Imagine living in an apartment with three of your best friends, then your job sends you to work in another city for a month. Sounds fun, right? Now, imagine during the month you are gone, a completely random person is staying in your bedroom. Thats weird right?!?!
I can confidently say that it is a normal thing in NYC. Its best known as a sublet, the same concept as an AirBnb, just long term. So yeah, for a month and a half I lived with three complete strangers and their dog Maya. I tried it, and I loved it because it helped my transition a lot less stressful than it could have been. Most of the people who sublet their apartments are performers, musicians, actors, and artists who travel frequently, so it would be pointless to pay rent for a place where you will not reside for a month, so why not lease it to someone for the time that you are gone?
I became more nervous and aware of my crazy decision to randomly move across the country when I finally had keys to an apartment. I had a flashback to when I moved to Texas my freshman year of college, my parents helped me unpack my dorm room and bought me a few groceries. Less than an hour later, they gave me $50 and got back in the car and really left my ass behind in Houston. I couldn't turn back now, I paid rent, had keys, moved everything in, and now I needed to find a job. What makes the story even worse is that all of the roommates were out of town the week that I moved in, so I'm in their house trying to stay in my personal space and not over-extend my welcome by leaving anything out of place.
A plus to the sublet is that it was fully furnished, and the kitchen had every possible tool that even Emeril Lagasse could make a 5-star meal without any complaints. I assumed the roommates were big on cooking due to the shelf full of cookbooks and limitless powders and options of seasonings displayed on the seasoning rack. Fast forward to a few days later, I'm arriving home after an interview, opening the door to a smell of fresh baked cheddar bacon scones. My "cultured" ass had never had a scone, so when I was offered one, I couldn't turn down the opportunity. It became a daily occurrence for someone to cook, whether it was Sheldon, who made homemade pumpkin waffles, or one of the married roommates, Carli and Jessie.
They would offer me different types of food such as cornbread made from scratch, a fried steak and mozzarella type of empanada (I forgot the name lol), marsala chicken, and even collard greens. I'm still amazed to this day; I even told them that I've never known a white person to successfully cook greens. They could have used a bit more seasoning, but I was still astonished, so I gave them their props.
I even perfected my craft with blueberry pancakes, buffalo and jalapeño grilled cheese sandwiches, and spicy baked chicken. Seeing their dedication to cook everyday motivated me to try cooking more during the month of October, so I'll be sure to update my recipe page with a few new dishes that I try.
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