institutional to transcendent: vegan in the heartland pt. 2 (kansas city)

this was the one of the pieces of "art" in my hotel room in Kansas City...

As some of you know, I have been an AP art history reader for 3 years now. I greatly enjoy reading the ever-increasing numbers of exams, and having a chance to hang out with fellow art historians for a week. For the last two years, I have gone to New Jersey for this assignment. However this year, they moved us to Kansas City.

As I hopped on the train for the 4-hour trip from St. Louis, I was excited to get a chance to visit a new city, and I eventually ended up much to love in a city known for its BBQ and steak.

First, work food:

When I showed up, I found this sign in the vegetarian food line at the ballroom of the Kansas City convention center. I was relieved that there was a dedicated section for veg. food- but I soon found out why the sign was there. According to my colleagues, the food at the convention center was so bad that people were flocking to the vegetarian food, thus causing the food to run out before actual vegetarians had gotten their meals!

How bad could the food be? Well, let's just say it was... institutional. The above image is a collection of some of my breakfasts, lunches, and dinners. As you can see, it wasn't too difficult to eat vegan, and by the end of the week, there were even some pleasant surprises (tofu! tacos! beans!). I also noticed some signs saying "brown rice available for vegans." Which, great, I love brown rice, but did I miss the memo that said that only vegans could eat it? (You guys already know how I feel about needless food segregation and weird definitions of veganism.) The food was honestly not that bad, but very bland and extremely repetitive. (Especially since I'd been spoiled for good fresh veg. food in New Jersey, as you can see in this post from last year.) By the third day, the thought of veggie sausage for breakfast again was enough to make me ill. As you can see in the mosaic, by the end of the week (top photos) I had resorted to drinking soda with my meals just to settle my stomach, and I (like many other readers) started skipping dinner.

Here is a shot of the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, a giant and wonderful museum that I happily got to visit a couple of times while in K.C.

Still Life No. 24 by Tom Wesselmann, 1962, The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art

Here is a work of art by Tom Wesselmann that speaks to some of our worst fears about American food- packaged, processed, and bland. After a few days on my institutional diet, this piece really made me think. It's funny how distorted the promise of plenitude has become in the American psyche, isn't it?

Fortunately, there was a whole other side to my visit. First of all, I was lucky to have found a wonderful yoga studio within walking distance of my hotel. At Kansas Siddhi Yoga, I got to work out the kinks in my neck and shoulders, but more importantly, work out the negative attitude that was starting to take over my mind.

Taking advantage of the Kansas City Veg. Restaurant Guide, the advice of fellow bloggers and PPK-ers, and the convenient and cheap K.C. public transportation system, I finally found enough time one evening to get myself to Eden Alley Café. When I saw the specials list, I knew exactly what I needed to get: watermelon gazpacho! This raw dish, bursting with fresh ingredients (a gazpacho of watermelon, cucumbers, apples, and tomatoes, served with a big scoop of guacamole and topped with sprouts and lime juice) was the counterpart to the bland food I'd been having all week.

Fresh lemonade

House-made sourdough bread drizzled with a green and fruity olive oil

And gazpacho! I can't tell you how good this meal was. It was totally worth the trip, and getting caught in a thunderstorm on my way back!

Especially because my awesome server slipped this chocolate lavender cookie to me after my meal, for free! This cookie let me have something awesome and healthy to enjoy as everyone else snacked on candy bars during our reading the next day.

There were so many other vegetarian and vegan-friendly restaurants that I still wanted to try in Kansas City, but I ran out of time. Good thing I'll be returning here for work every June for the foreseeable future. My yoga class allowed me to have gratitude- not only for the extraordinary vegan food at Eden Alley, but also for the quite ordinary food at the Convention Center. I was reminded that even though I complained about it, it was still food, vegan food. And that is something to be thankful for.

Restaurant Information:

Eden Alley Café
707 W 47th St
Kansas City, MO 64112
(816) 561-5415

institutional to transcendent: vegan in the heartland pt. 2 (kansas city)

super fat

Daiku, Mardi Gras, party store, 2006

Happy Mardi Gras / Fat Tuesday / Shrove Tuesday / Pancake Day / Carnivale / Super Tuesday everybody! I want to dedicate this post to the wonderful Kittee, a.k.a. Cake Maker to the Stars. As you know, she lives in New Orleans and when she heard me complain about not being able to find certain key ingredients for cooking a Mardi Gras feast, she sent me the most amazing care package! Behold:

• Zapps potato chips (what other brand of chips do you know that makes a (vegan) flavor called 'Cajun crawtator'??)
• Tony Chachere's seasoning (the flavor can't be duplicated)
• Camellia field peas and red beans (for authentic New Orleans red beans and rice, of course)
• Zatarain's crab boil seasoning (to make a nice vegan boil with potatoes, corn, what have you)
• Zatarain's root beer extract (just, wow!)

