Food City: Totto Ramen

It’s been a long time since I’ve posted a Food City entry in my blog. It’s about time I gush about the restaurants I’ve tried in New York City - It would be a sin not to! New York as you all know is one of the biggest foodie capitals in the world, if not, the BIGGEST. I mean, there are just so, so, soo many restaurants and foodie places with all genres of gastronomic delight cluttered in and around the city. Walking down either 8th or 9th avenue is already a display of a myriad of restaurants and delis offering anything from the festive to the familiar. And that’s only in the midtown area! So don’t blame me if I panicked at the thought of trying all these new and vibrant pot holes of deliciousness given the amount of time I have here. A year is not enough my friends, not even two.

Totto Ramen. I’ve lived in the midtown area during my first few weeks in the city. Totto Ramen is located along 52^nd street and 8^th avenue on this lower ground floor nook of an apartment. Every time I walk pass these streets, there always seem to be a huge line of people outside this small and narrow basement restaurant. I was curious enough to do my research and I eagerly discovered that this was in fact one of the top ramen spots in the city; Number 3 to be exact. So I had to check this one out. foodie buddies were: Jaime & Alessia.

After an hour of waiting (under the rain) we finally were called by the japanese dude in the black shirt. "Eprrol, Eprrrol!" - my name never sounded as sweet. lol

you know its authentic when everyone who works there has a strong Japanese accent.

for appetizers, a juicy and surprisingly tender grilled squid on a stick. you would think grilled squid is like chewing gum in the mouth, this one was clearly not. one word: YUMMM!

I have to say, this was quite amazing. This is the part where i say "The hour wait was worth it". i had the most amazing Miso Ramen with extra egg and meat. the soup was very flavorful and the noodles - oh the noodles were cooked perfectly! Now that fall is just around the corner, i'm going to need more of this when it starts getting cold again :)

TOTTO RAMEN:

366 West 52nd Street and 8th ave.
New York, NY 10019

check them out online: http://tottoramen.com/

I no longer operate this way.

Mr. X: “April, Why are you being so difficult?”

Me: “This is how I operate”

That’s basically how I react when a person points out my flaws; personality wise. I don’t particularly like it when a person knows me well enough to ask me questions such as:

“Why are you acting so unreasonable right now?”

“Why are you so hard on yourself?”

“Why are you being so BITTER?”

“Why can’t you just accept the truth?”

“Why can’t you give him/her a chance?”

“Why are you sorry all the time?”

“Why are you running away from your emotions?”

“Why are you so insecure?”

I think the big topic of discussion is why I act the way I do. Frankly, the easiest way out of this painful conversation is simply answering them: “this is how I operate, I’m sorry”. It usually puts an end to the interrogation. However, the more I think about it, the more it’s becoming clearer to me that those five simple words have caused me more harm than good. Not only do I come off as a selfish b*tch but more atrociously, I also make myself believe that I, April Pascual, was created in a manner in which people would just have to recognize my limitations; and that often times I can’t accept reality as it is and people should just surrender to that idea and LEAVE ME ALONE. Although this can entirely put a stop to their questioning, this also puts an end to the things I so desperately need to gain like: confidence, trust, openness to love, patience and all other virtues that selfish b*tches don’t possess. Excuse my French. You see, I have a bad habit of running away from things that could potentially hurt me in the long run, emotionally speaking. This has been the culprit to a number of unfortunate events in my life i.e. failed relationships and unresolved issues between friends. As much as I want to change the things that has taken place, I know that i have reaped wisdom from it all and right now that is all that matters to me. I now have a grasp on how irrational I was and how badly I acted in different circumstances. But all this has taken me to this point where I can honestly say; yes I was foolish and downright insane at times but now I know better. It took me a long time to get here but I’m proud that I’ve 
reached this point. All this time I’ve been turning tables from anyone who tries to uncover the cobwebs in my life. It’s about time I open up and let them sort it all out. And I’m scared out of my mind.

To sum up, well I guess Adele says it better. This is for you, wherever you are.

The many things I miss about you

I am not fond of missing people. It’s probably one of the worst feelings I've ever had towards a person, a place and/or an object. Being this far away from home just makes it harder to try and escape these feelings and the saddest part is, there’s nothing I can really do to remedy this ghastly nostalgia. I guess I was trying so hard to run away from it as much as I possibly can but I can only avoid it for so long. It has caught up with me and at this very second, I am what you call – an emotional mess. Homesickness is so not cool. The thing that makes me scared is that I still have a long way to go, I mean – I still have a whole year and a half in this city. I better start getting used to these mood swings and try to cope. I can’t complain though. I mean, I’m having the time of my life here and it’s amazing beyond words but sometimes; I just want to be with the people I used to see every day. I’m four months in and I am about to unravel into a sentimental pit– pretty soon I’ll be one of those pinoys who watch TFC 24/7. Thank God I don’t have a TV. lol.

Missing my family and friends is a given. Other than that, I have a number of things that I miss just because I don’t get to do (or see) them as much or even at all anymore...

Flash back, shall we?

I miss. chilling at our backyard, lounging in my dad's kubo. a great set of speakers and one smooth playlist.

I miss. The 16 peso movies at SM. on lazy Saturday afternoons.

I miss. Late night Dimsum from Golden Fortune.

I miss. Playing UNO, stacker, scrabble and indoor mini basketball at Robert's

I miss. Our Bubble tea fix.

I miss. Taking in all the fresh breeze i can.

I miss. my triba.

I miss. Hanging out with these people after church service.

I miss. going on "foodie" adventures with these two.

I miss. The Philippine shoreline.

I miss. bonding over truffles at Heavenly chocolates.

I miss. Driving.

I miss. This view.

I miss. playing dress up with my girls.

I miss. My saturday night jam sessions with the team.

I miss. Waking up to this.

I miss. Going on road trips.

I miss. This little guy right here.

I miss. my one and only.

"How far do I have to go to get to you? many the miles. But send me the miles and I'll be happy to follow you, Love" - Sara Bareilles