Morning Musings

The last 24 hours has simply been a doozy. Weather started off great and turned to Pittsburgh, Penn State continues to enter a typhoon, and I got a complimentary free meal from the Porch (review is on the way) at a trial run. It has been whacky. But lets get this rolling.

-Not a huge story, but Wilson Ramos of the Washington Nationals has been kidnapped in Venezuela. More obscurity here and just voices to me how crazy some of these Venezuelan's act. Ugueth Urbina, former relief pitcher, was from Caracas and caused some serious issues.

-Taylor Swift killed it again at the Country Music Awards, after winning her second entertainer of the year award. I really hate country music, but this girl has to be doing something correct that the country feels so strongly about her.

-The biggest story of last night, this morning, and what will be the weekend is Joe Paterno being fired for this massive scandal. There is so much wrong with this scenario and the unravelling continues. I will keep this brief, but as a University, Penn State had to do this. It is about the students and education, not a football program. This is a serious matter and it seems to be metastasizing. This guy Jerry Sandusky seems to have been pimping boys out as well. Students flipping TV trucks, man pimping out boys, and the oldest coach gets fired. Sounds like a safe place to stay.

The Best November Ever?

We don't have to say much about this photo except that I took it about a minute ago. Simply divine. You can't beat this november weather. However, I still sense the wrath of fall/winter around the corner. Keep in mind, we didn't see the sun from December through May in 2011. Stroll through Schenley, walk through Shadyside, waltz down Carson Street because this weather is irreplaceable.

Food Schmooze: Spice Island Tea House

Food in Oakland is marginal at best. A lot of places use cheap produce and low end products for their food so that their businesses profit in a college town. A place that stays above the "food bell curve" in Oakland is Spice Island Tea House on Atwood. I love all types of food, but what Spice does to separate itself from the rest of the restaurants is that they serve traditional Pan-Asian dishes. The food trucks on Oakland do the same, but are limited since they are distributing their food out of a food truck.

We first enter, and the vibe was extremely somber. Going to a restaurant for late lunch is the biggest down time for a restaurant. This happens between 2 pm and 5 pm. So if you want a quiet environment, it will be you and the early bird crowd. The restaurant rush happens from 6 pm to 9 pm. That will be the best time to understand how well a restaurant is run. Spice is known for their Pad Thai (which is seen below).

The Boss (my friend who is described by his nickname) ordered Pad Thai, which is a safe choice at most Pan-Asian/Thai restaurants. Its virtually the General Tso of American Thai food. When I eat Pad Thai, I expect a solid amount of sesame oil, sesame/peanut sauce because that is the flavor in the dish. If you haven't tried a rice noodle naked, it tastes like a gummy rubber band. Pad Thai at Spice Island doesn't go hard on the sauce (or they do and they gave us the bottom part of the pot which would mean that this is poorly run business). The noodles also have to be moist, which this lacked. Another skepticism I have with restaurants in Pittsburgh is the quality of seafood. If Shrimp has a tire/penny/tile after taste, that means the food has either been frozen or sitting out too long. This dish has that. Keep in mind, we are in Pittsburgh. The nearest Ocean is 8 hours away. That strongly effects the produce. So for this dish, I recommend loading up on Sriracha.

I ordered the Singapore Kway Teow. This is a dish I haven't heard of, but have seen under a different name. "Chow Fun" served at chinese restaurants is virtually the same thing. This dish came out with a very bland flavor that reminded me of the odor of a men's locker room that was hosed down with axe. Semi foul, yet interesting? I did enjoy this dish though. I loaded this guy up with Sriracha, which went really well with the Lap Cheung (Chinese Sausage). Chinese Sausage has a sweet and sour taste which really compliments this well. If you crossed Chorizo and a Hot Dog, you'd have this dish. If you love the texture of a gummy noodle with some shrimp and meat, then I definitely recommend it.