With all these essentials in hand, I was able to do some holiday cooking today. I made Kittee gumbo and Kittee king cake. (sense a theme here?)

The gumbo called for Julie Hasson's Italian sausage recipe from Everyday Dish, which was wonderful, because after reading everyone rave about these on their blogs, this recipe was something I'd been wanting to try. And you know what? These sausages were really really good. Not only was the flavor wonderful, but more importantly, the texture was just right- chewy without being rubbery, tender without being spongy. Seitan success!

The gumbo came out great, chock full of Tony Chachere's and Tabasco sauce, bursting with flavor. It wasn't too thick, but because of the okra and the roux, it had real body. Daiku, who used to live in New Orleans, loved it as well.

The funnest part of today, however, was baking the king cake! Traditionally, a baby Jesus (king) figure is baked into the cake. Whoever gets the slice with the baby (or bean, as some people use) has to bake the king cake for next year's party. Since my baby is made of plastic, I couldn't bake it, and it didn't matter, since it was just the two of us tonight anyway. Instead, I let the baby hang out on top of the cake and check out the action.

Here's an inside shot - I added some bourbon-soaked raisins to the cream cheese / cinnamon sugar filling, and they complemented the orange zest and vanilla of the cake perfectly. You have got to try this recipe, I don't care that Mardi Gras is over!

In keeping with the spirit of the holiday, here's a bonus: pumpkin bread pudding with bourbon sauce. This bread pudding recipe, from Fatfree Vegan, is one I'd been wanting to try for ages. This weekend, Daiku and I had to take dessert to a party we were going to, so I finally got the opportunity. The best part about this dish is that it's made in the crock pot, so we got to plug it in at our friends' house to ensure that it could be served warm. The bourbon sauce is an invention of Daiku's, veganizing something that usually calls for butter, cream, and egg yolk in addition to bourbon and sugar. He used soy cream, sugar, Earth Balance, vanilla, and bourbon, and thickened the sauce with a bit of cornstarch. This was a really addictive sauce, and perfect to bring out the mild flavors of the bread pudding.

Whether you were celebrating Fat Tuesday or Super Tuesday today (or both, like me) I hope you had a great time. And a delicious one, too.

Here's my Mardi Gras post from last year!

super fat

Friday VeganMoFo round-up

Well, it's Friday, so I decided tonight's VeganMoFo would be a blast from the past... a Friday Food Round-up! Do you guys remember these from last year? It's when I would inundate you with way too many photos of food from the previous week? Good times. I stopped doing that because, well, those posts were a bit much. But, since VeganMoFo is all about revisiting the past, I thought I'd do a (shorter verstion of) a round-up this week.

All through this post, I will give little thrifty tips. As you guys know, Daiku and I are eating out of the pantry until Thanksgiving, trying to keep supermarket shopping down to a bare minimum. There are many reasons for this: one, we are a bit broke this month, and trying to save some money for the holidays. Second, this is the time of year when it's good to clean out the pantry, eat all those things you've said you'll get around to, and make room for a new year's worth of stuff. Third, and my favorite reason, has to do with the upcoming holiday, centered all around food. I find the feast/famine dichotomy fascinating. Before gorging ourselves on the holiday, it's fun to meditate on what it means to be able to do so. The bounty of food that we have, the amount of choice we can exercise, and the meaningfulness of being able to feast whenever you want.

Ok, more about Thanksgiving later- for now, on to the round-up!

Ok, the first photo is definitely not something we ate! Here is a brand of margarine in the supermarket that caught my eye because of its impossibly cheesy 70's-style packaging. It is vegan, but possibly the most vile stuff you could ever see. Not only is the margarine artificial and extremely unappetizing, but the sticks have a whopping FIVE grams of trans-fats per serving! Definitely one for the "Frankenfoods" file... If you want vegan, or kosher, or parve margarine, why not give Earth Balance a try? It's not hydrogenated. It's not artificial. It's not scary. Yikes!

