, in particular, frightens me. I am sure that there will be someone reading this post, maybe you do not live in a major city, and you are saying “it could happen here”… uh, no, sorry it couldn’t. New York in my opinion is the primary target, so I tend to be vigilant, even on the good old 4 train line.
Ok, I feel more calm now, thanks for listening to my thoughts, world. Let me conclude by saying this: I started this blog one year and a half ago and I write it for myself, not for the comments and not for notoriety, just for my own health and clarity, so thanks for tuning in.
Dan
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Braille: it's alive!
An open letter to the New York Times:
In the article “listening to Braille”, the question is asked: With New Technologies, Do Blind People Lose More Than They Gain? In my opinion, there is very much that we can gain, however, it should not be forgotten how much we have to lose. Technology is a great thing, I think that many of us can agree on that statement. Unfortunately, it is regularly being used as a substitute for Braille, which I cannot condone.
When I was five years old, I learned how to read Braille, the ingenious system of dots representing letters, numbers, music, and accents. To this day, my book shelves are still filled with volumes of Braille: Harry Potter, Shakespeare, cookbooks, and books filled with puzzles (yes, I am a crossword fan, and that book was written by New York Times’ Will Shortz, its current crossword creator). Not to be redundant, but Braille is my print, and I use it in my everyday life: a few examples include reading books, Braille notes, and public signs (I wouldn’t want to walk into the wrong bathroom). I don’t want this generation of children to grow up without knowing how to spell, with no knowledge of vocabulary, or even not understanding concepts like paragraphs, tabs, and margins. However, if it were up to Ms. Sloate, the first women interviewed in this disturbing yet interesting article written by Rachel Aviv, Braille would be “abolished”. Well this is very easy for her to say: she receives all of her news media in an audio format and she has a secretary to whom she can dictate, a luxury which most of us will never possess. I comprehend that Braille is expensive, but does that mean that this nation’s 1.3 million citizens who are blind should be deprived of knowing what a comma is?
From my experiences, I can tell you that I only personally use Braille for certain types of materials but not for others. For example, Braille is almost a necessity for foreign languages, mathematics, sciences, and music. I don’t intend to take a negative stance on technology, I really do enjoy it. In fact, I am a happy member of audible.com where I read two audio books every month, and I think that this site and many others which offer audio materials are excellent. I am simply puzzled by one question: Do you use audio or Braille? OR? I’m sorry, but… really? Were we supposed to make a choice about that? If this was a multiple choice question, I would circle all of the above. In other words, technology is excellent, but don’t let Braille die!
Sincerely,
Dan
(If you would like to read the article from which this letter is based, please click or copy and paste the following link):
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/03/magazine/03Braille-t.html
In the article “listening to Braille”, the question is asked: With New Technologies, Do Blind People Lose More Than They Gain? In my opinion, there is very much that we can gain, however, it should not be forgotten how much we have to lose. Technology is a great thing, I think that many of us can agree on that statement. Unfortunately, it is regularly being used as a substitute for Braille, which I cannot condone.
When I was five years old, I learned how to read Braille, the ingenious system of dots representing letters, numbers, music, and accents. To this day, my book shelves are still filled with volumes of Braille: Harry Potter, Shakespeare, cookbooks, and books filled with puzzles (yes, I am a crossword fan, and that book was written by New York Times’ Will Shortz, its current crossword creator). Not to be redundant, but Braille is my print, and I use it in my everyday life: a few examples include reading books, Braille notes, and public signs (I wouldn’t want to walk into the wrong bathroom). I don’t want this generation of children to grow up without knowing how to spell, with no knowledge of vocabulary, or even not understanding concepts like paragraphs, tabs, and margins. However, if it were up to Ms. Sloate, the first women interviewed in this disturbing yet interesting article written by Rachel Aviv, Braille would be “abolished”. Well this is very easy for her to say: she receives all of her news media in an audio format and she has a secretary to whom she can dictate, a luxury which most of us will never possess. I comprehend that Braille is expensive, but does that mean that this nation’s 1.3 million citizens who are blind should be deprived of knowing what a comma is?
From my experiences, I can tell you that I only personally use Braille for certain types of materials but not for others. For example, Braille is almost a necessity for foreign languages, mathematics, sciences, and music. I don’t intend to take a negative stance on technology, I really do enjoy it. In fact, I am a happy member of audible.com where I read two audio books every month, and I think that this site and many others which offer audio materials are excellent. I am simply puzzled by one question: Do you use audio or Braille? OR? I’m sorry, but… really? Were we supposed to make a choice about that? If this was a multiple choice question, I would circle all of the above. In other words, technology is excellent, but don’t let Braille die!
