Raw Food and Wreckage

So then this happened:

no-ceiling

Wait, wait. Let’s back it up a bit.

One of the many fun benefits of blogging is entrance into a community. Choosing Raw has allowed me to connect with so many incredible men and women, in and out of the blogosphere. In the last week, I’ve been lucky enough to spend some quality time with a few bloggers who have become friends in the real world, as it were. On Saturday, I headed over to my favorite culinary mecca, Pure Food and Wine, for dinner with two such friends, Diana and Katherine. Dinner at Pure is always delightful, but it’s even more fun with newcomers to the restaurant! I got to watch as Diana and Katherine experienced the asparagus sushi (one of my stanbys):

sushi21

Summer mache salad (a nice addition to the summer menu):

salad13

And trumpet mushroom scallops (which taste so much like regular scallops that I find them borderline-creepy, but are salvaged by a delicious truffle “mousse”):

scallops

For the first time. With lots of help from me 🙂

And then came our entrees. Both ladies got Pure’s classic lasagna:

lasagne

While I decided to be hopelessly boring and get my signature salad (greens, dulse, avocado, tomato, cucumber, carrots, argon lemon vinaigrette) and guacamole:

salad24

guac

And no dinner at Pure would be complete without the mint sundae with three spoons:

sundae

It was a lovely evening, and even lovelier company.

Fast forward to last night. As you all know, Lindsay (the Happy Herbivore) is one of my favorite gals. So I couldn’t be more pleased that she has just moved back to her hometown and mine! In honor of her arrival, I had some of Lindsay’s and my mutual blogger friends over for cocktails last night. On the menu were my raw appetizer favorites. (You can expect recipes for all of the following within the next few days.) We had two kinds of jicama rolls. The first were stuffed with cucumber and carrot and served with an Asian dressing:

apps1

The second were stuffed with asaragus, yellow pepper, and cilantro, and served with an avocado cumin dressing:

apps2

I also served raw mini-pizzettes, which is a fancy way of saying zucchini rounds topped with my raw pizza cheese, basil, and an heirloom cherry tomato:

apps3

Crudites with my raw zucchini hummus:

hummus

And no meal at my place would be complete without guac:

my-guac

In the midst of chatting and chewing, we were interrupted by a deafening rumble. I kid you not when I say that this sounded like an avalanche of sorts. I ran into the kitchen, certain that my shelves had collapsed, to find nothing amiss. Then I peered over to the bathroom and noticed some grime and dust peeking out from under the crack of the bathroom door.

Aha.

Upon opening the door, I found this:

no-ceiling1

mess21

Yes. That is a hole in my bathroom ceiling. A nice chunk of it collapsed, leaving chaos in its wake. Lord knows what my upstairs neighbors have been up to.

As unpleasant as this was, I have three things to be grateful for:

1)    My mother lives close by.
2)    I had much comfort in the form of my six lovely guests, who bolstered my spirits as I called my management company.
3)    No one happened to have been heeding nature’s call when this happened. Thank god.

So I’m camping out at my mom’s until my super can fix the damage. In the meantime, thank you Heather, Diana, Lindsay, Ashley, Elise, and Katherine for having shared this singular experience with me. I know we won’t soon forget it.

On that note, my friends, have a great day. And, um, watch your heads.

xo

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    60 Comments
  1. Gena, that totally happened to my bathroom ceiling a couple months ago!! In the middle of the night. Thank god we didn’t have our kitty in the bathroom for the night or she would have been really hurt…

    Up reading blogs on the morning of my wedding day… could only sleep 3 hours… so excited!

    xo
    b

  2. YIKES! That’s horrible! I hope you get it fixed soon, but luckily you have a place to stay!
    And oh wow…Pure Food and Wine is top on my MUST-visit list!

  3. I saw that on Heather’s post! I felt so bad for you!!

    I’m glad they were there when that happened – nothing is worse when disaster strikes and you’re alone!! Plus it never hurts to have mom near by 🙂

    The food looks AMAZING!

  4. Hi Gena – Just wanted to thank you for posting that gazpacho recipe. I added a jalepeno pepper for a little kick and it was simply divine! As flavorful and easy as can be. Many thanks!

  5. Hi Gena, I just discovered your site, and I am so happy I did. I don’t have much experience with eating raw, but I can see that that will change after I do a little browsing through your older posts!
    Best of luck in fixing your bathroom ceiling!

  6. Aww Gena im sorry to hear that happened to you! Thank gosh no one was hurt though. On a happier note all of your food looks amazing, the idea to use jicama as a wrap is just pure genius. 🙂 Take care!

    – M

  7. Gena! So sorry to hear about your bathroom. Thank goodness your mom lives close by. I wish you a speedy return to your digs.

    Your food looks amazing. You definitely know how to throw a party. Looking forward to some of the recipes. I never thought to use jicama in that way. I guess I’ll be getting out the mandolin!

