When Life Gives You Coconuts…

     A few weeks ago I met up with some friends in 
Noho after work. Labeled with what one would perceive 
as just a cute nickname, Noho perfectly represents 
the place that it stands for — the little area that is 
north of Houston Street. It’s a fabulous part of the 
city, just blocks from some of the best shopping in the 
world, Greene, Prince, Spring and Bleeker Streets, and 
home to the best-dressed people I've ever seen. just 
walking down Broadway to get to work each day, I feel 
like I pass at least five models, two athletes, a designer 
and maybe an actor or two. and that’s at eight thirty in 
the morning.
     In addition to the incomparable shopping, which can 
endanger your wallet, especially after a stressful day, 
Noho is also known for it’s fresh and trendy food. 
As a side note, nothing in this area is cheap in any 
respect. Sure, you can find a delicious meal at a good 
price, but that requires some seeking out. It’s great to 
have a few reliable places that will provide you with 
exactly what you want, but let’s be real, you’re in NYC, 
if you stay in one place you’ll miss out on so many more.
     So this particular night, we decided to try somewhere 
different. We walked through Washington Square Park and 
past Waverly Place on the hunt for a cute eatery that none 
of us had ever been to. apparently, starting our hunt to find 
dinner at 8 o’clock was the first mistake we made that night. 
Everywhere we went had a wait that sounded torturous to our 
impatient stomachs. Finally we came across a place that, from 
the outside, looked so fun that we couldn’t pass it up.
[ Things I Learned #2: Do not be a naïve city-goer. 
Choosing a place to dine requires more thought than a 
love for the atmosphere — at least look at the menu before 
you sit down. ]
     Through the window of the small Pilipino restaurant 
a fun, colorful atmosphere seduced us. The interior was 
packed with people, but there was also the option to dine 
out back in the romantically lit-up garden. There was a 
younger hip crowd at the bar that was bordered with orange, 
yellow and red lights. None of us had ever tried Pilipino 
food. We were pumped.
     In retrospect, we should have left after waiting that 
first half hour. Something didn’t feel right. After one full 
hour, our stomachs were still growling, my friends and I had 
rationed off my water bottle, and I felt like my shoulder was 
going to fall off because I was still carrying half the 
contents of my desk in my bag.
     An hour and a half later. Finally, we are brought to 
our table. Well, our request to dine in the garden had 
been forgotten — or entirely ignored — and we were 
stationed at a table in the corner near the kitchen and 
bathrooms. Whatever. We were starving. we examined the menu 
as quickly as possible. After much indecision, I selected 
an entrée with greens, chicken grilled in coconut oil and nuts.
     Even in times of despair, I make it a priority to keep 
up a classy etiquette. So, I waited for the waitress to 
leave before I started to laugh at my food. It turns out 
that I had misunderstood the menu (no shame, I had never 
even seen half of the ingredients before). I had ordered a 
chicken soup. Served in a coconut.
     I’m glad you’re laughing. It was actually pretty good. 
Nothing like I had wanted or attempted to order, but it 
wasn’t a total failure. There are pictures in my Photo Album 
if you want to see it for yourself. But I should’ve stopped 
there. Unfortunately my friend and I decided to share a 
traditional Pilipino desert. There were two classy looking 
ladies at the table next to us celebrating a birthday, and 
their desert looked to die for. Sadly, though we asked for 
exactly that, we were brought something different. I describe 
it as a grand $10 bowl of cereal, milk and flakes with a couple 
of tapioca-like balls on the side made out of some sort of 
vegetable. We were almost in tears from laughing at ourselves.
     OK, so maybe it wasn’t what we were expecting. But we did 
try something new! We got to experience a pretty cool crowd 
and atmosphere, and a new kind of food. That itself is a 
success. That’s what the city is all about!
Don’t forget to check out the pictures in the Photo Album!
Thanks for reading,
stay classy! xx