An ode to my rice cooker

Lessons from my youth and a quick fire recipe

I moved to NYC straight out of college in the 90s. David Dinkins was mayor. The city was a mess. I was working as a photo archivist for a big design firm, photo assisting, barely making enough money, and it was the most exciting time I could imagine. I had a few great apartments. My first was on the Upper West Side that was rented to me from a friend of the family. It was a studio in a brownstone on 85th and Columbus with great light, a perfect black and white tiled bathroom and a Pullman kitchen (which means a two burner cooktop and a mini fridge) My second apartment was in Little Italy on Mulberry St—a bit of an upgrade with one bedroom. I lived across from The Ravenite Social Club (the mob hangout of John Gotti), and the Beastie Boys lived on the corner.