there is a dark cloud over my head
I wrote this entry some months ago, but of course real life got in the way of me posting it. Since it was written, I have moved into a legitimate apartment. I have eaten at other restaurants. There are more details about that to come later.
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A few weeks ago, I traveled to a far and distant land in search of lodging, as they would say if we were in a Charles Dickens novel and I were the protagonist orphan. However, today we 21st century plebs would say I was apartment-hunting, which I guess is what I was doing also.
I once watched a Taylor Swift interview (I know, I know. Y'all are like, "How many times can this girl mention squinty-eyed Swifty in one blog?" Well, the answer is: a lot of times) where the famed songstress said that she basically lives trying to avoid the principal's office of life. I thought this was a really great analogy because that is the way I try to live as well.
I feel like avoiding the principal's office of life is a little difficult when you are cluelessly and obliviously living on your own. I keep thinking that some government organization is going to inform me that I unwittingly broke a law or something and send me to the slammer. I don't know how terrible of an experience jail would be, but I've seen Legally Blonde, you guys. No one looks good in that much orange, not even Ali Larter.
Anyway, I am full of irrational fears these days, but this blog is about things I have eaten and we are quite a few words in with no mention of food, so I'll cut to the point.
Occasionally I creep on the archives of this food blog, which doesn't actually seem to have a title, but I'll call it Food Reporter. It was run by a bunch of comedy writers back when they were in their twenties (now I guess some of them are in their 30's and too busy with RL to maintain the blog?), who are friends/colleagues of Mindy Kaling, a comedy writer whose work I keep tabs on pretty religiously (she's an inspiration!).
On Food Reporter they once described the experience of Shake Shack, the well-known burger chain in New York. Although this cohort of comedy writers deemed Shake Shack the equivalent of "pool food" (I understand exactly what they mean after spending several summers at the Red Oaks Swim Club), I decided to check out the establishment for myself. So after I apartment-hunted and missed my train (woe.), I headed over to the Madison Square Garden Park location (note: there is both a Madison Square Garden [the stadium] and a Madison Square Garden Park. They are nowhere near each other.):
I was under the erroneous impression that I had taken several photos of Shake Shack while I was there, but it seems I was too hungry to think about blogging because I only have four photos in my archives. I ordered a ShackBurger, fries, and an Arnold Palmer, which is iced tea mixed with lemonade.
The Shake Shack employees put my drink in the bag, which I thought was pretty risky. Luckily, there was no spillage. The fries, as you can see, are crinkle cut, which I wasn't too crazy about, but they were deep fried to just the right amount of crunchiness. I would give them a B+.
The burger was pretty good, but it wasn't the greatest I've ever had. The "Shack Sauce," which is basically Belgian mayonnaise, was pulling most of the weight in terms of taste.
I began thinking that Shake Shack was more about the experience (and the 100% recycled bag! which I apparently thought was so cool I photographed it twice) of waiting in a long line, observing the crowd around you, and enjoying New York weather in the summer months. However, while I began thinking this, it started to rain.
Slightly soggy, I sat at my table thoughtfully chewing my burger and holding an umbrella up with one hand. The crowd around me dispersed, but the birds did not. This bird tried to eat my french fries while my hands were occupied:
And in that moment I realized that there was a literal dark cloud over my head, just as I had always suspected.
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A few weeks ago, I traveled to a far and distant land in search of lodging, as they would say if we were in a Charles Dickens novel and I were the protagonist orphan. However, today we 21st century plebs would say I was apartment-hunting, which I guess is what I was doing also.
I once watched a Taylor Swift interview (I know, I know. Y'all are like, "How many times can this girl mention squinty-eyed Swifty in one blog?" Well, the answer is: a lot of times) where the famed songstress said that she basically lives trying to avoid the principal's office of life. I thought this was a really great analogy because that is the way I try to live as well.
I feel like avoiding the principal's office of life is a little difficult when you are cluelessly and obliviously living on your own. I keep thinking that some government organization is going to inform me that I unwittingly broke a law or something and send me to the slammer. I don't know how terrible of an experience jail would be, but I've seen Legally Blonde, you guys. No one looks good in that much orange, not even Ali Larter.
Anyway, I am full of irrational fears these days, but this blog is about things I have eaten and we are quite a few words in with no mention of food, so I'll cut to the point.
Occasionally I creep on the archives of this food blog, which doesn't actually seem to have a title, but I'll call it Food Reporter. It was run by a bunch of comedy writers back when they were in their twenties (now I guess some of them are in their 30's and too busy with RL to maintain the blog?), who are friends/colleagues of Mindy Kaling, a comedy writer whose work I keep tabs on pretty religiously (she's an inspiration!).
On Food Reporter they once described the experience of Shake Shack, the well-known burger chain in New York. Although this cohort of comedy writers deemed Shake Shack the equivalent of "pool food" (I understand exactly what they mean after spending several summers at the Red Oaks Swim Club), I decided to check out the establishment for myself. So after I apartment-hunted and missed my train (woe.), I headed over to the Madison Square Garden Park location (note: there is both a Madison Square Garden [the stadium] and a Madison Square Garden Park. They are nowhere near each other.):
I was under the erroneous impression that I had taken several photos of Shake Shack while I was there, but it seems I was too hungry to think about blogging because I only have four photos in my archives. I ordered a ShackBurger, fries, and an Arnold Palmer, which is iced tea mixed with lemonade.
The Shake Shack employees put my drink in the bag, which I thought was pretty risky. Luckily, there was no spillage. The fries, as you can see, are crinkle cut, which I wasn't too crazy about, but they were deep fried to just the right amount of crunchiness. I would give them a B+.
The burger was pretty good, but it wasn't the greatest I've ever had. The "Shack Sauce," which is basically Belgian mayonnaise, was pulling most of the weight in terms of taste.
I began thinking that Shake Shack was more about the experience (and the 100% recycled bag! which I apparently thought was so cool I photographed it twice) of waiting in a long line, observing the crowd around you, and enjoying New York weather in the summer months. However, while I began thinking this, it started to rain.
Slightly soggy, I sat at my table thoughtfully chewing my burger and holding an umbrella up with one hand. The crowd around me dispersed, but the birds did not. This bird tried to eat my french fries while my hands were occupied:
And in that moment I realized that there was a literal dark cloud over my head, just as I had always suspected.