Photo of the Day -- Teacher's Rule!

I saw this wonderful sign in my friend's 7th grade classroom...

this could work for just about anything
do the mad lib
add and replace for teacher

for example:
Rule 1 - The photographer is always right.
Rule 2 - If the photographer is wrong, see rule number one.

Photo of the Day -- Friend's Wedding

Memories on a friend's wedding day...

One blissful day
full of memories
recorded in our minds
captured in our photographs
and remembered in words written on a page.
all to be remembered on another day.

Memories of a wedding
documented
and put away
only to be remembered
on another day.

Photo of the Day -- San Diego Mission Beach

This is the life...

an elderly couple relaxing on the beach (on a friday)
will we all enjoy life like this when we're older?
let the dream come true!

Definite Must Try! Lure Restaurant - SoHo Area

Welcome to the Lure Fish Bar located on 142 Mercer Street in Soho.

All I have to say is -- WOW, you will not be disappointed with the food! If you don't like seafood, or are allergic to it, they also offer salads, free range chicken, steak and cheeseburgers.

Here is a sampling of the food that we ordered.

Shrimp with Sesame Appetizer

-- we ordered this in lieu of the Shrimp Tempura and I have to say, both are very good; but if i could only choose one, I'd get the Shrimp Tempura (they are very addicting!!!), but if you could get two, get them both! (live a little!)

Wellfleet & Kumamoto Oysters

-- oi mate! this was delicious. if you like raw oysters, there are six different types to choose from...also, one "little clam" is available

Steamed Branzino (the original way)

-- Lure is currently making it with oyster mushrooms, scallions, ponzu and cilantro, but my friend was special so she got it "the original way"

-- Very smooth fish with splendid blend of seasonings - you have wonder why they changed it up though?

Chocolate Brownie Madness (my made up name for the dessert of the day)

-- first of all, you have to like chocolate
-- second of all, you have to like sweets

-- third of all, why are you just sitting here reading this -- go there and try it!

Our cool waiter, emphasized in blue (was by accident, but it was a nice mistake)

-- the entire wait staff is friendly, wacky and fun (if you want them to be)... and of course, professional
-- aside from the wait staff, the management there make the environment fun and extremely inviting (which is surprising considering the upscale menu)

As I briefly mentioned before, the menu is very well rounded and pricing is on the "higher-end" of the spectrum with appetizers ranging from $14-$30, entrees ranging from $26-$43 (you can get a Lure Style Cheeseburger for $17) and desserts ranging from $8-$10. If you're on a budget, expect to blow it with this; but if you're on a date - this would be a great date place; if you want to celebrate something or splurge a little - this would be the place to go as well!

p.s. Celebrities are known to like this place too! So ... Enjoy!

photos taken with my Canon SD880IS

Italian Ice Cart Vendor

Name: Pedro
Occupation: Italian Ice Vendor (summer); Food Catering Business (Full-time)
Location of Cart: Varies, starts at 110th street and 5th avenue then heads south until its all sold out
Personality: Very friendly, upbeat, talkative, attentive, and possesses "street smarts"
How much does he make in a day? Anywhere from $80-$100.

WELCOME TO ITALIAN ICE

I am starting to see a lot of these carts around NYC, or similar carts. There are the icee-like ones with the flavored syrup poured over the ice and then there are the Italian ices. So what exactly is an Italian Ice? Its a frozen dessert made from either either concentrated syrup flavoring or fruit purees. It is made by the same process by which ice cream is made -- ingredients are mixed and then poured into a batch freezer -- and waa-la -- Italian Ice is made!

So this is what one vendor had in his cart...

There are FIVE flavors to try and FIVE different size cups to choose from. So how will you decide?
Will it be the cherry? MANGO? lemon & lime? COCONUT? or pineapple?
PHEW! who doesn't like options, right?
I like to mix it up - I got the pineapple and lemon & lime (mango was sold out!)
sorry, I ate it too fast, so there is no picture.

So you think deciding between the all the flavors was tough?
Wait until you see the cups!

$1.00 (rarely offered), $1.50, $2.00, $3.00 ... and then super-sized $5.00 cup!

btw, if its good for Pedro to eat, then its good for you to eat too!


This is a definite must try... it especially hits the spot on a hot and humid day!

!refreshing!

Enjoy, I hope you will be able to find Pedro!

Who said GEESE are BORING? far from it...

These geese photos were taken in Central Park on the Upper East Side ... as I sat very still amongst them, I noticed quite a few interesting behaviors and I've shown them below (with um, my side commentary...) :D

THE BIRD THAT DIDN'T LIKE ME TAKING PHOTOS

i call this the stare down (or its wondering if i'm food)

THE INTERESTING LOOKING BIRDS, WITH ONE SALVATING!

you looking at me? says one; while the other says, mmm... food!


