Food Fest!

Food is necessary for the body.  There are many of us that treat food as a means to an end, but why?  If the act of eating is something we must do at least three times a day, why should we eat something for the sake of eating it and not because we truly enjoy it.  Food is a simple way of engaging the senses, or giving pleasure to the body.  If we can willingly inflict pain on our bodies through procedures such as waxing, eyebrow threading, etc., why not ingest pleasure?

I come from a home where food is taken seriously, in fact, we are all self-proclaimed foodies in my house.  The Food Network is one of our favorite channels, my mom is constantly experimenting with various cuisines and my dad will travel for his food.

With that said, my ticket to the 4th Annual Village Choice Tasting Event last month was like an invitation to heaven for a day.  The trick, I feel, to any food festival, is to go easy on the breads and heavy carbs, and add more meats and proteins in order to really taste a good chunk of what the festival has to offer. In this particular festival, over 65 vendors were present, each one unique unto itself.

New York is known as a melting pot, and the name becomes real when you see delicious foods from countries all over the world under one roof.

Here are some of the techniques and tasted that I loved most about the festival:

• Location and setup: this year's event was held at the 69th Armory, a flat long hall, lined with three rows of food and enough room to keep people from spilling food all over themselves and those around them
• Each vendor offered one or two small items and each item was a presentation in and of itself.  Below is a the Spiced Lamb Sausage I had from Northern Spy Food Co. in which the chef took time to decorate each sausage with a little raisin and some greens.

• The sign for each vendor's offering also listed the beer that would best complement the dish
• My faves:
1. The capachas (sweet corn crepes) and tres leches cake from Patacon Pisao were so good.  The crepe had a great texture that was not to dry or flaky and complemented the avocado, chicken and cheese without being too heavy or overpowering.  As for the cake, it too, was not too rich or heavy in taste.  If you're not a big fan of sweet thing, though, this may not be the best item for you.

             2. Wine straight from the barrel!  City Winery was providing samples of their red wine
                  au naturale   

               3.   Yum, yum.  Mac 'n Cheese from Mama's Food Shop:

4. OMG this was amazing;it's the Shrimp Roll from Luke's Lobster placed on a slighty warmed pieceof bread- talk about melt-in-mouth delicious:

5.  Last but not least, this is ricotta gelato; it was actually eggplant and chocolate from Del Posto topped with the gelato, but by the time I got to it, the eggplant was finished.  What was left was the fabolous gelato which contained bits of chocolate.

                 For anyone willing to try and experiment with food in the city, food festivals and even culinary food tours are an awesome way to explore what the city has to offer.  Until next time, happy eatings!

A Taste of the Trades

Recently a few highlights from Cynopsis, a trade newsletter, caught my attention and I wanted to share them here:

1.  You would think that when large corporations launch a product, that it would be different from the competition but business also launches products just to be a part of competition, to say that it too, can do what others have done.  I guess the reason why it surprises me is because so many resources are spent on it, but the same resources could have been used to create a different, better product if only the resources had been used correctly.

The thought stems Cymopsis' blurb about from Yahoo's new Search service, Search Direct. The newsletter goes on to state how it is a response to Google's new instant character by character search offering (Google Instant)  but it does not really set itself apart from the competiton- at least not yet.  In comparison, Microsoft's Bing at least offers content and great visuals. Want to check it out?  Use the link below and try it for yourself

http://search.yahoo.com/  Note:  the site is still in the beta phase

2.  Ed Harris is set to play John McCain in HBO's origianl movie project Game Change and Jullianne Mooore will be cast as Sarah Palin.  I'm excited to see the outcome and reaction to the portrayal of prominent figures in our society today.

Aside from Cynopsis, last week I saw the video of an inspirational speech given by former Cricket star, Imran Khan (I can't take credit for finding this; a friend recently posted it up on FB :).  The message of the video inspired me, so I thought to share it here.  Also, given that we are in the middle of the ICC Cricket World Cup, I think this is my homage to the sport and all the great players out there.  To everyone involved in the upcoming epic game between India and Pakistan, my prayers and encouragement are with you!  Get out there and play your heart out!

3. The video below portrays Imran Khan speaking about ambition and how you should always strive to achieve your mission.  Here are two quotes from the speech that really caught my attention:

"When you compromise on your mission, or ambition, that is where your downward slide starts." -  Imran Kahn

"O Hawk, do not fear these mighty gusts of winds that hit you; they are meant to make you fly higher."- Allama Iqbal

Thoughts?  Comments?  Questions?  Leave them here!

