Birthday Weekend in Vermont

Having enjoyed Vermont so much this fall, we decided to visit again, this time in winter and, after the events of the last few weeks--deaths and politics--it was good for us to get away for a holiday weekend (I'm sorry we missed you this time, Sew and Sow.)  And it was marvelous!  Here are a few snapshots outlining the fun.




Our first stop in Vermont was the Vermont Country Store.  It's a rest stop, snack place, and souvenir shop.  We started our holiday shopping, picking up things for each other and friends and family.  We did not buy the hat that Bud models here!

A lovely tree with cookie ornaments

Next up:  King Arthur Flour.  Last time, we arrived very late in the day, when the bakery was almost completely empty of its goodies.  So we made an effort to arrive midday.  Oh, so good.  We had lunch--tasty grilled cheese, delicious homemade kaiser rolls, chocolate croissants, cardamom roll, and my favorite almond cloud cookies.  I liked the quote on the wall near the cafe, "All sorrows are less with bread" (Cervantes.)  And of course we did some shopping.  Sis was so excited to pick up boxes of cinnamon puff muffin mix, her new favorite.  And I got some unique mixes--Portuguese sweet rolls, Scottish oat bread, orange cranberry brioche. It was a tasty way to begin the weekend.

Another stop we made on the way was the Vermont Toy and Train Museum in Quechee.  There we wandered amid the displays of toys from our childhoods--Cher doll, Luke and Leia dolls, Donnie and Marie dolls, Holly Hobby dolls, various lunchboxes including Holly Hobby, Happy Meal toys, bubble bath dispenses, boxed Halloween costumes with plastic masks, Fisher Price Little People.  And there was a great model train through the Vermont countryside in summer, fall, and winter.


In the same complex, there were various shops, including an antiques store, with old photos ("instant ancestors"), tools, tea sets, food tins.  Fun to wander with the kids.

And then we arrived in Woodstock, considered one of the most picturesque towns in the country.  With holiday decorations, snow, early American houses, a preserved downtown including old dry goods store and pharmacy and unique shops, covered bridge, nearby river, and the surrounding mountains, it really is a great little place.  And we were staying at the Woodstock Inn, a venerable hotel sitting back from the town green.  (Lambeth, the kids said it was second only to the Lainston as their favorite place to stay!)

In our room were two treats--chocolate-covered strawberries and a notice that we would be riding in the town's Wassail parade, on the hotel's own wagon, both arranged by Mama and the concierge for my birthday!!!!  Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful.  It made for the perfect weekend.

But before the parade Saturday afternoon, we spent Saturday morning wandering the town, listening to the high school band play carols, and visiting the Dana House and the historical society with its displays on Christmas past.  (This was after breakfast, when we discovered our waitress grew up in the town we live in and her cousin owns the deli near our pediatrician's office.  Small world.)  Sis and Bud even ran down to the river behind the house, enjoying the snow (which we haven't really had in Connecticut.)

The parade!!  Mama had given me a heads-up about it, actually, first to see if I were interested and second so that I could pick a festive outfit.  As the theme was Victorian, I wore one of my long historic house skirts and my lovely blue wool cloak from Gommie, under which were layers of sweaters, leggings, extra skirts, and warm socks--because the morning temperature had been 3F!!  We all got a ride to the staging area where Sis was in her element around all of the horses.  Across from us was the donkey brigade which we just read about in the morning's paper (the group helps youth and adults with developmental disabilities who take care of the miniature donkeys.)  The little donkeys wear stuffed animals on their backs and pull small carts, led by their handlers.

And then we got on our wagon, wearing matching plaid fleece scarves supplied by the hotel.  The festooned wagon was led by two humongous Belgian draft horses.  We rode along with another family and an older couple, singing "Rudolph," "Jingle Bells," and "We Wish You a Merry Christmas!" and waving to the crowds (over 2,000 cheering people!)  It really was wonderful to see all the holiday cheer.  And I liked seeing the old town from the wagon, which put me back in the 19th century.  Though, it was pretty cold.

