The Holiday season has officially begun as of 5 a.m. this morning (unless you consider that Merry Christmas sign over Broome street that has been there since mid-October “The Holiday Season”). I was wondering yesterday whether the downturn in the economy would make people crazier or calmer for Black Friday. After a quick Google search, I found a conclusion. I know it happens ever year, but seriously how important is that 50 inch plasma TV for 500 dollars?

“Worker dies at Long Island Wal-Mart after being trampled in Black Friday stampede”

“He was bum-rushed by 200 people,” said Jimmy Overby, 43, a co-worker. “They took the doors off the hinges. He was trampled and killed in front of me. They took me down too…I literally had to fight people off my back.”

….

“They were working on him, but you could see he was dead, said Halcyon Alexander, 29. “People were still coming through.”

Only a few stopped.

“They’re savages,” said shopper Kimberly Cribbs, 27. “It’s sad. It’s terrible.”

source: http://tinyurl.com/5opfv3

I think those two quotes alone are unbelievable. That’s all.

I changed my mind after Obama’s win last Tuesday. The police were kind of calm about it. I saw one person arrested for standing on a lamp in Union Square. New York went nuts. People wanted a reason to do something out of the ordinary because something out of the ordinary had happened– someone other than a Bush was elected to the White House. I would not want to imagine what would have happened if Obama lost.

These are the photos I took along the way. (via my phone, poor quality)

union square, after Obama’s speech

Union Square, an hour or so after Obama’s speech

St Mark’s and Ave. A, two hours after Obama’s speech

St. Mark’s and Ave A, Car with its windshield broken

Somewhere along St Mark’s, Brownstones began to look like frat houses

Café Select is just that kind of restaurant. It opened nearly the same time I moved back into the city. I pass by Café Select every day, I saw it evolve—I witnessed it grow from only open for lunch with a few customers to open for dinner with people huddled at the door waiting for a table. It has just the right ingredients to become a restaurant that I think will last—a well-known owner, a somewhat unique perspective, and most importantly, a knack for making good food.

Most people probably couldn’t tell you exactly what Swiss food is. But, I bet if you thought about it, you’d be able to guess. It’s just like the country—a little German, French, and Italian. Although the owner, Serge Becker (of La Esquina and The Box), originally just wanted a place to stash a wine collection from the Alps, he eventually created restaurant where everyone seems to love the food. When I first visited I heard two separate people comment to the waitress that this was their second time back that week.

I too would have gone back for a second time that week if I wasn’t so caught up in trying new restaurants. I spent the summer in Berlin and my family is German, so I expected an authentic meal. And, I think I got one. I ordered the Ham and Gruyere on a Bretzel (Pretzel Bread) ($9). The sandwich was a bit small, but it was delicious. I also tried the “Wurst” salad ($8)–a traditional German salad with lettuce, wurst, and pickles. I know it sounds strange, but it tastes really fresh and German (err…Swiss). They also are serving up traditional dinner entrees and sides such as Schnitzel and Spätzle (traditional south German noodles).

One tip: try Café Select for lunch; it’s quite a bit cheaper. Better yet, get take-out for lunch. Save yourself $4 on a sandwich or $2 on a salad. Then again, if you dine in you could be invited into the rumored Speakeasy in the basement.

Café Select
212 Lafayette
Daily from 9am

[originally posted on NYU Local]

This past June, when Clinton threw in the towel and Obama unofficially clinched the nomination I happened to be in a small town outside of Frankfurt, Germany. Everyday leading up to the Democratic Committee’s decision, German newspapers utilized the front page for 4x5s of Obama. The German love for Obama did not stop there

On July 4th, Berlin welcomed the new American Embassy in true German spirit with a festival, Amerika Fest. Nothing at the festival was actually American besides food vendors with disconcerting confederate flags and beef jerky. Around downtown Obama supporters blew up balloons and handed them out to small children and asked Americans if they were registered to vote.

Fast forward two months, Berliners, all 200,000 of them, welcomed Obama. The largest Obama rally to date was overseas. Obama just held his second largest rally in St Louis, but it was only half the size.

So, I guess it makes sense according to the Economist, which is hosting the world’s electoral college, that Obama would be winning the world’s vote…in a landslide. I know it’s not scientifically supported data, but it’s still fun to look at.

8,906 to 31. Obama.

But, hey, McCain is posting a substantial lead in Georgia, the country. Five percentage points ahead. And, Cuba. Five percentage points there too. Cuba knows a lot about really old leaders. In fact, of the five communist states Obama has a firm lead in only 2–Vietnam and China (the other 2 of 5 don’t have enough data). Obama hasn’t even ever been to Vietnam. So in conclusion, McCain has one communist country and one communist fearing country. Oh, and Macedonia. Obama, according to the economist, has the rest of the world’s vote.

When I ventured over to Lahore, I asked the man behind the counter to recommend something. He said he was cooking a lamb curry, so I took him up on the offer. For only $6, I got the lamb curry over rice. Authentic Pakistani or Indian food is not something that I get to have every day, but Lahore certainly tasted like a home-cooked meal.

Lahore Deli
132 Crosby St.
24 hours

[originally posted on NYU Local]

I just want to know if this is the same Joe with the 6-pack?

EDIT: This just in, Joe the Plumber is from my hometown, Toledo.

