Plataforma Churrascaria: Meat-Lover Heaven

The day after Thanksgiving is usually spent recovering from the massive amounts of foods consumed the day before, or it is spent shopping because of ‘Black Friday’. I spent the day after Thanksgiving eating yet another monstrous feast in New York City. My brother and his wife came in from L.A., as well as his mother-in-law and sister-in-law, who are from Ohio. We wanted to give everyone a good taste of New York while they were in, so we went into the city, walked around the crowded streets of 5^th Avenue, watched the ice skaters at Rockefeller Plaza, and went sightseeing around Time Square. For dinner we went to Plataforma Churrascaria Rodizio, a wonderful Brazilian Restaurant.

The Salad Bar

          At Plataforma Churrascaria, They serve a wide variety of different cuts of beef, pork, lamb, chicken, etc., in succession, to each diner individually right at their table, thus there is not a traditional menu. The restaurant features a fixed-price continuous tableside service. Also, it’s very difficult to not fill up on the amazing salad bar, which contains an assortment of beans, salads, sushi, and other special appetizers.

            At the table there is a round card at each setting, which has a red side and a green side. When you’re ready for the waiters to bring around the huge cuts of meats, you flip the card over on the green side and let the meat fest begin. If you are a meat-lover, then this restaurant experience is pretty much the closest thing to heaven on earth. My favorite is the prime beef, it’s so tender, juicy, and flavorful- it melts in your mouth. Another favorite of mine happens to be the chicken wrapped in bacon- it’s to die for!

Caipirinha

            For those who are of the legal drinking age, I recommend Plataforma Churrascaria’s famous specialty beverage called “Caipirinha.” This drink is a concoction of fresh limes, sugar, ice and "Cachaça" - Brazilian liquor made from raw sugar cane, martinis and many non-spirited beverages. It’s delicious! 

            Once you turn that card over on the green side, it’s very hard to turn it back over onto the red side. The food is so scrumptious- no matter how uncomfortably full you are- you still just want to keep eating! If you are ever in New York City, Plataforma Churrascaria is a must! Most all-you-can-eat places tend to have a crumby quality of food, but not Plataforma Churrascaria! It’s a 5-star restaurant all-around, with a fixed price of $50 per person! I highly recommend Plataforma Churrascaria because it’s an eating experience you will never forget!

The Jersey Reality Show Invasion

'Jersey Shore' cast

It feels like just yesterday New Jersey was known as the “Garden State,” and/or the “smelly state.” Today, New Jersey is associated with the “Jersey Shore” and other reality shows. It seems you cannot escape the Jersey fever. They are all over the media, on every TV channel, and talked about/mocked all the time. So, why are there so many New Jersey Reality shows? And why have they become so popular all over the world?

They sport a fake golden tan, which resembles somewhat of an oopa lumpa. Their closets mostly contain Ed Hardy clothing. The girls poof the front of their hair, while the guys either have a prickly waxy sculpture on their head, or they have an exceptionally perfectly landscaped buzz cut. They always have a drink in one hand, and fist-pump with the other. Yes, that’s right, I’m talking about the 'Jersey Shore,' the hit MTV reality show that started the Jersey Reality Show Invasion in the first place.

            For those who aren’t avid watchers of the show, let me introduce the cast of the ‘Jersey Shore’. First there’s JWOWW, a young woman who is not afraid to reveal her personal assets, as well as her aggression with disrespectful girls. There is the “loyal” couple on the show, Ronnie and Sammi “sweetheart”. There’s Pauly D who defines the meaning of a Guido, with his spiky hair, DJ abilities, Fake tan, and love for his women. Then there is Snooki, the tiny, cute, and precious one whose personality makes up for her height. Vinny, the most "normal" of the group and is naturally entertaining. Finally there’s Mike “The Situation”, who’s one of the most entertaining of the group. No one can get enough of his chiseled abs, and his limited vocabulary use, which usually involves the word “situation.” These colorful characters, who have been called “modern-day greasers,” have forever changed the way we see New Jersey, and they have influenced a craze that just won’t seem to fade.

            The ‘Jersey Shore’ has become a guilty pleasure for many people. For those who aren’t familiar with or exposed to the Guido culture, the show is exceptionally entertaining and rather hilarious. One of my favorite things about the show is the collection of Guido terms that the cast has created. There’s “GTL,” which stands for gym, tanning, and laundry (the guys’ daily agenda). T-shirt Time; The point in time in which all the guys in the house put on their t-shirts before they go out to the clubs. Beatin' Up the Beat: Tribal, ritualistic exercise of literally pounding on the floor along to music until one ascends into a full-blown fist pump. The Blowout; a typical hairstyle for the male cast-mates, which requires a good ten pounds of hair gel, and the end result looks as if they stuck their finger in an electrical outlet. A Bomb; a stubborn female, who cannot be seduced by a male cast mate, and tends to ruin everyone else’s fun.  MVP; nickname assigned by “the situation,” which stands for Mike “The Situation”, Vinny, and Pauly D., and is typically used when they hit the club scene. There are countless more creative Guido terms, and I wouldn’t be surprised if they came out with an official “Jersey Shore Dictionary” one of these days.

