@yawen

Ginger molasses dough

I’ve been cooking a lot more these days. Instead of lurking around LES or Chinatown afterwork, I’ve been coming home to COOK. My power ingredients these days are: nutritional yeast, coconut oil/milk, tahini, SoyBoy 5-grain tempeh, curry powder (tumeric/cumin). Also into grains: the other day I made huge portions of barley, and then quinoa. Ah, you ask what a vegan eats? There you go. It’s pretty filling and healthy most of the time. I just gotta add more veggies & fruits in there somewhere.

Tonight I baked. I am way filled with sugar now. Ginger molasses cookies — vegan & gluten-free. GF only because one coworker has a wheat allergy. I’m baking for the coworkers because everyone else on the team (all 4 of us) have been doing a gift exchange. I promised them cookies. So there. It took all night but it’s tasty… just a bit too moist & doughy!

I was never into sweets until I got into veganism. Really. Now I crave cupcakes and cookies and ice cream. I’m getting fatter as a vegan.

I thought I saw a dead guy yesterday.

Afterwork, I went through the crowded Chinatown streets to get groceries. I came across some guy on the streets. At first I thought he was a bum sleeping. But his position wasn’t right. He was on his back and his legs twisted oddly. I stared at his stomach and swore his stomach wasn’t going up and down. There were 2 kids beside him, claiming he just fell over. One guy was on the phone with a cop and called the ambulance. I couldn’t just leave. It’s easy to just take off in a crowd and not help out — what is it… the bystander effect?

Anyway. A firetruck came and I heard them shouting, “get up, get up now”, so I think he’s alive. I left since he got help, after all. By the time I left, there were 5+ police cars swarming to the same block. I thought, “Oh, no is this a crime scene… am I leaving the crime scene?” But no… there was another incident around the corner.

Damn, Chinatown. You crazy.

Light bust at Grand Army Plaza, Prospect Park

Although I’ve been bicycling for many years now, I’ve come a long way from bike-friendly small-town Davis, California. Biking in New York City now is more than just a ten minute commute to class. It’s an urban alternative transportation, which is both enjoyable and practical. But as with large cities, more conflicts arise as we cyclists battle for the road with not just cars, but pedestrians, and less obviously, cops? Just because there are many miles of bike lanes laid out, it does not mean that we are recognized. I’ve ditched my monthly metrocard a few months ago and become a serious bike commuter. So it would make sense I’d attend my first Critical Mass in my city of Brooklyn. (FYI: Critical Mass is group biking around the city in an effort to make biking more prominent and legitimized)

I wouldn’t say this one in Brooklyn was a complete let-down, but it definitely wasn’t what I expected. First, there weren’t too many people. 25 max. Second, there was a weird tension between the cyclists & the cops. Apparently October had always been a stressful month for cyclists. I researched for any recent cyclist-cop clashes but couldn’t find any. Hmm. It was definitely a strange setup: there were way too many cops to cyclists. I see that cops could facilitate our ride by blocking the streets, but that is just too much. The trail of cops was quite intimidating. The feeling “whooo, it’s like we’re being escorted”, faded quickly. So during the ride, which was in and around Prospect Park, one of the cyclists commented, “Let’s confuse the cops!” Though I’m not the biggest fan of cops, I didn’t think it was an amazing idea to piss them off. We followed anyway because it was just a bike ride. It was a lovely night. Light breeze, mid-high 60s. Prospect Park at night might be creepy but it feels okay since I’m with so many others. We rode through a marching band parade. Confused street onlookers. Then after our final ride through the park, to our starting point, the Grand Army Plaza entrance, we saw blinking lights — LOTS of them. At first I didn’t know what was going on. The row of cops were pointing and shouting instructions: You pass through, you turn right. I was one who made it through. My friend wasn’t so lucky. We found out it was a “light bust.” Cyclists without lights got tickets. Oh dear, it was a TRAP. I didn’t believe it. According to another, Brooklyn cops have always been lenient toward the cyclists, and kept out of our way. Manhattan was the stricter place. Now that Friday night, at least 20 cops were waiting for us knowing there would be lots of cyclists at that point. What a set-up. At the end, lots were busted for not having headlights. One was arrested for not having an ID [Edited: He was detained. Thanks, Jabir!]. My friend had handed me my bike light not knowing it mattered. Well, it was either him or me. It was also his first Critical Mass experience.

Well, there you go. I’m not certain I’ll participate again. Even if I avoided a citation, I didn’t want it to be a play between cyclists and cops. I just want to ride, ride, ride, show our existence to not just the cops, but to everyone. Critical Mass just isn’t the way to go about it, at least not in Brooklyn.

Prospect Park Bandshell, after Blonde Redhead played a set

Parks are essential to my summer in the city. They’re for picnics, music, sports, parties, lounging and peace. I’ve already compared the New York City parks last spring. Let’s compare & list all my activities at each: Central Park vs. Prospect Park

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Sometimes I go to places that are absolutely NOT vegan-friendly. Like Momofuku above, which dictates that they have no veggie options. At all.

Thanks to the hipsterization of veganism, this means that you’ll have to refrain from identifying yourself as a vegan. It’s fairly easy, though – read on for some tips!

