it's no laughing matter...

FYI for anyone planning on becoming an attorney in New York: it's a real pain in the ass. i passed the NY bar exam officially around October 2009 and i still haven't gotten licensed yet in NY. NY really creates a lot of hoops to jump through in order to be licensed:

1. the application is extensive (a lazy person's nightmare to fill out)

2. you must obtain employment affidavits from all legal employers you've had since reaching the age of 21 or for the past 10 yrs (whichever's shorter)

3. your most recent employer/current employer's affidavit must not be dated more than 60 days from the date of submission of your application

4. you must obtain 2 affidavits of good moral character from individuals who are not filling out an employment affidavit, family, or applying for a NY license (thus all law school classmates are out)

5. good moral character affidavits must not be dated more than 60 days from the date of submission of your application

6. your law school must send a certificate of graduation and good standing

7. if submitting to the 2nd Department, you must attend a new attorneys registration class

phew, i got tired just listing out the requirements. and these aren't all of them, just some key ones. i just recently completed the attorney registration/introduction class requirement. the class itself isn't that bad since there's definitely some useful information-particularly the segment regarding client billing and funds (there are so many ways to get screwed from just the simplest actions/mistakes). also particularly entertaining is the final video about alcohol and drug addiction-i won't spoil it for you, you really must watch it for yourself.

after the class, i suggested getting a bite to eat in Chinatown and Adidas suggested going to Xi'an Famous Foods. i'd heard a stall had opened in Chinatown and had never tried it because the Flushing branch is simply too far. but not anymore...

...and totally worth it. the place is located under the Manhattan Bridge and is definitely a total hole in the wall. i actually had to call Snoopy to get directions after wandering around aimlessly looking for it for 10 minutes. there's no place to sit and it's very squishy inside. however, you can stand at the tiny standing counter to eat it. most of the food's ideal for eating in the winter because it's spicy and hot ("hot" meaning temperature-wise) so being able to sit down and eat it would be ideal, but considering the uniqueness of the cuisine being offered, i'll take what i can get.

since i was getting an order to go, i ordered the Lian Pi (cold skin noodles), which ended up being my fam's favorite dish. spicy with an intense peppercorn touch. i opted against getting the hot version because i had travel time to consider and the noodles wouldn't hold up as well if it cooked for too long from the heat. i proffer the same advice to you if you're not going to be eating it right away.

the Stewed Pork Burger was my favorite item. the dough for the sandwich is made fresh and while you wait you can watch them knead and press it. it's pretty perfect as it is, with a crispy outside but a nice soft inside. and anything's good when you get it piping hot. which this was. my fam wasn't as crazy about it, some saying it was too salty and others thinking the pork was a bit dry. i agree with it being slightly dry but the flavor is yummy and so is the bread (i'm easy to please). next time i'll get the cumin lamb.

due to the travel time issue, i ordered the Savory Cumin Lamb Hand-Pulled Noodles, the dry version vs. the soup version. the flavor of cumin was intense, but the dish was not as dry as i'd hoped because they put A LOT of liquid into the dish as well (just not enough to be considered soup i guess). the travel time made the noodles suffer and be too soft. similarly, i ordered the Stewed Pork Hand-Pulled Noodles in Soup and yes, while the noodles did get soft because of travel, the soup was delicious. and this was the only not-spicy dish out of the bunch.

from what i understand, the cuisine Xi'an Famous Foods offers is part of its allure. it offers a cuisine from a distinct province of China that has been heavily influenced by its large Muslim population (hence the cumin and peppercorn). and, as of right now, no other restaurant or food stall offers this kind of food. this monoply of supply aside, Xi'an Famous Foods does the food well. which is why i'd be willing to go back, but i'd much rather prefer being able to eat the food right away because travel time does not bode well for noodles.