It seems counter-intuitive to wake up early on a Saturday or Sunday to wait in line to eat brunch. Yet it happens all around the country; in all the places I’ve lived, people are always willing to wait to get that greatly desired brunch—be it a local pancake place or the big box version: IHOP.

But, it seems even crazier to wait in line for brunch in the West Village. Why wait half an hour for brunch when on any given block you find somewhere to pay 15 dollars for two eggs and bacon? Extra Virgin, is that place where people are willing to wait—45 minutes to sit outside; 15 minutes, inside (during prime brunch hours). If New Yorkers can invest the time for it, it might at least be worth checking out.

The host showed us to our seat inside, where we were sitting almost on top of the people next to us. Even though the dining room is very cramped, something about the design feels open. The large mirror at the back and intelligent paint job really opens up the small dining room. Throughout the meal, the waitress never made me feel like I had to eat faster or pay quicker even though more of her tips were waiting in the pockets of the mob outside. The environment was lively and woke me up, but not overly head-pounding for a Sunday morning.

Right after the host seated us, the coffee came out warm and fresh. But by far the best part of Extra Virgin’s brunch is the chef’s ability to equally execute a breakfast item and a lunch item. The eggs benedict ($12) like Extra Virgin itself seem to be a popular dish for a reason. The eggs are cooked perfectly and can be topped with a tasty portion of smoked salmon for a dollar more. If eating breakfast at half past 12 isn’t your thing, their sandwiches are also well put together. The oregano roasted chicken sandwich ($12) is a classic spin on the ever popular “California” sandwich—including the always-hip halved avocado. But, the key is the cucumber yogurt; a fresh way to even out the spice.

If you’re still having any doubts (i.e. ugh-I-don’t-want-to-pay-for-breakfast or ugh-I-don’t-want-to-wait-for-breakfast), then you should take note—selling a photo of a pseudo-celebrity might break you even. I’m only kind of kidding.

Extra Virgin
Brunch: Saturday and Sunday 11 am – 4 pm
259 W. 4th Street

[originally posted on NYU Local]

Siegel starts by tracing the trajectory of the definition of culture over the past 20 years citing a Christian fundamentalist: Allan Bloom. Blah, blah, blah. If you think art or films are culture then you are liberal; but if you think courtship and religion is culture then you are conservative. Okay—fair.

Nevertheless, how Siegel goes from this analysis to writing, “No, there is no culture war. There is only the Republicans’ unilateral mastery of cultural strategy” really caught me by surprise. Sure, the Republicans and Karl Rove distracted 51% of Americans in 2004 by using wedge issues like abortion and gay marriage to make people forget what really mattered. But, Siegel still wants to believe that Karl Rove has some tricks up his sleeves for this election.

YouTube, twitter, and facebook have again redefined culture. Now, websites like Politico.com are sitting next to the Times and in front of old, print media like the New Yorker at political conventions. Siegel can admit this shift toward the Internet, but he still wants to believe the Republicans “have deftly adapted to the postmodern ambience.”

Wait. What? The Republicans chose a candidate that does not know how to check his email. The Republicans chose a candidate that owns more houses than computers.

The Democrats, on the other hand, chose a candidate that probably has the most user friendly campaign website in history. Coincidence? This is a time where there are more McCain gaffes on YouTube than hours in the day and Tina Fey’s skits spread like wildfire thanks to the Internet. McCain is still probably asking can I borrow your VHS of last nights SNL, ASAP? When I google “McCain at a computer” pictures of Obama in front of a MacBook are among the first to appear. At least we know Palin has a Yahoo Account.

Yet, this is not the juiciest part of the article. Siegel actually goes on to say that Palin gives the Republicans “an edge” in this cultural age because her and McCain go together like mutli-tasking, Millennium born 20-somethings that are “listening to an ipod, text messaging, watching TV, and talking on [their] cellphones all at once.” First, Mr. Siegel, how do you text message and talk on your cellphone at the same time? That is just ridiculous . Just as ridiculous as Sarah Palin was a choice for the Republicans.

Oh, and according to Siegel, McCain and Palin are the P.O.W. factor meets the WOW factor. Is he sure, did he mean P.O.W meets the MOM factor?

Siegel does himself one better. He compares McCain to a mass-market paperback and Obama to a college syllabus (Obama is too smart and McCain is, well, too ordinary? I’m not sure where he was going with this one). Anyway, sure, I’ll agree with him. Mass-market paperbacks are always so predictable—the guy coming back from war (i.e. McCain) gets the young lady (i.e. Palin) and they fall in love, but in the end, they just aren’t right for each other.

Mr. Siegel I think you are a product of your own analysis. Even you said it, “It is an elementary psychological fact that we sometimes praise to an absurd degree what makes us slightly uncomfortable.” And, sir, frankly, I think you are a bit uncomfortable.

p.s. I checked. Thankfully, Karl Rove doesn’t have a twitter.

What’s even better? The two best words in campus eating—Lunch Special. And, Red Bamboo’s is pretty hard to beat. They offers lunch specials such as the “pork” chop or “fish” and chips with one appetizer for between $5.95 and $7.95. If traditional vegetarian food is more your style, then I recommend the eggplant parmesan. Although it is a little more pricey ($9.95), it’s about the size of three sandwiches. Even if you aren’t vegetarian, it’s certainly worth the novelty.

Red Bamboo
140 W. 4th Street

Nice Green Bo (formerly New Green Bo)

66 Bayard St.
Between Mott and Elizabeth

credit: flickr