Overall, Spice Island is probably the best Pan-Asian you are going to find in Oakland that is in walking distance from Pitt's campus. However, I enjoy Thai Food elsewhere. Specifically, Spice charges more than it should for it's dishes. A plate worth $9, has to have flavor, texture, and appearance. I am not asking for the Mona Lisa, but something of quality. For $9, I can enjoy the food trucks on Bigelow followed with a beer (Spice does have a great Imported Beer selection but, they charge $5 for each drink).

Food: 5.5/10
Decor: 5/10
Service: 6/10
Experience: 6/10
Value: 4/10

26.5/50

*When grading this, you have to realize the competition and total value of a meal. Every meal you have isn't a high score. Anything above a 25 is worth trying because you will most likely enjoy it.

Morning Musings

-Brett Ratner, director of Tower Heist (which was god-awful), resigns from producing the oscars after anti-gay and sexist remarks. I don't care who you are, there are certain things you don't say.

-This Jerry Sandusky scandal, is getting extremely weird and wacky. The story continues to unravel about how he has showered with kids. Former Penn State player, Matt Millen, broke down on national television, continuing the obscurity around this scenario. Penn State's student body camped outside of Joe Pa's last night, but that won't make a difference considering he announced today that he will retire at the end of the season. Seems like the dark cloud looming over Penn State grows darker.

-Adobe announces that it will discontinue the flash application for mobile devices. Prepare for your lives to become a hassle. Many websites will be difficult to use on your phones.

-FEMA will be running a nationwide test. It will be nationwide for an emergency.

Morning Musings

Every morning when I wake up, I take a look at my phone and check whats streaming in the twitter world. Believe it or not, I use twitter as my newspaper. Its the fastest way to connect with the media. So on this blog my first post everyday will be a quick run down of whats going on around the globe and stuff that I deem important. I'll keep this as unbiased as I can, but this is a blog, expect some B.S. here and there.

-Last night, one of America's greatest Fighters, Joe Frazier passed away. Frazier was "Philadelphia's Fighter" that will always be revered for his rivalry with Muhammad Ali. He will always be remembered and never forgotten.

-Conrad Murray was found guilty for the death of Michael Jackson. Whether it was involuntary or voluntary, this man is going to jail for manslaughter over the King of Pop. I love Michael Jackson, and if I was given the opportunity as a kid to go to the Neverland Ranch, I wouldn't have thought twice.

-Obama and Sarkozy say some not-so-nice things about Netanyahu. I hate politics, but this is actually hilarious to me. I stay out of politics, but this just makes me giggle.

-Video game fiends got their fix last night with the arrival of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3. Once again, I'm not the biggest video game guy, but this game has some serious hype. I was online with The Boss (another good friend of mine whose nickname is self-explanatory) until 1 am. Check it out.

-Philadelphia begins their outrage with last nights loss against the Chicago Bears, which virtually puts them out of contention. DeSean Jackson is no longer a fan favorite, describing Philly's erratic emotional swing towards everything to do with sports.

How To Make It In America... Worst Israeli accent i've ever heard?

HBO has the best programming in America. If you have a libido, you were attracted to Entourage. If you love drama, you were hooked to The Wire and The Sopranos. Last year, HBO started a new series called How To Make It In America, a story about two friends trying to start up a clothing company in New York City. Ben Epstein (Jewish name), played by Bryan Greenberg (Jewish actor), is the main character who resides in Greenpoint, Brooklyn (Filled with Russian Jews) in the scene says, "I'm a reconstructionist. My home-land is the Upper-West Side!" For the non-New Yorkers in the house, uptown Manhattan is where a lot of Jews reside. A lot of bankers, doctors, CEO's, corporate ho's, and everything in between. Any hoo, last night we were introduced to a character named Yosi, an Israeli designer who relocated to New York. Malarky (a character on this blog that you will become very fond of in due time) pointed out how s****y this dudes accent is (around 0:20). This wannabe needs a fill-in A.S.A.P.

You Know You'd Love To Have Some Of That Manischewitz...

