"Curried Goat"..."Jerk Chicken": A taste of Jamaican cuisine

In New York, there's more to fast food than just burger & fries
- and if you know how to choose the "right" food, it's easy to eat healthily, even when you're at fast food joints.
I'd recommend "Curried Goat" and "Jerk Chicken" - available at a Jamaican fast food joint -Golden Krust Caribbean Bakery & Grill

Whatever your choice of meat is, be it Goat, Beef, Chicken or Fish (yes, they do serve fish :) real fish. Not McD stuff) - they come served with vegetable + bean & rice

The best part of it all - they're all MSG-free
The gravies are flavoured using natural ingredients - spices (cardamoms, anise, ginger, fennel, etc)

I went to the Golden Krust outlet nearby 135 St. station
The ambience is nice
It's quite spacious for a fast food joint
Oil paintings of Jamaica on the walls...

Clean chairs & tables

Why is "Jerk Chicken" called Jerk Chicken?
Well, I don't really know
but from what I found out,..."Jerk" means "spicy"
Jerk Chicken = Spicy Chicken

The "Genius" who painted an oil fin heater...

The oil fin heater painting is a meticulous piece of artwork!
But I have a hard time trying to appreciate the ingenuity of the painter.

There are probably at least 5 layers on paint on the heater

but there's not a single drop of paint on the floor
How...oh how did thou manage to do this?
Thou's magic touch paralyseth the heater :(((

it's not an easy task painting the heater without making a mess on the floor

but the Genius who painted the heater didn't know that you're not supposed to paint a heater

because if you do, it won't work anymore!

so...now I have this giant heater in my room that I can't get rid off

thanks to the Genius

My new room on the upper west side :)

Pros - It's spacious :) - more than twice the size of two double beds (I miss having a gal pal around, so if any of you wanna have a holiday in NY between now & July, lemme know),

- less than 20 metres from a subway station & Gristedes supermarket
- free wi-fi

- no bed bugs/fleas, no old stinky carpets...but I was still inclined to be prepared before I moved in.

I couldn't find any flea bombs but I found Swiffer (it gets rids of dust mites).

- not fully furnished...but at least you get a bed & a cabinet.

Okay...I know it's messy;p but I took this pic on the day I moved in. It's a lot tidier now.

Cons - no washing machines...

& there's only one washroom...;p

Blueberry bagel with "egg" & "cheese"???

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The cook gave me a "surprised" look when I asked for a blueberry bagel with egg & cheese.
Okay, I admit that it's unusual... :)

but it's much healthier compared to a blueberry bagel with icing sugar/jam,
plus - I can tolerate that unusual combination.

Of course, an occasional sugary bagel doesn't hurt at all - but you'll feel lethargic if u have just carbs for breakfast.
There's so much to see & do on a fine morning in NY, so I didn't want to ruin my energy level

I've tried all the savoury bagels - sesame, poppy seed, flaxseed, onions/garlic
I just haven't sampled all the sweet variety
I badly wanted to try the blueberry bagel
but I didn't wanna mess up with my breakfast by having it with icing sugar.

This is supposed to be an onion bagel, but it doesn't have a hole in the middle like all other bagels do

 

A black bagel called "pumpernickel" - my favourite

 

Bagel with pumpkin seeds, flaxseed, poppy seed
I had it with chicken (yum)

Sesame seed bagel with cream cheese. I love cream cheese:)
Delis/bagel shops usually have 3 variety of cream cheese
- scallion cream cheese
- vegetable cream cheese
- LOX cream cheese (cream cheese mixed with smoked salmon)

 

In Manhattan, you can go to a deli anytime & there'll be fresh bagels waiting for you

 

This is a pumpernickel with scallion cheese

 

Funny & "special" signboards at Beijing airport

The mainland Chinese are conservative in many ways...

You'll hardly catch them wearing a low cut top, but they're surprisingly open-minded when it somes to using toilets.

For many decades, they are used to toilets without doors.

& then there are also the toilets with dysfunctional doors-

like, a transparent door made of glass pane (what purpose does it serve, lol;p?)

1 -inch high doors
& if you come across toilets with fully functional doors, you'll find that people don't bother to use them
yet, they get all upset & glare at you if you accidentally enter the toilet while they're inside

Found at the airport

When the new Beijing Airport was built, they get new toilets with fully functional doors

but people are just so used to not locking toilet doors

& they need to be reminded

"Special" disinfection

"Special"- purpose Toolbox for Toilet

What else is "special"? ;p