Tuesday, April 21, 2009

Do I need an Intervention?

One time…I fell asleep on subway on my way home from a bar in NYC… and I woke up on the complete OPPOSITE END OF THE TRAIN LINE that I live from! In my defense, something was extremely wrong and I suspect it’s one of two things: either someone slipped something into my drink at the bar, OR the combination of Claritin and alcohol really kicked my ass.




Let me explain why I think it’s one of these 2 scenarios.

One time in Atlanta… I was really thirsty from dancing all night. I saw my friend Disco Princess drinking a coke. I came off the dance floor and asked for a sip. Disco Princess told me he just wanted one more sip and that I could have the rest. He took one last sip and I downed the rest of it. “Did you just down that whole drink?” he shouted.

“Yes, why?” I asked.

“Because! You Idiot, there was G in it!” (GHB-Gamma Hydroxy Butyrate- the Date Rape Drug).
“I thought you knew that I was sipping it to get a buzz off it!!” Disco Princess shouted at me.

The room started to really spin and I didn’t know how to stop it. I could barely keep my eyes open. Disco Princess was busy making out with some boy in the corner and refused to help me get home (which was across the Street!). Another boy said he knew where I lived. He put me in his car, and drove me across the street. He sat with me in his car for 30 minutes.

“I want to watch you a minute to make sure you’re okay before I let you go”. When he thought I was okay, he helped me into my apartment told me to eat something and sleep it off. All I had in my apartment were some oatmeal cookies. I ate them, and immediately wanted to throw up. I went straight to my roommate’s bathroom (my bathroom was too chic to mess up). I threw up the cookies. I realized that I was freezing cold and turned on our gas fireplace, and lay down on the floor in front of it. I fell asleep. A couple of hours later, my roommate found me in a puddle of my own sweat. He was cursing.

“If I ever catch you doing G again I’ll kill you myself” my roommate shouted. He was a paramedic. “ Do you realize what happened here? Your blood pressure dropped so much—to a dangerous level and that’s why you sweated so much. You could have died!” I woke up sick that morning, and really horny. I vowed to stay away from G from that day on.

Scenario Number 2: One time… my Friend Tyler came to visit me in NYC. My allergies were acting up and so I took some Claritin.
We went out to a club called The Park. I think I had 3 Gin and Tonics (not a whole lot for me). The last thing I remember was spilling my friend Tony’s drink, and buying him a new one. The next morning I woke up in my bed completely rested with no recollection of what happened or how we got home.

I asked Tyler what happened. “Well…” he said, “at around 3AM you came up to me, you seemed fine, but you looked tired, and said we had to go. You got our coats out from the coat check and then we went outside. You said we needed to hang outside for a while-I’m not sure why, but we did. Then you started walking and I followed you. We walked maybe 10 or 12 blocks to a diner. You ordered food and I ordered food, but you passed out. So I ate. Then you woke up, had your food boxed, went to the bathroom, paid for the food and said let’s go home. We got on a train, but I wasn’t sure if it was the right one. You passed out again. Then at some stop, you woke up and said we needed to switch trains and we did and got on the D train and came home. “

I had no recollection of any of it. It was like I was on autopilot. I got on the internet and saw my friend Tony on. I apologized for my behavior the night before. “What are you talking about honey he said... last night you were fierce! The life of the party!”

“I wasn’t trashed?” I asked.

“If you were I didn’t notice” said Tony. Scary.

April 19, 2009: I find myself waking up on the D Train at 8AM-- on the complete opposite end of the train line from where I live.
I had taken Claritin the morning before since it is allergy season. Actually I have been taking it for over a month now. I have also been drinking on weekends with no black-outs or auto-pilots. I remember meeting Alana (my high school prom date) for drinks at Chevy’s the night before.

We had a couple of drinks before we went to Splash. At Splash we had a couple more drinks and danced, but I just wasn’t feeling any kind of buzz. Alana said she was tired and wanted to go home. Me thinking with the other head between my legs put Alana in a cab and went back in.

I had 60 bucks and some free drink coupons to use. I went downstairs to where Alana and I were dancing and ordered another drink. I remember I met a guy named Kevin who I had friended on facebook but that I had never met in person until now. I also remember talking with a hot couple who told me they had been together for like 14 years. I was making out with the two of them and starting to feel a buzz. I remember meeting a hot Argentinean guy who told me he was straight and showed me pictures of his girlfriend, but kept grinding against my ass and making out with me. And then it gets fuzzy.