After the parade, we warmed up by the fire at the hotel with hot chocolate (and Bailey's!)  At 4pm, we went to look at the town tree, Yule bonfire, and luminaries as the sun set.  Dinner was the Wassail Feast at the hotel, with a variety of dishes such as prime rib, sliced salmon, Yorkshire Pudding, pumpkin bread pudding, buche de noel, and trifle.  Mama and I made Yard of Flannel--hot apple cider and rum-whipped cream--and sat by the fire.

That evening we sat in the room, warming up from the day.  I worked on my crocheted birthday blanket, in Lion Brand Thick and Quick Celestial Stripes.  The kids made Rainbow Loom bands and played with their light-up wheelie bopper toys from the Vermont Country Store.  (It was a no-screen weekend.)

Sunday, though it was cold again, we went to Billings Farm--with its draft horses, decorated farmhouse, and craft activities.  The kids dipped their own candles and then Bud made a pomander with cloves and a clementine.  Sis was enamored with the white Percheron draft horses and some more Belgians.  And I liked the snow, the barns, and the warm kitchen with apple pie and roasted pumpkins.

  

On our way home, we ate at delicious Worthy Kitchen (poutine!  fried chicken!  pickled pineapple!)  and then moseyed our way home.  We did stop at the lake we'd visited with my folks in October--it was completely frozen and snow-covered.  I did a 20-yard hike into the woods and watched Sis poked the ice with her toes.   

We got home after dark, with snow falling gently on our town, the last little treat of the weekend.

My favorite photo, from town (actually taken from the car as we drove by.)

-=-=-=-=-=-=-

There was one uncomfortable thing that happened repeatedly in Vermont:  there were a lot of questions about our family, race- and/or gender-based.  From the woman at King Arthur Flour who thanked me for having a big heart and adopting Sis, to a white woman who said hi to Mama in Mandarin and was surprised she didn't speak Chinese, to the six or seven people (and I'm not exaggerating here) who mistook Mama for a boy/my son, Sis for a boy, and Bud for a girl.  Never have so many assumptions been spoken to us aloud by so many in such a short time.  It was rather disconcerting.  We've had less trouble in rural Texas, for goodness sake.  Come on, Vermont, what's with that?  (And no, it wasn't just the tourists from elsewhere.)
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Our Anniversary Weekend Getaway

This weekend was our sometimes-annual tradition of a weekend alone in the city (see here and here; we went to Block Island in 2014)--what we have called a nano-honeymoon--perfectly timed with our actual 18th anniversary.  And we had a wonderful time!  While the kids stayed with their NYC grandparents eating their way across Queens and going to the beach (even boogie boarding on the waves!  Think tummy surfing with a smaller board), Mama and I returned to our favorite hotel near Union Square and had a delightful three days.

FRIDAY

We actually started our weekend, after dropping off the kids, in Midtown--at 61st near 1st, at the old Mount Vernon Hotel Museum.  Built as a mansion with carriage house in the late 18th century, the carriage house became a "day hotel" (think 19th-century spa) with parlors for the ladies to sew, play music, visit, and take tea, and fishing and a horse-trotting track for the gentleman, with a big supper for all.  Miraculously, the building survived (Thanks, Con Ed!  They bought it way back when and didn't tear it down) and is now administer by the Colonial Dames.   Gommie, you might remember this--it was known as the Abigail Adams Smith House when you went, I think.  Well, like Gommie, I love a good house museum and this one had great fake food (that three-tiered gelatin dessert!  those blackberries!  even that oyster pie!), a remarkable parlor barrel organ, and a complete traveling whiskey case with gold-painted glass bottles in all sorts of odd shapes. We also liked the shop, where Mama picked up the little owl that features in most of our pictures instead of one of us (she did the same, with a different little owl that was mistakenly left at home, on her own trip into the city about a month ago.)

