Victor Kareh | Vegetarian recipes. World travel.

Taking a bite: day 3

We finally slept [more than] enough. Our plans for the day were to spend part of the morning in Chinatown and Little Italy, then check-out from the hotel and walk around until it was time to go to the airport. So we did that. My idea of going to Chinatown was to look around and see what's it like, maybe eat some Chinese food. But I wasn't alone. And that other person had a different idea: getting a designer handbag.

Taking a bite: day 2

After not sleeping enough, we woke up really early to have a quick breakfast and take the Staten Island Ferry. We wanted to see the Statue of Liberty, but we didn't want to pay for it. Cheap, I know. We had breakfast at a no-name place and quickly took the subway down to the port.

Taking a bite: day 1

We had a party back home the night before leaving for New York. The party ended at about 2:00AM, at which time I started packing my backpack. I went to bed at 3:00AM to wake up two hours later, at 5:00AM to be at the airport by 6:00AM.

2 hours later we were in New York.

Garbanzo stew

If I had to describe this dish to most non-vegetarians where I come from, I would call it a vegetarian fricassee. People would still be confused, but that's okay because it still tastes good. In all honesty, it cannot be called a fricassee for the simple reason that a fricassee, by definition, is a stew in which the meat is browned and simmered in its own juices along with the rest of the ingredients. I don't see any meat there.

Shrooms with onions

This is one of the simplest things to make. It works perfect as a side dish, over rice, as hors d'œuvre with crackers, or just on its own. One of my favorite kitchen smells is actually onion being caramelized in butter. Whenever I smell that, I just have to grab a piece and eat it.

An Event Apart

What can I really say about the conference called An Event Apart? I fell in love with web design. My training, for lack of a better name, is in Computer Engineering. With capital letters. I have a diploma with a degree that takes the better part of a page:

Bachelor of Science in Electrical and Computer Engineering

What does that mean? It means that, in theory, I can do whatever I want with a computer. No less. Also, if all I have is a bunch of silicon chips and electronic components, I can design and build a computer from scratch, running an OS designed from scratch as well, with all that that implies. Would I do something like that? No. It's done already and it would be a waste of time to be that hardcore. Commercial computers are perfectly good for whatever I want them.

Madrid, Joder!

When I was in Spain, I had the opportunity to be in Madrid at the exact same moment when they won the EuroCup 2008. I have never seen a celebration like that.

Joel and I walked all of Madrid trying to find a place to eat and watch the game. Needless to say, it was impossible. We eventually ended up eating a quick dinner at El Museo del Jamon, where I had the most amazing Tortilla Española, and from there we tried to find a bar which had a crowd level still at the point where two more desperate souls would fit in. Eventually we settled for going into a bar that we can't really remember the name of. It was right behind where we ate, and by an extraordinary use of Joel's escapist skills and my ability to follow him before he disappeared into the crowd, we stood there while the game was happening.

Pasta con pesto

According to Wikipedia, the word pesto comes from the word pestâ, which means to pound. Which means that to make real pesto, you have to pound your way into the sauce instead of using a food processor or any such contraption.

My arms were tired after using my trusty wooden mortar and pestle to crush the basil leaves; I should have used marble, but I don't have one of those. Even after all the work and its resulting pain, it's worth it.

Mayoketchup

No one really knows where mayoketchup came from. To me, it came from my mom's creative mind, but this is not so, since about 4 million Puerto Ricans in the island, and many more outside of it, use it on a daily basis.

Whether it's used as salad dressing, as a dipping sauce for fritters, or as a condiment for other food, mayoketchup feels just right. It just goes with everything. To think that people go so far as to buy bottled mayoketchup seems inane, but it certainly shows its widespread use. I actually feel proud whenever a non-Puerto Rican talks about the wonders mayoketchup does to their food.

Tostones

In terms of fritters, nothing beats the tostones. These twice-fried delicacies are the main complement of many meals in Puerto Rico and the Caribbean. Plantains are so ubiquitous there that you can consider them the equivalent of potatoes in the U.S., in which case the tostones are french fries of the Caribbean. Only better.

Much better.

Vegetarian recipes. World travel.