    Wonderful seeing you at Beamgreen last night!

  8. YIKES!! i can’t believe that came crashing down into the powder room. good thing you had company over, right??? dealing with that alone would have been even worse, i think
    the spread looks AMAZING! after i go to school, let’s have a dinner party together 🙂
    hope that gets fixed asap!
    have a wonderful night <3

  9. holy cow! that is a massive hole, seriously lucky no one was in there!! can’t wait for all the recipes and I so wish we had a true raw restaurant here…oh well someday sigh

  10. Good lordy!!! Thank God noone was hurt by that (ceiling) avalanche … phew!!! On a lighter note, your food looks so so good … I would’ve polished them all off by myself 😀

  11. what a fabulous get-together! everything looks soooo tasty, and i’m totally doing that with my next jicama 🙂 hope things get fixed soon with the bathroom! glad no one was hurt!

  12. I’m so sorry Gena!!! I hope you can get that fixed soon hun! I’m so glad you are okay though, I would have flown to NY if you got hurt!

  13. I’ve been telling everyone I know about last evening’s turn of events. And forwarding pictures. I seriously feel lucky to be alive today! 😛

    Many thanks again for inviting us into your lovely abode! I had a fabulous time and can’t wait to hang out with everyone again.

  14. if your neighbors br is above yours, i think he needs some tips on eating healthier as the collapsed sealing might have something to do with his um, bowel habits :p

    wow, party at your place anytime!!!

    so, this salad at pure, does sound delicious, but you always make salads at home to, so just out of curiosity, why dont you get something else when you go out? (not picking, just curious) i say hey, eat what taste good 🙂

  15. thank GOD nobody was using the John! Looks like an awesome party with good food and great company 🙂

    Pure Food & Wine looks too good ot be true! Must get there someday!

  16. Oh my gosh Gena that is insane!!! I am so sorry you’re having to deal with that, but I’m very glad you had some friends there to bolster your spirits. What a mess! I really hope it all gets sorted out soon without too much trouble. Thank goodness your mom lives close by!

    On a brighter note, I think I need to travel to NYC just go to to Pure! That food looks incredible! Then again so does your so honestly I think the pictures of your food are the equivalent to those of Pure. Plus it’d be a great excuse to come meet you! Hopefully one day.

    Good luck getting everything all sorted out! I wish you the best..

  17. Yikes, my NYC apartment has had many mishaps, but none as severe as yours! I’m so glad that no one was in the bathroom at the time. If there is ever another NYC blogger meetup, I’d love to join and meet all of you guys!!!

  18. Is this the kind of thing I can look forward to when I move to NY in February 😉 Dinner looks fabulous though, perhaps we can meet up after I move?

  19. Thank you again for organizing and inviting me! Everything was delicious! Whenever I have juice I feel so happy the next day. Well, it’s either the juice or you. 😀

  20. im not sure which deserves more raving, the avocado dishes or the great company! im so glad you had us over, and the food was great, again, i hope this can become a more frequent occurrence. maybe my apt next time? or we could set up a date at pure. after lindsay rocks the bar, and ashleys all moved in, and you have a toilet…haha

  21. Omg! I can’t believe that happened during your party!!!

    On a side note, the food looks amazing…and the company divine 🙂

  22. Thank goodness nobody was hurt! That’s so awful 🙁 On a brighter note, all the raw food looks gorgeous and amazing 🙂

  23. I really love your blog! You are famous out there for your banana soft serve, and I wanted to see who the woman was behind the banana madness. 🙂 Your blog is fantastic and I hope to be a regular reader.
    I’m trying the banana soft serve tonight!

  24. oh no! what a disaster! but oh yes, the food all looks delicious! i made your raw zucchini hummus last night, and your banana soft serve this morning. i talked about both in my post today (linking back to you, of course!) i also emailed you last night asking a couple of questions, just so you know. 🙂
    i must sound like a stalker. but after finding your blog i’m just so inspired! i can’t help it! and pure’s mint sundae looks DIVINE. yum yum yum!

  25. omg, my ceiling just fell down like that too- wtf?? luckily mine was only in the closet (ok… dressing room) though.

    all of that food looks sooo delicious! i want to try my hand at an all raw meal sometime soon.

  26. Whoa! I can’t imagine how awful that would have been if somebody had been using the potty!

    I saw Veggie Girl’s post about ya’ll’s meetup. I love it when bloggers meet in real life! And that raw spread at your place looks most divine.

  27. Hey Gena! I can’t believe that happened in your apartment! Thank God no one got hurt. Good luck with your repair…hopefully your management company isn’t a pain in the ass like mine!

    I live in NYC also. It’s great to see that a bunch of your bloggers get together and chat and enjoy each others company. I recently started my own blog and love trying out your recipes! I would love to meet you guys and learn for you! Let me know.

