Working Lunch...

The Interns

The Attorneys

On July 27, which was my next to last day of work and also Tiffany's birthday, I had several culinary adventures. First, my office took all of the interns out to lunch at Pietro's, an Italian place in Rittenhouse that specializes in brick oven pizzas. Tiffany and I shared a scrumptious Mediterranean salad with shrimp and a dish of chicken and shrimp in a creamy tomato sauce over linguine.

We also got Tiffany a birthday tiramisu and had a great time shmoozing with the office attorneys over the lunch hour. The director of our agency thoughtfully gave each of us a different book about child advocacy. Fun times!

Grillz

Tonight I had the pleasure of attending "International Grilling" with two of my co-workers at Albertson's Cooking School in Bryn Mawr, PA.

David Boyle, the executive chef at Davio's Italian restaurant in Philadelphia, grilled a multitude of delicacies for us. As over thirty people watched, Chef Boyle grilled pizza, corn, lamb chops, filet mignon, lobster tail, salmon, scallops, skirt steak, vegetables and pineapple. The skirt steak and the pineapple were definitely my favorites. Included with the class were recipes for many of the things that we sampled. I will definitely have to check out the Mojo Sauce for future use!

This squash may squash...

The finished product - grilled chicken, grilled

zucchini and spinach salad.

Today when I arrived at work, the director of the agency where I work had brought in several giant zucchini squash from his home garden. At first I ignored my temptation to grab one up but, behold, at the end of the day the biggest one was still left! I took it home, sliced it, marinated it in olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper and grilled it on my cousins' outdoor gas grill.
I had another exciting development with work that had nothing really to do with work. One of my co-workers won three spots at an "International Grilling" class that is taking place this Wednesday. Since she can't go she opened it up to the office. I am psyched for my first formal cooking class! More to come on that soon.
On another note, I just discovered that they make Lactose-free ice cream and it isn't bad. Of course it isn't Haagen Dazs or Ben & Jerrys but it is nice to know I have the option. I still eat "regular" ice cream after downing a lactase enzyme pill or two, but this way I don't have to worry about all that every time I want ice cream. Unfortunately, I don't think they make a "Key Lime Pie" variety like my favorite Bruster's flavor!

Gardens and Parks

Gardens
Yesterday I went on a tour of North Philadelphia with other legal interns who are working in the public interest sector. While I have been to North Philly a couple of times for work and once when my Mom and I were looking for Mount Airy, this was a great opportunity to see some of the positive things that are going on in an area that is stereotypically thought of as drug infested and dangerous. While there is obvious poverty in North Philly, there have been quite a few recent efforts to organize the various communities. Some of the most beautiful revitalization projects are the many murals found all over the city and the community gardens, which can be found throughout areas that are often otherwise devoid of greenery.
The highlight of the tour (other than the horses that belong to the so-called "Black Cowboys" of Philadelphia) was a community garden called Groupos Motivos which was started by a group of Puerto Rican immigrants who wanted to take back their neighborhood. This garden is actually several gardens encompassing a few blocks near the corner of 2nd Street and Susquehanna Street in the New Kensington section of the city. We toured the gardens and enjoyed a scrumptious lunch prepared by the women who run the garden: rice and beans, chicken cooked in a tomato, olive and potato sauce, fried plantains, mashed yucca, a gorgeous salad from the garden and cake with strawberries and blueberries. The lunch tasted even more delicious after a full morning of touring!
After lunch we went to Greensgrow Farms, located in the Kensington neighborhood at Cumberland Street and Gaul Street. The idea behind the farm is that produce for the city can be grown in the city. The farms supplies directly to individuals as well as to area restaurants and also brings in farm products from other farmers in the area. I bought some blueberries, a green pepper and a cucumber!
Overall, the tour was very interesting. It was definitely great to meet some of the people who are making a change in their own communities. While there is still a long way to go - particularly in the realm of housing - there are certainly improvements being made all the time. If you haven't been to North Philadelphia - check it out!!

Parks
Today I met my cousin Annie, her boyfriend and another friend of theirs who are all currenty clerking for federal judges in Philadelphia. We met up at Washington Square, a Stephen Starr joint that is, not surprisingly, adjacent to the park of the same name. We sat outside on the very trendy deck that has couches and I had an apple mojito and a first rate cheeseburger with avocado salad. It was nice to hear about the clerking experience and to know that all this work I am doing in applying for clerkships will be well worth it.
I am still just enjoying being near such a city! I like walking around even when things are closed, but of course I pick the one day things aren't open to want to buy something. I am going to have to make it a point to do some after work shopping one day soon.