Here are banana-wheat bran muffins from Veganomicon. I replaced the wheat bran with oat bran, because that is what I had, and I mixed a handful of walnuts into the batter. Finally, I topped each muffin with walnut halves and maple sugar before baking.

They came out very well, and they are part whole-grain and not too sweet, making them perfect for breakfast.

As soon as Hannah posted about these vegan butterscotch chips on her blog, I knew I had to try them, just for fun. They are a bit too sweet and artificial-tasting to enjoy out of hand, but they are perfect for baking, especially because I haven't had butterscotch since going vegan!

When Celine posted this cookie recipe on her blog, I noticed that I had every single ingredient in the house- score! - so I immediately baked them. Trust me- you can't go wrong with a Celine recipe, especially one involving chocolate, butterscotch, whiskey, and extra chunky peanut butter! This recipe used rice flour, which made the cookies tender and crumbly and good. I want to bake with brown rice flour more often now!

You know how disorganized I am about getting around to trying recipes? Well, how about if I tell you that this is SusanV's peach upside down cake- that she posted in early AUGUST? I had saved and frozen some peaches from my big haul this summer, and after I baked cookies, I figured, hey the oven's on, I might as well bake some more. So, after months of drooling at the recipe, I finally got to make it.

And it was good! I used date sugar for the caramel part on the bottom of the cake, and it worked much better than I thought it would. I love the lemon flavor in the cake- this recipe is a winner. I'm glad I have tons more peaches saved in the freezer, because I want to have this again!

Here's a tip- if you ever make biscuits, save the little bits of dough that are left after cutting them, and freeze them in a baggie. Then, whenever you make soup, you have ready-to-go dumplings at the ready! Last night, we made this kitchen sink soup: potatoes, onions, garlic, red wine, cabbage, radish, cauliflower, celery, tomatoes, peas, everything we had in the fridge, plus some millet! Today, when re-heating the soup, we dropped some frozen biscuit dough in there and voilà- veggie dumpling soup! It was so good- warming, hearty, filling. I want to try this method to make some chicken-dumpling soup, too. Maybe with some thyme, dill, not-chicken broth? Some sage? What are the dominant flavors of chicken soup?

Finally, here's a deep-dish sourdough pizza. I feel so spoiled now that we have home-made pizza practically every week. I promise not to go off on a sourdough tangent here...! At first, it seemed as if we had nothing in the house that would be a pizza topping. But, a can of crushed tomatoes made the sauce. A cheezy sauce came together with some flour, oil, soymilk, nooch, and seasonings in about 2 minutes. A couple of pieces of tempeh were transformed into sausage (using this recipe - my favorite!). Some onions were caramelized. And before we knew it, we had a deep dish, awesome pizza for about $1.50. Making your own pizza and toppings is such a good feeling- and such a quick dinner!

Ok, that was my blast-from-the-past Friday Food Round-Up! I promised it wouldn't be too painful, right?

On a final note, we had our first snow in Syracuse today. Everything outside became very quiet and very pretty, very quick! Here's a shot of our backyard this morning. Good night, all!

Friday VeganMoFo round-up

voodoo stew

I know there are two distinct camps out there- those who have had long hot Summers and are ready for Fall, and those who feel that Summer went by too fast (or never really came at all!) and therefore would like to squeeze out some last bits of seasonal warmth before embracing the coming chill in the air.

As you know, I'm in the second camp. And this entry and this recipe are for those of you who agree with me.

VOODOO STEW (makes enough to feed many, and to keep summer from leaving just yet)

Directions: On the first day you feel a distinctly Autumnal chill in the air, pull out your trusty crock pot.

Put into the crock pot in the following order: some onions sautéed with olive oil, salt, pepper, paprika, and turmeric, then some diced potatoes and carrots sautéed with plenty more salt, pepper, paprika, and turmeric, then two fistfuls of barley (regular, unpearled, rinsed), one fistful of lentils (rinsed), three or four big fistfuls of roughly chopped kale, a bottle (12 oz.) of the summeriest beer you can find, and 1-2 bottles worth of veggie broth (24 oz. or ~ 3 cups- you'll need to watch your crock pot and add liquid as needed, depending on whether you want a very thick stew or a thinner one), and some righteous anger. This last ingredient is critical!

Set your crock pot to low and go away for 6-8 hours. Do something Summery, like lounging in a hammock.