We headed to our hotel next, the indulgent Inn at Irving Place, where we've stayed the last two times, and were even able to get into our lovely room early.  I always love the period kitsch, tastefully arranged without too much thought to historiocity; a little nicer than shabby chic, it is very comfortable and evokes a different time for me (but with air conditioning!)  It's also very conveniently located right near Union Square, which affords us a great neighborhood to explore and dining options to try.  Mama had assiduously researched special GF/DF/FODMAPS dining options for me and found several in the area.  And not just meat and rice.  We started with french fries from our favorite Maoz, which we ate while perusing the Union Square Green Market, on our way to the Lion Brand yarn shop.  

Loved these bags; wish they were t-shirts

The Lion Brand yarn shop had a great all-yarn (mostly knit) farmer's market display in its window and the staff walked around helping customers while knitting and crocheting!  I can't imagine.  I had fun seeing all the various yarn colors and textures, plus notions and accessories, and only brought home half a bag of yarn!  Okay, their bags are really big, but still.  I even finished a mandala in the Landscapes Boardwalk (which, I must admit, I liked better as a skein than as a finished piece--for me, there is too much murky green and brown and ugly orange!  And the colors change so quickly that the striping didn't work well in the rounds.  Oh, well, it felt wonderful and I enjoyed the crocheting nonetheless.)  Mama even got an Amigurumi book. (She isn't a yarn hoarder like I am.  Yet.)

I might be getting my days switched, but we visited the art supplies store on Friday, too.  Mama perused everything like a kid in the proverbial candy shop, picking up a pencil case and some other items.  We spent a lot of down time on this trip just hanging out in our lovely room and engaging in some of our hobbies--crochet, drawing, reading--in the serene peace and quiet.  I loved the afternoon light through our tall windows.  We also ate take out in our room a few times.  Our late-afternoon snack Friday was from Hu's kitchen, which had a GF/DF dessert called Maple "Creme Brulee" made with taro and coconut milk; Mama enjoyed a "Diesel Walker" or something, which was sloppy joe beef on a baed of sauteed "grandmaster veg."  Late that night, we had GF rosemary-potato-ricotta pizza, a lovely GF truffle ham sandwich, and a GF nutella strawberry dessert pizza from Pie by the Pound.  At some point, and I can't recall when, we also got a snack from Wok to Walk, cilantro-laden noodles with spicy sauce for her, chicken teriyaki rice for me.  As I said, we did manage to find some great food.

SATURDAY
We started this day off, after "sleeping in" til 8:30 a.m., with a long-awaited trip to Friend of a Farmer, a restaurant I had seen advertised and had wanted to visit since my grad school days 20 years earlier!  While I was sad to have to skip the renown pancakes, I did enjoy a skillet omelet and home fries.  We also got a sampling of their homemade breads, of which I ate this incredible lemon one (half a slice, willing to take the consequences, which never materialized.)  Mama enjoyed her crab cakes benedict and cheese grits.  What a way to start the day!

You would think we don't get food in Connecticut because we stopped at the Bradford Cheese Shop next and had fun choosing delicacies to take home.  Well, in truth, our little corner of CT has an overabundance of pizza, diners, and take-out Chinese, not much else (unless you look really hard, but we have found nearby enough Peruvian, Indian, vegetarian at Bloodroot); at least, we have both a Whole Foods and a Trader Joe's.    We got special Fentiman's soda, including my favorite Rose Lemonade and Mama's favorite Shandy (lemonade and beer, a British combo), some GF treats, lots of odd potato chip flavors for Bud, some caramels for Sis; more than half the fun was perusing the international variety on the neat shelves.


Later that day was the highlight of our trip, Fun Home, the musical.  In case you don't know, Fun Home is based on the autobiographical, "tragicomedy" graphic novel by famed lesbian cartoonist, Alison Bechdel.  She focuses on both her coming-out narrative and her closeted, gay father's suicide four months later, in a wonderful, richly-layered story of her life at different ages (mainly, elementary school, college, and adulthood.)  We had known and enjoyed her nationally-syndicated Dykes to Watch Out For comic strip for 20 years and read the graphic novel when it came out.  But we never knew it could be a musical!