Sincerely,
Dan
(If you would like to read the article from which this letter is based, please click or copy and paste the following link):
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/03/magazine/03Braille-t.html
Saturday, January 2, 2010
Where's the beef? Find out here in my newest food critic review:
Hello and thanks for joining me today in my food critic’s corner. I had an excellent new year’s eve this year, and what made it great, only in terms of the food of course, was a prefix dinner that I enjoyed with a good friend of mine at Morton’s steakhouse. I had never dined at this renowned establishment previously, and even though my favorite is steakhouse is the palm steakhouse, I decided to try out the food here which did not disappoint:
Morton’s Steakhouse
551 5th avenuavenuee
New York NY
4.25 stars out of 5 stars
When I walked into this restaurant, I was warmly greeted, and they staff went out of theire way to accommodate my friend and myself. This same quality of service also carried over to our waiter and all other staff employees, which really impressed me. The waiter presented us with several choices, from salmon to lamb to quite a number of steak choicess, which ranged from ribeyerib eye to filet mignon to cirloinsirloin. However, I already knew about the prefix special so I had already selection made up my mind. As part of the prefix, I started with a Caesar salad, which I adjusted to fit my picky nature (not an anchovy fan). The crisp lettuce contrasted the savory Parmesan cheese and the crunchy croutons well and I really liked this salad. After this I chose the small filet mignon steak, which I found to be tender, grilled to perfection, and seasoned just enough to bring out the flavor of the meat. A small crab cake accompanied the steak; it was delicious with succulent crabmeat and was perfectly matched with a few spices. In addition, as if this meal wasn’t great enough, I received a plate of delicious crispy hash browns, made with fresh shredded potatoes. You might think that I was pretty fulfull at this point, and you would be correct. Dessert probably wasn’t necessary after such a large meal, but I still tried it out for a few reasons: 1. It came with the meal, 2. I am a food critic so it is my nature to try out different types of food, and 3. I am admittedly a “chocaholic” so the idea of a chocolate themed dessert intrigued me. I ordered Morton’s hot chocolate cake, (I know, big surprise). I don’t really have accurate words to describe the sinful goodness of this creation, which consisted of a warm and slightly crunchy cake surrounding a hot fudge chocolaty type of filling, it was one of the best desserts I have ever dined on. The vanilla ice cream on the side was really not necessary, I was just happy with the cake and wanted only a long walk afterwards to burn off all of those tasty calories.
As a college student, I would never call this type of a meal “affordable.” However, it was a good deal based on Morton’s regular prices, where a steak can cost, yes, over forty dollars! I would recommend this restaurant 110% to anyone who would like a great meal at a wonderful steakhouse. I can honestly say that I am still a fan of the palm steakhouse, but this meal made me realize that there are other excellent steakhouses, which I plan to try out, here in this, the greatest city in the world. Until next time, thanks for coming with me on my latest food adventure!
Dan
Morton’s Steakhouse
551 5th avenuavenuee
New York NY
4.25 stars out of 5 stars
When I walked into this restaurant, I was warmly greeted, and they staff went out of theire way to accommodate my friend and myself. This same quality of service also carried over to our waiter and all other staff employees, which really impressed me. The waiter presented us with several choices, from salmon to lamb to quite a number of steak choicess, which ranged from ribeyerib eye to filet mignon to cirloinsirloin. However, I already knew about the prefix special so I had already selection made up my mind. As part of the prefix, I started with a Caesar salad, which I adjusted to fit my picky nature (not an anchovy fan). The crisp lettuce contrasted the savory Parmesan cheese and the crunchy croutons well and I really liked this salad. After this I chose the small filet mignon steak, which I found to be tender, grilled to perfection, and seasoned just enough to bring out the flavor of the meat. A small crab cake accompanied the steak; it was delicious with succulent crabmeat and was perfectly matched with a few spices. In addition, as if this meal wasn’t great enough, I received a plate of delicious crispy hash browns, made with fresh shredded potatoes. You might think that I was pretty fulfull at this point, and you would be correct. Dessert probably wasn’t necessary after such a large meal, but I still tried it out for a few reasons: 1. It came with the meal, 2. I am a food critic so it is my nature to try out different types of food, and 3. I am admittedly a “chocaholic” so the idea of a chocolate themed dessert intrigued me. I ordered Morton’s hot chocolate cake, (I know, big surprise). I don’t really have accurate words to describe the sinful goodness of this creation, which consisted of a warm and slightly crunchy cake surrounding a hot fudge chocolaty type of filling, it was one of the best desserts I have ever dined on. The vanilla ice cream on the side was really not necessary, I was just happy with the cake and wanted only a long walk afterwards to burn off all of those tasty calories.
As a college student, I would never call this type of a meal “affordable.” However, it was a good deal based on Morton’s regular prices, where a steak can cost, yes, over forty dollars! I would recommend this restaurant 110% to anyone who would like a great meal at a wonderful steakhouse. I can honestly say that I am still a fan of the palm steakhouse, but this meal made me realize that there are other excellent steakhouses, which I plan to try out, here in this, the greatest city in the world. Until next time, thanks for coming with me on my latest food adventure!
Dan
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