Serve with some crusty bread and keep muttering under your breath how Summer better not leave yet. If you do everything just right, you might be successful, like I was, in bringing on some warmer weather. The last few days have been downright hot! For the next few days, I will be brining you Summery posts involving fruits, farmers markets, and other fun. Update 9/25 : I just heard that yesterday, the city of Syracuse beat the all-time record for heat- this stew really works!

Happy Autumn!

One year ago today: On 24 September 2006, I blogged about apple picking and Oktoberfest.

voodoo stew

food for hot days

being kids at the apple orchard

My friend Sharon flew back to France today. It's difficult when one of your best friends lives an ocean away (actually, most of my best friends live 100's or 1000's of miles from me- what the hell?) but I'm glad we got to spend some time together when she came up to Syracuse last week.

Here's some of the food that we ate during Sharon and Dorota's visit that I remembered to photograph... so many other great things such as stuffed eggplants, pancakes, pumpkin pie, and pumpkin oatmeal cookies shall survive, unphotographed, in our memories!

The day they arrived was a really hot one, and I knew that after driving for a few hours, they wouldn't want anything hot or heavy. My solution? Three types of hummus: regular, roasted red pepper, and a raw zucchini one (clockwise from left in the above photo). The zucchini hummus was very delicious, but I wish I could have figured out a way to make it a bit thicker. I like my hummus nice and thick, this way, it's perfect as a sandwich filling too. Everyone raved about it, though, so I'll be making it again.

Here is the hummus in breakfast form: served with sliced veggies (cucumbers, daikon, tomatoes, olives, and fresh tarragon) and some fresh-baked pita. We buy our pita bread from a local Egyptian market called Jerusalem, where they bake them every day. You can get white or whole wheat, and they are magnificent.

Sushi dinner. Daiku, Dorota, Sharon, and I had great fun rolling these with various fillings. I used some of the leftover veggies to make a salad, and we also had cold soba noodles in a ginger/sesame broth on the side. Another hot weather winner.

Finally, we have a French Farmhouse Fricassee, courtesy of this website. I'd been looking for recipes using tarragon, which is one of my all-time favorite herbs, since I'd picked up a big bunch to make Melody's tester salad dressing. This is a crockpot recipe that will make your house fragrant all day long as it cooks, without generating any heat. We used tempeh, and loved the result, but I'd suggest cutting the tempeh into smaller pieces than the recipe suggests, so it can better soak up the flavors.

Here's the recipe:

Adapted from Fresh from the Vegetarian Slow Cooker, by Robin Robertson (Harvard Common Press, 2004).

Fricassees are usually made with meat, but this stick-to-your-ribs recipe uses tempeh, seitan, or tofu along with slow-cooked early-autumn vegetables, shallots, and white wine to make a fragrant stew that warms the senses and the soul.

No fine mincing required: the veggies are chunky, and the recipe practically makes itself whether you use a slow-cooker or not. Imagine your kitchen filling with the appetizing fragrance of a French farmhouse!

INGREDIENTS

2 tablespoons olive oil
4 shallots, quartered
1/2 cup dry white wine
12 ounces tempeh, seitan, or extra-firm tofu cut into 1/2-inch thick slices (we used tempeh)
8 ounces baby carrots, halved lengthwise
8 ounces small red potatoes, halved (we used white potatoes)
8 ounces green beans, ends trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces (we used yellow wax beans)
One 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes, drained
1 1/2 cups vegetable stock
Salt and freshly-ground black pepper
1 tablespoon minced fresh tarragon or parsley leaves (we used tarragon, including a bit in the cooking as well as at the end)

1. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add shallots, cover, and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the wine and cook for 1 minute to reduce slightly. Transfer the shallot mixture to a 4- to 6-quart slow cooker, or a large heavy-bottomed soup pot.

2. Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil in the same skillet over medium heat. Add the seitan, tempeh, or tofu and cook until lightly browned on both sides, about 10 minutes, then add to the slow cooker along with the carrots, potatoes, green beans, tomatoes, and stock; season with salt and pepper. Stir to combine, cover, and cook on Low for 8 hours if using slow cooker. If using stovetop, heat to a boil, then reduce heat to low and cook, covered, for 35-40 minutes, or until potatoes are tender.

3. Just before serving, stir in the tarragon or parsley.

Serves 4.

* * *

Sharon, if you're reading this, we miss you!

One year ago today: what I was blogging about on 2 September 2006 (gasp! was the tART contest really 1 year ago??)

food for hot days

weird day

Today has been a strange day.

