I cannot emphasize enough how rapid development in technology really is a two-edge sword. As much as new advances can expand our innovative possibilities in pertinent fields like science and medicine, it can also become a crutch on which tenuous interpersonal relationships stand on. Think of how many of us will like a Facebook post, but will never contact the poster for coffee in person. Think of how busy parents often shove an iPad in their toddler’s face in order to keep them placated during dinner at a restaurant or a long drive in the car. We have become somewhat withdrawn and incapable of socializing healthily. At a party with strangers, we can seek familiarity in our phones and feign busy social lives, but really we are lonely and insecure. We live in a constantly plugged in society where our virtual interactions are more frequent than our real-life ones and it is problem.
The generation that I am a part of, call it Generation Z, the iGeneration, or the post-Millennials, grew up in a world tinkering between the real and the virtual. We emerged into a society that was in the midst of a technological revolution. When I was born in the mid-1990s, floppy disks and tape cassettes were still the norm, cell phones looked like Kim Possible gadgets, and e-mail was in its early stage. Throughout elementary school, my family had dial-up Internet and surfing the net was a privilege rather than commonplace. By the time I entered high school, technology had improved drastically. Everyone had an iPhone, an e-mail address, at least one social network account, and “Google” was a casual verb. How is it possible that someone who grew up carrying a bulky Walkman, now can listen to music, browse the net, play games, and text on a slim smartphone? The tech industry is booming and our culture is changing as our dependency on electronic gadgets and virtual communities grows at a terrifying pace. However, what direction are we really heading in?
I cannot emphasize enough how rapid development in technology really is a two-edge sword. As much as new advances can expand our innovative possibilities in pertinent fields like science and medicine, it can also become a crutch on which tenuous interpersonal relationships stand on. Think of how many of us will like a Facebook post, but will never contact the poster for coffee in person. Think of how busy parents often shove an iPad in their toddler’s face in order to keep them placated during dinner at a restaurant or a long drive in the car. We have become somewhat withdrawn and incapable of socializing healthily. At a party with strangers, we can seek familiarity in our phones and feign busy social lives, but really we are lonely and insecure. We live in a constantly plugged in society where our virtual interactions are more frequent than our real-life ones and it is problem.
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Thanks to the Internet these days, finding decent restaurants for a dinner out is much easier. Whenever my family goes on vacation, we use Yelp to find a spot for dinner. Granted, with our destination of choice being in the middle of nowhere, we really are not relying on the app to find good restaurants. Rather, we are using the app to find A restaurant. Actually, in our experiences, we have learnt to be wary about Yelp, especially when you are in the boonies and the restaurant with a five star review is a Vietnamese place. No one does ethnic foods like New York and LA, period. Thankfully, back at home Yelp can be quite invaluable and allow you to weed out the delicious from the disgusting.
Unfortunately, following a five star review, my family and I had a less than satisfying dinner at Room 55, a New American restaurant in Glendale. The restaurant had received uniformly spectacular ratings for both its food and its service. Maybe our visit happened to be on an off night because the food was severely lacking, especially for the price that was being charged. Cooking Through NYC’s Famous Fine Dining Restaurants When my family eats out, we tend to stick to the bare-bone minimum- an entrée per person, sometimes even two entrées split between three people. We scrap the appetizers, the desserts, and even the drinks, both alcoholic and non-alcoholic. We joke that we are every restaurant’s least favorite customers because our bill always comes out significantly cheaper than the next table over! Because of our dining habits, opportunities like Restaurant Week can be quite a treat for us because it allows us to sample a reasonable-sized three-course meal. This year, I have been fortunate enough to partake in three different dining experiences. However, not everyone in my family was able to make it out to Manhattan for the culinary expedition. Thus, I decided that I should bring Restaurant Week to my home kitchen with a three-course dinner using recipes from the Gramercy Tavern. The Gramercy Tavern actually did not participate in Restaurant Week this year, although it is boasted as one of the best restaurants in the city. This new-American establishment nestled in the historic Flatiron district prides itself on seasonal dining with inventive recipes featuring whatever fresh ingredients can be obtained throughout the year. The restaurant is divided into a casual tavern with a la carte fares and a fine dining room, which offers various tasting menus. As delicious as many of its specialties sound, such as its duck breast, a bite of its three-course dinner will run you close to a hundred dollars ($98 to be exact). |
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