Godivas & Lindts

Look what I've got on my kitchen table? Two big boxes of Godiva's chocolates, two boxes of Lindt's chocolate truffles and a can of Godiva's hot chocolate. They are gifts from my friends for the Lunar New Year and my birthday, which was a couple weeks ago. I also received a few magazine subscriptions from my brother.

So who wants to come over and help me eat the chocolates? What kind of gifts did you receive at your last birthday?

Restaurant Kitchen Workers

New York City has more restaurants per square feet than any other city in the United States. This is because most New Yorkers do not cook or they live in small apartments with minuscule kitchens that are just big enough for a kettle pot and a microwave oven.

As a result, there are ample job opportunities for immigrants who work "behind the scene" at restaurants, as well as in other businesses, where they have minimal contact with the consumers. Almost every restaurant, regardless of the price point or culinary origin, employs immigrant workers in the kitchen. The work is usually long and laborious, and some of these employees are paid below the minimum wage. And yes, most of them are here illegally.

I posted a lot of architectural photos last month (well, it was my first month) so I thought it would be interesting to look at people who live in New York this month.