First, my cats got into a huge fight. Bijou and Marble don't exactly love each other, but they do stay away from one another- so when I heard hissing and meowing, I knew they were up to no good. I found a very angry Marble and a Bijou with a scratched up nose. Why? I have no idea. But for the rest of the day, these two cats slunk around the house, royally pissed off.

So then I go to the store to pick up some toilet paper and laundry detergent. Uh, guess what a friendly bird decided to deposit on my toe just as I was walking into the store. This is supposed to be good luck, right?

Look what I found at the supermarket! I had to bring this guy home. I'm a fan of mutant produce, I always feel like if I don't take them no one else will! (Kind of like on "Friends" when Phoebe felt bad for the puny Christmas trees, remember?)

Fortunately, there was a happy ending to a rather bizarre day. Bridget brought this tortilla soup by! I'd never had tortilla soup before (crazy, right?) and she instructed me to eat it with the tortilla strips, fresh avocado, and sour cream. It was so flavorful and spicy. Thank you Bridget! (Go to her blog for the recipe link)

I'm going to go to bed now, and hope tomorrow is slightly less Twilight Zone-ish!

weird day

what a little smoked tofu can do

.
Ok, it's the first day of June, and you are going to ask yourselves why I'm devoting a whole post right now to what seem like colder weather foods. True, Syracuse has been basking in 80-degree temperatures for the last week or so, but we had chilly days and nights right into late May. So, as a way of exorcising the cold weather once and for all, I hereby bring you our last batch of cold-weather foods, and promise nothing but fresh summery goodness from here on in!

One day, a couple of weeks ago, Daiku got a sudden spaghetti carbonara craving. For those not familiar with the dish, it's what you would find illustrated in a dictionary were you to look up the phrase "heart attack on a platter"- spaghetti tossed with a sauce of cream, eggs, bacon, cheese, and butter. Daiku, however, veganized it admirably with a secret weapon:



Smoked tofu! By sauteeing small pieces of smoked tofu in olive oil until they were crisp, he achieved the flavor and texture that bacon would regularly bring to the dish. The dish was finished off with onions and garlic, soy cream and peas. The result was spectacular- a hint of sweet offset the smoky chewy tofu perfectly. And, we didn't gain 56 lbs. just by eating dinner.



A little smoked tofu goes a long way, and since smoking preserves it, it lasts a long time in the fridge. A few days after the carbonara, split pea soup was on the menu. Again, the dish started off with a little smoked tofu sauteed in our pressure cooker pot until it was crispy, and had imparted its aroma. Next were added carrots and onions, bay leaves and other spices, all deglazed with a little white wine. Next went in a bag of green split peas and some veggie broth, and the pressure cooker was turned on. In less than 10 minutes, we had the world's thickest, richest split pea soup. The house smelled like a log cabin - a very woodsy aroma.

Next to the split peas were Amey's english muffins. I was so excited when she posted a recipe for english muffins a few months back, and I never realized that they could be so fun and easy to bake. (And they freeze well, too!) Look at those nooks and crannies I made all by myself. These english muffins were made with about 3/4 whole wheat pastry flour and 1/4 white bread flour, and they were marvelous.



Finally, we have vegan ham and beans. Another simple, nutritious, and stick-to-your-ribs dish with very little fuss but a lot of flavor. This time, the ingredients that went into the pressure cooker were smoked tofu, onions, bay leaves, and rosemary. The pre-soaked navy beans were cooked in a veggie broth, and the whole thing was done again in under 10 minutes. (Can I just tell you how much I adore my pressure cooker? It makes cooking beans a quick task. In the 6 months since I've had it, I've learned how to adjust flavorings and time so that the beans come out perfect every time. And, for the first time, I can make palatable garbanzo beans at home, when I used to think that only the ones from a can were any good. This pressure cooker cost under $20 and is one of the most useful kitchen gadgets I can think of.)

To go with the ham and beans, some skillet cornbread:



Coming out of the oven



Cut into a wedge, so you can see the corn and charbroiled poblano pepper chunks.



This fluffy, spicy and sweet cornbread, some kale sauteed with garlic and red pepper, and smoky ham and beans. What more could you ask for on a cold May night?

Oh yeah, a warm May night!

