food in Jackson Heights! and then some.

There are so many things I want to write about that it’s hard to figure out where to start, or what I actually want to record. I don’t want this journal/blog to just be a record of my daily encounters; I want it to more serve as a log for the lifestyle I’ve developed as I become a New Yorker.

Well, I haven’t written about the food in Jackson Heights yet. It’s a big Indian population and apparently feels a lot like New Delhi. There’s at least one grocery store per block, and lots of restaurants. The restaurants have a little more variety than the area in general (Argentinean steakhouse, Tibetan, Afghan, Italian, basic pizza, and of course Indian). The grocery stores are really fun- the produce is super cheap (I’ve been eating so much more fruit) and aside from a lot of regular things, they have all sorts of funky ethnic products- spices (super super cheap), sauces, random juices (pear, mango, peach), flan (one of my new favorite desserts), Mexican cheeses and tortillas, quail eggs (I have yet to try these but definitely will), and…I can’t even remember everything. The juxtaposition is great, because you’ll have a section with all sorts of crazy vinegars and sauces right next to the Hellman’s mayo. Our favorite market is only a block away, so we usually just shop for one dinner at a time, which is nice.

Aside from the markets, though, are also great sweet shops. There are bunches of these types of stores, but one is directly on my walk home from the subway, so I go there a lot and always get the same thing: julab gamun. It’s an Indian dessert that’s apparently some sort of cheese ball soaked in a honey sauce. It really doesn’t taste like cheese, though…more like a sweet bread or something. Anyway, it’s usually served warm in restaurants with more of the honey sauce, but these little shops just sell it cold wrapped in wax paper. I was apprehensive of the different temperature, but I actually really like it. And for only a buck, it’s a tasty treat on my walk home.

But by far and away, however, my favorite ethnic food discovery is kulfi. It’s an Indian popsicle that I’ve seen in three flavors: pistachio, mango, and original. The mango is tasty but sadly not as epic as I’d hoped. The pistachio is pretty good, but still doesn’t compare to the original, which is a milky flavor seasoned with loads and loads of CARDAMOM. I absolutely love cardamom and with the cold sweet milky flavor, it’s been heavenly during the recent heat wave that’s swept over NYC. Potter and I have been getting these a LOT lately. So, so good.

We went to an Indian restaurant (called the Jackson Diner- not really a diner, and comical that there’s nothing Indian about the name) this week because a coworker had recommended it- apparently people come from Manhattan just to come to this restaurant? I don’t know, the atmosphere was kind of weird (high ceilings, no carpet or curtains, really bad acoustics) but the food was good. We ordered samosas and I would never have believed that cinnamon in a samosa would be tasty but I’m pretty sure that’s what I tasted and oh man was it delicious! It was probably one of the best samosas I’ve ever had. Both of our meals were pretty good, too- mine was a little bit unnecessarily spicy, but I guess next time I should just ask for mild. Generous portions have allowed the meal to last for two lunches extra, too, so that was good.

Tonight we went to a potluck that people entering my program at Columbia put together- we realized there were a lot of us already living in the city and decided to get together! I made mango Thai spring rolls with peanut sauce which were a huge hit. Everyone there was really nice- definitely people I’m excited to get to know over the next two years. I was a little nervous about meeting the people who would be my new full-time classmates (a strange thought to leave behind my RPI archies [in a classroom setting, at least]), but everyone was very easygoing and we had a lot of fun. The woman who hosted had an awesome apartment near Columbia with an amazing back patio- I’m definitely jealous and determined to find something similar for our next apartment.

Tomorrow will be another museum day- the Morgan Library has a show on Palladio, including many of his original drawings and newly made models. Drool. The show also talks about his influences on American architecture, so it should be interesting. There’s also a show at the American Museum of Natural History that has rendered Potter a 7 year old- it documents two teams of explorers who raced to be the first to the south pole- and only one team came back. Should be a fun outing.

More later, I hope to keep this more regular!