Three Spanish Popsicles and me: Part 2

I'm so sorry for the delay in between Washington DC posts. I guess I have run out of steam these last few weeks. I am at work all day, and by the time I get home, all I want to do is sit in front of the TV and go into a daze. Weekends are pretty much spent curled up on the couch, watching B movies from the 80s. My computer hasn't been feeling well for a while so not much Internet surfing for me (which is a relief to my credit card!), I can't be arsed lately to look up recipes in cookbooks; I can't even bring myself to watch the Food Network because I know I'll start salivating at the food, realize I have nothing to make in the fridge, and then have to be forced to go out and buy groceries.

So, I'll elaborate on my path of self-destruction another time..

Back to DC. The first evening we spent there, we weren't really sure where to go to have dinner. And did I mention it was FUCKING COLD. We didn't want to walk around aimlessly. We needed a plan. On the map the hotel gave us were some restaurant suggestions; capital! One of them was a tapas place called La Tasca. The name has special meaning to me and Rafa. It is the name of a Spanish restaurant we used to frequent quite a lot in Liverpool, and where I discovered I had an unhealthy obsession with chicken croquettes. We thought it was funny that there was another Spanish restaurant of the same name across the pond in DC.

So, we went there... And it was the same La Tasca!

It turns out that the franchise has a few locations in the US. Yay! Another reason to go back to DC! We were there on a Wednesday, and lucky for us, Wednesday was all-you-can-eat-tapas day! So, for a set price to each guest, we could order as many types of tapas as we wanted. Until we literally bust a gut. And we did... bust a gut, I mean. I had about ten chicken croquettes, gambas al ajillo up the wazoo. I ate so much food that night I'm actually sick now remembering it. I think my body somehow knew that in the next few days I wouldn't be able to taste food at all, because I was making up for it all that night. It was lovely to be in the restaurant; it felt somehow familiar in a place I wasn't familiar with at all.

I learned something about myself when it comes to sharing food. I am extremely greedy. Usually it's me and Rafa, and we get our own thing. And even if we go out with my family as a group, we get a few appetizers to share but the main course is all mine. But if I'm in a group just ordering small appetizers or tapas, I literally want it all to myself. I run into a panic where I think I will still be hungry. What is it about small portions that makes us all the more greedy?I think the whole world needs to move to the Mediterranean or southern Europe to learn how it's done.

Washington DC: Where I got some peace and where I got a bitchin' (and not in a good way) cold!: Part 1

After about 10 days of non-stop touring in New York, I was going bonkers. Huge crowds and lots of noise is OK in small increments, but New York around the holiday season is completely and totally insane. Even walking across the Brooklyn Bridge turned out to be crowded!

Rafa had time off after New Year's and we all went to Washington DC for a few days. I wasn't really looking forward to it that much, to tell the truth, because at that point, all I wanted was to just relax at home, even for a little while. But, I don't really get many opportunities to see 'our nation's capital' - I've obviously seen too much of Forrest Gump. And most importantly, Paki and Kike have never been to DC, so it would really have been a waste if we couldn't use this extra time to explore another city.

Being in DC was surreal. It was actually quiet. And it wasn't all about sell sell sell and commercialism. Just a lot of historical buildings and a lot of walking. It felt nice to be able to actually hear my own footsteps. But somehow the silence was eerie too. I am so used to having to shove my way down the street, it felt odd to walk and not have people bumping into me.

And DC felt soul-less. Maybe it was because there weren't many people around, or maybe because we weren't in an area where there would be a lot of people walking around. But something about the city felt empty. Which goes to show that not all big cities are the same. I could feel totally at home in crazy New York, and totally not-at-home in quiet DC.

