Never Thought I'd Say This

I have a love-hate relationship with New York City, as I am sure most New Yorkers feel the same. With the busy hustle and bustle, outrageous high cost of living, smelly summers and reputation of rude people, there is no doubt it can get frustrating from time to time. There are tons of lists and memes about how NYC sucks out there like this one (50 Worst Things About Living in New York).

But here it goes... I really can't believe I'm saying this... I miss New York! I can provide a lengthy list of dislikes, but today I certainly have no hard time thinking of the things I love.

8 Things I Don't Hate About You, New York:

1. The FOOD - You can get any kind of food you want, from cheap dumplings for $1 to Michelin rated, internationally acclaimed restaurants; also cuisines from all around the world. Because there are so many restaurants, there really is no room for bad food here. Boy, do I miss good food!
2. ETHNIC DIVERSITY - WOW! I MISS DIVERSITY SO MUCH! People say that Leicester is considered the most diverse city outside of London in the UK, however I have yet to really see it. I can certainly see that there is a high population of South Asians, however beyond South Asians and Caucasians it's a little bland. Being a "minority" myself, and by saying "minority" I mean a non-Caucasian, I am starting feel different again. The same way I felt out of place and different in Elementary school where my kind was not prevalent. New York consists of people from all around the world of all different physical feature, and people didn't mind that. It seemed like Caucasians were starting to be the minority in the big city.
   Speaking of which, congratulations to the new Miss America. How sad it is that there are people saying "but this is America". Yeah, well America is not the land of Caucasians. It was never meant to be that. No surprise she's Miss New York! ;)
3. CENTRAL PARK & HIGHLINE - These are my hot spots that I can easily just relax at by myself, with my hubbs or with friends. New York has plenty of really great free parks and events. 
4. SUNLIGHT AND CHANGING LEAVES - Fall is my absolute FAVORITE season in New York! It's too bad I won't be able to see beautiful changing leaves and cooler sunny days. It's mostly just cold, windy and overcast skies here.
5. PEOPLE WATCHING, the CRAZIES and HIPSTERS - They know you're watching them and they really don't care. There are people who talk, sing, dance to themselves and it's fine and accepted. It's something about them that makes me feel like being weird is okay. It's actually quite comforting to me. Maybe there are plenty of these in London, but I'm not in London. I'm in Leicester.
6. TELEVISION - I do miss American TV and comedy. There are some shows here like Seinfeld, Friends, Mad Men... but I didn't watch these shows at home. Where's my Community, New Girl, Modern Family, Big Bang Theory? Most of all I miss my Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. Jimmy always made me sleep smiling (hope my husband isn't jealous, because he does too!). English humor is different, and I'm still working on getting it. The only English show I've been entertained by is Top Gear (which I am watching now). OH WAIT! They do have Big Bang Theory... YES!!!
7. DRIVING ON THE RIGHT SIDE - Okay, this isn't just a New York thing but an American thing. Riding on left side is still strange and I've been trying to pay more attention to the road when people drive me around. I really want to take driving lessons so I can learn. I really miss my car!
8. BRIDGES AND SKYLINES - You really can't beat the NYC skyline. I see it all the time, and I am still so fascinated by it.

Maybe when I get back to New York next year, I'll be able to make a list of things I miss about Leicester. We tend to take good things we currently have for granted, that I am very guilty of like ALL THE TIME. We'll see in 6 months...

Dinner tonight was at a Thai restaurant a few blocks away called Emerald Thai. I had walked past it a couple times before, and found it usually pretty empty inside. I decided to just go for it tonight. Since it was pretty chilly and windy outside, I started off with a pot of Jasmine tea to get myself settled and warmed up. I slowly sipped the pleasantly warm beverage as I looked through the menu and listened to another American man speaking loudly a few tables away. He was with his colleagues and they were the only other diners in the restaurant.

Tom Kha Soup

I started off with the Chicken Tom Kha soup. Usually, I'd go for Tom Yum but I wasn't in the mood for something too tart and spicy. I just went with the creamier version and slightly toned down version. It had a little bit of heat to it... just the right amount. I was a little disappointed with the lack of veggies and meat in the soup. I counted around 5 mushroom slices and 3 chicken pieces, some random chili pieces and a couple sprigs of herbs. It did not have as much flavor as I remembered other Tom Kha's to have.




The main entree was the standard Pad Thai. Yeah, I know..

Pad Thai

boring. There were plenty of curry and other stir-fry options, but I went with the ol' PT simply because I didn't want my mouth to be on fire. Some days I'll go for it, but not tonight. It was nicely plated with a carved flower out of something... not sure if it was veggie or fruit. The usual me would have taken a bite out of it to figure out exactly what it was, but tonight was a risk-adverse night. I'm tired.
It was a bit more sticky than I know Pad Thai to be, and it was missing something that I just couldn't quite figure out. I felt like there wasn't enough of the richness in flavor, I would say something that came from balance the Tamarind flavor and the sweetness. It just seemed the complexity in flavors were a little muted, and the texture was different from what I was used to. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't bad... just okay. The portion size was good for me. Not too much and no too little. I wasn't overly full afterwards, which is just the way I like it.
Overall I'd give the place a C+. It was just okay. I was very happy to see a Thai girl, the waitress at the restaurant. Diversity!

Week 1 is done. I am feeling a little homesick, can't you tell? And where is the good food?!?! Hopefully, I'll find some A+ worthy eateries in Leicester very soon.