Chai Northern Thai Kitchen in Manhattan, New York City

There are many restaurants in New York City where I walk in without even looking at the name of the restaurant. Some of the only memorable thing about places I ate in this busy city were the inner looks and actual dishes. Chai Northern Thai Kitchen was one of the restaurants I walk in just to find somewhere interesting to eat. However, with that said, it is a pretty trendy and modern place. The indoor pond inside this small restaurant with floating lilies and bird cages seem more like a decorative feature that is there to get things off a trendy restaurant check list. I certainly sense a waste of space with this large piece of art work standing at a corner of the restaurant when the other tables and chairs are squeezed to the sides.

Curry Puff: not impressive. The hardened exterior shell surrounding salty curry interior do make me knit my eyebrows. The sauce on the side was something I cannot identify, and did not go well with the intense flavor of the curry puff itself.

Drunken Noodle (Khi Mao) with Tofu. I liked the fried tofu, they had crispy skins and soft interiors. I did not like the noodles, they seem to be stir-fried for too long. Some flat noodles were stick together with the inner pieces unable to adapt any flavors. Seasoning was too strong and not equally distributed. I would like to believe that this is just a dish that resulted in some mistake by the chef.

Another restaurant with looks more than taste.

Hypocrites

When I was a bit younger, I used to sat in English class with a whole bunch of white kids. We would read those American classics like To Kill a Mockingbird or the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Those stories would always dig up the emotional side of me, causing me tears and empathy for the horrendous experiences our heroines are going through. In class, the more extroverted students would praise the author's intertwined story plot, and the more scholarly students would comment on the deeper social issues addressed from the book. I would normally remain quiet in those discussions, since a foreigner judging the American majority based on their history might sound a bit too confrontational.

It's already out of place for a new over-the-sea immigrant to sit in a room full of upper class american born teenagers, let alone the discussion on racism and inequality.

We are all prejudiced in some ways, and should feel ignorant if we claim that we are not. Yet when statements such as "Racism is bad and should've been banned at the time" or "Look at the horrible things those slave-owners have done to the poor blacks" were being thrown around the room, everyone was avoiding troublesome eye-contacts with the only African American sitting in the room. He was quiet, and doesn't really socialize with other students. I was sure he felt as awkward as I was, I was also sure that he was bullied in middle school. Yet those students kept on voicing their seemingly-righteous opinions without even thinking about what they were subconsciously doing.

It always attacks the more sensitive side of the American majority when it comes to racism, and it seems so clear everywhere: in classrooms, on the streets, etc. When will there be equality? When people throw away their feel-good mechanisms. Not gonna happen.

Hooked in Ocean City, Maryland

The name Hooked was mentioned to me by a friend, and originally I thought it was a hookah bar. With my immediately association, I really think the name Hooked really should be designated to a name of a hookah bar. Nevertheless, it turns out to be a recommended seafood restaurant in Ocean City, Maryland. I went as a group for New Years Eve dinner, also to spend some time for new years and to see the sunrise above water. Normally Ocean City would be a ghost town with the incredibly cold weather, but because of New Years, there was surprisingly plenty of people. The restaurant itself is filled with christmas/new year lights around the windows and ceiling. White table cloth with semi dim lights composed romantic yet festive atmosphere.

The restaurant featured a special New Years Eve menu, compiling some of their best dishes, but did not include all of their best dishes. With the New Years Eve menu comes New Years Eve prices.

We had Lobster Bisque in cream sherry as starters. The soup was creamy and delicious.

Their complimentary bread comes drenched in olive oil and cracked black pepper. The bread itself was a bit compacted, but the bread and olive oil with light pepper combination was great idea. 

Scallops: Chorizo, arugula, sweet potato & apple hash, leeks, in sage apple cider brandy gastrique. The scallops was a bit on the salty side, and the scallops with the chorizo combination was not to my fancy. However, the arugula and sweet potato & apple hash was delicious in combination with the brandy sauce. Overall, it was an dish that I wouldn't mind having again.

Dessert: Pumpkin Creme Brûlée with candied walnuts and caramel. One word: Sweet. The pumpkin flavor was perfect for the cold winter. Creme Brûlée was soft and creamy underneath the candied sugar coverings. It was a nice New Years Even dinner.