Many, many Asians gathered in Central Square yesterday. Home to some of the greatest Northern African food in the Boston area, Baraka Cafe features what is probably the best quality lunch steal I’ve ever had the luck of stumbling upon.
For under $5, you get an open-faced sandwich, a side salad, and spicy skinny fries. Delish! Next time, I’ll have to snap food pics.
Yesterday: Tunisian for lunch with Nan, Lena, Annie and Jason.
Baraka Cafe
Neighborhood: Central Square
80 Pearl St
Cambridge, MA 02139
(617) 868-3951
www.barakacafe.com
At the lingerie-themed gathering at my place on Valentine’s, I went for the too-tired-to-fully-undress-Ivy-League thesis writer look. I was hoping the party would feature some scandalous attire (or lack thereof), but the only attendee with their junk out was Hamlet.
My “lingerie” consisted of a Yale tee, Gap Body girl shorts, and my beloved pink and black Chuck Taylors.
(Yes, it’s true. I have more gear from Yale, than I do from Harvard.)
I went to Italy! Well, via skis, but at least I set foot there, since the only other time I “went” to Italy was by crossing the border of a lake.
It is possible to ski into Italy from Switzerland since the runs in Zermatt are all connected. Today, I played hooky from ski school and went off with Patrick and his sister to the Cervinia side of the slopes. Unfortunately, our jaunt was cut short by heavy gusts of wind and poor visibility (as you can see in the cloudy background of the above photo). Skiing into a blanket of white is a lot like being on an unpleasant boat ride. Yech.
There were also people at the party, like my lovely pals, Diane and Lingbo. Hamlet pretty much humped everyone (as a guest of honor should), though he preferred large male prey over the teeny Asian ones.
Anatomy of an Outfit: “Reading Period Edition”
- Men’s dress shirt pilfered from Patrick’s closet last year
- J. Crew argyle knee-high socks (same as these)
- A kick-ass, homemade key lime pie
Right now, I’m in the midst of “reading period”. This is a class-free week before finals which gives Harvard kids the opportunity to procrastinate, abuse prescription drugs, and frantically study. Not necessarily in that order.
Lamont Library, the primary communal study spot on campus, offers 24-hour service through this period. The going price of black market ADHD meds skyrockets (as do appointments at University Health Services, I’m sure). Though I am too far removed from the Harvard party scene at this point to accurately quote a price on study drugs or their prevalence, it is not unheard of for non-ADHD-afflicted individuals to subsist entirely on a steady diet of coffee, Adderall, and Chex Mix until they complete their final paper or exam.
In short, everyone needs to chill the fuck out and eat some pie (see above).
I don’t really have reading period “off”, since my intensive German class still meets everyday, but I nonetheless cannot grapple with all this free time. In the absence of any structure, simple life tasks, such as showering and outfit planning, have deteriorated considerably (the latter to the point where my preferred state of dress is “pantsless”). On the other hand, I now have the time to engage in everyday luxuries like making and consuming key lime pie while perched atop my kitchen counter.
Photo credit: Lingbo Li
At the annual Harvard-Yale football game with my favorite Yalie and Hamlet, who had quite the weekend as one of only two bulldogs at the Yale Bowl. (I assume official mascot Handsome Dan was present, but I didn’t spot any other English bulldogs. Saw a Frenchie, though!)
The multitude of exciting things that happened to Hamlet:
- Was petted and cooed over by every. other. person. (including Harvard kids!)
- Was photographed with strangers a bajillion times
- Was mistaken for Handsome Dan another bajillion times
- Had jaws pried open by me repeatedly after snatching food from the ground at the tailgate
- Had beer spilled on him multiple times by multiple people (I did the sniff test)
- Puked twice at the stadium and puked again in our bed in Boston (probably because of all the excitement/stress)
I think he’s happy to resume non-mascot life.
Hamlet and I in downtown New Haven.
Though I managed to see a few people at the tailgate, I have to admit that I spent the majority of my weekend with Yalies and my bulldog. (Not my fault though — most of my friends weren’t around the night before the Game.)
Am I traitor to my school? Entirely possible. But let’s not take ourselves too seriously here. Freshman year, Kennedy and a bunch of my friends made shirts that read “Our Expensive and Elitist Institution is Superior to your Expensive and Elitist Institution.”
Even when discussing semi-serious topics in public forums, I make faces, like the above, which suggest an intense craving for key lime pie.
An uncommonly warm Sunday in Boston.
