Snack Bites

           The time period in between lunch and dinner is a daily challenge. You do not want to eat too much and ruin your appetite; however, the embarrassing, grumbling noises generating from your stomach cannot ultimately be avoided. Thank God someone created the revolutionary idea of snacks, or as my grandmother calls them, “hold me overs.” Although snacking is typically thought of in the context of elementary school children, over the years I have discovered the role it plays in my life.

            At home, right around snack time, my stomach would rumble like clockwork. Since it was Tuesday and I had soccer in downtown New York City, I knew where my hunger would lead me. Finally, after what seemed to be an exceedingly long subway ride, I ran up the block to 24^th Street.  I saw the blue awning protruding out the side of the red brick building and under the bright red letters reading “Ralphs.”  Additionally, there was an illustration of icy smiley faces on the awning. Ralphs Italian Ices has locations all over the tri-state area of my hometown: Manhattan, Long Island, Queens, New Jersey, and Staten Island. Throughout all of the locations, the building structure and method in which a customer orders his or her food is identical. The consumer orders outside a window located directly underneath the blue awning attached to the building. 

Ralphs has an array of sherbet flavors that range from the typical icy flavors of Cherry, Lime, Orange, and Passion Fruit, to wild and creative mixture flavors such as Banzai Banana, Peanut Butter Cookie Dough, Pineapple Cheesecake, Rainbow Cookie, and Crazy Coconut. Personally, I can never go wrong with Graham Cracker sherbet. The coolness of the ice, mixed with the crunch of the graham crackers, creates the perfect balance of textures.

If you venture on to enjoy the sherbet at Ralphs, then there is one vital piece of information that must be known beforehand. There are no toppings or cones that accompany the frozen treats, for according to Ralphs, “they are not necessary.” As a frequent customer, I can definitely attest to the statement that there is nothing else required to accompany the deliciousness of the sherbet.

            Now what is a girl supposed to do when she discovers that her favorite “hold me over” is nowhere to be found on her college campus? That’s right; I had to find a substitute. After my first week at Emory University, I found my “Ralphs.” Although Freshens is classified as a smoothie vender, it also sells cakes, milk shakes, and frozen yogurt. I have never been characterized much as a fro-yo girl, but desperate times call for desperate measures. One Wednesday I was hungrier than ever, and so I decided to prance around COX for a good fifteen minutes to find that perfect 4:00p.m. bite. I passed by Freshens a few times, and by the third go-around I decided to give it a try. 
          The two women working there were extremely polite and accommodating. Since I was a new customer who obviously did not know what I was doing, they not only let me take my sweet time, but also allowed me to try all of the flavors. I carefully tested my pallet with Strawberry, Vanilla, Chocolate, Cookies ‘n Cream, and Raspberry.  I landed on what some may call mundane: plain yogurt. But have no fear, I had a strategy in mind. I would get the tart tasting yogurt and fill in the missing flavor with toppings. At Freshens there are so many topping to choose from; being the indecisive person I am, this part got a little tricky. The toppings seemed endless: M&Ms, coconut shavings, blueberries, white chocolate chips, Heath bars, strawberries, and so many more. A small serving can accommodate up to three toppings, so I went with my gut and choose granola, Butterfinger bites, and M&Ms. Honestly, I wasn’t expecting much. How good could frozen yogurt be from a place I had never even heard of? But to my surprise, this was a decent snack. Now, it may just have been my excellent selection of yogurt and toppings, but the cool, tangy yogurt mixed with the crunchy and sweet toppings definitely got my taste buds going. Bite after bite I ate up my afternoon snack with satisfaction. I happily found a snack at college that is not only a respectable “hold me over,” but also one that can be paid for with Dooley Dollars!

 Photo 1 From: Ralph's Italian Ices

Lunch Bites

        I’m not going to lie; I am not a big lunch person. I like hot meals, so naturally I am not a fan of cold cut sandwiches or bland salads. Because of this, lunch for me is a hard meal to be satisfied with. Lunchtime in high school came with a much-needed break from classes and hunger that was indescribable. New York City’s Zabars is one of those places that one must try while in the Manhattan. It is known to be a supermarket, but right next door to this hectic superstore, there is a small place called Zabar’s Café. Conveniently, this café is right around the corner from my high school. As soon as we heard our last period teacher mutter the words lunchtime, off to Zabars we went. When reaching Zabars, I would rush in and wait on the dreaded line, tapping my foot like the impatient New Yorker I am. When I finally received my tomato, basil, and mozzarella Panini, I gobbled down a hot piece of melted mozzarella cheese, while trying not to get part of the skin of the tomato stuck in my teeth. Then, when I finally saw the green piece of basil, I got a refreshing bite of wilted plant. I had to wipe my chin from the little bit of balsamic vinaigrette dripping from the Panini to my jaw line. Biting into the next ridge of the Panini, I got a bit of toasted crust that fell off the side of the sourdough bread. It is simple pleasure to mix the stringy mozzarella cheese with the slightly warm but still cool parts of tomato and basil.

