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.

An Ode

Dear Joe,

I never imagined that I would be writing these words to you.

I still remember how as a young freshman in college, I wouldn’t even give you the time of day. Sure I was curious, and yeah, you’re hot and I saw how all my female friends were gaga over you- but I was new to college, ready to save the world and happy just being me, alone and independent.

Sometimes I regret that we didn’t start things sooner, but I’ve come to realize that it was actually the time apart that has helped me to appreciate the role you play in my life today.

I will never forget that first day things started happening between us. Sophomore year: It was a late night in the library and I had already been sitting in my dusty cubicle for eight hours, desperately cramming for my Honors final. Then my best friend came over and suggested that we take a “study break” at the campus coffee shop.

Right.

I mean c’mon, everyone knew that you would be there that night. I had always been good at saying no, but that night was different- perhaps I was a little crazed from all the studying or maybe I was influenced by the teaching of the Greek philosophers I was reading- whatever the reason, that night, I did something different, I said yes. And that first step brought me to you.

You ended up coming back with me that night. And through that night, I realized that you are not only strong, dark and bold, but that you can also be smooth and sweet. I still remember being blown away by how you not only satisfied by desires but stimulated my mind. Maybe I stayed up a little later than I should’ve, but I can honestly say that you were the one that got me through that night. And guess what? The next day I aced my Honors final.

That was the beginning of our young romance. From that day forward, I began seeing you on a daily basis and you even started becoming a part of my circle of friends. I won’t go into detail about the rest of our relationship since you already know what happened. Like with any relationship, we had our ups and downs. There were sometimes days where I was okay without seeing you, but in the end, I’d always come back.

As the days and months passed, I got more adventurous with you, wanting to try new things in new places. My friend who’d introduced me to you that one fated day in the library was surprised, but happy for us. “I always knew you’d give in,” she’d say to me, shaking her head.

Then there was the dry period. I don’t know exactly how it happened, but one day I just freaked out, like completely bugged out. I began to realize that I was slowly losing that independent self-confidence I once had. My friends had already begun noticing this about me, but for a long time I was in denial. Finally, I had to face the facts. I haven't told this to anyone but there were actually times where I felt like I couldn’t go on with my life unless I could wake up every day to your familiar smell or be with you later that day.

And that’s how the break began. It was long and painful, and every time I ran into you at the library or in the coffee shop, I’d be flooded with the memories that we shared together. Throughout this time, you never forced yourself on me, but you were always there, waiting for the day I’d come back to you- back to you like I always had.

But I didn’t, at least not right away. I moved on with my life, finding other things to pass the time and keep me going. I started sleeping longer, exercising and spending more time talking on the phone. I even met a few new guys. I was happy. I thought I’d make it through the summer, but then I got this job at The Star Ledger and the walls all came crumbling down again. It was Sophomore year all over again.

After getting only four hours of sleep, waking up at the crack of dawn, and staring at my computer for five hours straight, I realized that I just couldn’t be without you any longer. I told my boss that I would be back and that I needed to see you and surprisingly, he was very understanding.

“Trust me! I’ve been there,” he said with a good-natured laughed.

I dropped everything that I was working on and headed for the doorway. I walked through all the familiar bends in the hallway and directly to the kitchen where I knew you would be waiting.
And there you were, a perfect, hot, fresh pot of my favorite brew.

Since that moment, I haven’t gone a day without you. And you know what? I’m okay with that now. Yeah you sometimes make me shake uncontrollably and yeah you make me pee more than I ever did before, but that’s okay because when I am with you, I feel like a new and yes, a better person. So I want to just conclude this by saying, thank you Joe. Thank you for all that you have done for me and all that you have gotten me through.

I am proud to declare that I am addicted to you and to proclaim that even if I occasionally go for tea, I will never leave you.

Here’s to us!


Sincerely,

Grace