Chocolate Cake and Katy

I was sitting on the wall in front of Loeb Hall, my dorm at Parsons. I always sat on the wall. I used to sit there alone. I like to think that I have changed a lot as far as how social I am, but when I see the patterns I create in life, I realize that I haven't changed much. I am not a very social person unless forced to be a part of the group. I often take my breaks at work alone and I took my breaks at school alone, too. The wall was a place of reflection and if you couldn't find me in my room with the door closed, you could find me there. After class, I would take my belongings up to the room and come back down to sit on the wall. It was nice in a way because you could see all of your friends on the way home, on the way out and they would recount all of the fabulous things happening to them.

In the first couple of days at Parsons, I had already developed the habit for sitting on the wall. Most art students are outgoing and I considered myself boring because I was the Marketing major and not someone who was majoring in Photography or Design. They would come up to me to introduce themselves and I made a lot of fast friends that way. There were also the groups that completely ignored me and I thought this was because of the way I was dressed. I wore Levi jeans everyday- usually faded black and a t-shirt that was so old and plain. It's not that I didn't have fashion sense, but I just didn't have any money. I wore the same few outfits everyday and figured this was plain and I could at least blend into the crowd. Probably not the best dress code at a school known for Fashion Design. There was the international group of students, mostly made up of beautiful Japanese girls that I called the "Moschino Girls," because they were dressed head to toe in Moschino. The belt they had on cost more than my entire wardrobe. They didn't speak to me and I knew why.

Day Three at Parsons was the day I would meet my best friend. There was a crowd of students that had already been living at the dorm that summer. They had started their Foundation work which was the work you had to complete before entering a degree program. They created their portfolios, lived in New York and went to Parsons a few months already, had completely acclimated themselves and were true city people by the time I met them. I met Brian a few days earlier because he was my roommate. He was one of these people, taking the subway and hitting up the street food as if he had lived in New York his entire life. This crowd was hanging out by the wall and I felt comfortable enough to hang off to the side of them because my very friendly roommate was part of the group- this gave me social permission. Soon they began introducing themselves and there were a few fun people and I thought, "This is my group, I'm going to make them my group."

After about a half hour of hanging out and talking, a girl with bright red hair and incredible shoes walked up to the crowd and everyone stopped and talked with her. A beautiful complexion and bright, twinkling brown eyes, Katy had the face that could light up any room. There was a glow from her face, from her smile and she had the sweetest Southern accent. The part of the story that is probably not true, is that I picture her with a big hat. Not a bonnet. Not an ugly hat, but a pretty, big, sun hat that only she could pull off. Julia Roberts in Steel Magnolias. Katy is a little girl, but her personality so big, I didn't remember her being so tiny. Katy is the type that can see something in a fashion magazine, make it her own with a few vintage pieces and pull it off walking down a city street. She is brave and courageous with her choices and she always, always makes them work. She is classy and she appreciates color. Something from the past, something new and a splash of color can work with the right shoes. We were instant friends. I was drawn to her even though she had an established group of friends. There was something that I could always count on Katy for: chocolate cake.

On St. Mark's Place in the East Village, there was a great cafe that Katy introduced me to called Yaffa Cafe. Yaffa probably wouldn't show up in any restaurant columns or get five stars in the Michelin guide, if it was ever even listed. They don't care if they are listed and it is not why they are in business. The cafe has a rare find in the East Village and that is an outdoor patio filled with greenery. The inside and outside is filled with a kitschy vintage that only I could appreciate. You could find plastic fruit covered in dust, Elvis wallpaper, plastic flowers and white Christmas lights. It seemed like every table and every wall was completely different. I could sit and stare for hours, wondering who put this together and how I could have them decorate my house. They would play a random mix of music like Bob Dylan, Heart and then Madonna.

The first time I went there was with Katy and my roommate Brian, along with their friends. I didn't have much money and while they all ordered some food, I ordered the Chocolate Cake and iced tea. The food at Yaffa is nothing to write home about, but it sure hit the spot and was easy on the wallet. It is some of the best cake I have ever had. I don't know if it is because I am such a chocoholic and hadn't had anything like this in days or if it truly was that delicious. I remember it being incredibly dense, richly filled with bittersweet chocolate and topped with enough ganache and chocolate shavings. Chocolate overload. I also remember it being very cold from the fridge. I wondered if they even made the cake or ordered it from a frozen food company.

After I ate this cake, I was hooked. I wanted to go to Yaffa almost everyday. All of the fantastic restaurants and foods in Manhattan, and I wanted the cake from Yaffa. I used to go around the room begging people to come with me and everyone got so sick of me asking. Sometimes, they would say they didn't want to go with me before I would even ask. Katy would always agree. I could just wait for Katy to come home and she would go with me. She never turned me down. And funny thing is, she really doesn't care much for sweets and will often order an appetizer instead of dessert. But she saw the urgency to get chocolate into me and would make the trek to St. Mark's. She would usually order just the side salad, which had a carrot-ginger dressing on top of a green mesclun mix. Nothing fancy, but the dressing would hit the spot. They also had an inexpensive hummus which came with plenty of pita pieces and a little side cup of Kalamata olives. Random menu, but definitely appealing to anyone after hitting the bars. Yaffa was open 24 hours which was another reason to keep it on the list. There were many times when I had a fight with my boyfriend or stayed up until 5am working on a painting, drawing or color/design project. Katy would stay up working on similar projects, usually bigger and more difficult than mine and she would know when it was time to hit Yaffa. It was also the right place to stop after a night at Danceteria, Club USA, or Webster Hall. If we could handle another block or two, we would walk after dancing the night away and Katy would get her salad and I would get the chocolate cake.

It has been a long time now that we have been friends: 18 years and counting. We have been through so much together- through so many happy meals and sad meals. We are beyond the friendship stage to the point where we might as well be brother and sister. We call each other "Doll" and I don't know when that started, but many years ago. She is a doll and I love her for taking me to Yaffa countless times in times of need. We always say we are the same person. I know this is true when I have a day where I must go after some chocolate cake to make things better. Sure enough I can call Katy and she will be having the exact same day. I am Gemini and I need a twin. Katy is my twin.