            After the first season of the ‘Jersey Shore’, the Jersey Reality Show Invasion transpired. An overload of ridiculous drama, heavy Jersey accents, tough personalities, hair gel, and even more fake tans erupted on TV. On vh1, they aired the unsuccessful reality show ‘Jerseylicious,’ which follows the personal and professional lives of the owners and several hair stylists and make-up artists in Green Brook, New Jersey who work in the Gatsby Salon. And, there’s a fresh batch of Jersey Reality shows coming to a TV near you: ‘Jersey Couture’ on the Oxygen Network, and ‘My Big Friggin’ Wedding’ on vh1.

'The Real Housewives of New Jersey' cast

 The Real Housewives of New Jersey on Bravo became the next big hit. The series follows sisters (who happen to be married to brothers) Caroline and Dina Manzo, their sister-in-law, Jacqueline Laurita, long time family friend, Teresa Giudice and the always unpredictable Danielle Staub. Each episode is jam-packed with intense drama, gossiping, and these ladies never hesitate to be over-the-top, because after all, that’s the Jersey way.

            Some people can’t get enough of the Jersey Reality Shows, while others find it to be a bit excessive now. My question is why are people are so obsessed with these mindless show? When I asked my friends, who are all avid watchers of both the “Jersey Shore” and “Real Housewives of New Jersey,” they said it’s because these people are nutty and hilarious, and well, just plain entertaining. One of them said she watches it because it’s almost hard to believe that these people are for real and actually exist. So will the invasion of Jersey reality shows die out? Or, will we be fist pumping till the end of eternity? To be continued…

Ronald McDonald is a World Traveler

Today I talked to my father who’s currently in India for two weeks on a business trip. Since his job entails international business, my father has been traveling the world since before I was born, and is able to adapt to different cultures quickly and easily. However, my dad does have some difficulties adapting to India’s spicy foods. According to him, every meal in India (breakfast, lunch, and dinner) is loaded with strong spices. My dad told me he spotted a McDonalds there and was nearly overwhelmed with joy; even though he would never touch fast food in America, he was desperate for a normal meal that wouldn’t burn his tongue off or have his stomach grumbling. Salivating at the thought of a juicy burger, my father literally ran to the fast food joint. Unfortunately, the cow is seen as a holy animal in India, according to religious beliefs. They aren’t allowed to eat burgers, or any kind of beef, and chicken isn’t the safest thing to order at a McDonalds in a third world country (especially India).  So, my father was totally out of luck. A McDonalds that doesn’t serve burgers kind of sounds like an oxymoron, doesn’t it?

Yes, I felt terrible for my dad, yet I was also fascinated at the fact that there was a Mickey D’s in India! I had no idea that Ronald McDonald has gone international! I decided to do some Google searching about this and found out that McDonalds offers a regionalized version of their menu in different countries. According to Wikipedia, “the Veg ‘McCurry Pan’, the famous dish is very popular and is an original creation of McDonald's across India. It starts with a rectangular shaped crust that is topped with a creamy sauce, mushrooms, and vegetables including broccoli, baby corn, and red bell pepper. It is then baked until the crust is crisp and the toppings are hot and bubbly.

  I found out that there are McDonalds located on almost every continent! In Arabia, the popular item on the menu is the McArabia of course, which has two versions: Grilled chicken, and grilled Kofta (beef with spices). Both are served with lettuce, tomatoes, onions, and garlic mayonnaise in addition to two small patties of grilled chicken or Kofta, all wrapped in an Arabic style pita bread.

"McHombard"

In Canada you can enjoy a Mclobster roll, or “McHombard” in French. You will find an Ebi-Filet-O (shrimp burger), Koroke Burger (mashed potato, cabbage and katsu sauce, all in a sandwich), Ebi-Chiki (shrimp nuggets) and Green Tea-flavored milkshakes in Japan. In hong Kong, the people love their rice, so why wouldn’t their happy meals contain Rice Burgers, where the burgers are in between, not burger buns, but two patties of glutinous rice. In Malaysia's capital of Kuala Lumpur, breakfast at McDonald's includes the Bubur Ayam McD. In Singapore, it's called Chicken SingaPorridge, which is a cup of porridge with bits of chicken, ginger, shallots, onions, and chili peppers.

The list of strange foods go on and on. I must say, I’m actually pleasantly surprised to see these countries have their own unique McDonald menus that stay in accordance to their regions culture. I’m just glad that the western world hasn’t influenced a menu of greasy unhealthy foods that are responsible for the growing problem of obesity in America.

            

The "Black-out" in a Can

It’s no secret that most college kids love to party and drink alcohol. And these days, if you go to a college party, you may happen to see several students drinking a fun colorful can with the name “Four Loko” on it. Yes, the new craze, which has been called “black out” in a can or “liquid cocaine,” is an alcoholic caffeinated energy drink, which has caused college students to black out everywhere. Why is this drink so popular among partying college students? Simple- it only cost $2.45, and all you need is barely one can of it and you’re on your way to a wide-awake inebriation.

