A New York City Escapade - Part 1

Today the Bus Terminal at 133 East Broadway in Chinatown, New York City was in total chaos the morning of January 3, 2010. Temperature was 18 degrees Fahrenheit with strong, blustery winds. The girls and I were dropped off by Kuya Dante Sitjar to commence on our way back to Newport News, Virginia after an exciting week in The Big Apple. I did not want to drive this 8 hour journey to New York city and back, in fear of unpredictable snow or blizzard, so taking this “Chinese bus” was the best alternative, or so we thought.

The terminal was congested and people were starting to show irritation after finding out that there was a problem of overbooking and there were not enough seats for already-ticketed passengers. A group of rowdy young men started yelling at the petite Chinese lady at the counter, showing off fists and muscles as they demanded seats for the 10:00 o’clock morning trip. With broken English, she explained that there would be another bus that morning, but the crowd was furious.

After the holiday celebration, everyone wanted to go home as soon as possible and the disorganization of this travel office was too much to handle. Children were screaming, backpacks and suitcases were thrown in exasperation. Everyone in the room was complaining and shouting curses towards the Chinese lady. It was no help when I arrived at the counter because after showing her my electronic ticket, I was immediately issued seats number 1, 2 and 3 to the dismay of those who were before me. They did not understand that I had booked those seats for months and had priority over those who did not reserve ahead of time. I felt all eyes on me and the girls, and the atmosphere started to intimidate and scare me.

I tried to look calm and confident as Kristina said, “Mom, this is the ghetto.” I could tell in her eyes that she was also scared. I was starting to regret the idea of exposing my girls to this kind of environment. Will I be able to protect them if a riot occurs? I had lived in the Bronx years before, but had never been in a situation where I could be a victim. The room was extremely crowded now and there was no place to sit nor place our luggage.

All of a sudden . . .

Tune in next week for part II!!

By Raylene Baumgart

Recipe of the Week - Spinach and White Bean Soup

One of the things I love the most when the weather is cold and windy, is to sit in front of a big bowl of hot soup and enjoy! Here is a recipe you might want to try.

Ingredients
2 teaspoons olive oil
4 leeks, bulb only, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 (16 ounce) cans vegetable broth
2 (16 ounce) cans cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
2 bay leaves
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 cup whole wheat couscous
2 cups packed fresh spinach
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Heat olive oil in a large saucepan or soup pot over medium heat. Add the leeks and garlic; saute until tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in the broth, cannellini beans, bay leaves and cumin. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low, and stir in the couscous. Cover, and simmer for 5 minutes. Stir in spinach and season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.