But the only real downfall of the trip is that it was SO FUCKING COLD! We were there a couple of days after New Year's Day when the temperature took a major dip on the Eastern seaboard. I am not exaggerating when I say it was cold. Oh My God! Even with many layers and so many hats, hoods, gloves, and scarves on, so much so that I looked like a yeti for most of our trip, I still managed to get really sick, and the last 36 hours of our trip were just a muffled, drugged, fuzzy blur. It really REALLY sucks to be on vacation and visiting a new city while being sick. Maybe that is why DC didn't make a big impression on me. I didn't feel like myself at all - I felt like my body was completely disconnected from my head. And toward the end of the trip, it was pure adrenaline that was seeing me through.

Quite surprisingly, though, I found the energy to actually go ice skating. There was a small rink in the sculpture garden just opposite the National Archives.
And maybe it was because I was completely drugged and delusional, but I totally rocked the ice skates. Of course, at first, I was scared shitless because the ice was just cleaned and it was super slippery. But then, as I got my groove on, I was really gliding down the ice. For the first time in my life, I was actually elegant. LOL. But of course, I could only keep it up for an hour or so. It was SO FUCKING COLD, and I was so tired and worn out... but it was fun. And skating was definitely on our 'to do' list while our guests were visiting. So that was good.

So my DC wrap-up is that it was quiet. I get that the buildings were beautiful and historical, but politics and government is really boring! No wonder it was my worst subject in high school. And we went to an assembly of the House of Representatives, and they literally stood around for 10 minutes talking to each other in private conversations, then we all had to stand up and do the Pledge of Allegiance and then a chaplain spoke (how inappropriate??!, whatever happened to separation of Church and State??!), and then they asked the person in charge if they could be adjourned, and then they adjourned. I rocked the ice skating. I ate pretty well (in my next post). I got a massive cold I haven't even gotten over yet and it's been over two weeks. I realized that NYC is my real home and yes, it's all that. Despite the crowds and the crazy tourists. NYC is my home. DC could only be a place I visit every so often.

The happiest little brunch place on Earth...

{Image taken from Penelope's website: http://www.penelopenyc.com/}

Penelope, a little brunch place in Murray Hill (often called Curry Hill because of the Indian restaurants in that 'hood), is my little piece of heaven. The food is not that cheap breakfast-wise, but then again, I don't think $3 eggs at our local diner is that common in the rest of the city, or the rest of the world, for that matter. But, the eggs aren't that great either. Penelope is yummy brunch food -- fresh eggs, fresh bakery bread, tea or coffee in mugs that don't match each other. It feels like home, there is no other way to describe it. And it's not only my little piece of heaven, judging by the long line to get a table most Saturday and Sunday mid-mornings.

But it is a place I wanted to take our guests to while they were here because it is not a place you would ever find in Spain. We actually made it there on a weekday, and it was closer to afternoon than morning, so we missed breakfast by a hair. We had to 'settle' for lunch; and I was pleasantly surprised lunch at Penelope wasn't half bad at all.

Kike and Paki both got chicken clubs -- I had wanted them to be a bit more daring, but they seemed to order chicken wherever we went. I don't really get it, considering how diverse the food in Spain is... but I figured since they couldn't really imagine what the different kinds of things America had to offer would taste like, I suppose they thought chicken would be the safe bet... And these chicken clubs happened to look, and as I understood with my limited Spanish, taste fantastic as well. I got the chicken pot pie. Oh, how I love chicken pot pie. I think currently it is my number one of top five things I love to eat... And this one did not disappoint. The chicken was lovely in tender, in a creamy and flavorful filling, with loads of veggies too -- butternut squash, asparagus, peas, mmmmm.

Kike couldn't really find the word in English to describe the feeling he got from Penelope, but I think after a few giggles and perplexed looks at each other, we agreed 'cozy' would be the most appropriate word. So the happiest little brunch place on Earth is cozy too, or at least that is what I think he said. LOL.

There are a lot of people in New York right now...

... which is part of the reason that I have been away from blogging recently. The Spanish Invasion (the sequel) is now in New York -- Rafa's sister and her boyfriend are in town. I have been showing them around the city during, I may add, the busiest time of year. Christmas in New York is the reason that I curl up into a little ball on my couch at this time of year -- making believe the craziness doesn't actually exist is a lot easier than dealing with reality -- New York at Christmas is OFF THE HOOK!

