MIT Grad Blog

The fun-ness of all this

He had soup kitchen 2 approached the window looking like everyone else: wrinkled, dry and leathered from the sun. He was hunched from sleeping in some urban crevice – a stairway, a doorway, maybe two or three in the same night. But his tired eyes were unblinking. He asked me again.

“Why are you here?”

I didn’t know what else to do, so I smiled, and offered him a plate. He didn’t take it; he pressed again.

“Why are you here? Are you having fun?”

“Um,” I replied, intelligently. After an eternity, he accepted his plate and moved away. He tossed his final thoughts over a withered shoulder. “This is not a fun place. Don’t have fun. I don’t know why you’re here.”

No one else at the shelter asked me any questions that night. Nothing more than the usual what’s your name, where are you from, can I have mine with no sauce, please. But his question would not quit. Would not SIT DOWN. Kept spinning and reeling and dancing in my head.

To be honest, it scared me. By the end of the night, I scared me. Mind you, I was no stranger to soup kitchens; a large portion of my adolescence was spent cheerfully racking up community service points by playing “Restaurant” at my church’s monthly feed. I donned my favorite apron and circulated the seminary room, doling out hot bowls of chili, refilling glasses of punch, and serving up seconds on cornbread and thirds on smiles. I smiled because this work made me happy – I was near food, I was feeding people, I was having fun. And THAT – that last bit – that was his question, and my fear. The fun-ness of all this. And whether I should be having fun.

It took a week of brain-racking and soul-searching, but I think I made peace with my friend’s question. He just wanted me to remember that those community service hours were serious, too. Those extra points on my pretty pink card may have been someone’s only meal that day, and after they turned in their plate, and I turned in my card, they went on to deal with problems bigger than I could ever hope to understand, and I just went to go home and wash my apron.

And now, even though I am long out of high school, and I return to shelters because I still like being near food and feeding people and doling out cornbread and smiles – despite all of these reasons for being here, I have to remember that what I am actually doing is something real and important. At its core, service is not something fun; it is something necessary.

Last night at the shelter, I smiled a little less, but stood a little taller and moved a little faster. My friend returned. “Back again, Crazy?” His eyes were unblinking, but this time I think I detected a smile. “Why are you here?”

Illegal Seafood

Before last Sunday, I did not know it was possible for noses to scrunch in unison. However, on that sticky afternoon I witnessed the simultaneous scrunching of two upset noses. I actually induced the scrunching. It went something like this.

“My mom’s coming to town next week. I think I’ll take her to Legal Seafods.”

:: scrunch ::

Amongst the scrunches, I also identified one gasp, two furrowed brows, and a look of horror. “You what?” said Mike. “No. NO, no. Don’t do that to her. Don’t you love her? I don’t know you.”

they begged us not to go

Alex took a more constructive approach. “How about tapas? Does she like Spanish food? The best meal of my life happened at a tapas bar downtown, and — OH! Oh, oh!! Two words — DIM. SUM. Can I meet her? Can I come? You know what – I’LL take her, you stay here and work on Orientation. I won’t take her to Legal Seafoods, though.”

The mere utterance of Legal Seafoods had jolted my acquaintances into Rescue Mode. They were federal food agents on a mission to save my mother from overpriced and overrated seafood. They pleaded with me to change my selection, begged that I take her someplace fresher and nicer – Craigie, perhaps? L’Espalier? Even Rendezvous? A passersby sensed distress from our corner and, like any good Samaritan, suggested a funky new Brazilian place (Muqueca).

I smiled and pretended to acquiesce. Don’t get me wrong – I appreciated the concern of my colleagues; I even forwarded their suggestions on to my mom.

But my mom, like me, is stubborn and forgetful and stubborn, and at the end of a long day of seeing my new apartment and commenting on my hair and commenting on my new apartment and offering to help clean my new apartment and shopping for cleaning supplies and price-comparing cleaning supplies and asking-to-see-the-manager about mismarked cleaning supplies and commenting on my hair again and generally expressing her love for me, we found our weary selves seated in – buckle your seatbelts, kids – Legal Seafoods.

