I really enjoy the clear distinction between Morningside Heights and Harlem. It's just stunning how walking two blocks can completely change your surroundings in terms of building quality, types of businesses, skin color, and cleanliness. It's like the old expression "wrong side of the tracks". It really does feel like there are invisible train tracks splitting the neighborhoods.
Erin never feels safe walking through Harlem, but I've never had any problem at all. I think it's refreshing to see real people living real lives in a different way than the cookie cutter suburbs we grew up in.
Yesterday, I went to a local fish market where they will cook the fish for you if you want. They served me the best broiled salmon I've had since moving here. It was cheap too. If all you care about is the fish itself, you get a much better deal in Harlem than you do at the average seafood restaurant. Sure, the ambiance is very different, but I'm looking for food, not a luxury dining experience.
Today, I decided to see if an actual seafood restaurant around the corner is as good as the market.
Upon entering, I saw it was buffet style. The food was waiting for a counter worker to serve it to me. I didn't really know what anything was because there was no menu and many of the dishes were clearly not seafood. I saw some salmon, so I thought that would make a good comparison to yesterday's lunch.
Unfortunately, my helper did not speak English. Internationally, I've gotten used to pointing and doing charades, but it's more acceptable there because it's obvious I'm a tourist. Here, I'm expected to speak Spanish. I did my best, but I didn't know the word for salmon. Pescado isn't very useful in a seafood restaurant. The worker kept rattling off Spanish at a blistering rate and looking at me like I was an idiot.
After some phrases like "arroz con moros" and "pez rosa", I eventually had some food on my plate. I had no idea how to say plantain in Spanish, but she knew that one I guess.
I handed her a twenty, expecting to get five or six back. Instead she handed me $10.50. I managed to get the food for $8.50 and the soda for a dollar. Not bad at all for a decent sized piece of salmon, vegetables, plantains, and fancy rice.\
If you don't mind speaking Spanglish to order, using plastic utensils, and listening to a blasting Spanish radio station, this place is definitely the way to go.
Erin never feels safe walking through Harlem, but I've never had any problem at all. I think it's refreshing to see real people living real lives in a different way than the cookie cutter suburbs we grew up in.
Yesterday, I went to a local fish market where they will cook the fish for you if you want. They served me the best broiled salmon I've had since moving here. It was cheap too. If all you care about is the fish itself, you get a much better deal in Harlem than you do at the average seafood restaurant. Sure, the ambiance is very different, but I'm looking for food, not a luxury dining experience.
Today, I decided to see if an actual seafood restaurant around the corner is as good as the market.
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| Seafood Restaurant. Quite the original name. |
Unfortunately, my helper did not speak English. Internationally, I've gotten used to pointing and doing charades, but it's more acceptable there because it's obvious I'm a tourist. Here, I'm expected to speak Spanish. I did my best, but I didn't know the word for salmon. Pescado isn't very useful in a seafood restaurant. The worker kept rattling off Spanish at a blistering rate and looking at me like I was an idiot.
After some phrases like "arroz con moros" and "pez rosa", I eventually had some food on my plate. I had no idea how to say plantain in Spanish, but she knew that one I guess.
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| A monstrous seafood lunch. |
If you don't mind speaking Spanglish to order, using plastic utensils, and listening to a blasting Spanish radio station, this place is definitely the way to go.
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