And what a musical it was!  I had seen "little Alison" actress Sydney Lucas perform "Ring of Keys" on the Tonys and instantly loved the song.  It reminded me of Mama, when we first met (except she had jeans):

Your swagger and your bearing
And the just-right clothes you're wearing
Your short hair and your dungarees
and your lace-up boots
and your ring of keys.

It's only missing her flannel shirt, baseball cap, (SW 25, i.e. Stonewall Riots 25th anniversary), and her omnipresent, omnipotent Swiss Army knife.

We both loved the musical.  First, the 1970s period details--the photo cube, the box tv on the floor which the kids sprawl in front of, the "Partridge Family," the clothes, even the exclamation "tough titties!" (where did we get that, anyway?)  Though, I didn't grow up with a dad who ran a funeral home--a "fun home"--like she did, but I remembered many of the other bits.  Mama recognized the old bags from Macy's, the Strand, and Li-Lac Chocolates.

The performance was unique, being played in the round at Circle in the Square, an intimate theater.  It was also played straight through, with no intermission or late seating.  In fact, we were in a section where we weren't allowed to get up and leave at all, behind the little orchestra, by a trap door!  Big Alison sat at the base of our stairs a couple of times.  You really felt like a ghost in Alison's life, experiencing its layers as she remembered it.  And the actors were top-notch.  So amazing.  The actress playing Big Alison is a lesbian, too and makes the show.  Middle Alison played it with no make up and is so believable as an awkward college dyke.  And Little Alison, just 12 years old . . . wow, just wow.

But it really was the coming out story that resonated with us--from Little Alison's awareness of not fitting in sometimes (dresses, barrettes) to her crush in college and first forays into lesbian culture and sex (which elicited groans from Big Alison--"I didn't even know what Take Back the Night was!"  and "I had a crush on my first grade teacher!" to being scared of hanging out with "real lesbians" and that first major romance "I'm majoring in Joan . . . ."--there were often two Alisons on the stage at once, drawing connections between different parts of her story) to the pain of coming out to parents, with silences and awkward conversations (I know what it's like to send that letter.)  You could definitely tell where the lesbians in the audience were because we laughed loudly at the same parts (and there were so many more lesbian couples than I have ever seen at a Broadway show, ever.)  It was so special and really resonated; we just never see lesbians in Broadway shows.    Perfect, perfect, perfect.  Especially for the 18th anniversary of our own little lesbian love story (20 if you count from the very beginning, but Aug 23 is the date we like to count best.)

Whew.  We processed the entire experience over a late lunch at Otto, Mario Batali's pizza place.  He is very GF friendly and so I got a GF spaghetti carbonara that was delicious.  Mama had a seafood appetizer with little dishes of cuddlefish, cod, anchovy, mussels, calamari and the like treated in different cold, pickly salads.  We also loved the spinach, ricotta insalata, salad with honeyed truffle oil!  Decadent.  And the desserts!  Olive oil gelato with passion fruit granita and basil syrup with a sprinkle of salt--I got a big bite of salt and thought it was awful but second tastings, after Mama's reassurances, revealed it to be a marvelous concoction.  I got the lemon meringata.  YUM!  We walked nearby Washington Square, where Mama spent summers as a child when her mom was finishing her Ph.D. at NYU, reminiscing about her childhood at Bobst library, our time in NYC together, that fateful day 18 years ago (after a fight of all things--just like in the movies when the sparring characters kiss!--but we were fighting long distance Chicago to NY over the plot of Bar Stories and its implications and then, well, we weren't fighting), September 11, and other times.