We shared a house salad, and some laughs. She had the swordfish and bite of my barramundi. She bought me the chocolate cake and gave me cleaning advice, and when I’d walked her to her hotel to say goodnight she also gave me a kiss and a hug and told me she loved me in that you-may-be-twenty-something-but-you-are-still-and-will-always-be-my-baby voice. As I strolled down Vassar I knew that nothing, legal or illegal, new and trendy or old and overpriced, could change that.

So, despite the corniness of this blog posting, all you Craigie-loving, Legal-Seafood-hating, tapas-bar-seeking critics out there can kindly unscrunch your noses, grab someone you love, and go to dinner. Go anywhere you like; I don’t care. And you know what? That loved one you grabbed probably doesn’t care, either. So long as you let them have a bite of whatever it is you’re having, and comment on your new apartment.

Orientation! Gimme an “O”, gimme an “R”…

Orientation! How excited are you about orientation week(s)! I sure am! I’m definitely looking forward to the kickoff at the Thirsty today at 5pm. I’m hoping to get one of the plastic mugs for the first 500 people, we’ll see. Maybe I’ll meet you there?

We could talk about fall and new classes, college football starting back up (Boomer Sooner!), and heck, I’m even excited about the Pats playing again and maybe even catching some MIT sports (I’ve heard the water polo team is intense).

Yeah, I’m not sure about you, I’m not so excited about summer being over, but at least a cookout helps with the chill and makes the darker evenings more fun. Come say hi at an Orientation event!

Bye summer!

Best Food in Boston

1. Toro
My best dining experience in USA happened at this South End tapas joint. The bartender can make cool cocktails for couples. The chef Jamie is the closest thing Boston has to a food artist. Highly recommend!

2. Craigie on Main
Close to MIT, brilliant cocktails. It is an outstanding bistro. The bar menu has a burger which is delicious and reasonably priced too.

3. Mike’s Pastry

This pastry is one of the very few that manage to turn itself into a tourist attraction. Located in the middle of the North End, it is easily accessible. When you taste one of their their freshly baked cannolis while immersed in the beautiful smell of delicious pastries and the delightful scent of butter, you will thank me for recommending it.

4. Legal Seafood

Although not a gourmet restaurant but it is a Boston Landmark. Tasty seafood prepared to perfection. The clam chowder is rich and world-renowned.

5. Cafe Luna

The Cafe Luna wins for the ambience and the hospitality. This place reminds one of the coffee houses where many great thinkers of our time got inspired at. The weekend live music, a scoop of gelato and a cup of hot chocolate all combine to give this neighborhood joint its charm.

6. O Ya
This sushi restaurant was chosen for two consecutive years as the best place to dine in Boston by the Boston Magazine.

7. Hungry Mother

A contemporary American restaurant that serves great Southern/French(?) food. Boiled Virginia peanuts, grits with ham and cheese, fried green tomatoes … the collection is mouthwatering. Boston Magazine also ranked its hostess as the best host in Boston.

8. Clio

Chef Ken Oringer (who also owns Toro) had done a fantastic job. I am not much of a big fan of French food but this dining quality is almost unparalleled.

9. B&G Oysters

Best Seafood place at South End. (and maybe Boston)

10. Eastern Standard

Their Blueberry Thrill is one of my favorite cocktails. The food is amazing. The outdoor seating might be less pleasant right before or right after a Red Sox home game but the overall dining environment highly commendable.

10 songs I’m listening to right now

a mix of classic rock, new stuff and the cheesiest 80s music possible.

Me and a robot saxophonist

A movie worthy summer

I go to the movies when it’s rainy outside, as it had been for the most part of this summer. I go to the movies when it’s hot outside as it has been for the past two weeks. So basically, if you ask me what I did this summer, I guess I will tell you that I spent it either in the Kendall cinema or the Somerville theater.

I have to confess. I’m not very big into hollywood movies – was never a huge fan of vampires, wizards or any sort of super hero, robots transforming into porsche type of movies. But there are a lot of advantages in watching with indie films. Not only are they great to for dates and discussions afterwards, in order to decide whether you’d want to see that person again, but they are also much more thoughtful or easy to relate to. When was the last time your friend fell in love with a vampire? I didn’t think so.