P.S. The little block of smoked tofu we bought at the Asian grocery store was made in Long Island City, the neighborhood in Queens where I used to live! And, it's not all gone yet- watch out for it to be making its final appearance in a batch of jambalaya, coming soon...

what a little smoked tofu can do

NYC images, part 1 + happy New Year!

A few quick photos from my trip to New York City. This trip was a chance for me to catch up with Dorota, one of my best friends. It is strange to think that I live so close to NYC, but only get to visit every other month or so. Anyway, this week of bonding did us good!

The night before I left, Daiku and I had a farewell dinner. I got the recipe for this Thai-style curry from a British magazine called "You Are What You Eat" (Dec. 2006 issue, p. 94). Funny name for a magazine, huh? I had never heard of it, but this recipe, and many of the articles in the magazine, were really intriguing.

Here is their recipe for "Butternut, peanut, pea, and spinach coconut curry with cashew salad" with my modifications:

2 TB vegetable oil
1 large onion, sliced
1.5 TB Thai green curry paste
4 garlic cloves, chopped
2 handfuls skinless peanuts, chopped
1 lemongrass stalk
400 ml. unsweetened coconut milk
600 ml. hot water
2 green chillies, sliced (I used Hungarian red chillies instead of Thai bird chillies)
600 g. butternut squash, peeled and cut into large chunks
3 TB Thai fish sauce (I omitted)
2 large handfuls peas (I used frozen peas)
250 g. small leaf spinach (not being used to metric measurements, I didn't realize that 250 grams of spinach is a LOT! so I used less, because I didn't have much)

Cashew Salad:

handful of toasted cashews, chopped
2 spring onions, sliced
handful of coriander (cilantro), roughly chopped

• In a large pot, heat vegetable oil and sauté onion until it just begins to caramelize. Add curry paste and garlic, fry for one minute, stirring often.
• Add peanuts and fry another minute, stirring well to ensure mixture doesn't stick
• Meanwhile, remove base and head layers of lemongrass and thinly slice until you get to the woody part- but reserve the woody part
• Add coconut milk, hot water, chillies, lemongrass slices and the reserved stalk, and bring mixture to a boil. Add squash and fish sauce. Simmer until squash is cooked. Add peas and cook for another 3 minutes, taste and season. Stir in spinach and turn off heat.
• To make salad, mix the ingredients together. Serve curry with a little salad on top.

This stuff was magnificent! The squash in Thai curry was a first for me, but it came out really well. Try this recipe!

We ate the curry with a side of baby bok choi, steamed, then sautéed and sprinkled with sesame seeds. We also had some baked tofu (I gave Crystal's recipe another try, this time with firm tofu, and it came out beautifully)

Enough for leftovers on the train the next day. (Including Thai take-out leftovers) I had the coolest lunch on that Amtrak, hands down!

A lychee cocktail at Spice Restaurant. We all commented that the lychee kind of looked like a fetus!!

Sorry for the blurry photo: dinner at Spice. My friends Nicole (who was visiting from California) and Dorota were kind enough to order veggie things, so I could try them: spring rolls, potstickers, and Japanese Eggplant salad. Spice is a cute restaurant, with plenty of vegan options (including mock duck!)

Union Square Farmer's market. I used to walk through here every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday on my way to work. Check out these Romanesco Cauliflowers!

Yours truly munching on a whole wheat sourdough baguette at the market. I basically ate my way through the city for the whole week. (Hello, free samples everywhere?!)

Speaking of samples, here is Dorota at the Max Brenner Chocolate by the Bald Man store. Not too many vegan options here, but it is a fascinating shop/restaurant to walk through- chocolate fountains, little plastic syringes for a "shot" of chocolate, chocolate truffles, pizza, ... They had samples of chocolate-covered pecans, the remains of which you see melting on Dorota's hands!

A crazy new Automat restaurant on St. Mark's place. There was only one vegan option (PB & J sandwich), but I was intrigued by the place: simultaneously old-school and futuristic. Fun to walk through.

These cups are among my favorite things that Dorota has ever brought back from Poland:

You'll be innocently drinking your Açai juice when you see something weird.

What is this?! You exclaim as you take a few more sips.

Ah! It was a froggy hiding in my cup! So cute.

I have one of these cups too, with a puppy instead of a frog.

The frog wishes you Happy New Year's Eve! I hope the upcoming year brings everyone peace, health, and love. Daiku and I have a tradition of staying home and cooking for New Year's Eve. I better go help cook.

So long, 2006. It's been real.

NYC images, part 1 + happy New Year!