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Busy neighborhood where my office is located. Business hours Mon - Fri 9:30 to 18:30

“But what does that mean?”, I’ve often been asked. Unless I have more than 5 minutes, I leave everyone with vague answers which of course elicits confusion and make me feel like an arrogant snob. Here is a lengthier description — much more than “I do web stuff”.  It’s not too hard to describe, but it does require explaining my background, which is boring, if not in the realm of TMI to most strangers. Read on if you don’t feel like that stops you! read more…

I work in the SoHo neighborhood of Manhattan. Is it possible to find under $5 lunches that is decent, filling, and… vegan-friendly? Yes! Just avoid SoHo. It’s lovely being in a tri-neighborhood area, where SO many options exist. As a side note, it’s always good to check prices and availability beforehand. I’ll try to update this list to reflect current offerings but there are just some places I don’t visit often enough. Some, like Pinisi, don’t even have menus since items vary from day to day. Check out yelp or menupages for reviews and other useful information!

My choices are primarily ranked on 2 factors: value & proximity. Here’s my top 5:

1. This is a tie between Pinisi Cafe & Bakery and Punjabi Grocery & Deli, both close to 1st/1st ave in East Village. They are so good I can go to both 3 times a week – even with the 10+ minute walk!
   • Pinisi’s made-to-order paninis mean custom ingredients. My greens-avocado-hummus combination was fresh and hot. Oh, and it’s 4 bucks. It makes me question why paninis are usually over 6? There are also always  vegan sweets available, though I haven’t tried them yet. NOTE: I am not sure now if they have paninis available anymore. I only see promotions for their baked goods.
   • Punjabi is a nondescript hole-in-wall – you really would walk past this place if you weren’t searching for it. Oh wait, that’s what happened my first time. When we finally found this tiny place wedged between apartment buildings and a bar, we discovered the many under $5 options, including my favorite choice: a $3 small rice bowl with 2 veggie options. Tasty and spicy vegetarian Indian food. Be aware though – there is a bitter veggie you may want to ask about and [not] get. It’s definitely an acquired taste and might ruin your meal if not prepared.
2. Lite Delights is only a 5-minute walk from my office. Considering its location (NoHo, right on Houston between Mott & Mulberry), the prices are superb. So, what are my vegan choices? The Santa Fe burrito ($4.25 +tax) is simple and filling: brown rice, avocado, scallions, salsa. The veggie dumplings/sushi combination ($3.25) is not as filling but good on a not-too-hungry-but-want-to-eat day. Then there is the questionably vegan veggie burger sandwich ($3.95 +tax). It uses honey mustard, but yes, I don’t mind that. This place is #2 in terms of its quality, proximity, and of course value!
3. Vanessa’s Dumplings in Chinatown (near Eldridge & Grand). Let me just preface this by saying dumplings are my favorite foods. And they have $3 veggie dumplings. $3 for 8 piping hot fresh dumplings with handmade wraps. It’s thick and chewy – what the Taiwanese call “Q”. The only downside is that there is usually a long line during the lunch time. If that is the case, I head over to Prosperity Dumplings, which is around 4 blocks south, near Manhattan bridge. They have $2 dumplings! But it’s not as “Q”. Still, it’s a close call. Unfortunately it takes around 20 minutes to walk over. Unless I take the subway 1 stop. Which is a bit lame, don’t you think? This is why dumplings will only be #3 on my list.
4. Viet-Nam Banh Mi So 1, aka Saigon in Nolita at Mott & Broome. At $4.75 incl tax you have 4 vegan sandwich choices. Or at $3.25 you can get the traditional veggies sandwich. What is a Banh Mi? It’s a French baguette with Asian-style veggies: cilantro, cucumber, carrot, hot sauce, plus variations. Oh, and they are huge portions. HUGE. I had it earlier today. And no, I am not yet hungry (it’s been 5 hours?).
5. Last one I’ll mention is Yatagan at MacDougal & Bleeker in Greenwich Village/NYU area. Falafel sandwiches for $2.50. I used to hit up this place when they were only $2, as well as Mamoun’s down the street at past midnight, after a late night out – or if I was in the area, exhausted, with only a few bucks in my wallet. Then even before the recession, Mamoun’s prices rose to $2.50, while Yatagan remained at $2. Slowly I got more addicted to Yatagan’s more generous portions, and friendly faces. Now, even when the falafel prices are the same, I still choose Yatagan. It may be #5, but I always know where to go if I crave a falafel and am in the area!

Runners-up include: Whole Foods on Bowery (it’s never under $5 for a filling meal, but the seating area and atmosphere is terrific), NY Dosa cart (All vegan! But the meal choices narrowly missed the $5 limit – it’s $6), Two Boots Pizza (it’s under $5, but I rarely crave pizza these days), Buddha Bodai (Under $5 meal option, but it’s just too far for this to be regular).

The official start of summer, sun setting on the longest day of the year.

It’s officially day 2 of summer! Weather outlook so far looks to be a wetter and cooler summer here in New York City. I hope it doesn’t mean a boring one. I’m all set for summer fun with a new camera, a fixed up bike and some new found energy. Lookin’ forward to some summer festivities!

More photos and possibly other projects to come.

We rode in the pouring rain. 11 miles? Done.a crowd gathers

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Spending my nights dodging rain. Here’s a quiet night spent in a neighborhood with scattered Chinese shops and restaurants and amongst them: an assortment of small music venues, small eats, boutiques. And such is the culture of Lower Manhattan: all the neighborhoods criss-cross, share streets, buildings and people.

An intersection of Chinatown & Lower East Side, New York City.