This has been one of the best movie summers for my taste. Here are a sample i loved and watched over the summer.

The Departures – This is the best foreign film of the 2009 academy award. It’s Japanese. It tells a poignant story about a mid-age man who was let go from his beloved career as a cellist but instead found passion in preparing the deceased for funerals. For me, the movie was quintessential Japanese. It’s filled with intricate emotions and subtle implications. When i walked out of the theater, I felt like as if I had just eaten a plate of delicately prepared sashimi where every type of fish was just ever so slightly different and i really had to pay attention to savor it.

Whatever works – This is another Woody Allan movie set in NYC. Larry David was his satirical self and I thought Woody Allan could’ve probably played the part as well. But I always find that, with the exception of Annie Hall, Woody Allan’s movies are better without him. Woody Allan has this way of making a sad and hopelessly blah movie cheerful. The movie is centered around this one psychotic old guy who marries this Southern girl who came to NYC for the first time to escape from her parents. The interaction between the old bitter guy and the sweet as pie Southern girl was hilarious and endearing. The story has a very happy ending as well. A light-hearted movie for a lazy sunday afternoon, perhaps?

Julie and Julia – Made me so hungry when I saw the movie! also made me wonder if GSC blog will ever make me famous too. :p You probably have heard this movie being talked about – a girl who blogged about her cooking journey through Julia Child’s cook book. However, I like to think about the movie as two stories of defiance. Julie was stuck in a dead-end job, and Julia did not see much meaning in her life. Both of them made a promise to themselves to stick to a goal and achieved it. Julia Child was a strong woman and Julie was not. But through her journey, Julie confronted her ghosts and became a much stronger woman. No, I will never bone a whole duck but I wouldn’t mind watching the movie again or inviting myself to your house for dinner when you try to cook Julia Child’s recipes. :p

Up - This pixar movie was very touching. I’d almost like to say that it’s more for adults than for kids. I liked Wall-E but I LOVED Up. Maybe it has something to do with my obsession with the adorableness of old people. The story is about fulfilling a childhood dream when you are old, arthritic and wrinkly. Nevertheless, through the journey, one realizes that the castle in the cloud was actually in your own home. It served as a nice reminder of doing a reality check periodically to know what we are really looking for. Perhaps, your dream girl or boy is the one sitting on the sofa next to you or your dream job is doing some hard science – which you probably already are as an MIT grad student.

Hollywood, I’m Sleeping Over – This movie was pure hilarity. I wrote about it before, but it’s a French film about this comedian who came to the States. He crossed from Florida through New Orleans onward to the west coast with the goal to sleep in George Clooney’s house. Some of the stuff he did in the movie was absolutely hilarious. At the same time, his encounters in the Lower Ninth Ward of New Orleans or on the Indian Reservation in Arizona did reflect some of the not-so-funny sides of America. Yes, it is a land of dreams and movie stars, but it’s also a land of imperfections and struggles.

Away We Go – “we might be fuck-ups” (can i say this on this blog?) Anyway, that’s the line that stuck with me from the movie. The movie is about a couple in their 30’s wondering/wandering through life. They were not sure where they should end up or where to go. Looking at all their friends and successful careers, it’s hard not to question if you have made some major mishaps along the way. Perhaps this movie resonated so because I often wonder the same thing. If I am doing the right thing being a graduate student? Can I one day be a highly-educated fuck-up too? I don’t know. I guess I will find out.

(500) Days of Summer – Just went to see this movie this evening. Alone. After having my decent share of summer flings, this movie was a nice finish – like a glass of cava with lemon sorbet. It’s not your standard run-of-the-mill romantic comedy. Actually it’s far from it. It is about two kinds of people – men and women – and fate. There is something that is meant to be. And there are others, well – you have to find out.

This is what I can immediately recall of what I enjoyed over the summer. I would like to think that I learned a little more about the world as well as myself after seeing all these movies. Oh, and I just checked the Kendall cinema website and there are at least 5 more I want to see. I guess research can always wait a little longer. :p

10 Things to Do in Cambridge

1. Cafe Luna for brunch or dinner
- The owner Matt brings in young musicians every weekend and the hot chocolate is especially good.

