Gastronomic Adventures: Spring Break Edition

Entry 1

Ah! Spring break has now come and gone, and I have had quite the experience this past week. I have been trying to figure out if I am developing an intolerance to any foods as I have had pains, so I cut dairy and gluten out of my diet, and extremely hard thing to do. (I failed miserably!) I spent the first half of my break entirely dairy-free and mostly gluten-free. This led to quite the food experience. One of my first meals of spring break was spaghetti with my great-aunt’s spicy sausage red sauce. Since I was cutting gluten out, my father bought me gluten-free spaghetti. I was very skeptical about it. It was made of rice, corn, and quinoa. My thoughts were only of how I have no idea what was used to hold this pasta together since there is no gluten and how it might taste completely disgusting if I don’t drown it is sauce. Thankfully, when I ate it, I actually really enjoyed it. It is no replacement for spaghetti, but it is passable considering the circumstances. I spent a good amount of time, as it was being cooked, thinking about the chemistry of making gluten-free pasta and about what we have learned about gluten formation and the importance of it and how this managed to be the mix of starches to replace wheat. I was also thinking about the Italian roots of spaghetti and sauce and how it really is more of an Italian-American meal, more than it is true Italian.

Entry 2

As this break came to an end, I went to Brooklyn to visit some friends and do a dress fitting for my friend’s wedding. I had made plans to meet up with my friends in Manhattan. After going to the Empire State Building, we all decided we were hungry and wanted to get food. We wandered a few blocks and realized that most places were closing as it was 11pm. I googled places that were near us and I found out that Junior’s was not too far away. I suggested going there to my two friends. They had never gone so I told them they had to go. After a 15 minute wait (SOOOO worth it,) we were seated and I ordered the best thing on Junior’s menu, their Famous No. 1 Cheesecake. I had only had it once before, but it is the best cheesecake I have ever eaten! I try to sample as many cheesecakes as I can when I go somewhere, but none compare to that of Junior’s Cheesecake. Every time I eat it, it is like the first time. My first bite was just as heavenly as I remembered it to be. The sweetness of it melts as it sat on my tongue and the richness of it fills your mouth. The hint of vanilla gives it that extra “oomph” to really top it off. The minute it touches your tongue it starts to melt in your mouth with that perfect cream cheese flavor. It is so silky and delicious. It made me think of Elizabeth Gilbert’s experience of pizza in Naples. The same absolute love of that pizza is how I feel about Junior’s cheesecake. There is nothing like it for me, though it is not the best food ever, it is still AMAZING! I am never able to finish a whole slice because it is just so rich. It is a MUST HAVE if you are in Brooklyn or Manhattan around a Junior’s and like cheesecake. My friend who had it for the first time with me devoured her slice and fell in love. She completely understood why I am so in love with their cheesecake. Even my friend who is lactose intolerant took the tiniest bite of it because she could tell how heavenly I found it to be, and she herself was melting into her seat because she was so in love with it. It is 100% worth the cost for it!