Food and New York City III

English-learners, recent New Yorkers write about food in New York. Collection of stories from the De Gustibus column in #TheARNICObserver.

From The ARNIC Observer, Spring 2015

Eat Healthy, Eat Seafood
by Xiaoxi Zhang

Do you like seafood? It is healthy, full of nutrients including protein and Omega 3, and looks good and tastes wonderful. If you want to eat fresh seafood it is best to choose a restaurant like Fuleen Seafood Restaurant in Chinatown located at 11 Division Street in New York City. It opened in 1996, and has been called one of the top ten restaurants in America and Canada for 2015.

Seafood is healthy food. It is a good source of protein with no saturated fat and few calories. It is a valuable part of the diet for almost everyone. Also, seafood is the richest natural source of Omega 3 essential fatty acids.

Research has proved Omega 3 has many benefits to our health. Not only can it protect against cardiovascular disease by reducing the levels of bad cholesterol and lowering blood pressure slightly, it also prevents children from getting asthma and lowers the risk of prostate cancer. There are many other benefits too numerous to mention. It is a necessary element for our body, and we can only get it from food, especially from fish such as salmon, sardines, carp, and tuna.

At Fuleen Seafood Restaurant, keeping fish and shellfish alive is not easy. You must put them in tanks with salt water and at different temperatures and aerate the water with a special machine. An Instant Ocean Hydrometer is used to set the water at a suitable temperature and with the correct rate of salt. Fish, shrimp, crab, and lobster are ordered while they are swimming in the salty, bubbly water. This is as fresh as seafood can be.

Also at Fuleen, fish can be prepared in eight different ways. It can be Sautéed with Ginger and Scallion, Sautéed with XO Sauce, served mild Cantonese Style (fried with egg, minced meat, and tempeh), Steamed with Sliced Garlic, Sautéed with Black Bean Sauce, simply Steamed, or prepared spicy Harbor Style (dry fried with chives, garlic, and red pepper). For a $5 supplement, you can order one fish prepared in two styles.

Most seafood feasts your eyes in vivid colors like red shrimp and salmon, shiny brown lobster, dark sea cucumber, lustrous gray, white and black clam, and sunny yellow conch. Dishes are presented decorated with vegetables such as carrots, radishes and cucumbers sculpted into fanciful shapes such as a flower, a bird or an animal, or even a historical figure. To end the meal, platters arrayed with vibrantly hued and artfully carved apples, pears, and oranges or watermelon, grapes, and bananas look graceful and taste delicious.

I like seafood. I like healthy seafood. Eating in a seafood restaurant is a wise choice. It may be a little expensive but fresh, healthy, and delicious food is worth it.

Food and New York City II

English-learners, recent New Yorkers write about food in New York. Collection of stories from the De Gustibus column in #TheARNICObserver.

From The ARNIC Observer, Spring 2014

Chicken for Every Belly
by Evgeny Salkin

A place with unbelievably good chicken exists in New York and its name is Chirping Chicken. It appears the chicken has crossed the road in order to become charcoal broiled and served to hungry customers at a reasonable price.

When you hear about Chirping Chicken for the first time you might be skeptical and think it’s just another place to eat, but when you try the food you’ll be surprised how good it is. It has an “A” rating for cleanliness. It’s a restaurant where you can build your meal by specifying whatever you want. You can get a quarter, half or whole chicken with either all white or dark meat or a combination of both. Each meal comes with pita bread, soda, and a choice of side order – from French fries and rice to coleslaw and Spanish beans. Nothing beats tender grilled chicken with mixed vegetables and pita bread.

If you aren’t hungry for chicken, there are other choices. They include baby back ribs, burgers, sandwiches, salads, soups, steaks, or even seafood. If you are still hungry after all that you can have dessert.
Greek specialties make up a large portion of the menu, providing you with delicious options like gyro sandwiches, souvlaki, beef filet platters, and lamb chops. You can customize Greek selections with your choice of several different side orders. The tastiest dish in this category is the lamb gyro sandwich. Lettuce, tomatoes, red onion and tzatziki sauce—a yogurt and dill condiment—make it juicy and yummy!

For those who are planning a party with plenty of food, catering services are available. The kids are not forgotten–they can find what they like on Chirping’s kids menu. No doubt everybody will be happy and full.

Chirping Chicken has a few locations in Manhattan with the nearest one to the ESU at Grand Central. It is located at 89 East 42nd street in the Dining Concourse on the lower level of the station. For your convenience you can eat in, get take out, or have your meal delivered.