I knew I would probably get laid from either going home with the older couple, or the guy from Argentina. Argentina guy asked me what I was drinking and I went with him to the bar. I ordered a Gin and tonic and when I tried to pay, the bartender said “your money is no good here as long as you’re with him” (he pointed at the Argentinean guy). I had to pee. I excused myself and went to the bathroom. As far as I know I peed, but I might have thrown up.... I don’t recall.

I didn’t think I was gone that long, but when I got out of the bathroom, the whole downstairs of Splash was cleared out and the lights were on.
I tried to find any of the guys, but couldn’t. I went upstairs, it was too crazy and the room was really starting to spin. I decided to leave.

I don’t remember getting my coat, but vaguely remember stumbling to the train station. For some reason I’m sure that I went to the 34th Street Stop. I don’t remember. I remember the 59th street stop so I know I was going in the right direction. At Kingsbridge, I remember feeling so sick that I said to myself “one more stop and I can throw up and go to bed” (there was track work so the train wasn’t going fully to the end of the line where I live).

Suddenly I woke up. It was 8 AM. Sun was streaming through the train car windows and there were trains on either side of my train. There were 3 other people asleep on the car. Sunlight! My train never goes above ground! Where Am I? Am I dead? It’s so quiet and peaceful here. The sun is so beautiful.
I realized I was in the train yard! I looked out the window and saw the sign “Stillwell Avenue”. I ran to the train map. Stillwell was on the complete opposite end of the train line from where I lived! I realized that I had passed out on the train and because they were doing track work at my stop the conductor didn’t go around waking people up as he usually did. The train just unloaded, reloaded and reversed back on its path toward Brooklyn. I was 2 hours away from home!!

I called Herbelicious. I started to tell him what happened but then my phone went dead!


The whole time on the 2 hour train ride back to the opposite end, I kept thinking that it was so cold on that train, and that I reeked of alcohol. When I got home, I made another discovery. All my cash was gone, my iPod was gone, and my T-Shirt was gone!! WTF! Did this happen in the club or on the train? No wonder it was so cold—I was half naked! I have a vague flashback of the couple lifting up my shirt.

I took a shower, ate something, and fell asleep on the couch. I woke up to a soaked pillow. I felt sick and I was extremely horny. G? Or Claritin? I was really thirsty.

Monday Morning, I ended up staying home from work because now I had the runs.

At least I am safe, and nothing seriously bad happened. It could have been worse.

For Real! Seriously!

Thursday, April 9, 2009

Amen for Ramen!

Featured Reader: LISA outNabout at Wailua Falls on the Hana side of Maui Hawaii!


One time…. In NYC, I found myself addicted to Ramen noodles. ADDICTED. I craved it. Ever since eating at Sategaya (see my earlier blog on Sategaya), I have been on a Ramen Binge. I’ve been eating Ramen outNabout as well as at home almost constantly. I discovered that the East Village of NYC seems to be the war zone for the battle of the Ramen restaurants. On almost every block you can find a Ramen shop. So how do I know which one to choose? I ask my soul mate who took me to Sategaya in the first place (he is somewhat of an expert). This time, he recommended Ippudo, another Ramen house that is famous amongst Japanese locals, as well as in Japan.

Most of you still think of Ramen as the freeze dried sponge of noodles that you make at home. But really good Ramen starts off with the soup.
There are several types of soup bases, but really good ramen doesn’t take 3 minutes to make in your microwave, but rather days of boiling meats and vegetables to make luscious and sometimes creamy and flavorful soup bases. Ippudo is known for their amazing soups. Then there are the noodles. Ippudo makes their noodles fresh in their basement. You can even watch the noodles being made on a machine through a glass window while you wait your turn to use the restrooms.

This Ramen adventure to Ippudo began with a phone call to Robert who works at the Little Hair shop in the East Village, just blocks from Ippodu. I knew that Robert, being both Japanese and from Hawaii, would appreciate a good bowl of SAIMIN (what we call Ramen in Hawaii). “I get off of work at 6:30” said Robert. “Meet me at the salon, and I think maybe some of my co-workers will join us if you don’t mind”.


