foodmood

bereberFood here, for me, is going pretty well, and isn't intensely different from what I'm used to. The main big difference is the variety, which is a lot smaller than in New York. In this case, that means you usually have to seek out a Japanese, Moroccan or Thai restaurant, whereas in NY, one of these is only a few blocks away. It doesn't mean they don't have the whole mix here, just means it might be a little harder to find. In terms of day-to-day though, I eat at my homestay, where the food is really good. It's not super various, but I like it a lot, and it's similar to what I'd eat at home in NY.
All the NYU kids have different experiences based on their housing, so the people in the residences (kind of like dorms, but with other international students too) have different, likely fewer options because they eat more cafeteria style. In my homestay I can ask my hostmother to make one or another thing. I don't usually do this 'cause I almost always like what she makes.
Ok--restaurant life is different. I (and mostly all NYU people) go out to dinner pretty much every Saturday. This was the general contract with each housing option. Since I go out to eat a lot more often in NY, it's sort of very exciting to eat out on Saturdays, because it's become more of a treat here. Also, a really great, slightly fancy meal with some sort of drink costs about $25-$30 US.
Last night, I had Moroccan food with some friends and it was delicious and a little fancy. I forgot my camera, so this picture is from the internet. Anyway, while I was enjoying my meal, I realized and said to my friends "I feel like I'm in NY." This is a funny thing about big cities--when I'm eating Moroccan food in a decorated restaurant, whose goal is probably to make me feel like I'm in Morocco, it reminds me of New York. This has all to do with some sort of cosmopolitan feeling of multi-culturalism. That's the best way I can think of saying it.
Also, the restaurant last night was full of "good-looking people," as my friend noticed, who were all definitely well-off, and of whom, about half were speaking English. I don't mean to sound superficial, but I think there's an undeniable correlation between well-off, well-dressed/good-looking, and the idea of being "cosmopolitan." This isn't my ideal in a lot of ways, since I'm specifically trying to be OUT OF NY, and do the whole immersion thing, and not simply take advantage of the ex-pat good life, but it's also an incredibly nice and relaxing treat once in a while.
I feel like this is my most boring post as of yet, but I'm posting it anyway because I don't know what more to say. I am someone who absolutely loves food. I get overly excited about it, and usually spend a lot of time thinking about what I'm going to eat. I get even more obsessed with desserts and chocolate. I could go on about my passion for food, but I kind of think it's not interesting to read or write about food. I guess I feel like I don't know why you'd want to read about what I eat.
Ok, now I am starving...need to go do that :)