whimsical happenstance

Local Pride Series

I have decided to give a little more...structure...to this blog. as fascinating as my sporadic musings are to the six or so people who read this blog, I am going to try a little information dissemination combined with local pride. I bring you....

Somerville/Medford

in all its glory.

I am going to tell you all about great locales, oddities, and facts in this area, are you are going to like it. How about we start with Food.

Is your idea of international cuisine take-out pizza and chinese? This area has some great international restaurants which will open your mind to new possibilities. No matter the palate or how disgusted you are by New Things, you can find something to satisfy your munchies.

Japanese/Korean:
Yoshi's in Powderhouse Square is the best Japanese restaurant in the area. It is tasty, quick, friendly, accurate, and reasonably priced. I also like the atmosphere; small but bright and clean, with a nice little sushi bar. I have never seen it crowded; I have never seen a table go unbussed for ore than five minutes. I recommend the dinner boxes: two entrees, salad, rice, a surprise sidedish and miso soup for about $14 (There is a lunch version with slightly smaller portions and a lower pricetag.) For entrees, there are choices of sushi, nigiri, japanese and korean hot items, and vegetarian options. Let the server know if you are a vegetarian or have any special requests; they are very helpful. They also have excellent noodles, bulgogi, and bim bab dishes. Just feeling peckish? Get one of their sushi appetizers and some red bean ice cream. Feeling lazy/chained to a radiator? They offer free area delivery with a $20 minimum purchase. digs& digits: 132 College Ave., Somerville 617.623.9263

Indian:
I am sure you have all seen Diva down in Davis Square. It is really too bright to miss. Go a little farther down Elm, though, to Namaskar--you will thank me. The service is better and it tends to be less crowded--except for the weekend brunch. The best part about this place is the SEVEN DOLLAR, all-you-can-eat weekday brunch buffet. Holy gulab jamun, Batman, it is phenomenal. It is cheaper than any buffet I have ever known. Weekdays are key, though, and early--it gets busy and hard to get a table otherwise. They have a tandoor in the back, and if it is not busy the chef might let you in to watch your nan cook and feel the heat. Grab an indian beer or lassi, a clean plate, and tuck in for an amazing meal. digs& digits: 236 Elm St., Somerville 617.623.9911

Brazilian:
If you think the only thing better than eat on a stick is more meat on a really big stick, try Oasis Restaurant in Medford. Not a true churrascuria, but there is plenty of skewered bife to go around. Lots of down home traditional dishes, brazilian TV, and a very tiny dining area make this place seem more like your friend joao's gramma's kitchen than a restaurant. They portions are huge and shareable. There are daily specials (very cheap) and a lunch buffet ($5.99 per pound). They also deliver to the area. Vegetarians...well, Brazilian soulfood is not usually veggie-friendly. It also helps to know a little portuguese here, but not necesary. digs& digits: 373 Main St., Medford (near the Harvard St. intersection) 781.396.8337

There are so many more...but I am a busy woman. Leave me your recommendations and restaurant contact info. Obrigado!

posted by Megan at 10:18 AM | 0 comment(s)

GRE, Grad School, and Jobs! oh crap.

I am back. This time I am going to be more dilligent in my upkeep of this blog. It is sad, lonely, and barraged by comments from strange entrepreneurs.

Right now I am in the thick of jobsearches and preparing for graduate school. Have you ever tried applying for schools and jobs at the same time? Don't. Go on a walkabout across Northwestern Australia. Swim with openly bleeding wounds in the Amazon River. Talk politics with your inlaws. Do not put yourself though the stress of kowtowing to the whims of Johns Hopkins' SAIS program and explaining to 40 employers why you are the best research librarian/barrista available. Your brain will thank you.

I have scaled off the job search and replaced it with time at the Tisch Library, studying for the GRE. Sure you may ask: why study for a standardized test? Minimum requirements are easy to reach and the scores do not weigh that heavily in the grad scheme of admissions. The truth is I am a dork. I study for everything. I am one part party girl, three parts booknerd, and a splash of boyscout: Be Prepared.

That plus my dazzling credentials and beguiling charm--harhar--are hopefully going to get me into the cumbersome list of schools I have yet to whittle down. Tufts, Johns Hopkins, Seton Hall, George Washington, Duke, Harvard, Princeton, and UMass Boston (wow...which of these things is not like the other?..) all have great public policy/international relations programs. Tell you what: pick three for me and I will apply to those in the Fall. If they throw in a Juris Doctorate, all the better.

I have decided a "zen & eeny-meeny" approach will best preserve me from the stroke to which my brain so longs to succumb. peace out, all.

posted by Megan at 10:00 AM | 1 comment(s)