International Street Food Festival

Last weekend I checked out the International Street food festival in the Clinton/Hell's Kitchen neighborhood. I went hungry and ready to battle the crowds to score some delicious treats. The grazing began on 9th Avenue at 57th Street and extended south as far as my eye could see.



The twenty promised blocks of food vendors were interspersed with street performers, crafts and merchandisers. It looked daunting, but I was ready. Here is what I (and two helpers) ate on our journey south:



Grilled meat on a stick - pork, I'm pretty sure, with some sort of bbq sauce slathered across the top. This was hot, juicy, tender and speckled with charred bits from the grill's flame. I was licking my fingers for blocks.




Chicken tacos w/cilantro and onion - nice corn tortillas, fresh ingredients and all the lime you want - Riff's favorite food.




Burgers! These mini burgers were just right for a food festival: smallish, cheap ($2) and tasty. Dave paid double to get double meat. Look at those yummy toppings!




After our burgers we had to pull over for... Strawberry Margaritas! These were by far our biggest expense at $8 each, but they came with chips and salsa and the bartender was heavy handed with the tequila. Back to the street!




At last, the goldmine: Pierogies! 3 for $3, I had two filled with potato and cheese and one with potato, cheese and kielbasa. These are not the deep fried "pierogi" dumplings that I used to get at the pool as a kid and top with ketchup and burn my tongue on. No, these were so satisfying in a jog-my-memory of pierogies-past kind of way. They had an amazing buttery flavor, the dough was perfect, and the creamy interior was a perfect blend of smooth potato completely integrated with the cheese. I could have eaten a dozen.




Despite sharing all of the above items, I'm beginning to get full. (Damn!) Time for dessert. I've heard a lot about deep fried candy bars, twinkies and well, here we are at the deep fried Oreo stand. I'm not a sweet freak, and I'll bypass the chocolate cake for the sour cream and onion dip, but ever since I quit smoking, I seem to like a little sugar at the end of my meals. I found the Oreo ($3 for $3, but we talked the vendor into selling us just 1 for $1,) to be alright, but not remarkable. The Oreo flavor seemed cloaked by the heavy sweet fried batter. Riff said it was better than a deep fried Twinkie.

Park Slope Food Coop

I've lamented the lack of supermarkets in this city before. I may even have mentioned that I wished I could just have a QFC nearby. A QFC, people! With glorious piles of organic produce, many fresh cuts of meat, seafood, a whole section devoted to cheese! Fresh salsas, 5 different whole bean coffees to choose from, a separate floor for wine, beer, toiletries and magazines! Living in nyc takes work. Eating at home takes work. The process involved in stocking my studio apartment with ingredients now necessitates multiple trips to different locations all without the benefit of a car for stockpiling! I don't have the extra cash for frequent cab fares, so I end up humping it home on the subway or on foot loaded like a pack mule. When I've got a backpack full and I'm carrying my net bags, I don't really want to stop at the liquor store for a bottle of wine. So careful planning and routing are usually involved and I've changed my cooking habits. Unlike many new yorkers, I have yet to succumb to complete take-out dining. I instead try to plan single meals in advance, and cook for leftovers. When I'm shopping I have to force myself to stick to the list, or I'll be lugging home the extra stuff. I guess it's time for me to buy one of those old lady carts that everyone but me uses for this exact reason. But then it would be too easy!

Finally, I've joined the Food Coop. Which I can't help pronouncing like it rhymes with soup. The Park Slope Food Coop is very simply about getting food at a lower price by working collectively. In addition, the coop buys locally, and offers organic options. The coop is too far to walk often with a full load of groceries, so I'll be trying to do one big shop with car service home per month. When I work my shift (2 hours and 45 minutes per 4 weeks) I'll pick up a few things. After my first shift I spent about $23 dollars and brought home this:



Here's the list:
1 bunch cilantro
1 bunch scallions
1 bunch mustard greens
1 head garlic
5 shallots
1 sweet onion
1 yellow onion
5 limes
5 mineolas
2 grapefruit
2 roots of turmeric
1 loaf of rye bread
1 bottle white vinegar
1 lb butter
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
wedge of Manchego cheese
some peanuts

Whew. Not bad for under $25! I still had to buy some egg noodles and coconut milk to make kao soy, one of my favorite Thai dishes. And I carried it all home in my backpack fairly easily. I did take the subway instead of the 45 minute walk. My ultimate opinion of the coop is still in up in the air. The space is small and often crowded. Cooperative work can be disorganized and chaotic. But I like the idea that I am a partial owner and contributing my share to keep the place going. This coop does not allow non-members to shop so everyone there is enjoying the same benefits and working in some capacity. My first communist grocery store!

For info on joining the coup, click the link on the title of this post.