
Hurricane Sandy Effect
Source: Sherri Liberman
Hurricane Sandy has made me realize how much we depend on technology but it also made me realize how utterly boring life is without it.
Since I was born in the Dominican Republic, I have been through hurricanes and cyclones so it is safe to say that this storm was nothing to me. However, unlike those days back in my country I was not this addicted to technology or Korean dramas. This is why I had a fully charged iPad and iPod full of my Korean dramas to weather the storm.
Although, my devices put up the good fight they eventually died and this is when I knew I had to escape. There was no water or electricity but now there was no more entertainment. There were only so many Korean actors I could draw before dying of boredom. So I packed a bag and escaped to the Bronx in a cab. Though, not before seeing my neighbors climbing 15 floors with a bucket of water in the pitch black staircase. At this point I was grateful that I had somewhere to escape to.
Seeing the people around my neighborhood walk around aimlessly, searching for water and ways to escape brought home how unprepared the city was for this disaster. Getting an email from the school that people had actually died is an even greater cause for concern.
All in all, Hurricane Sandy did not do me any irreparable damage and I have seen much worse. It’s hard for me to take this very seriously after seeing my grandmother walk a few miles in such a hurricane but I hope that next time we are all adequately prepared even if it turns out to be nothing. Better safe than sorry, I always say.
Tags: Hurricane Sandy
November 5th, 2012 Written by Vivian | 1 Comment

New York Magazine Cover Shot.
Hurricane Sandy was probably one of the scariest things I have lived through. Ever.
The way your body shakes or shutters every time Sandy’s winds hit the window out of pure fear and consciousness that a million things could go terribly wrong. The lights flickering so quickly, and regularly, that it’s almost like you’re blinking, but you know it’s not you it’s everything that is happening outside.
The sense of fear comes from not being to do anything; being completely at the mercy of nature is inexplicably humbling.
I was lucky. My area did not get hit badly, I didn’t lose power, my grandmother was safe, and we were alive. I counted my blessings, 100 times over.
Others weren’t so lucky and for them my heart broke. I was consoled by the fact that New York City showed that for all the privacy we seek, we are still a city that knows solidarity and protects their neighbor.
I followed most of the storm, like many others, through TV coverage and Twitter. To say that these reporters did an amazing job covering the storm is an epic understatement. The images below all link to stories that I think covered Sandy the best they could. I also followed Anthony D. Rosa of Reuters’s twitter throughout the entire storm and afterwards. Even though he wasn’t like one of the news reporters on the ground, his insight was amazing. I especially liked that he volunteered on Saturday in SI and tweeted about what was really going on there. Unfortunately, news channels were not covering how horrific SI’s destruction is and how displaced these people feel. Rosa captured that emotion in his tweets and rallied more people to go volunteer and help.

(more…)
Tags: Hurricane Sandy · Rants and Love Songs

Pulling a pork dumpling out of boiling Miso Broth Credit:Juliya Madorsky
Tired of your old Chinese take out spot? Looking for something new and exciting? Emperor Japanese is the place you need to be then. This kind of eatery specializes in “shabu shabu” or “hot pot” in English. Its a style of eating where each patron receives a pot of boiling broth and types of raw meats, vegetables, and a variety of other delicacies to cook right in front of you. And to top it all off, its ALL YOU CAN EAT! What more can you ask for??
Winter is prime time for hot pot in Chinese culture so I was surprised we were seated so quickly. The decor of the restaurant was spacious while still offering an intimate seating arrangement. Upon entering, you could smell the heavenly scents of different broths and simmering meats all rolled into one tantalizing aroma.
As we sat down, a waiter handed us a menu with boxes next to them and a pen. Simply check off how many orders of which dish you would like and you’re one step closer to food heaven. I was a kid in a candy store as I rapidly checked off anything I had even the slightest inkling for. Good thing I had my fellow classmates to keep me in check!