We sauntered home via the Strand bookstore, where we picked up some books for the kids, souvenirs for our cat sitters, and a couple of craft books.  I came across a few reminders of dear Aunt Sis--an artsy epistolary book called Griffin and Sabine that she had given me decades ago and a pair of art socks (was it Van Gogh?) that I had taken her just last December.  Bittersweet.  We enjoyed a slow walk home; it was cooler on Saturday than Friday, remarking on the various buildings (we always realize anew that the house across the street was Washington Irving's)--and even the plantings!  (Because if a plant can survive the sidewalks of NY, surely it will survive our yard)  I think there are a few more caladium varietals we can try.   We spent the rest of the night in our room, playing with art supplies and yarn, just talking and hanging out, like we did in NYC when we met in 1994.

SUNDAY

We had planned to attend a Friends church service at the historic meeting house in Queens, but when the time came, we were more content to laze around and talk.  We picked up some GF treats at a nearby coffee shop and had tea in our hotel parlor, while reading bits from the Sunday Times to each other.  Yay, panda twins!  Boo, abortion restrictions in Ohio!  Great bit on Tig Notaro!  Plus lots of articles we skipped because they'd been online all week already (there's an article on 36 hours in Burlington, VT, Ms. Sew and Sow.)

We checked out around noon and grabbed lunch at British fish and chips shop, A Salt and Battery.  Mmm, vinegar on chips, bangers with a curry sauce (Mama loves that curry sauce!), and another Shandy for Mama.  We grabbed some last-minute treats from the British shop next door (more rose teas, various crisps flavors for Bud, some Crunchie bars for Sis, a TARDIS mug.)  I would've loved to go to Tea and Sympathy, next door (all three are owned by the same couple), but would've been sad to forego my usual non-GF/DF favorite scone and clotted cream.

We drove out to get the kids, down the West Side, past the WTC and City Hall, across the Brooklyn Bridge, and through various neighborhoods til we reached the beach.    The kids had a marvelous time as well and we were all sorry to see the weekend end.

Until next year . . . .

The Christmas Marketplace

As I've posted before, we always try to add some fun to our NYC doctors' visits, like checking out a specialty shop or going to a museum.  Yesterday, we didn't really have a set destination but knew we'd wander the area around Union Square.  Upon exiting the parking garage, we immediately spotted the telltale kiosks of a festival and I remembered that it was the Christmas Market.  For the time we had before our appointment, we wandered among the stalls:

• sampling salsas and chocolates
• ordering Belgian waffles with gingerbread sauce (speculoos) from Wafels and Dinges and also a variety of Persian soups (vegetable, lentil, and chili), plus the best cookies ever from Rubyzaar (Kashmir with almonds and cardamom: HoiAn with chocolates and espresso) and chewy sweet pastel French macaroons.  
• drinking Gluwhein and hot chocolate
• selecting a precious, brightly-colored, whimsical print of two children flying over the Chrysler Building by an artist named Edie (you can purchase prints at her site)
• having a mini-hand spa treatment with Israeli Dead Sea Salt that left my hands feeling so soft (we bought the scrub because it helps with psoriasis and dry skin)
• and just wandering through stalls of knit wear, teas and spices (laid out just like a Silk Road merchant), Celtic and also Tibetan tchotchkes, puppets, toys, jewelery, and so much more, while also people-watching, which is a wonderful sport in NYC

Just a wonderful reminder of why I love NYC (besides, it makes going to the doctor just so much better).

No Wait!

