Skip to main content

SYLVIA'S: The Queen of Soul Food

 Pre-Covid Sylvia's restaurant in Harlem overflowed with energy. If you wanted fried chicken from The Queen of Soul Food you often found yourself waiting hours for a table or takeout because of how busy it was. If you were lucky enough to get a seat inside, the atmosphere was magical. The hums of upbeat jazz, happy waiters, sounds of sizzles from the kitchen, and smell of fresh fried chicken and collard greens filled the slightly outdated space. The experience of eating at Sylvia's was one to remember and kept people coming back for more. 

    It was hard to imagine that a place like Sylvia's could ever close or be less busy than it was pre-covid and we were not let down when we turned the corner of 127th street and a line wrapped around the exterior of the restaurant. Groups of people waited outside fanning themselves, laughing, talking, as they waited to place their order. Indoor dining was not happening, only self-serve tables set up under a tarp that was set up under the famous lit Sylvia's sign. The line was so long that Lily and I decided to order online and go interview people and explore Harlem as we waited. About 45 minutes later we were not disappointed when our garlic mashed potatoes, mac and cheese, and fried chicken was ready. We sat down, surprisingly a table was open, and finished our food in about 2 minutes. It did not disappoint, The Queen of Soul Food most definitely did not lose her touch throughout the pandemic. Although the vibes and atmosphere were a bit different seeing as you weren't being served at your table, there was no music playing in the background, and no gentle hums coming from the kitchen, you could tell that given the circumstances the restaurant was doing well.

This project is about looking at New York City through a different lense because of the pandemic, and exploring the effects of it. Although Sylvia's is a bit different now, it still has its charm and delicious food. Sylvia's will always be The Queen of Soul Food, whether there is a pandemic or not.






Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Harlem Explorations

When we visited Harlem, we walked around several blocks including 125th between Lenox and Adam Clayton Powell Junior Blvd, which were the most crowded streets by far. As we walked further West down 125th street, we passed by several shops set up on tables on the side of the block. They were selling things ranging from jewelry, clothing and phone accessories. We approached a few of these street vendors, and one nice man agreed to talk to us. He was selling sweatshirts on a large table on a busy corner. This man, who wanted to remain anonymous, told us about how his business as a street vendor had changed because of the pandemic, but he also explained how it wasn’t just the pandemic that had caused changes in business, but also gentrification. A new hotel had gone up fairly recently and the man described how, “in this area most of the garment stores are closing down because of this hotel that is driving up the property taxes.” The hotel changed the way that people interact with businesse...
1 comment
Read more

Critical Reflection #1

  “Write about a single experience or moment, and ask: how does this moment, experience, or encounter relate to my essential question?” An experience that relates to our essential question is when we were talking to a security guard at the Museum of Natural history. We had a short but informative conversation with a very friendly security guard right before we exited through the back of the museum. We asked him about the changes he has noticed in the museum since the pandemic. He explained to us that the museum could no longer have tours and school groups and that there weren't as many tourists or visitors. He told us that school groups and tours were a vital part of the museum and what made it so lively. He also said that although those tours were not happening the museum was still getting back to its old self and soon groups would start coming in again. This relates to our essential question of or larger idea of proving New York City "isn't dead." Although the museu...
Post a Comment
Read more

Pictures!!

 
Post a Comment
Read more