2. Peabody Museum
- One of the most colorful and sophisticated museums in Cambridge.

3. Craigie at Main
- Consistently chosen as one of the top restaurants in the greater Boston Area. This year, the Boston Magazine picked it as second best overall dining experience.

4. Book shopping at the Harvard/MIT COOP at Harvard Square
- Founded in 1882, one of the country’s oldest college bookstores. Very nice and comfortable store with a coffee shop on the second floor. All purchases are eligible for an annual rebate for MIT students who are members.

5. Cambridge Carnival
- Lots of dancing, beautiful costumes and people, don’t miss it!

6. Watch a Movie at the Kendall Cinema
- Shows a lot of artsy movies but it is small and quite, perfect place for a date.

7. Clubbing at Middlesex
- There aren’t many good clubs in Cambridge and Middlesex is probably the best in Cambridge. For a close location with a decent night of dancing and hanging out, Middlesex would be the place to go. (tuesdays and Fridays are good)

8. Muddy Charles (Muddy Mondays)
- GSC pub, one of the best located pubs with lots of exciting people, budding entrepreneurs and researchers. Probably the smartest pub in the world.

9. MIT Museum
- John Durant did a great job updating this, definitely a treat for geeks.

10. Toscanini’s Ice-cream
- Popular joint for MIT students to get a snack and dessert.

Grad Gourmet

“Tell me what you eat, and I will tell you what you are.”

If, without the aid of Google, you know who said this (Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin), chances are you won’t find anything new in this post. If, without the aid of Wikipedia, you know who Brillat-Savarin was (an 18th century French lawyer and food author), chances are you could do a better job than I will. However, if you’re like many of my fellow grad students, then this maxim probably has you pegged as consisting mainly of Cup Noodles and free pizza. Sad, but too often true.

But it doesn’t have to be that way! Cooking doesn’t have to be a dreaded task or a mystery wrapped in an enigma that only your parents and friends with spouses and children understand. Cooking is part science, part art, all fun. Cooking is about exploring, experimenting, failing, failing again, succeeding! It’s just like doing research. Believe me, if you’re reading this, then you have all the personality traits necessary to enjoy and rock at cooking. To get you started, here are ten tips that I’ve picked up since my grandma first started teaching me when I was a child.

1. A good knife
One of the misconceptions propagated by late-night infomercials is that it takes a box full of gadgets, doo-dads, and items with the suffix “O-Matic” to make a good meal. Truth is, you need very few tools to make the vast majority of dishes. Most important of these is a good chef’s knife. The brand doesn’t matter, but the features do. The blade should be about 8″ long, a good length for accomplishing most tasks. Shorter blades will be hard to use with large cuts of meat or thick vegetables, and longer blades will be unwieldy. If 8″ seems too long, remember that you don’t have to use the full length. Precision work can be accomplished by pinching the spine of the blade just behind the tip. It should not be serrated, as serrated blades are more specialized and harder to sharpen. A good knife of this size should cost between $30 and $50; you can find ones for much more, but there’s really no need to go that top-of-the-line. Treated properly (don’t put it in the dishwasher!) and sharpened regularly (Kitchen Arts on Newbury St. will do this for $4!), a good knife can easily last more than a decade.

2. A cast iron skillet
The only other piece of hardware I’m going to recommend, the cast iron skillet is an American classic that no longer gets the publicity it deserves. The best ones are made by Lodge, a family-owned manufacturer based in Tennessee. Dirt-cheap raw materials (they literally smelt scrap iron) keep prices around $20 for a 10.25″ model, which strikes the right balance between size (the 9″ can’t hold 2 decent sized steaks at once, for example) and weight (the 12″ has a couple of weeks in the gym as a prereq). Speaking of weight, shipping will kill you if you order online (you can literally pay more for shipping than for the skillet), so head over to Target for this purchase. Cast iron is the original nonstick surface, and if you follow the instructions for curing and caring for the skillet, you’ll be amazed. Cast iron is perfect for pancakes, eggs, steaks (any cut of meat really), fried chicken, cornbread, “hash”-style meals, fajitas, and just about anything else.