Music for Today features: "Can a Drummer Get Some" by Travis Barker, featuring Lil Wayne, Swiss Beatz, Game and Rick Ross, "S&M" by Rihanna, "Ya Ali" by Zubeen Garg from the Bollywood Movie, Gangster

"The man may be the head, but the woman is the neck...

and she can turn the head any way she wants."  Right now, in my living room, my parents are watching the Indian soap opera, Pavitra Rishta, or Pure Relationship, and I just witnessed a dramatic scene where a mother disowned her son because she just found out that he had two wives and a four-year-old son with the first wife- he had kept the first wife and his child a secret from the rest of his family and from his second wife.

Although this drama isn't as bad as some of the others, in the sense that the men in the drama do think for themselves and make thoughtful decisions that are not easily swayed by their wives, the dramatic scene brought the fabulous quote from My Big Fat Greek Wedding to mind.

The situation described above is also brings to mind one of my favorite quotes: "There is always more than what meets the eye."  Earlier today, I had an image interview with a colleague of mine where she had to tell me what I did well, how I could be more effective and what I appear to be passionate about. In the interview, she spoke alot about perception; basically, there were are times where she plays to the postiive perception others have of her in order to maintain a certain image.  For example, a senior colleague once told her that she looked smart in glasses.  In order to keep this perception, she wore glasses whenever she had a meeting with him. My point to it is that I have been noticing more and more that there is a rhythm and rhyme to many things that appear so natural and what looks perfect does not mean that it is perfect once you scratch the surface- this applied to anything whether it be an outfit, a speech or even a relationship.  On a deepernote, it also leads me to what Joel Osteen has been saying for a long time- if something was meant to be yours, you would have it already. It doens't mean that you will never have it, but as dire as a situation may seem at a moment, you have everything you need to be happy right now- just look in the closet of your mind and you will find it.  Instead of feeling the pang of envy I used to feel when there was something I wished I had in my life, I tend to look more frequently into my own closet now and smile at the people and relationships that I can call my own.

I know this post has become more philosophical than I ever intended it to, but looking back on it, I like the way it turned out.  Hope it makes you smile or reflect positively on your own life! For something lighter, check out the catchy song from Rihanna and Nicki Minaj- I woke up with it running through my head :)  Enjoy!

Music for today features: It's Raining Men by the Weather Girls, You Make Me Better by Fabolous, and The Cave by Mumford & Sons

The Art of Listening

A wonderufl friend of mine recently sent me information about a guest blogger opporutnity on a website that targets recent graduates and people starting to pave their way in the working world.  I sent the marketing manager my information and she asked me about topics that I wanted to write about. I gave her my list which included mentoring, networking, social styles, etc., but this list -  specifically networking- triggered my thoughts. 

In essence, networking is all about making and keeping connections, similar to how a computer network links together computers, allowing users to access and share information within the linked computers. The concept is the same in the real world, but can be harder to do because you do not want to come off phony or force a relationship.

So, how do you go about it?  Let go.  We are on our best behavior when we are relaxed and are not overanalyzing a situation.  This may not sound realistic but I am starting to slowly realize that a relaxation technique of your choice really is beneficial for the mind, body and soul and will have a positive effect on all aspects of your life.  Another thing that will really help in any relationship is the art of listening.

I came across an article in a speed writing course I took that did not leave me since I read it back in 2009. It talked about how listening, as in really hearing what the other person is saying engages your mind and helps you understand what the other person is feeling- it helps you form a connection-or network- with another person.  I don't think I can post that specific article but I found another shorter one that speaks to this idea:
http://www.creatingstrategies.com/articles/communication_tips/the_art_of_listening

I think the article pretty much sums up networking in a nutshell.  Feel free to let me know your thoughts, comments, questions!

