With the warm weather and everyone in a good mood, there’s much to celebrate… I call this the #szn. It’s #SeniorSzn. It’s #PromSzn. It’s #GraduationSzn. These all fall under the umbrella term: #Senior-Simone-Is-Really-Happy-Szn. (I would say it’s #GoodEatsSzn but good food isn’t limited to the beginning of summer with graduation parties and Memorial Day barbeques — but by all means, those are great, too.)
Here’s an update on my life: everything is quite dandy. As an almost-graduate of high school (omg), I recently finished my normal calculus and physics classes and opted for a more ~real world~ work experience; I don’t go to school anymore and I drive right to my internship every day, instead. Senioritis, as described in previous posts, is a real disease, and all of my friends still in school are suffering from the guaranteed laziness. However, as the school year is coming to an end, I have Prom coming up (the venue has great a catering service so I won’t starve) and I’m quite excited, despite the stress it has caused many. And of course, the culmination of high school is graduation, so that’s definitely something I plan on attending if I feel up to it that day (LOL). As I’m looking forward to upcoming events, I enjoy looking back at previous years and events, whether it be through my camera roll or through old posts on this blog.
How to fall in love in 27 hours:
I had the idea to write about this on my plane ride home from a place in which I spent a little over a day. For my big announcement, I thought it would be appropriate to share what I did, and of course, what I ate. When I went to Bloomington, Indiana (um why?) for a night, I’d never expected to fall in love with a cute midwest city like I did then. Okay yes, I visited Indiana University, and yes, I committed to the school the second I got home. Beyond the business school, which I may add, is quite impressive, the overall ~vibe~ of the school made me so excited to move in and unpack in just a few short months. I even went to my first college basketball game, and it was no small ordeal; with thousands of fans wearing red and white, I felt right at home. Oh, and in case you don’t know me, I judge colleges based on their ice cream stores, and when I went to The Chocolate Moose after an IU basketball game, it sealed the deal.
Expect many more eats from Bloomington, Indiana for the next four years… it has a great food scene!
To celebrate my commitment to the best school in the country, my friends surprised me with lots of IU apparel and a customized cookie cake! I was super excited, of course.
In the ~heat~ of senior year, I actually went to Florida and didn’t flog about it… shame on me! So here I am, recollecting the FABULOUS eats I had down south. As I look through my “Florida Food” iPhone photo album, I can’t help but think about how freaking good this stuff was, and how hungry I am while I write this. In my hotel, there were two restaurants: one overlooking the ocean (#views) and a market with the greatest of bowls. Of all the good things at the beach-front eatery, the garlic fries were to die for; especially after getting off of a plane and heading straight into a big bowl of these fries made these all the better. Here’s a pic (please, enjoy):
In the hotel’s market, though the lack of choices made my life a little more stressful during a relaxing vacation, I enjoyed two breakfasts with an acai bowl and (my first) pitaya bowl. I most definitely was not disappointed, especially with the presentation (because food pictures are worth a thousand calories).
Lastly, at my favorite restaurant in all of Miami, Ola, a small Cuban eatery, stole my heart once again (it was my second time there). To start off, my parents and I had the Hamachi Nikkei Ceviches, which is basically fish with seasoning and sauce; the way one eats it is that they take the fish, slide it across the plate through the sauce, and top it off with the seeds and seaweed at the end. Here’s a snap:
For another appetizer, we got corn empanadas and lobster empanadas. The corn empanadas came with small drops of a black bean sauce and a sweet corn sauce. They were crispy and sweet.
And for the entree: my favorite meal in all of Florida (yes, I really like this place if you couldn’t tell). I had the Raspado de Pato (wut). Basically, it’s duck in a miso-like broth, with a ginormous bowl of crispy fried rice with edamame, raisins and pine nuts. I was #blessed after eating this:
Let’s bring it back to the tri-state area, from north to south. At Pizza Beach in Manhattan, my friends and I got a bunch of pizzas to split. Here’s just a really pretty pizza:
If you go south about 3 hours, you’ll hit Margate, New Jersey. Ah, yes, the Jersey shore. Being the classy part of the shore, Margate has everything from acai bowls, to the best brunch spots, and upscale dining along the bay. I got my favorite acai bowl from Greens and Grains, topped with peanut butter and bananas; I ate my bowl on the beach, so it was quite incredible. At Hannah G’s, my favorite brunch place, I got my favorite quinoa french toast!!! which — hello — is unbelievable.
One of the many family-owned pizza parlors on the island is Zorro’s pizza with my favorite Grandma’s pizza: garlic and tons of cheese compliment their homemade tomato sauce on this square pizza.
Now moving west along the Atlantic City Expressway, one would hit Philadelphia. During my family’s wedding weekend (#WeddingSzn), we danced the night away as we celebrated my cousin and her new husband. For brunch the next morning, (because what’s a Jewish family gathering without Jew food) we had the classic bagels and lox combo. Here’s a photo:
It’s wild to think that I started this food blog at the end of my freshman year of high school. Friendships have changed, motives have changed (I started this to boost college applications, yet here I am, in college, and still writing), and my taste in food has only grown more sophisticated. People ask me why I continue to write about my food and travels, and I tell them how this is like my personal, yet quite public, diary. I add in that it’s my dream to get paid to eat and review other people’s food, and never have to pay for another fancy meal ever again. Oh, how one can dream.
It’s been a pleasure sharing my journey of good #eats throughout high school and the past three years, and I can’t wait to share many more adventures in the cornfields of Bloomington, Indiana. With that in mind, I don’t plan on gaining the Freshmen 15.
To the end of high school and to Indiana University Kelley School of Business class of 2022. L’chaim!
With much love and much more room in my stomach always,
Simone
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