             Not having this meal in college was not as big of a surprise for me because I prepared myself that at Emory there would be no Zabars. However, I have been looking for a solid lunchtime hot sandwich in college. This one was tricky, because “solid lunchtime hot sandwiches” do not exist at the Duc. So when I asked my sister, who happens to be a sophomore here at Emory, where I could get these apparently hard to find sandwiches, she let me in on a little secret; “Cox,” she said with a little snicker. I decided to take her words of wisdom and last week I took my inexperienced self to Cox for lunch. The atmosphere felt a little like my beloved Zabars: it was very crowded and I had to wait in a long line before I got to place my order. Since I was in college, a place where you should expand your horizons, I decided be a little adventurous and order a hot sandwich with chicken, mozzarella, lettuce, and Russian dressing. I do have to admit, this was not a Panini, but a grilled sandwich. Aside from this slight disappointment, it was particularly appetizing. After my first bite I knew this had the potential to become my new, but never quite as good, version of “Zabars” during the next four years. The chicken was cooked just right, not too dry but definitely fully cooked. The mozzarella was not as melted as I would have liked but still enough that I needed to rip the excess string of cheese hanging from my mouth. Finally, the lettuce and Russian dressing added some freshness and flavor that the sandwich absolutely needed. I would have liked the familiar sign of ridges on my sandwich, but overall this was a “solid” substitute for my favorite hot sandwich from home. Who knows, maybe I will even have a new favorite meal...lunch.

Breakfast Bites

Ever wake up in the morning from a nice long sleep and realize that your stomach is churning and possibly making some unpleasant sounds? This might mean it is time for possibly the best meal of the day: breakfast.  At home in New York City, after being cuddled up in my warm full sized bed, I loved to start my day off with a sausage, egg, and cheese sandwich from the deli downstairs.  Café On Broadway is what you would expect from a typical Manhattan deli: the atmosphere seems a little rushed and I definitely would not recommend enjoying a leisurely meal there, but they do make some of the best and cheapest breakfast sandwiches around. Almost drooling to take a bite of this bad boy, I would dive into the hot crispy Kaiser roll wrapped in tinfoil. The sandwich was cut perfectly in two and oozed out melted yellow American cheese.  It had just the perfect balance of omelet-style eggs joined with a thin patty sausage. If you have ever had a truly good breakfast sandwich, you can understand the mastermind of these four ingredients mixed together.

After leaving Manhattan, I have had many disappointing mornings at college. I finally realized that this yummy breakfast treat is nowhere to be found within the freshman meal plan. So, after the first day of school I was left with the question of what to get for breakfast in college? This answer may not be pleasing to many of you, but there are not many appetizing selections Monday though Friday. But good news! The weekend comes with not only parties and late nights, but also an eatable breakfast. This Saturday and Sunday blessing is the create-your-own omelet station at the Duc.  While this may not be your favorite breakfast diner at home or mom’s pancakes, this is certainly not a bad option. Waiting on line that first Saturday morning, I did not know what to expect.  But my turn came quick so I muttered: mushrooms, onions, spinach and cheese please. The eggs were well cooked with actually just the right balance of each ingredient. I also decided to drizzle salsa over the top for the omelet for a little kick. The taste of the omelet reminded me of something I could have at home; it possessed that special sense of being personalized to your own likings, rather than the typical the big pot of scrambled eggs they serve to the whole school. Personally, I added a piece of toast with peanut butter and guzzled the meal down with a cold glass of OJ. After this, for the first time in college, I was satisfied after breakfast. So, for those of you missing your favorite sausage, egg, and cheese sandwich or mom’s pancakes for breakfast, head down to the Duc on your weekends for a little taste of something familiar. Oh, and did I mention this luxury is open until 2pm for all you late risers…