It's Christmas catalog season, have you noticed?  Everyday I get two or three, some from companies I've heard of, more from companies that bought my name from somewhere.  Some get glanced at; all go into the recycling bin.  Two this week caught my eye:  a catalog for SERRV, which supports homemade, fair trade, and nonprofit, and What on Earth? one of those cheap-junk collection.  Polar opposites of the shopping world, like Etsy vs. Amazon.  Here was a catalog supporting individuals in underdeveloped countries, people in villages with no jobs, or even people in our own country who are learning skills and supporting themselves.  All making beautiful, useful, unique items.  On the other hand, there was a catalog selling t-shirts, mugs, wall plaques, and the like of the cheapest materials for the cheapest prices.  No word about their workers, no doubt because its sourced from sweatshops in China and elsewhere, with poor working conditions, low wages, and unfair labor practices.  In fact in a way, that catalog leads to the need for the other, as multinational corporations undermine local economies and support unfair labor practices in the creation of crap, leaving families in need of work and help, as offered by SERRV . It becomes a vicious cycle:  we buy cheap, which supports poor wages and labor practices, and then our own jobs are downsized and outsourced so companies can compete with the cheap and make money, which leaves us having to save money and only buy cheap.  Of course, almost all of us do it--it's easy, popular, ubiquitous, affordable,, and also sometimes useful and even necessary.  I buy stuff from Amazon because it's cheap, easy, and instantly available; I bought a Christmas present from the crappy catalog last year because I thought it would make someone smile.  In both cases, I ignored or conveniently overlooked or was not fully conscious of the larger implications.

On Sunday, in a sermon on the UU first principle of the inherent worth and dignity of all people, our new consulting minister, Frances Sink, told a story about a four-way stop.  She arrived at an intersection at the same time as the car to her left (which, if I understand traffic laws correctly, means he had the right-of-way).  Being in a hurry, she raised her hand as if to say both "please wait" and "thanks" as she headed through the intersection.  And then she recognized the driver--it was someone in her congregation.  She was embarrassed.  She suddenly reexamined the moment and saw herself differently.  She had put herself before another, endangering them both if he had ignored her wave.  Why was she more important than him at that moment? Why did it matter that she knew him?  Are we only more respectful to those we know?  And finally, she came to a larger philosophical question:  "who has to wait so I can live my life?"

Who has to wait so I can live my  life?  Those words have sat with me since Sunday, reverberating through my thoughts and actions, both large and small.  I had hoped at one time to buy fair trade coffee and chocolate.  It's a goal that I've only partially accomplished because it can be hard to find or expensive.  So, the people, including children, practically enslaved on cocoa and coffee plantations have to wait for safety, health, dignity, fairness, and justice so I can have a cup of coffee or a snack?  Or, playing it forward, the health and safety of future generations will wait so we can have air-conditioning, plastics, and use of our cars now, thereby contributing to a host of environmental problems?  You can identify such patterns on almost any level, from international to local.  More personally, who around me has to wait?  Mama and the kids have all put things on hold so I can recover, particularly Mama, who is strained by  all of the responsibilities and stress of career, household, a chronically-injured spouse, and two young children.  Similarly, my family in Texas waits for us to visit--especially my sister and her husband with my "new" nearly one-year old niece that I've never seen.  No one complains about the sacrifices (perhaps because an injury is a "good" reason?  Or because they do it voluntarily, out of empathy and compassion?).  Or the disappointments.  But they're there.

Of course, waiting is a part of life and, in many instances, a good experience.  Especially when it's conscious and voluntary.  In fact, perhaps if we had more waiting, more patience, and less instant gratification with little things in our consumerist society, like toys or books or even coffee, others might not have to wait as long for the larger things like justice, health, etc (which is involuntary and coerced).  You know, spread the waiting around more equally.  I realize that our choices always effect others and the future, that someone is always at the top, more people at the bottom.  Like the Occupy Wall Street 99-percenters, I'd like to see the gap decrease, the inequality lessen, the negative effects minimized.  Even if we can't eliminate the bottom, so to speak, we can raise it up so that the 99% are not always waiting so the 1% can live their lives on the backs of everyone else.  (Yes, I'm pretty much a socialist.)  We can try to neutralize the negative.

Which boils down to my catalogs again:  I'm not going to satisfy any instant gratification of cheap stuff from the What on Earth? catalog so that both the workers in those factories and the artisans of SERRV have to wait to live better lives on my account.  And I'll be practicing expanding that to all areas of my life, being conscious and aware of when (and why) others wait on my behalf and making choices to minimize the ill effects.

Shop (and live) wisely . . . . no waiting!

