One of the traditions Chris and I have every year during the holiday season is we see the Christmas decorations and lights in Midtown, and we also visit the Rockefeller Christmas tree. This year is obviously a very different year for us all, and we’re actually here in New York to do this on Christmas Eve. There was actually a queue of people to safely at a distance view the Rockefeller tree and get a photo op. And to my pleasant surprise, there were a lot more Christmas lights than there normally are. Fifth Avenue NYC put together a number of Christmas light installations along Fifth Avenue, ranging from a dreidel, a teddy bear, a hot air ballon you can actually go into (kind of), a truck full of toys, to a NYC taxi (of course). And at the plaza right across from the Plaza Hotel, they had a number of larger than life Christmas ornaments and decorations bedazzling the entire area. It was a really beautiful early evening stroll and so fun to see, especially knowing that we are stranded here this Christmas.

It’s sad that we haven’t been able to do what we originally wanted for Christmas this year, but after experiencing how beautiful this all was, it made me realize that New York City really is quite far from the worst place to be during Christmas. This city really does do a spectacular job getting decked out in Christmas decorations… even during a global pandemic.

Every holiday season, as we would normally get ready to leave for the Southern Hemisphere for Christmas, we partake in the annual tradition that all residents in a doorman building do, and we get ready to distribute Christmas bonuses to our staff to express our appreciation. Before I lived in a full-service building, I always thought this was an absolutely insane practice; shouldn’t these people get paid a living wage? Why should the residents be expected to tip them? Then, I moved into one of these buildings, and I realized how integral they are to keeping things running smoothly (plus, the question of what they should get paid… unfortunately has nothing to do with what I think SHOULD be reality, but it is what it is in this country and doesn’t look to be changing anytime soon).

In addition to tips, though, I also like to express appreciation by baking for the staff, so each year, I’ve made an assortment of quick breads and cookies to say thanks. I actually share baked goods throughout the year, but I do the most at one time during this time of year, and they always appreciate it and look forward to it. World peace (aka double chocolate sable cookies) have been on the bake list almost every year because they’re so simple and delicious, but this year, I also made chocolate chunk pumpkin bread and bacon cheddar scallion corn muffins. They all seemed to enjoy them; some even took seconds and thirds. I’d assume that’s probably another reason why most of the staff seem to really love us, and occasionally will go out of the way for us.

Because who can reject cookies, right? Food is the way to one’s heart.

My husband likes to hold grudges. I still remember the time when he talked about wanting to eat Malaysian food years before we were a couple, and I quickly Yelped a few Malaysian options in Manhattan Chinatown and chose one for us to meet at for dinner. Needless to say, it was just okay at best, or in his words, “absolute shit.” He did not like any of the dishes and said that everything seemed more Chinese than it was actually Malaysian… which was pretty true. He was not happy with my choice and made sure to remind me of this incident years and years after it happened.

So now, whenever I suggest trying a new Malaysian spot that opens in New York City, he’s always… just a tad skeptical. But when I told him that Ronny Chieng, an actual Malaysian and comedian we love and respect, went there and had good things to say about it, he seemed convinced. So we went down to Chinatown this afternoon for our monthly massages, and I stopped by Kuih Cafe to pick up a few things on their limited pandemic-era menu. While waiting for my food, I chatted up the worker, and he said that they opened this cafe just a month before the pandemic. That must have been harsh. I felt so bad for them, and at the time time wanted to support them even more to ensure they stay afloat. I ended up getting nearly one of each thing on their menu: we got the nasi lemak, salty duck egg butter fried chicken, a few pieces of kuih, and a slice each of caramel kaya cake and burnt pineapple cheesecake. Since indoor dining has officially shut down in New York City and the cafe was too tiny for outdoor dining, we got takeout and took our food home to eat.

You probably don’t care what I think given what I wrote above, but I thought all of it was delicious. The briny fishiness of the nasi lemak was impossible to ignore. It tasted like we were in Southeast Asia again.

And the verdict from the husband? “Mm. Tastes homely,” Chris said between bites as I asked him what he thought.

“Homely” is a compliment from this critical Malaysian food eater. I’ll take that.

On many weekdays during the pandemic, for a light lunch, I’ll prepare some version of toast for the both of us. It’s usually one slice of bread each with some type of topping, usually avocado, sardines, kimchi, cheese, peanut butter, jam, or some combination of some of the above. Pre-pandemic, we rarely had bread in the house, but since the pandemic, we’ve been eating a lot more than we usually do. And no, mind you, there’s been no weight gain.

I realized after lunch prep today that we’d run out of bread, so I took a break later this afternoon to go out and see if I could grab some. Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s lines would be insane, so I tried to stop by Levain or Orwashers to see if I could get a whole grain loaf. Welp, no such luck: BOTH shops had sold out of all their loaves by 2pm, and they both shared that this was highly unusual. “This has never happened before,” the worker at Levain said to me. “At this time of the day, we’d always have some of each type of bread we bake, but today, ti was all gone before 2pm! I have no idea what’s going on.”

It’s the sixth day of Hannukah today, and I wondered if that could be a reason for the bread shortage. The other day I had was… oh wait. The weather report says a huge snow storm is going to blanket all of New York City tomorrow. Could that be the reason everyone is buying up all the carbs?

I’m pretty sure it’s the latter. When it snows here, no one wants to go ANYWHERE.