I was almost trampled upon a few times already. Why can't all these tourists just go home already? Christmas was DAYS ago. LOL.

The first Spanish Invasion featured Rafa's bff and girlfriend. I had the strength to blog about their trip daily. I don't think that is happening any time soon. But, I have made some delish dinners, so stay tuned on my other blog.

Is the food fresh?: A TV review

For the last few weeks, the American version of Kitchen Nightmares has been on TV here. It's basically the same thing as Gordon Ramsay's British show, but of course Americanized... like bits about him 'almost' about to get into fist fights with uptight Long Islanders... and how every single woman on the show seems to think he is 'oh so handsome'. I never really liked Gordon Ramsay, but really started appreciating him for his talent ever since seeing the British version of the show on BBC America many months ago.

Brilliance is attractive. He is a very, very smart man when it comes to his craft. And not just the cooking. The whole array of things that comes with being a restauranteur. He obviously is in the right field, and loves what he does. So I have come to really like him. And yes, there is something sexy about him.

The premise of the show is that Gordon visits a restaurant in financial trouble; customers don't come in, management is shit, chefs and/or owners are too set in their ways, to the point of even being abusive to their work colleagues. And then, Gordon saves them all.

As a foodie, however, I really like the food aspect of the show. Gordon Ramsay is a cook first, restauranteur second. When he comes to sample the dishes the restaurant cooks, he usually asks for crab cakes, if they are on the menu, and always asks if the crab is fresh. More often than not, the wait staff tells him it is, and more often than not, they are lying or don't know that the crab is not fresh -- that most of the food items in the restaurant are not freshly made. This show has really opened my eyes to the restaurant business. I already knew that obviously chain restaurants didn't make things fresh for the most part. But, I never thought that individual restaurants did that... And I still have the optimistic view, or hope, that restaurants do serve up freshly made food...

One comment on the show really hit close to home. When Gordon had a bite of some really bad lobster ravioli in a restaurant in Long Island, he sent it back. He said it tasted like it was frozen. The waiter brought back the ravioli to the chef and told him what Chef Ramsay said. The chef said, 'Yeah, of course, it's from Restaurant Depot.' Now, I know about Restaurant Depot. My dad always talks about it because he goes there for kitchen supplies being a utensil hoarder, that of course is genetic; the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. When I asked him after seeing the show if they sell frozen food, he said, 'Yeah, that is where all restaurants get their food'. I was shocked! I mean, I'd like to believe that at least posh restaurants in Manhattan make their own food, but I have fully realized that everybody else is just buying already prepared food, heating it up, and serving it to customers. I don't know about you, but that pisses me off. My father is fully convinced that EVERY restaurant on the face of this Earth uses already prepared food. I think that's going a bit overboard, but I think it would surprise the majority of us how much food is really not made by our favorite restaurants.

Some un-fresh food for thought! :)

Have a holly, jolly Christmas!

... It's the best time of the year....

We got our Christmas tree! Of course, we're total procrastinators getting it so late, not unlike the other Christmas enthusiasts around us that start decorating their houses a few hours after they have had their Thanksgiving lunch.

Previous years, we have had our mini fake tree. There didn't seem to be a point to get a big one or even the real thing, living in a tiny one-bedroom... But this is the first Christmas in an actually decent-sized place. Rafa has to do all the Jewish holidays with me and my folks, so it is only fair that I do Christmas with him. But, honestly, I don't mind! I love Christmas -- I've never actually met a Jew that likes Christmas as much as I do. The songs, the eating, the decorating, the SHOPPING! And this year we have a real tree, that smells like a forest (I don't really have much access to nature!), that we could decorate. I could finally make Nigella's Christmas tree decorations! That will be my weekend project. I'll delightfully de-emasculate our tree with frilly and shiny decs while my husband is none-the-wiser all the way up in Boston.