“Sure!” I say. Herbelicious and I love Robert’s co-workers-- a Hodge-podge of hair artists who are just great people with great energy to be around. We get to the salon just as it is closing and the last customers leaving. After a quick clean up, Petra the owner counsels and supports her staff on the rough diamonds they encountered that day. I think Petra is an amazing boss. She then gets one of her staff to pour us all a shot of Don Julio! And then it was off to Ippudo.


On our way to Ippudo who did we run right into but Ms. Top Model herself TYRA BANKS! She was being assisted by to people and appeared to be limping. She was even more beautiful in person. Herbelicous called out his favorite stalker line that he says to all the celebs he meets on the streets of NYC: “OMG I LOVE YOUR SHOW!”

“Thanks” she replied with a smile as she limped away.


Ippudo is located at 65 Fourth Ave at 10th street (just across the street from the Astor Place Train stop. Upon walking in, you will immediately notice the trendy atmosphere. Almost like a nightclub.
Who knew that you could build such a trendy place based on noodles and soup? Our table wasn’t quite ready so we all sauntered up to the bar where FREEZE DRIED RAMEN NOODLES with glass over the top as the bar itself.
Behind the bar the wall was lined with bowls! We all ordered a Japanese beer and settled in the corner and talked about our day, and how Petra should have us over sometime and make us some kicking Caribbean food (hint hint). Petra is Asian, but was born and raised in Trinidad.



When our table was ready, the host led us into a large dining room where immediately the whole staff stopped what they were doing and all yelled Irrashaimase! (Welcome in Japanese). In the center of the room was another trendy piece of art, what appeared to be a giant tree or umbrella made of bamboo.

Our host led us to our table complete with tatami mat seats, ropes, and Japanese writing engraved into the wall behind us. Though I could read (pronounce) the characters on the wall, I did not know what they meant. To the right of our table was the glass enclosed kitchen where you could watch the noodle chefs make our meals.
We decided to share an appetizer platter complete with Octopus salad, fried fish cakes, and the most luscious piece of pork with fat that just melted in your mouth. The pork was like eating Kalua Pig (pig cooked in the underground oven) from Hawaii. We also ordered edamame.



Upon looking at the menu, we realized that unlike Setagaya which only has Shoyu (so sauce) based ramen soups, Ippudo had several different kinds:
Tonkotsu which is a meat based soup, Miso Ramen which has a Miso based soup, and the regular shoyu based ramen.



Petra and Victor (her Husband), Dane, and Me ordered the Akamaru Ramen: “The original tonkotsu soup noodles with Ippudo’s special sauce, miso paste, and fragrant garlic oil; slices of simmered Berkshire pork, cabbage, onions, kikurage & scallions".


Herbert ordered the Miso Ramen: “Soy bean paste ramen noodles soup, tonkotsu based soup with slice of Berkshire pork, minced pork, cabbage & scallions”.


Robert ordered the Shiromaru Hakata Classic: "The original tonkotsu soup noodles with slices of simmered Berkshire pork, kikurage, red pickled giner, menma, hard boiled egg, sesame & scallions".


And Dustin ordered the Spicy Tonkotsu Ramen because he likes it spicy: “The original tonkotsu soup noodles with hot sauce, ground pork, cabbage, onions & scallions. Your choice of spiciness, mild, spicy or extra spicy". Dustin ordered it Extra Spicy.


When the food came it was sheer bliss. Nothing could be heard except the moans, grunts, and slurps of the ramen being eaten.
In Japan, it is actually proper to slurp ramen so that you get the noodles and the soup at the same time and experience the sophistication of the flavors on your palate.


Personally, I liked the noodles at Setagaya better, but there was no arguing that the broth here at Ippudo was nothing short of amazing.
We ate everything in our bowls and drank all of the soup.


After dinner, we all shared some Green Tea Creme Brule which was just the perfect amount of sweet along with hot tea or Ocha. In Japan, it is known that all the good restaurants serve you ocha for free.


One quick stop to the bathroom where the giant face watched you pee, and it was goodbye to everyone. It was a wonderful night of good food, with good friends, and good conversation. I got my Ramen fix for the night! I only wished that my soul mate, who recommended this place to me, was there to go home with. I miss him a lot, some days worse than others, but I know that he is doing great things on the other side of the world. I’m doing great things on this side of the world.

For Real! Seriously!