I have consumed many different cocktails in my day (cocktails = alcoholic drink, beverages = non-alcoholic drink). I also love wine. I cook with a lot of different types of grapes, and drink even more. Something that picks my brain apart is how you never see college kids drink Manischewitz. If you have seen someone drink this at a party, please contact me because I have never seen it. Seriously, why don't you see people drinking this lovely combination of grape and sugar? That bad of a hangover? Is it not enjoyable? Do we really prefer Vladimir or Natty Light? In all my time at Hebrew School, they used to dish this drink out like it was gelt during Hanukkah. What boggles my mind even more, this drink sells from $5.99-$11.99. All I'm saying is lets get this Shabbat-Themed pregame going and hit this cocktail hard.

Whats For Dinner? Reservations.

Growing up, I was a fat kid. I kind of still am a fat kid. I am a large guy so when I stare at myself in the mirror, I see Shamu. Realistically, I am a big dude. My parents didn’t help. They would feed me I couldn’t fit anything in me. Louis C.K. has a skit where he describes how much he eats: “I eat until I am in pain and don’t want to touch food. Every time I have to go to the bathroom, it’s an emergency!” I eat a lot of food and know what goes down well and what doesn’t. Something Jews should take awareness too: we don’t cook the most appealing things to people outside of our culture. Minus Challah, Bagels, Pickles, you ain’t going to find any non-jew (goy) eating because it’s a major acquired taste. Seriously, half the Jews I know look at chopped liver and ask me, “Really? Meow Mix?” So do yourself a justice right now, close your eyes and sit back and ask yourself, what does your family cook that is better than a restaurant? You can think of a maximum 5 dishes. That’s because Jews don’t cook well. I mean lets not lie, we nayed three great flavors from our palettes a long time ago: bacon, lobster, and cheeseburgers. With most of the Jews in the Pittsburgh area being well off and not kosher, what is your mom most likely making for dinner when you’re home? Reservations. I don’t hate it. My mom does too. But it just explains the schmorgasboard.

Worst Landscaping Ever?

For some of the many people that firmly believe that the drivers in Pittsburgh are horrendous, raise your hand. Yeah, that’s what I figured, a lot of you. After being raised on cutting people off and 3-second yellow lights, coming to Pittsburgh really got on my nerves. Who drives 10 mph in a 25 mph lane? I’d rather eat a jar of termites while walking on rusty old gutters then witness another “Pittsburgh Left”. Driving in Jerusalem, where brick roads seems narrower than my hips, is less of an issue. So I did some research. Did some ground work to figure out what the f*** was going on in this city. Turns out its not the Yinzers themselves, but the roads they are driving on. How many cities are built in 3 mountains? Roads aren’t flat here so you truly can’t go Fast and Furious, furthermore, this is San Francisco with snow and ice. Simply look at this lovely formula brought to you by the hardworking co-workers of Hillel.

San Francisco + Snow + Ice = A lot of potholes, Landslides, Poor Structured Homes.

Now, all this complaining got me thinking really deep. What city has worse landscaping, the city in a massive whole in the ground (New Orleans, N’Awlins, Ragin’ Cajuns, The 504) or Yinzerville?

Why Do Jews Love Chinese Food?

I write this post late at night with deep frustration built up because my room feels like the temperature of a baby’s diaper and I sweat a lot. I am talking about how I walk down the street and the Jordan river is flowing down my back. Any-hoo, I’ve pondered upon this question since about 2008 when my family did our usual shindig on Christmas Eve: Chinese food. We love it. Whether it’s the grease, the MSG, or the dead cat from around the corner that is involved in the so famous General Tso’s concoction, Jews fiend this cuisine. One of my dearest friends who won’t eat sandwiches or pizza (how the f*** does someone not eat either of those?), hounds on Chinese food like a dog chewing through furniture. So I dug, and dug, and dug. Thought about everything, and then I came to a deep realization. Chinese food is the only food that is prepared in 5 minutes, covers every category of the pyramid (and potentially cardiac arrest), and is open everyday. And the real reason: It’s only $5.99. They always say, Jesus Saves, Moses invests. BOOM!