We did start on some 'modest' decorations last night. We put up two sets of lights, which we quickly found out were not enough for our massive (kinda obese) tree. And we have a bunch of balls (or as my British friends say 'baubles', which, by the way, sounds even dirtier than balls!) to put up, but alas, no strings. Why do they sell balls without strings? We also need that long sparkly stuff to drape around the tree. We're not sure what it's called. Not tinsel. It's like the Christmas version of a drag queen's feather boa.

The night of fun wasn't complete, though, without stuffing our face with Brooklyn's finest pizza. Oh, we totally left our previous pizza establishment. I've decided, after too many oily pies recently, that they have definitely gone downhill in taste and quality. I consulted with hubbykins, and we decided that we needed to try something new. After five years of loyalty to one place, it was time to move on... and surprisingly, we moved on fairly quickly. So, it's Trio no more. Now, Del Mar is supplying our bi-monthly cravings for pizza.

After some decorating and some eating, we opened up brand spankin' new Season 3 of Lost. Yes! We actually had it delivered on its release date, confirming to me that God is actually masquerading on this Earth as Amazon.com.

So we started off the Christmas season the right way.... with vanity, gluttony, and a nice dose of materialism for good measure. Merry Christmas!

2 week countdown to unemployment, again

So my temp job is living up to its title -- it's over, at least in two weeks it is.

I was crushed, initially, when I found out. That was an odd feeling because I knew sooner or later I'd find out my future there -- but I guess the shock went away pretty fast. It's temporary. It's nothing personal. It's strange, though, how you could feel so attached so quickly. And it's something I never thought I'd enjoy doing, but it wasn't that bad. Since I'm leaving soon, I guess I'd better tell you what I have been doing at the hoity toity offices on Madison Avenue. Event planning! Yes! I was doing basically the recruiting end... for a pharmaceutical company. It felt horribly unethical, but I guess I kind of forgot about that since I was getting a paycheck for the past three months or so. I've realized I like talking on the phone, and generally being nice to people, because I'm a nice person. It's not an act with me. I know America is all about customer service and smiling at everyone and basically giving a good impression, but I really DO like people, and providing a good service, and smiling at people. I like people! What else have I learned? That I'm not as smart as I thought I was, and I had/have a lot to learn. I've learned to breathe in and out in a stressful situation, and there were many at this job. I've learned that it is up to me, and me alone, to make myself happy. I was so unhappy, for so long... And Crapco was the reason. I was drowning there. I allowed myself to fall into a rut, to gain an ungodly amount of weight, to waste away because I saw no end to it. Until I put an end to it. And then I went to Israel and had the time of my life. And then I came home and thought I'd have a mental breakdown because I wasn't working and nobody wanted me to work for them and I was needing to move out of the place that I thought would make me happy but didn't. I moved there because I was so unhappy at Crapco. Yeah, that's smart, Ilana. You move apartments because you're unhappy in your job. Back then, I didn't know where to pinpoint my unhappiness.

So in August I found this temp job and we moved to the best friggin' apartment in Brooklyn, thank you very much, and life is absolutely wonderful. Really friggin' great. So I am going to be unemployed again soon and the holidays are coming which means holiday expenses and my sister-in-law is coming to visit from Spain and we have to show off just a little bit because we're the successful family members in America... and that's wonderful, because this is an experience she won't have too often. But all that is fine. I'm not freaking out. It will work out, it always does. I'm happy... for the first time in a long time. I'm healthy. Working at a quasi-normal place for three months showed me there is a positive work atmosphere. There are normal people out there. That come to work to work.

I'm bummed I won't be able to wear my awesome work clothes for a while... I was so rocking winter! But I'll wear them again. My life isn't over. I'll just have to find a new place to debut various outfits... And no shopping for a while, either. Damn! I'm putting an end to it soon, though, because I have been going kind of mental with it lately. The other day I bought what is probably my hundredth handbag. I need a support group! Unemployed-Bagwhores-Anonymous. Please join me, at least for the bagwhore part. :)