JUST COULDN'T QUITE GET THAT ITCH!

my favorite is the head between the legs (comical)

OOH, CAN YOU PULL MY LEG?

aaah, thanks! (ha ha)

OK, NOW LEAVE ME ALONE, ITS TIME TO SLEEP

the normal way to sleep, close your eyes lay down...

but how about this one?
YOGA POSE!!!


yes, its sleeping on one leg!

Photo of the Day - Swingset on the Playground

What does this photo remind you of?

... pause ... think ... for ... a ... second ...

Ok, so what did you think of?

It reminds me of my elementary school days when I used to swing as high as I could.
It reminds me of the fun, care-free and somewhat easy days of our childhood -- when we didn't really have any thoughts other than wondering when we'll see our friends again ... so we could play once more... on the swings, on our BMX bikes, or on our roller skates ... ah, those were the days...

The Central Park Red-Tailed Hawk ... Sited Again!

Click on the photos to open the picture - you'll see it better!

As I wrote in my previous blog last week, I once again, fortuitously spotted the beautiful hawk hanging on a tree near the Bethseda Fountain ... Though it may be amazing to have found the hawk, I have to admit, it was staring down on me pretty hard -- so much so -- that I started to wonder if like in the Tom and Jerry cartoons, if the hawk starting imaging me as some big worm, or small bird, that would be edible. EEKS...

Tasty Hand Pulled Noodles in Chinatown

Beef Stew Noodles / Seafood Noodles
Noodle Master (of the day) / Boiling Noodles / Reclaimed Noodles

The picture above is from Tasty Hand Pulled Noodles Restaurant on Doyer Street (an extremely discreet alley-like street) in New York Chinatown. The noodles were wonderful, but I admit the beef stew was mediocre to sub-par. For this dish, I am used to chunky beef stew (nee-ro-mein), rather than the thinly sliced beef that was in it -- needless to say, this was not what I had imagined. However, the soup was TaStY and the fresh noodles were amazing! There are over 15 different topping choices, so you will have many options; traditionally, hand-pulled noodles are served in soup with some meat and vegetables and can be ordered stir-fried. I'd probably go again, but I'd like to try the noodles with duck (friend had this and said it was fantastic) or pork chops. On average, dishes start at $4.00 (vegetable hand pulled soup) and can go up to $7.00. You really can't beat this incredible deal.

So what exactly is hand pulled noodles, or also known as Lamian (La Mein; literally translated to pull (la) noodles (mein)). Lamian originated in northern China and has been around a long time - but just how long? We don't know for certain, but in 2005 at an archaelogical site named Lajia, scientists found a well preserved upturned bowl with these noodles. Scientific research says its been around for over 4,000 years, potentially making these the oldest known noodles. Incredible isn't it? As you eat these hand pulled noodles, you can appreciate that the art form has not been lost even after all this time!

Just a little bit about the restaurant -- the staff spoke minimal English, but was quite helpful (have no fear, the restaurant has an English menu hanging on the wall and a menu with pictures). The restaurant is small, and even though the food can be served FAST, I wouldn't suggest walking in there with a large party of 6+ unless you are going during off-peak hours. The chef who made the noodles allowed me and other patrons to watch him make the noodles -- the process is incredible and that alone would likely entice you to visit the noodle shop -- below is a glimpse into how the noodle master "whips" up the noodles!

chef prepares the dough


like pizza, you have to knead the dough
then comes a series of what looks like jump roping / thrashing / twirling moves with the noodle ( a slow methodical dance between an artist and its canvas)







and its ready to be cooked; whether you have it fried or in a soup - the lamian noodles are made the same way

DID YOU KNOW TIDBIT:
There is an extensive list of Asian noodle types -- those with different textures, sizes, and tastes -- and I would almost bet you've probably had many different types of Asian noodles in your life without even realizing it ... white flat rice noodles (used in "beef chow fun"), egg noodles (used in wonton noodle soup, crispy noodles/chow mein, lo mein), ramen (this needs no explanation -- even I've had Maruchan for $0.25 a bag! and cup o' noodles), vermicelli (used in Singapore noodles) and the list goes on and on ... So Lamian is yet another example of noodles. Just think about all the different types of pastas that are available, there is probably an equal amount of asian noodle varieties. We won't get into the debate of who created pasta/noodles first; but it is believed that in the 13th Century, Marco Polo learned the art of noodles through his expeditions in China and then brought it back to Italy.

One thing is certain, noodles have found a place setting to many dinner tables worldwide -- doesn't matter if its Chinese, Korean, Japanese, German, Italian, Hungarian -- we've all had a tailored made noodle in each respective native country.