    Health and Happiness,
    Jocelyn

  28. Hey, a raw salad with fresh whole high-quality ingredients is soo not boring! I wish I could party it up with you in NYC at Pure…and that appetizer party at your place looked like a blast as well, minus the ceiling mishap. Hopefully they don’t take forever fixing it – that would be really annoying! I’m having bathroom issues at my parents house too – try taking a shower without a bar for the shower curtain. (Nope, it’s not possible.)

  29. The food looks beautiful, as usual. I wish I lived in NY…

    Glad you (and everyone else) weren’t hurt and that your mom lives close enough that you could stay with her.

  30. How strange! It’s lucky that no one was using the restroom when that happened! I’ll definitely watch my head when I head to the potty today. 🙂

    And, boy, do you ever make raw food look delicious!

  31. Maybe they were opening a young coconut? I was pretty sure I was going to cause a similar disaster the first time I tried.
    Best luck with the repair and glad you have good support!

  32. Seriously, thanks be to bob that no one was making pee-pees and poopies when that happened. And I was meaning to ask if all the recipes for last night’s goodies are somewhere to be found here – recreation chez moi will need to happen. I am getting close to being so low on kitchen supplies that I will have no choice but to start fresh – literally! Luckily, it will be painless, so long as I can eat as well as I did last night. 🙂

    <3 x infinity!

    From your partner in (Pure Food &) Whine.

  33. Oh no, Gena! I read about the mishap on Heather’s blog, and was immediately transported back to when a tree fell on our house during Hurrican Ike in Houston. My husband and I had to have a whole corner of our house remodeled, but fortunately the repairs went well and we are living back at home in Boston. The important thing in both situations is that nobody was hurt! I hope repairs to your ceiling and bathroom are snappy.

    On a positive note, all of the food you prepared looks wonderful. I’ve become obsessed with both your banana soft-serve and your raw whipped cream. Keep the awesome recipes comin’ 🙂

  34. WEll HOLEY GUACAMOLE !
    That is scary!!!

    but your appetizers look delish and refreshing!

    I am glad too no one was in there!!! THAT would have been traumatic!

  35. I read about this on Heather’s blog and was wondering what happened!! That stinks! Hopefully your management company will take care of it right away!!

    All the food looks delicious. I also comments on Heather’s page that I’d love to try the cucumber “pizza” and Zucchini Hummus!! Yum!!!

    Good luck with your bathroom!

  36. Oh my gosh that’s scary! I couldn’t help but burst out laughing at point number 3!!! LOL!!

    Your dining out dishes look yummy, but the at-home ones are even better 🙂

  37. Holy Guacamole! You’re not kidding, thank God for #3. Yikes! I shudder to think of the outcome had someone been sitting on the potty.

    Okay, so now when I do make it to NYC (someday!), not only do I want to do a gastronomical tour of the city with you, but I’d also like to have cocktails + appetizers at your place with all the gals. [you don’t have to recreate the ceiling caving in though. just the appetizers] 😀

  38. Aw, poor you!

    And anyone who puts seaweed in their salad is automatically exampt from being called “hopelessly boring”. Silly.

    Good luck with the renos! Get the management to check the rest of your ceilings before you move back too!

  39. So sorry about the bathroom disaster! It will certainly be a funny story to tell later though!

    Your spread at the fiesta looks fabulous.

    Also, yesterday I made your carrot-avocado bisque (for the second time in a week) AND the accompanying sushi (the first time). I gave you multiple shout-outs on my blog posting since I find you to be a raw genius! Thanks again!!

  40. Let me start by saying, THANK GOD no one was hurt! If that happened at my house, I would probably have been in the potty room..lol! 🙂

    Lovely meal at Pure, I think I will be going back again before the Summer is over.

    Great set up for your little party, you seem to be a great hostess!

    Good luck with your ceiling!

  41. Yikes! Glad nobody got hurt!

    When I was a freshman in college I had a similar experience. It was the night before my roommate’s huge orgo test, so we’d gone out for tea and cookies to help her relax. When we came back we found that the radiator in the room above ours had burst, which meant that our room was soaked in dingy radiator water and plaster. It was bad for me but worse for my poor roommate, who did not get a good night’s sleep before her test thanks to the workmen tramping in and out of our room. At least they responded promptly, I suppose.

  42. Thank you, again, for having us over and giving us a chance to meet one another! Such a fun (and interesting!) evening with beautiful, intelligent and inspired women. And the food was out of this world! Can’t wait for the recipes 😉

  43. Gena, I’m BEYOND sorry that that happened in your apartment – and in the bathroom, especially!! Eek!! Thank goodness you weren’t in there though when it happened. Hang in there!!

    On a MUCH brighter note, you know I’m all over that salad, so don’t you dare call it (or yourself) “hopelessly boring” 😀

    Great meal & company!!

  44. It’s like a nightmare come true! Ok, not quite, as no one was on the said toilet, but seriously? How many times does your bathroom ceiling collapse?