Not to sound like a broken record, but I’m a vegetarian and a picky eater.

I don’t like cold mushy foods (especially the savoury kind), I’m wary of soy and HFCS scare me.

I try not to let my dietary quirks become a big To-Do, because it only gets in the way of fun… especially when I’m traveling

Finding places to eat in New York as you’d imagine wasn’t an issue.

Below are a few places we ate while in New York.

Church & Dey – Financial District.

This is a hotel restaurant with pretty decent food for a hotel restaurant.

We ate here twice and ordered room service the night we checked in.

The restaurant has views of Ground Zero and the environs; a nice place to sit, relax and watch the comings and goings, especially when you’re visiting and need a break, as you sometimes do.

I tried the pita wedges, hummus and olive tapenade which was very good, so good I’ve been trying variations of this at home.

We also had a delicious baked flounder dish and greens with strips of plantain.

Dean & Deluca – SoHo

On our second afternoon, my sister and I stood across from Dean & Deluca waiting to cross, we’d just walked from Washington Square Park, my sister looked on seriously, like she’d been thinking and said;

“It must have been really convenient for Felicity to work here, looks like it’s just a quick walk from school”

Sad I know, but the doubly sad part is I was thinking about Felicity too!

Dean & Deluca has been my alternative to restaurants and fast food places for years.

We used to do the Capital Crescent Trail on weekends when we lived in Maryland, and we’d treat ourselves to brunch at the Dean & Deluca in Georgetown afterwards.

The trick is to try not to spend all your money here; you have to buy the right things (I have to do a post on how to shop gourmet one a budget on of these days)

The food and produce section here is diverse and it’s easier to make healthy scrumptious choices.

Standard Grill – Meatpacking District

We had a quick lunch at the Standard Grill on Easter Sunday after exploring the High Line and browsing stores in the Meatpacking District.

The restaurant is  below the High Line, the space is splendid and the atmosphere great, we got a chance to linger and explore the hotel a bit.

Our waiter was nice and attentive and we were seated next to a very lively couple who made for a fun experience.

The food, drinks, everything was delicious.

Whole Foods – Union Square

Whole Foods is my other alternative to restaurants when I travel.

I don’t always agree with some of their ridiculous prices and the food elitism culture that tend to be associated with them, but I trust Whole Foods, and it’s not as expensive as you think if you buy right.

Now before I go any further I have to say this…

I have shares in Whole Foods (not a lot), I have shares in Hain Celestial; one of Whole Foods’ bigger suppliers, my brother works for Whole Foods and I’ve been shopping at Whole Foods for over a decade.

The Union Square location is huge and incredibly crowded – which didn’t make for a good eating experience.

I can’t imagine doing my actual grocery shopping here, it’s sheer craziness, the checkout system alone scares me.

Maybe it was because of all the over crowdedness but the salad bar/hot food bar section didn’t look at all appealing.

I settled for a soy-free vegan scone and fresh orange and carrot juice from the juice bar.

Thankfully it was a good combination, and I was grateful for the vitamin C fix.

Red – South Street Seaport

We went here on our last night in New York, because the location was nice.

It’s right on the Seaport and we hadn’t made any prior plans for dinner.

The food is supposed to be Mexican but it’s mediocre at best.

The service is poor and the drinks are ok.

I was sort of expecting this so I wasn’t really disappointed, just a little sad.

In all, we had a few good dining experiences – we made some good food choices.
I can’t wait to get back and try some other awesome places.

I went to hear Ishmael Beah speak last night, and when he uttered those famous words; “call me Ishmael” (when someone referred to him as Mr. Beah) a lady in the crowd thought it was metaphoric, but I’m not going to get into that.

I wasn’t sure what to expect; I imagined it’d be dark and horrifying. I know evil abound in this world and although I believe we all have it in us; I’ve never deliberately been in a presence of someone who has (albeit involuntarily) committed such atrocities before.

It was a packed auditorium. When he walked on stage the woman behind me muttered “he’s just a kid” he looks very young and the evening wasn’t at all what I expected.

He’s a very affable young man, precocious and very well spoken. He spoke of his life before the war – I’m not sure how many times he’s had to tell these stories but you could still hear the happiness in his voice. He then talked about the sad and ghastly parts of his life thereafter; on the run and as a child soldier.

He’s seen, endured, and has been forced to do some very atrocious things; yet manages to keep his wits about him and most importantly he survived and is hopefully a better person for that.

He echoed a sentiment I’ve lived with for years – you don’t have to suffer pain to learn, you can easily learn from others, this makes his book even more significant.

Another thing is the emotions I felt; I know for most of the people in the audience this was a horrific tale of far away lands as told by a survivor, for me it was very real. These were people I once lived among and the places like Bo, Makeni and Kenema… he mentions are places I know.

His story gives me a twinge of hope for all those faceless and nameless children out there but it also breaks my heart into little pieces, knowing they’re still out there, in danger, hurt, scared, alone and ignored while we go about our pitiful little existences.

If he’s going to be in your town – you have to go see him! You’ll be inspired.

On a personal note, I couldn’t help but notice he has such perfect teeth.

Technorati tags: Ishmael Beah, Sierra Leone, A Long Way Gone