A Different Thanksgiving

Like I mentioned before, the end of first semester 1L year is a stressful time. 

Outlining. Reading. Studying. Complete and total exhaustion.

And, of course, stress-eating Entenmann's donuts.

Add onto that a house under construction.

Students Who Brunch

It's almost thanksgiving. For "non-lawyer human beings," as my Contracts professor says, that should be a happy time. 

For 1L's, it's anything but. Rather, it's a time for late night pecan pie and gelato. It's delicious, but also eaten in stressful sorrow.

Monday Morning Breakfast-ing

As much as I love New York, it's very far from Michigan. And that means it's far from some great people. 

But sometimes those great people come to New York! What better way to celebrate the occasion than with food?

Parents' Anniversary

Twenty-five years ago, two people started a life together.
They came from different backgrounds, growing up halfway around the world, before meeting in New York.

Hudson Clearwater

This November has been warm so far. It offers great walking weather to observe the trees with its turning colors, the streaming sunlight on stately brownstones....and scope out some food.

LSCS

I took a study break yesterday. 

Wine Disciples Enoteca

I'll let you in on a secret. 

There's a website out there that gives you food and drink deals, plus a few extra perks if you're a Citi member. It's called Blackboard Eats.

They've got deals in a handful of cities in the U.S., but I (of course) am all about the NYC deals. 

A Word on New York Bagels

Everyone loves New York bagels.

I don't even say that facetiously.

My grandmother in Taiwan last came to New York when I was in middle school. (To put that in perspective, I "graduated" middle school in 2007.) When I visited her in Taiwan last summer, she was reminiscing about the wonderful bagels she had all those years ago, piled high with cream cheese. I promised that I would bring some to her next time. 

On a Slow Boat to China: Hangzhou

We last left off with temples, teas, gardens, and bright lights in Shanghai. 

But we had another stop while we were in China. We were determined to make sure that our first trip to China would be well worth it. And so, we popped over to Hangzhou.

It started with a train ride.

On a Slow Boat to China: Shanghai

My parents and I spent a week in China this past August. It was the first time to Mainland China for all of us, believe it or not! We were so excited for the trip, and we looked forward to so many things. I, of course, looked up sights to see and things to eat. 

The 15-hour plane ride was full of excitement

Nan Xiang Dumpling House

Nobody likes dentist appointments, even if they're routine cleaning or checkups. But there is always one tried and true way to make the dreaded day a bit better: the promise of a good breakfast. 

Flushing, Queens is diverse and vibrant part of New York City, and it boasts a wealth of eateries, from restaurants to street carts, catering halls to bakeries. I always leave Flushing full and happy. So it's a good thing that my dentist's office in Flushing. 

I stopped by an old favorite, Nan Xiang Xiao Long Bao. It's cash-only, the service is brusque, there's always a line, and the food is reliably good. 

Mac-And-Awe

Michiganders will get my title reference, if you say it phonetically. For those of you not familiar, it's a reference to Mackinac Island, which is pronounced as if the last "c" was a "w." It's an island which does not allow cars and always smells of chocolate fudge. I've never been (despite many plans with friends to go before I graduated), but I'm sure it's fabulous. 

This week was full of unhealthy, bad eating. There were lots of cookies and cheese involved. It did not help that the law school faculty decided to celebrate the advent of autumn with cider and donuts in the courtyard. Surely, it would be rude of me not to partake (copiously). 

Brie-ng Your Enthusiasm

New York is amazing. Law school is amazing (so far). Put that together and what do you get? NYU Law is amazing. 

Turning Japanese

For those of you who do not possess the same useless knowledge of history/random facts, that's a reference to an old song. But it serves as a good enough transition to the topic at hand: Tokyo!

I went two summers ago with my aunt, and it was my first time visiting Japan. It was wonderful. I might even say Japan is my favorite country to visit. It's clean and modern, but also historic and cultural. The buildings are lovely, the people are courteous, and the food is delightful.

We stayed at the Mandarin Oriental, and let's just say this hotel was jaw-dropping.

High and Low

Thanks to Gossip Girl, people have a certain image of New York, and that image is decidedly upper-crust. Some parts of New York are definitely like that, but not all of it. Sometimes, you just need a break, something casual.

Retrospective Reviews

I said in the previous post that I've eaten at some nice places before. But since that issue was not yet resolved, I am not precluded from going into those details. Without further ado, a smattering of good food from New York and beyond:

New York

Tony's DiNapoli will always be a favorite. I first had their food when I was in middle school and my mom worked overtime and she'd bring food home. That was when I first head of Seamless and first had Tony's. My life was never the same afterward. Now, every time my parents and I visit the city, we eat at Tony's. Their seafood linguine with squid ink pasta is always, forever, reliably good. Their chicken is also tender and so so good. I'm a fan of their penne alla vodka (because who doesn't like that dish?), but my parents were less keen. 

Piadina has some great pasta. It is located in the basement floor, but it's very cute inside. Their garganelli with prosciutto, peas, and cream sauce is ahhhhmazing. 

Egg Shop is Andrew's "favorite breakfast place" in NYC. The name is pretty self-explanatory: they do eggs. But good eggs. And their biscuit with honey butter is out of this world. There's typically a wait on weekend mornings, but it's so worth it. 

Welcome. Hi. Are you hungry?

You might have heard of this place, called New York City. It's pretty big, lots of people. But most importantly: lots of food. There are restaurants, cafes, food trucks. It's heaven for people (or not people) who love to eat.

I am one of those people.