Chocolate to the Rescue

Given that last Monday was Valentine's Day, it looks as though a writer at the Metro was looking out for all the guys that would need to schlep over to the local chocolatier or drugstore to buy chocolate for their sweethearts.  According to the article, "Chocolate Scientists:  It's all pretty delicious", the taste of chocolate is not associated with the cost of chocolate.   Thousands of chemical compounds make up chocolate and scientists are not able to tell different types of chocolate apart in terms of chemical composition.  Therefore boys, the next time you are thinking about Godiva, Russel Stover, Max Brenner, Hershey or Trader Joe chocolates, remember that she probably won't be able to tell the difference in taste between any of them.  If she wants proof, go ahead and use the article below.  If you want my suggestion, lay out the chocolates without the wrappers on a dish surrounded by rose petals.  ;)

Check out the link below!
 http://www.metro.us/newyork/local/article/771776--chocolate-scientists-it-s-all-pretty-delicious

Music for Today includes:  Truly Madly Deeply by Savage Garden, Palladio by Escala, and Black and Yello by Wiz Khalifa

Lollipop

I'm currently listening to Lollipop by Lil' Wayne which is what inspired me to name this post what it is (I didn't realize how raunchy it was until I really listened to the lyrics,  but it is still very catchy and it is stuck in my head).  The song was on this past Saturday at Crash Mansion where I went to go see my friend's band, April's End, perform, and the song has stayed with me since that night. Of course, given that it was a rock show, a more rock-heavy version of the song was playing.

I recently saw a VH1 documentary on Lil' Wayne in which he stated that he doesn't write his rhymes anymore.  That's pretty awesome- to be able to go into a studio, rap on the spot and have it be part of a song.  You also must have serious power, too, as a person, to be able to go in and do that.  Now, if only he would pull his pants up a little higher than where they normally sit...

It seems as though Lil' Wayne's extemporaneous rapping is his catharsis and one that he releases with passion.  About two weeks ago, I wrote that I would find a release, a method of relaxation every day.  At the time of writing, I didn't know how this would really pan out, but I'm pleased to say that I am still feeling the relaxation I felt when i first returned from Singapore.  Since my return, I have begun cooking, which is really a form of therapy for me.  The 30-60 minutes I spent a few times a week preparing my lunch for the next day have been surprisingly relaxing.  I think this is because my mind i focused on the taste, the outcome, the ingredients that i forget everything else around me.  My recipe source?  See below!

I bought the cookbook on a recent trip to Nasvhille and have currently made Veggie Stir Fry with couscous and Eggplant Parmesan.  I did modiy the recipes a little (i.e. the Eggplant parmesan recipe inlcuded ham, which I left out), but it is a great,easy and healthy way for a new cook to start off in the kitchen.

Speaking of food, check out the link below; it leads to a site about Village Voice's Choice Eats- a food fest on March 29th featuring numerous restaurants.  If you're a foodie like me, this event is a must-attend.  Hope to see you there!
http://choiceeats.villagevoice.com/2011/


Music for Today features:  The Cave by Mumford & Sons, Lollipop by Lil'Wayne, There Goes My Baby by Usher

"Like Sand through the Hourglass...

these are the Days of Our Lives." I recently spoke to a friend who just entered a new relationship.  He spoke to me about how he feels life is short and how a person should seize an opportunity when it comes his way, while his girlfriend believes that life is very long and should be lived for the people that mean the most to us- it's not all about you but the people around you as well.

What inspired that train of thought?  Well, besides the fact that it is past midnight and the thoughts are flowing freely because is a bit "open" right now, I couldn't help but reflect on my life since the start of 2011.  From the beginning of January until today, I have submitted b-school applications, went to Nashville, took an amazing trip to Singapore and am back now with what feels like a new lease on life.  Moreso, with each passing day, there is some thread of my past that is hooking onto my present to show me that everything happens for a reason (this also happens to be one of my strengths-connectedness- but more on that later). The point:  while the days may go by quickly and accumulate rapidly into months and even years, looking back on life, I want to be able to think that whatever I did was somehow worthwhile, that it added up to something productive and involved happy memories with my friends and family as well as growth and achievement for myself.  Life may be short but when time adds up, it doesn't feel so short anymore.

I also attended a program at work today that helped me understand my strengths using Strengths Finder 2.0 by Tom Rath.  The online assessment helped me realize what my top strengths are; surprisingly though, some of the qualities that the researchers behind it have defined as a strength don't necessarily feel like a strength.  For example, a strength of mine is intellection which refers to being introspective and thoughtful -  I didn't particularly view it as a strength because it felt very passive; I wanted a strength that showed how I am out to make a change, that I'm a go-getter.  However, the point of the test is to show you the strengths in order for you to take them and harness them into the most successful strategy for your career- in essence, your strengths are what you make of them.

Check out the link below for more info!
http://www.strengthsfinder.com/home.aspx