Why I go to Platters (and why you should go too)

The Europeans enjoy long multi-coursed meals served on fancy plates. But at Seton Hall, there’s a group of us that have our own idea of a three-hour meal, and it’s not European.

One course, one platter- that’s all you need when you visit the Halal street stand on 53rd and 6th in New York City.

Known to regulars as “Platters”, Halal Chicken and Rice is one of those places that make college kids speak poetry. No joke. Twenty-one year old, beer-guzzling men speak of Platters like King Solomon spoke of his beloved or Romeo of his fair Juliette.

To anyone that’s ever ventured there, that’s no surprise. The food is enough to make even the most snobbish epicurean weak in the knees: Perfectly seasoned lamb (or chicken) tossed on a bed of yellow rice and warm pita, topped with a generous serving of “white sauce”, and if you have good taste and a strong stomach- the legendary, hot sauce. And you can’t beat the price: $6 for a platter, and $4 a gyro.

But as any Platters regular will tell you: It’s not just about the food, Platters is an experience. As a Seton Hall student, visiting the legendary street stand meant scrounging for cash (no credit cards accepted), finding drivers (who can maneuver NYC taxi cabs), gathering a group (at least 5-strong), and setting aside at minimum, 3 hours to drive there, eat, and return.

Most importantly, Platters is never planned. One person says, “Hey want to go to Platters?”- usually around midnight, and usually the night before an early-morning class. Hesitation and rational debate ensues, but eventually, logic surrenders to passion, ego bows to id, and before you know it, you find yourself in a car with too many people, hungry and dancing to “You know you want me” as it blasts on the radio.

I always enjoyed Platters myself, but as a type-A nerd, involved in too many activities and enrolled in too many classes my sophomore year, Platters was also a cause of heart-palpitating anxiety- symptoms of shirking assignments, putting off never-ending emails, and going to class too tired the next day- if I woke up. But thankfully, I always had friends that dragged me on monthly, sometimes weekly pilgrimages, despite my protests and pouting.

Now as a slightly-less-than-type-A graduate, I realize that those irrational excursions were in a way, just as important as the meetings and the lectures which consumed so much of my time in college. The people that joined me for Platters runs, I now consider some of my best friends, and even though they will be dispersed around the country and around the world next year, we’ll always share the memories of those ridiculous nights of laughter, traffic, and of course, savory baby sheep.

I’m still a nerd, I still get work done on time, but because of those friends, I live my life by a slightly different clock. Take this piece of prose for example. In less than 6 days, I will be taking the GRE, an exam which will determine which offices I sit in for the next fifty years of my life. If my Asian dad saw me writing a street-food review for my not-for-profit blog at this moment, he would freak, FREAK. And so would nineteen-year old Grace.

But for now, I am just happy. I’m happy because I am doing something I love (writing), writing about the people I love (you know who you are), and reminiscing over some of the best nights we ever shared. And although there probably won’t be another Platters reunion until, oh, next month, at this moment, those memories are enough.

Seton Hall alumnus exchanged in spy swap after pleading guilty to espionage

A Seton Hall alumnus was flown to Vienna today as part of a spy swap between the U.S. and Russia, after he - and 10 other Russians - pleaded guilty to acting as unregistered agents for Russia.

When the story first broke, it sounded like a bad joke. The week of June 27 was a-buzz with news about the 11 Russians that had been arrested on charges of espionage. So when a friend told me that a fellow Seton Hall graduate was involved, I was in disbelief.

“One of the people arrested for spying is a Whitehead grad from 08!” he said in a Facebook message on June 29, “His name is Mikhail Semenko. pretty crazy huh?

A simple Google search and a thick FBI report confirmed that the blue eyed Russian- known on campus as “Misha”- was a suspect in one of the largest espionage crackdowns in U.S. history.

As I pursued the story, I uncovered details which seemed to come straight out of a Hollywood script.

Semenko came to the U.S. in 2005 on a student visa to pursue a dual masters degree in diplomacy and international relations/ Asian studies at Seton Hall’s Whitehead School of Diplomacy. Whitehead students that I interviewed, described him as a “normal” guy who was involved in school clubs, regularly attended lectures, and enjoyed socializing at parties.

“He really just seemed like every other student,” said Molly Holzbauer from the class of ’08.

But authorities said the 28-year old was a budding Russian spy.

During an alleged conversation with an undercover FBI agent, Semenko revealed that he had spent weeks with the Russian foreign intelligence service, learning how to secretly share messages on wireless computer networks. That conversation led to a meeting during which the undercover passed him $5,000 and a map which showed where to hide it for a fellow spy. Hours later, Semenko was arrested.

Seton Hall alumni, many who had learned of the arrest through an alumni Facebook group, were shocked by the news.

After all, Semenko, who grew up on the Russia-China border always seemed more interested in China than in U.S. foreign policy. He was actively involved in the Chinese Student Association at Seton Hall and fellow members recall being impressed by his fluent Mandarin. He taught English while traveling in China and also kept a blog on the Chinese economy which won him kudos from Steve Clemens, an analyst for a prestigious D.C. based think-tank.

But he didn’t try hard to downplay his Russian identity either. His latest job was at a Russian travel agency and at school, Semenko was involved in the Slavic club. He even helped teach some of the elementary Russian language classes when a professor left on maternity leave, students recalled. A Russian-language professor who described Semenko as “sweet” and “innocent” hung up on me when I asked for an interview.

“We had joked around that he was a Russian spy, but never took it seriously,” said one friend who shared classes with Semenko.