3. Herbs and spices
I hate to be stereotypical, but in general as one travels from South to North in the USA, the prevalence of herbs and spices in food diminishes rapidly. Note that I’m not just talking about “spiciness” in the sense of food tasting hot. I’m talking about herbs/spices in general, whose flavors run the gamut from floral and fruity to earthy and grassy to pungent and fiery. Whenever someone talks about a dish having “depth” or a “complex flavor”, you can bet that herbs and spices were there in force. For people whose parents didn’t cook with spices, learning to use them can be truly daunting; just look at the “spice wall” at Shaws to get an idea of the number of options. The trick is to not let yourself get overwhelmed, and slowly build up a knowledge. One great way to do this is to find a premade spice blend that you enjoy, then read the ingredients and try them individually. In addition, here’s a quick primer on the most common spices you’ll encounter:

Paprika: made from a crushed red (not hot) pepper, brick red in color, the base spice for the majority of blends, often used for its color
Cumin: dull brown in color, very common in Mexican/Tex-Mex food (the smell when you walk into a fajita place is usually cumin)
Tumeric: organgey-yellow in color, very common in Mexican/Tex-Mex food, often used for its color (a little can turn things bright yellow)
Cayenne: made from a crushed red (hot) pepper, lighter in color than paprika, hot, very common in cajun/creole food, a little goes a long way
Rosemary: resembles small needles, complex aroma, woodsy and floral flavor, goes great with red meat and chicken
Thyme: small leaves, similar in some ways to rosemary but more woodsy, especially good with mushrooms
Oregano: usually found powdered, light green in color, common in Italian food, especially good with pasta

Obviously this list is nowhere near comprehensive, but it should at least be a start. Seriously, the only way to learn to use herbs/spices is to be willing to try and fail. It’s worth it!

4. Garlic
This is closely related to 3, but deserves its own point. If you don’t learn anything else from this post, learn about garlic. No other ingredient can do so much single-handedly. Garlic is bright, complex, deep, earthy, pungent. It wakes up the taste buds, it opens up the nasal passages. It’s eminently controllable. Left in big chunks, it adds a hint of flavor. Chopped fine or crushed into a paste, it adds a clear flavor in the front. Added early in a recipe and allowed to cook thoroughly, it becomes sweet with hints of caramel. Added late and kept mostly raw, it’s pungent and spicy, with a sharp burn like fresh black pepper. Please, use more garlic. Don’t have time to skin and chop it? Prechopped garlic is a fantastic time saver. The flavor won’t be quite as good as fresh, but it will still be better than not having garlic. As for what to use it with, anything but dessert is a good place to start.

5. Pasta
One of the most daunting parts of cooking is coming up with recipes, and there are a few kitchen staples that can make that process easier. Dried pasta is dirt cheap, quick to cook (10 minutes in boiling water), nutritious if you buy the 100% whole wheat variety, and easy to work with. To steal a phrase from Food Network star Alton Brown, pasta is “kitchen velcro”. In a hurry and feeling like something light? Spaghetti noodles, lemon juice, olive oil, and a little salt and pepper. Done. Want to make it more substantial? Add artichoke hearts, olives, a can of crushed tomatoes, and maybe a package of frozen, pre-cooked shrimp. Done and delicious!

6. Good bread
This one gets overlooked a lot, but great bread can turn an ordinary meal into something special, can make a 5 minute sandwich a delicacy, and can be used as part of a snack/appetizer tray if you’re cooking for more than one. Bread on the side is especially important with pasta dishes or anything that comes with a sauce. Flavored breads are especially great for taking simple dishes up a notch. Use a sweet bread like cinnamon raisin to make killer French toast, or a tangy garlic bread for the best grilled cheese. Here’s today’s shameless plug: When Pigs Fly Bakery in Somerville, just down Highland from the Davis T station, sells the best bread I’ve ever had in my life. Do yourself a favor and go one day. There’s unlimited free tasting; need I say more?

7. Boneless skinless chicken breasts
The last ingredient on this list, and one you should always have on hand. Chicken breasts are like a Swiss Army knife for the kitchen. Quick and easy to prepare, high in protein and low in fat, and cheap to boot. Chicken breast is like a blank canvas. Feeling like Mexican? Slice it thin and throw some peppers and onions into the skillet (see #2) and you’ve got fajitas. Italian? Cook it with a jar of prepared sauce and mix it with the recipe from #5.The possibilities are endless!

