Monday, April 29, 2013

brief tour of flushing

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When my parents flew up to visit me recently, we met up with one of my mother's old middle school friends – a woman she hadn't seen in 40 years! My mom was so cute – even though it had been such a long time since she last saw Gloria, when they got together, she said it was like nothing had really changed. The two of them linked arms immediately, my dad and I trailing behind, and it wasn't hard to imagine how they might have looked when they were younger.

We met Gloria in Flushing, Queens, where she lives in a great quirky house built in 1907. She took us around to a few of the places most popular with the locals, starting with breakfast at a little restaurant off of 41st & Main that serves "the best" traditional Taiwanese breakfast: shao bing you tiao and dou jiang.

The you tiao are Chinese crullers wrapped in shao bing, or sesame flatbread. Chinese people like to pair this with dou jiang, which is a sort of milk made from soybeans (but different from the soymilk you put in your coffee or cereal). I haven't had this kind of food in ages... brought me back to the last time I was in Taiwan, almost eight years ago now. Memories.

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Later we went to Paris Baguette, apparently the best bakery in Flushing. Really really beautiful pastries there, perfectly flaky, and all sorts of interesting flavors. Whilst wandering, we also ended up at a stall off of 41st Ave & Main St & Kissena Blvd, underneath a sign that says "AA Plaza." Cheap-cheap-cheap Chinese street food – scallion pancakes, chicken drumsticks, fish balls, steamed pork buns (4 for only $1.25!), and more.

Flushing is really a cool area, a busy and bustling Chinatown without being overwhelmingly crowded or stinky (ahem, 8th Avenue) or ridiculously touristy and overpriced (ahem, Canal Street). And it was nice to be there with someone who calls it home – to sit and have tea and chat about everything and nothing.

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Monday, April 8, 2013

smorgasburg

Smorgasburg started back up this weekend, so Betsy and I decided to go together – our first date in something like seven months. Happy days and gorgeous weather and so much food. I'm so looking forward to coming back when the weather gets warmer... more outdoor naps, fewer coats and sweaters.

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Sandwich with pit beef, white onion, and Tiger Sauce on a Kaiser roll from Pit Beef NYC.
S'mores pie from Butter & Scotch, which we ate while waiting in line for doughnuts from Dough. (Lush.)

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Teriyaki balls from Mimi and Coco, a bizarre mix between pancake & crepe but with a Japanese twist.
We also split an avocado shake (soy milk and liquefied avocado... love! love! love!).

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Such a nice lazy day. I feel like this is what you're meant to do in New York – eat delicious overpriced food, enjoy the company of good friends, fall into food coma, and nap for the next few hours (if you're lucky).