* JuanMapu - Vida en Nueva York

For the past two days I've been trying to eat at a puertorrican restaurant by First Avenue and 13th Street. It is a small place, just two tables, mostly a take out order place, but big enough to satisfy the need of rice and beans. It is short and nice walk for me by lunch time. Around 8 to 10 blocks.

It is healthy to do good for yourself, so here some words from fresh readings, views and sounds...

¡Que viva la música!
Nada dura siempre. La salsa gusta porque pega como las relaciones tormentosas de porque te quiero te aporrio. Cerrar la novela de Caicedo fue como cuando el DJ apaga el equipo. Pero con la buena música retumbando en la cabeza por días --me acordé que los sonidos no dejan huellas y todo el ensayo de Borges sobre el tiempo y lo que somos--. Hasta que le metí el colmillo a algo que pude leer 10 años antes, pero bueno, nunca es tarde, además mejor ahora que ando tan vivo; después de probar los hongos; sabiendo que puedo bailar salsa llevando a las hembras; y haber sido perseguido por nombres yorubas.

For own birthdays I recommend some sacrifice or sign of willingness. Last year I fasted and this year I ran to set up my head, which has been all over the place lately.

I also finished in networking event and have news for you my fellow New Yorkers: We are gonna have a new daily Spanish language newspaper in about two weeks. I know the people so contact me for your community announcements that I will forward them.

Nueva York Al Día will distribute 20,000 copies around the metropolitan area. The promise made during the release party at Paramount Hotel -contact Ingrid for your networking events- is to give Spanish NYC a second choice to read on a daily basis. But hold your horses dear intellectuals: do not expect that NY Times en español you've been screaming for years. No. NY Al Día will be competing with old known tabloid El Diario; after all, the only business that makes money with your intellect is higher education and you can also read in English so who gives a shit about what do you want, go and feed your brain with something else.

Still, it was a warm welcome for Al Día. People were interested, excited and carefully listened to each presentation. Editor in Chief Vicglamar Torres told the audience the paper is going to have some rotating special pages and Mondays will be focused on the weekend sports. GM Juan Carlos Sánchez added that the paper will be focusing in the local community -which I think is how it has to be done. They are all good news in general.

As for the party, it was a nice gathering of unemployed journalists and industry people. I saw my two mentors and they are chilling, enjoying life and keeping a good sense of humor. There were also some networking people and a sense of hope and opportunity that was corroborated by each time Juan Carlos mentioned president Obama during his presentation.

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I got good presents. My sweetheart hooked me up with a book that will solve everyone problems, some good records, dinner and...MoMa gave me a free membership for next year!

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I went to the Fish N' Chips joint in Amsterdam Avenue and 156th and read this: "Our moto is: 'Feed the People.'" Awesome.

Bumping into food blogs lately. Last week I discovered the one of a Spaniard chef "Cocina para impostores (Cuisine For Impostors".) His writing style is as fresh and simple as the recipes he posts. Then are my friends KB and GA. One calls herself a "reluctant pescatarian" and the other posts anti-inflammatory recipes. Both smarts girls, therefore good writers, therefore good cocineras -as I know they'd like to be called.

So here is my take on food. Everything begins with a stop at one of neighborhood Mexican restaurants "La Oaxaqueña." I went there short of cash and decided to have small meal, may be a couple of tacos and some water. Instead, Elizabeth, the manager, offered me some from the lunch menu, around three different colorful hot choices. I went for the green meal: Pork ribs in pipián sauce. They came with pinto beans, rice, salad and, of course, tortillas.

Delicious. I couldn't help asking about the pipián sauce recipe and Elizabeth didn't mind to share it at all. You will need baby pork ribs, squash seeds, green tomatoes, one chile serrano, garlic, onion and hoja santa.

First boil the ribs until they are ready and then sautéed them. Keep the water. On a frying pan toast the seeds. Then blend some of the water from the ribs and the toasted seeds.

Apart blend the tomatoes, the chile serrano, garlic, onion and hoja santa like making a green sauce. Then put the mix on frying pan and sautéed it in low heat.

Slowly start pouring the seed mix on the sautéed green sauce and stir. The texture should not be dense or thick. Put the ribs in the pipián mix and you're done.

What else I learned from Elizabeth? Well, garlic, onion and hoja santa are used to help your digestion. When something is very sour put a little bit of Mexican white salt. Meatballs have to be made with pork and breaded steak with beef.

PD: Sorry for not having photos.

El festivo de Martin Luther King Day, el verdadero holiday de los aficionados al House Music, fue de indulgencias en la cocina dominicana.

Tradicionalmente Hannah y Ricardo hacen el peregrinaje a Nueva York por amor al House Music. Desde el viernes nos encerramos en mi apartamento a beber y escuchar house music. El domingo dormimos hasta las seis de la tarde, y tipo nueve de la noche estamos bajo el encanto de los beats en honor a Dr. King. También se sabe que Ricardo va a comer Spanish Food (comida caribeña) hasta la saciedad mientras este en Nueva York. Este año los acompañamos en su tarea por culpa del restaurante Punta Cana de la esquina de la calle 162 con Broadway.

Lo descubrimos en la madrugada del sábado. Es un comedor angosto y poco caído, atendido por dos mujeres. Una barra de ocho puestos se impone a tres mesas de dos puestos que poco atraen. La clave de las barras es que la comida se ve antes de pedirla. Ese detalle es un buen aperitivo. Pedimos masitas de puerco, que Ricardo intercaló con un chivo guisado. Pocas veces se puede comer un cerdo tan tierno. Se deshizo en la boca como si fuera un dulce.

Por esa primera impresión decidimos hacer un tour gastronómico por Washington Heights. Descubrimos que los tres golpes (huevos, queso y salami) del desayuno en realidad son cuatro, solo que el Mangú es algo que no se pregunta. La Caridad #2 y Típico Dominicano pasaron la prueba, pero sin igualar a Punta Cana en frescura, sabor y ambiente.

Después del Body & Soul del domingo, tipo tres de la mañana del lunes, volvimos al Punta Cana. Hannah pidió un sancocho que puede ser el mejor in town. Lo hacen con costilla de res, pero sacan el hueso. Nuevamente la carne más blanda que un puré. Por el color verde y lo espeso parecía hecho en fogón de leña. Y por la cocinera uno puede estar en lo cierto: una doña delgada y pequeña, con andar de campesina y pañuelo de colores. Tiene el turno de la noche, que empieza a las diez.

Al otro día fuimos al Galicia, uno de los más tradicionales de los Heights. Una fusión de cocina española con caribeña. Es una buena alternativa a la hora de variar. El sabor era bueno pero la textura de nuestros platos estaba un poco seca. Tal vez haya que llegar a la hora que comienza el lunch o la cena.

En Punta Cana no importa la hora, está abierto 24/7, siempre fresco y caliente.