The Paw Print

Niki Chen, 15, lives in Douglaston, Queens, NY. She attends Stuyvesant High School where she writes for the arts and entertainment section of her school’s newspaper. She is also an active attendee in the National Honors Society. Her hobbies include playing basketball, even though she’s not that good at it. Niki has a love for music (especially Arcade Fire) and movies (especially “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind”). This humble and achieved teen believes in being fair and treating others the same way she would like to be treated.

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As a child I used to sit at the table, with my fork in hand, and nostrils flaring from the sweet aroma coming from the kitchen. This is a Saturday ritual at Grandma’s: waiting to be served the same dish that is the national dish of Barbados. Watching my grandmother turn the cou cou (cornmeal and okra) with a wooden paddle that looks like a miniature cricket bat, made me feel as if at that moment nothing come between me and what was being made in the pot. We were one, me and the soon-to-be-ball of cou cou. The turning of the yellow cornmeal with the cou cou stick – which may also double as a discipline tool in some homes – in the aluminum pot always made me feel warm and protected.

Being taken in as a step-granddaughter, cou cou gave me and my newfound grandmother a bonding moment. It was the glue in building our relationship, as we approached the starting of a new family. Cou cou became a family thing and unified our likeness for this one plate of food. My Southern background and my step-grandmother’s West Indian heritage combined on one plate with something we could both relate to: cornmeal and okra.

Flying fish, a flaky white fish that can be steamed, fried or broiled, is usually served on top of the cou cou and can be found in the West Indies and parts of Asia. The ingredients for cou cou are not expensive, which promoted its popularity as a comfort food dish traditionally served on Fridays and Saturdays.

Cou cou is deeply rooted in the country’s African heritage. Because of easy access to cornmeal, okra and other ingredients that are vital in making cou cou, it became a primary food source for African slaves brought to Barbados.

Cou cou looks like a sphere of yellow dough with white and green specks, because of the okra skin and seeds. There are two types of cou cou, stiff or mellow. The stiffer the cou cou, the easier it is to shape and mold it the way you want.  When a cou cou is mellow, it’s loose.

My grandmother’s grandmother was known throughout her parish, Saint Michael’s, Barbados, for being a good cou cou maker. She would ask her neighbors, “Do you want a stiff or mellow cou cou?” and then prepare according to their preference.

My grandmother has always made a mellow cou cou, and it was smooth, soft, you may find a lump or two, but it went down with ease.

Summer 2010 has been by far the most exciting summer ever.

I have achieved one of my greatest accomplishments: having my article posted on a New York Times blog. This is the ultimate achievement in journalism, to me at least. The class itself was a wonderful experience that was a little out of my comfort zone. That forced me to work harder.

The class exposed me to community news. I live in East Flatbush, Brooklyn. My neighborhood lacks community news outlets and I feel like my job as a journalist would be to be the voice of the West Indian Community. As someone who lives in the community and knows it well, I feel my job is to fill that gap between East Flatbush, or other West Indian communities, and the media.

However, the summer wasn’t all work. I did manage to spend a lot of time having fun.

I started off my summer in Washingon, DC for the West Indian Carnival. I thought it was boring if you weren’t playing in the mud and 85% of the participants in the parade were all decked out in mud. I didn’t come to the carnival with the intentions of ruining my clothing.

The summer was also filled with loads of parties. The best party was “Lipstick Jungle.” This was the party that my best friend and I threw.

Originally I wanted to write about a fun summer playlist that I enjoy, but I decided to write about my journalism class experience. Sadly, today is the last day that I would reunite with my journalism class.

Twenty-seven points, seven rebounds and four assists from MVP Andre Barrett helped team Gold’s Gym win its first championship in the Nike Pro City Tournament that took place on August 6 at Baruch College. The final score was 120 to 90 in a straight-out dog show between defending champs Nike 1 and underdogs Gold’s Gym.

“All the team has to do is control the tempo of the game and put a body on every man and we’ll be fine,” said John Strickland, coach of Gold’s Gym team in a pre-game speech. It was Gold Gym’s first time championship game. Strickland made footprints in Nike Pro City history by becoming the first player/coach to win a championship.

The Nike Pro City tournament raises money to build community centers for kids in under-served neighborhoods. After winning previous citywide tournaments, adult players – or Big Dogs – from leagues at Gold’s Gym and Nike 1 faced off in Pro City.

Before the tip-off, the teams huddled and swayed, yelling “Let’s go!” and “This is our house!” as the player’s names were announced. Ten men took the court and the game began.

It was a competitive first half but the hunger for victory showed more in the players of Gold’s Gym. Coming out in the first quarter, pushing the tempo of the game and getting mostly fast break points was an advantage for Gold’s Gym, whose players were younger than those on Nike 1, and quickly tired them out. By the end of the first quarter the score was 20 to 14 and predictions on who would win the game rumbled through the crowd.

The second period started off with a powerful dunk by Tyrone Grant that made the rim squeak and gave Nike 1 fans hope for their title-defending squad. But after three minutes of the second quarter the pace was slow, going into halftime with Gold’s Gym leading 58 to 43.

Starting the third quarter, “Eye of the Tiger” must have been playing in Barrett’s head since he came out hitting three consecutive 3-pointers from the same spot. This shooting performance lowered the momentum of Nike 1, allowing team Gold to take advantage of the game and extend their lead going into the fourth quarter with the score of 88 to 60.

By the start of the fourth quarter both teams knew who the winners would be but the final celebration included both teams with smiles, trash talk and a bet on who would win next year.

Walking into the Brooklyn Museum exhibit, “Andy Warhol: The Last Decade,” the first thing I saw was pink, purple and blue self-portraits covering the walls. This pop art had the same dizzying effect of walking into a fun house at Coney Island.

The show, “The Last Decade,” features work Warhol did in the late 70s and 80s. Many teens, born nearly 10 years after the artist’s death, relate to the decade by incorporating its style and energy in their wardrobe and the bright colors of Warhol’s late work makes him still relevant for younger generations. In fact, Warhol’s famous portrait of Marilyn Monroe, which was featured at the museum, is on many teenager’s Myspace profiles and layouts.

“Oxidation Paintings” of 1978, use a mix of uric acid and metallic pigment. The curator said that Warhol had his assistants urinate on metallic canvases to create the green tones. This was by far one of the most creative pieces in the entire exhibit and the unique painting materials would definitely generate a response among teens.

This holds true for Warhol’s theory that art should be abstract, yet tangible. Everyday items inspired his work. His painting of Cambell’s Tomato Soup, which is at the museum, is well known for accomplishing this idea. The art most teens are exposed to is boring and historical and to see that art could be inspired by kitchen cabinet items is engaging.

Exhibit goers learn that Warhol collaborated with fellow artist, Jean Michel Basquiat, on Sin More (Pecca di piu) (1985). They both partnered with Francesco Clemente on Origin of Cotton (1984). For that one, Warhol did the background painting, Clemente did the faces and Basquiat did the writing, similar to graffiti that is seen on New York City subway stations.

The spookiest part of the exhibition was the last self-portraits Warhol did before his death. He portrayed himself with intense eyes, facial expression and elaborate wigs. Seems like Lady Gaga may have been inspired by some of Warhol’s dramatic paintings.

The gallery will be on view until September 12. This would be the ideal way to spend a summer afternoon right before school starts again.