around the world in one city

the past week or so has been an excursion to different places throughout the world. a little taste here and there of places quite familiar and of those really quite alien. oh the joys of being in new york — self-proclaimed center of the world and perhaps best ever melting pot in this little universe of ours.

yummy thai food

first stop: the office favorite thai resto, highline. for an area as pricey as the meatpacking district, they have quite a good selection of lunch specials. personal favorite of mine is their salmon in peanut curry sauce with scallop dumplings as appetizer. yumyum, especially with some watered down thai iced tea. side stop: saigon grill, perfect option for ordering in when it's freezing out such as nowadays. the vietnamese penchant for soups works really well for fighting off the frostbite. tried the pho bo (oxtail soup) recently but i think i should stick with the usual lo sa go (curry chix soup) next time.

ukranian food

next stop: ukraine. an east village diner called veselka. passed off on the pierogis, got almost tempted to get the bigos (a very filling cabbage and meat dish). instead settled with a very satisfying kielbasa sandwich with salad and beets on the side. perhaps a tad less healthy than the nice rich hummus foul ( its tahini, hummus with fava beans and an egg & pronounced close to "full" from what i learned) at the west village run israeli-run hole in the wall, the hummus place.

spanish flamenco

aside from the friendly ukranian servers at veselka, ive garnered myself an almost "hey it's me again" regular status with the polish servers at my favorite neighborhood brazilian/french cafe & pastries place, fabiane's. so far, ive been quite good in fending off all their uber tempting desserts (ok, i got myself the raspberry chocolate mousse to celebrate my bro-in-law's birthday). it's a great place for hanging out with the billyburg hipsters—you never feel rushed out as you normally would in some faux cafes.

aside from the good food here and there, managed to enjoy some nice sangria and great flamenco at xunta, a spanish tapas bar in the east village. really nice lively atmosphere. great passionate guitar and dancing. and i guess it helped too that friends i was with were not much sangria-drinkers so i had more than half a pitcher to myself. muy fenomenal!

quick lesson on lebanon

added bonus was that a friend brought her lebanese classmate with her. and i was given a quick overview of lebanese culture and economy, although i must admit i still probably wouldnt be able to pinpoint where that country is. part of the cultural lesson was the how hard we party and we like to enjoy life unlike our neighboring countries culture so that was good to know too, especially coming from the preconceived notion that all of lebanon is pretty much war-torn where living life is close to impossible.

superbowl sunday

the past sunday of course was all about the biggest sporting event in america, superbowl XLI (unless i got that wrong and its really the world series). i did join the office pool but didnt win any of the pot. i did watch part of the coverage but mainly to watch the ads, which i must say weren't as good as they usually are. werent as edgy and entertaining as expected save for the snickers ad which is laugh your brains out as it is polarizing.

must-see japanese film

last but not the least, the past days included the japanese clint eastwood film, letters from iwo jima. more than an historical war-film, its really more of a glimpse into what makes us human. most poignant part for me was when one of the japanese officers confronts all that he's been taught about the savage american enemies while a letter from an american mother to her dying soldier son is read. at that point, while holding back the goosebumps, somehow, i felt once again grateful for the opportunity to be in such a diverse city where through exposure and living with other peoples' foods, drinks, dances, stories, smiles and company, i am able to expand my world and brought to the depths and shallowness of our differences with other people.

tomorrow night, a little re-rooting with a filipino food dinner with some friends i havent seen since november last year. saturday night, some salsa with officemates and its back to world exploration. cant wait.