At a recent Kid Cudi rap concert at URI, it was reported that 34 students needed medical-attention, and 11 ended up in the hospital, due to alcohol-related issues. Although what these students drank, was not reported, some of my inside sources, who happen to be students that attended the concert, said many of the students were drinking Four Lokos at the event.

            Just today I received an email that declared that the  University of Rhode Island has officially banned Four Lokos.  URI is the third college to ban Four Lokos. Prohibiting this stimulant-alcoholic-energy drink seems to be a fast growing trend among colleges throughout the United States.

 It’s no mystery to why Four Lokos are dangerous, since these 23-ounce cans contain 12 percent alcohol, not to mention that the caffeine has a way of masking the effects of alcohol, which gives drinkers a false sense of sobriety. Doctors also claim that this drink is dangerous since it's a combination of stimulants and depressants which can be extremely detrimental to your health.

            Health officials are investigating Four Lokos further, to see if there are anymore dangerous effects of this beverage, and whether it should be taken off the shelves and the market for good. But in the meantime, students are grabbing it while they can, despite the fact that the drink may cause serious health issues. I have witnessed firsthand, students who claim the medias making a big deal over nothing, and they believe Four Lokos are completely harmless. Actually, since Four Lokos have been getting a lot of attention in the news, I've seen even more kids drinking it than ever before.  I’ve even heard of a “Four Loko Party” or “Four Loko Contests,” which involves people competing to see how many Four Lokos they can drink before reaching complete unconsciousness. Scary, I know.

         This danger0us craze is quickly growing all over the nation. Even underage high school students are drinking it, and many are ending up in the hospital from it. If there's one thing that can be said about it all, it's that FOUR LOKOS are causing young America to go LOKO!

            

The Sound of Music is One of My Favorite Things

Just the other day, the hills came alive with the sound of music on the Oprah Winfrey show. That’s right, the cast of The Sound of Music reunited on the show for the first time in 45 years, since the movie first came out in 1965.

Besides being a winner of 5 academy awards, including Best Picture, The Sound of Music quickly became a Hollywood classic, and is still the most popular movie musical in the cinematic history.

For those who have been living in a cave for the last 45 years, The Sound of Music is the story about a young vivacious nun who leaves an Austrian convent to become a governess to a wealthy widowed Naval officer and his seven children. The Von Trapp children had a history of being little troublemakers, and caused many governesses quit their position- but not Maria. Maria was tough and full of spirit, and eventually brought songs, music and fun into the Von Trapp family household.

Liesl, Louisa, Friedrich, Kurt, Brigitta, Marta, and Gretl all walked onto Oprah’s stage when Captain Von Trapp blew his infamous whistle, as seen in the movie. It was quite strange to see the Von Trapp children, no longer as children-they are all grown up now!

We all remember Captain Von Trapp who appeared to be hard and strict at first, but eventually Maria was able to reveal his soft loving side. The memorable role belonged to the handsome actor Christopher Plummer. Although Plummer just turned 80-years-old, he is still charming and sharp as ever. In fact, the talented actor admitted that because of his age, he’s been getting more work now than he’s ever gotten. Just last year, Plummer landed his first Oscar as Best Supporting Actor nod for his role as Leo Tolstoy in ‘The Last Station.’

 And, let’s not forget the one and only, legendary musical icon Julie Andrews. There’s something about Ms. Julie Andrews that gives me that warm fuzzy feeling inside. When I first saw The Sound of Music and Mary Poppins, I dreamt of Julie Andrews coming to my house and being my nanny- I still do to this day. There’s something so comforting and genuine about her angelic voice, and that big radiant smile, and that enchanting sparkle in her eyes. Unfortunately, Julie Andrew’s also talked about the devastating tragedy of losing the one thing she loved and treasured most about herself- her singing voice. While doing a Broadway play, the dame suffered from a throat condition, which is harmless and common for many singers to get. However it was a botched surgery that permanently damaged her vocal cords and silenced Julie Andrews from singing ever again. Losing her extraordinary gift in singing did not put the star out of show business; she continued Broadway shows, and films, such as the Princess Diary movies. The 68-year-old even played the animated queen character in Shrek 2. In addition to her busy acting career, Julie Andrews partnered up with her Daughter Emma, and has written over twenty best-selling children’s books, The Julie Andrews Collection.

            I’ll never forget the first time I saw The Sound of Music, and that one scene when Julie Andrews is spinning in lush green fields of the Austrian Alps, as the camera pans in, and then Julie Andrews belts out: The Hills are Alive with the sound of music. Right at that moment, I felt goosebumps all over, and to this day, despite having seen it a trillion times, I still get goosebumps when I watch that scene. The Sound of Music is still the most popular movie musical ever made. Why? Because it never its magic, its fun, and its ability to lift your spirits no matter what mood you’re in.