Raw Beef strips Credit: Elizabeth Griffin
I ordered the Szechuan broth (Soup choice is CRITICAL) and several orders of beef and chicken strips, fish balls, tofu, pork dumplings, prawns, bean sprouts, and (it wouldn’t be a Chinese meal without) bokchoy. The dishes came out and they were immediately immersed in their steamy baths. The meats are not previously marinated so once they are cooked they take on the flavors of the soup, not overwhelmingly so which was a pleasant surprise. The meats were juicy, the vegetables delectable, and the tofu…tofuey! (its a good thing)
Emperor Japanese also provides a sauce station if you desire a fuller flavor for your dishes. There are a medley of sauces to choose from such as hoisin sauce, chili paste, and garlic sauce to name a few. Needless to say, I took full advantage of the dipping plates we were provided and loaded up on every sauce they had!
The night wasn’t as perfect as it could be however. The place got real crowded real quick which made it almost impossible to hail a waiter for more food or even the check. Larger tables would have been welcomed as our table filled with dishes rather quickly as well. Despite these minor hindrances, Emperor Japanese is a place to behold and is worthy of its royal namesake.
Tags: Restaurant Review

After watching many Korean dramas, cooking my own food at a restaurant was always something that I wanted to try and I’m glad that I finally did it. While there were some things I was not satisfied with, I got a great enough experience to want to try this at other restaurants.
The restaurant was called Emperor Japanese Tapas Shabu Restaurant and it was located in Chinatown. There were a lot of people in the restaurant and it looked like people were enjoying themselves. The first thing you see when you sit down is a piece of paper where you write down the quantities of the type of meat, soup and vegetables you want. You place the soup on top of the table, which has an integrated hot plate to heat the soup. As the meat is brought to the table, customers dump everything in the soup to cook and then place them on a small plate to eat.
The food was okay, really nothing to write home about. The beef slices were good but somewhat muffled by the taste of the miso soup I was dumping it in. After putting the beef slice in my mouth, I not only got the taste of the soup but also the taste of the juicy meat, which reminded me of pork fat.
The King Prawns on the other hand was something to write home about. While they looked like gray slugs on the plate, they came out looking beautifully pink and delicious out of the hot pot. The feel of them in my mouth gave me a mixed feeling of bliss and disgust. Bliss, because they were succulent and juicy. Disgust, because I could feel the small legs of the prawns while I was chewing them. However, it is that typical disgust that can be put aside if the food tastes good. Like when i’m told I’m eating rats when I eat rib tips from Chinese restaurants and I roll my eyes and say, “but they taste so good!”. Sorry prawns, but I have to eat you.

However, the smell of the food is a huge part of the reason this restaurant is just “okay.”
The smell is overwhelming. It somehow rubs off on your clothes so that I could still smell the food on me when I got home. While I loved the prawns and the chicken slices, I don’t want to walk around smelling like them. I also thought that the restaurant had very limited space, which made it uncomfortable to cook our food. I was reluctant to try most of the sauce that my classmates made because I was afraid of reaching over and spilling something. Given the nature of this restaurant and how much people have to move around, space should have been the first priority. However, eating with my classmates and being distracted by our conversation, diluted this experience…until i got traumatized.
As it always happens when I try something new, I got traumatized. After cooking and taking out a chicken dumpling–which my classmate claimed was delicious and actually told me that it was cooked— I discovered that it was not cooked at all after putting it in my mouth and tasting the raw ingredients inside. The taste was so disgusting and cold that it felt like I was tasting raw chicken with blood and everything. I cannot emphasize to readers enough, let the food cook for awhile. This was a horrendous experience and after that I only ate the meat and rice. However, do not let my classmate’s mistake and the consequences, put you off this place.
Overall, the atmosphere of the restaurant was one of busy energy, which I loved. What made this restaurant great for me was not so much the food but the experience of trying something new. While I was ecstatic about everything in the moment, looking back the food was good but not anything special. The service was great and efficient but they didn’t even take credit cards. Yet, it felt like I was home cooking with friends which is just as important as discovering new exotic tastes.
Tags: Restaurant Review