8. Breakfast for dinner
This is another answer to the “what do I cook?” question. Traditional breakfast foods — eggs, sausage, bacon, hash browns, pancakes, etc. — are quick and nutritious, and can make a great option for dinner.

9. Ask your mom/grandma
One complaint I hear fairly often is that most recipes you can find online or in magazines are too long, too complicated, too involved, etc. The best solution I’ve found for this is to ask your family. It’s different for every family, but I guarantee you can find someone in your family that had to cook full meals for a large group of people with limited time and funds. In my family, it was my grandmother that raised 4 girls and made dinner every night. People like this won’t give you 3-page recipes to make food artwork, but they will give you recipes that work in the real world.

10. Experiment!
In the end, that’s all cooking is about. Don’t be afraid to screw up! The worst that can happen is you fill up your trash can and order pizza that night. Go, cook, eat!

What you should be doing this weekend

I’ve been accused of being a variety of things in my life, both good (rarely) and bad (frequently). However, “shy about sharing his opinion” is a phrase that has never been contemplated, let alone uttered with regard to me. In fact, phrases like “utterly convinced that his opinion is divine mandate” are much more likely to occur. The accuracy of such accusations is a matter for another post, but for the time being just trust me. Unless your weekend plans consist of marrying the love of your life while the two of you ride cyborg velociraptors through a magnificently appointed Mediterranean resort, I can say for certain (p < 10^-100) that my recommendation is more awesome.

Step 0: Optional step; both versions of this agenda are recommended. Become inebriated the night prior to the remaining steps.

Step 1: Skip the meal immediately prior to undertaking the following steps.

Step 2: Go to The Friendly Toast at One Kendall Square.

Step 3a: Order anything from their extensive menu.

Step 3b: For those of you who like more explicit recommendations, order a strawberry frappe (thick enough to stand a spoon up) to start off. For your meal, go for the Ole Miss (named after my alma mater), a heaping pile of fluffy scrambled eggs drizzled with mango sour cream, topping a grilled sausage patty resting on a smear of creamy chipotle mashed sweet potatoes, all atop a thick toasted slice of anadama bread. If you’re not contemplating leaving your computer right now, I’m not sure we can be friends anymore.

Step 4: Walk waddle (no really, waddle) over to the Kendall Cinema to see The Hurt Locker. Seriously. You know how normally when a friend recommends a movie to you, you ask about the Metacritic and/or Rotten Tomatoes score, and anything above ~70 is good to go? 97 on RT and 93 on Metacritic.

Everyone out there catch that? Let’s recap just in case:

97% on Rotten Tomatoes; 93% on Metacritic

Do you know what kinds of movies get scores like that? Schindler’s List, The Godfather, Wall-E (the fact that that movie is on this list is an entirely different matter that I’m sure I’ll rant about at some point). The Hurt Locker is the kind of movie that makes you leave the theater with your eyes hurting because you didn’t want to blink. And please, don’t go with the old standby response of “I’ll wait until it’s out on DVD”. It’s just not the same. Trust me.

Yes, Virginia, there IS good Mexican food in Boston

And Salvadoran food, too — and it is all a hop, skip, and a jump away. You hop on the Red line, skip to the Green line, and jump onto the blue line (which is clean, shiny, air-conditioned, and not surprisingly, well, blue). You exit at Maverick Square, and find yourself at Taqueria Cancun.

picture stolen from www.burritoblog.com, who did not give this oasis the stellar review it deserved

Order anything. Order everything. Try not to fill up on their house-made chips and fresh-and-tasty salsa. But if you do, no worries — just wash it down with a cold one, pay your bill, and book a return trip in the not-too-distant future.

And on that return trip — either save room for the horchatas, the pupusas, the chile rellenos, the sopa de mariscos, the mexican burritos, the carne asada, the quesadillas, even the expertly fried shrimp and catfish plate, or bring me with you.

This blog posting is supported by me, a four-year Los Angeles resident (which makes me an officially licensed authority on great Mexican food), and the Boston Globe.

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