Disappointment

It’s a holiday today, so along with watching online updates from the inauguration and marking things off my to-do list, I get to be home during the day to eat lunch at my very own table. This never happens (except on the weekends, but let’s not nitpick)! I felt like I had to eat a sandwich today, because, you guys, we need to talk about expectations and major disappointments. Real life lessons only here on this site.
Over the weekend, I’m sad to say, I finally ate one of those classic sandwich at Katz’s. Sad to say, because it took me my entire early life to make it there and, well, it was meh. The food was fine. The restaurant was a mess. The employees and the patrons looked like they hated everything. New York has so many food institutions I feel awful about skipping, but no more. Excuse me while I just stick to Mile End’s ever-reliable smoked meat from now on.

We ate tamales and champurrado for breakfast, and snacked on fresh concha bread from the panaderia across the street for lunch. Love me some East Harlem. Also, carbs.

Emotional Weather Disaster Eating

Like just about all New Yorkers, we spent the past few days under a Sandy-induced vacation, inside, hoping the power stayed on, soaking up all the great light I miss while I’m at work, and, of course, eating. In my case, I used the time to explore the art of cooking “poor food,” as Matthew calls it. It turns out I have gone my entire life without cooking or knowing how to cook oatmeal. From a jar. And not from a instant package. Oops, looks like I haven’t lived, you guys.
The good news is, with brown sugar and stewed pears it is really good. Like, I made it a second time to “take some photos” which is code for, I’m in a natural disaster so I’m eating a big ol’ real breakfast for the second day in a row.
Jokes aside, I’m feeling blessed we have power and dry floors.

The City College of New York, West Harlem

City Kittens, II

Do you remember when I mentioned the family of cats living in our backyard? Well, now they’re all grown up. The backyard space is almost empty, aside from being overgrown with weeds and bushes, and they’ve fallen for it, spending just about all day there. Last week I made the mistake of leaving out some leftover steak for them, because they looked so cute.
This one above isn’t scared of us and the noise our window makes when it’s opened. Now, when we’re home, he’ll sit and wait. He waits, hoping if he sits there I’ll give them more food. Which I do. I mean, that face! But it’s also so I can take photos like this one, with his stare and tail curled just so. It’s like he knew I was hoping for that pose.

East Harlem at Sunset.

City Kittens

There are two windows in our apartment kitchen that look out onto a cement backyard. Throughout the summer the yard has gone from an empty square to an overgrown ivy jungle, and along with it, has become home to a family of city kittens. Now is the time I would admit to standing at the window for long stretches of time, because they’re so adorable so obviously I should throw food out the window for them. But that would be creepy and weird, right? One day Matthew is going to come home from work to find a kitten in our living room and, Well I have no idea how it got here but we better keep it and love it forever.