From the Heart (of Texas): Store Envy

After happily settling the kids at Gommie's (4 bathrooms! no basement! what a strange place!) with all the new-to-them toys, Mama and I did one of my favorite things to do in Houston: grocery shop. Some of my strongest memories are of shopping at the Randall's, when that was the store to visit (mainly because for a long time after it arrived, it was one of the only stores; before it came, we had a long trek to the Gerland's. NW Houston as the boonies then). I remember free cake on customer appreciation day, all the soups and Kool-Aids, the staff whom Mom knew by name. I'd swear we'd go more than twice a week!

Well, Randall's isn't the store anymore, having been replaced by newer, swankier, better-stocked, less religious (Randall's didn't sell alcohol when I was a kid) stores. Tonight we hit Kroger's; later in the trip we'll go to the big H.E.B. Both have amazing stocks of organic and natural products, ethnic groceries, a variety of produce, and just things you never see in the smaller, older groceries in Connecticut (even though the new Shop Rites, replacing the old Shaw's, as well as Big Y, come closer than Shop and Stop. Yes, I always say that backwards, accidentally; and now it's a habit.) Sure, last year I questioned the need for such quantities of goods (and I stand by some of my concern about the excess)--there is a whole aisle of paper towels and toilet paper! And about 6' of grocery shelf space of powdered drink mixes! But they also carry all the Bob's Red Mill flours and a ton of Indian, Asian, and Mexican ingredients. Yep, I have grocery store envy.

And some nostalgia, too: BLUE BELL the best ice cream in the country (now in convenient pint containers), Ranch Style Beans, Rotel (which we do now get, but not in as many varieties), Steen's Syrup, those pink and white frosted animal cookies, just the name "Parkay" (not that I think I've ever even had that), Adams extracts, Imperial Sugar, Trappey's Black Eyes. And those are just the things I noticed in our quick run today. I got a little teary-eyed in the grocery store (yes, I'll cry about anything) and so had to buy a tacky Texas totebag in honor of it all! We also got 4 pints of Blue Bell, just for samples and I came home humming that tune . . . .

After a delicious dinner of baked chicken, rice and gravy, peas and carrots, corn on the cob, and squash, all of which (minus the last) the kids scarfed as if they hadn't eaten all day, and a little watching of the DVD Mama made of the Mother's Day tea and graduation at preschool and the church pageant (all of which made me a bit teary; yeah, yeah, I know--just like Gommie, who had to wipe her eyes too!), we put the kiddos to bed, even though it was still light out, and headed off to the bookstore. The Half-Price Books bookstore. I think I like it even better than the grocery stores! Good thing I only get to visit once a year. But that's okay because I think I picked up enough books for that, from Elizabeth David's tome on English Bread and Yeast Cookery to Marion Cunningham's iconic cookbook on breakfast, plus a couple of books on baking. Mama got a few drawing books, a history of ancient China, and some books on knights and castles for Bud and folktales for Sis. We could've picked up more for them but, then, we know we'll be going back before the trip is over.

Right after we go back to the grocery store!

A Tale of Two Groceries

It was the best of days; it was the worst of days; it was the age of medical wisdom; it was the age of technological foolishness . . . it was the spring of hope; it was the winter of fear. Last week, besides visiting the neurologist about my MRI, Mama and I wandered the area around NYU Medical Center (the Murray Hill section of Manhattan) a bit, hitting two fascinating grocery stores, which really turned the rather trying day into a wonderful city experience.

Tordaro Bros.: Founded in 1917, this grocery store is a gem of Italian specialty and prepared foods. While I was a bit too nervous to relax and explore fully, I was delighted to find a takeout container of zabaglione, which I later snacked on in NYU's lobby--a sweet cream texture with that marsala bite. And Mama had never even heard of it! I can't wait to get her to Rome--it was one of my favorite gelato flavors! We got a syrup to make fizzy drinks, something with almonds and orange, I believe. Haven't tried it yet but I love an Italian soda. I also got a chunk of panforte, which I remember clearly from a visit to Siena--the chewy, dark confection filled with fruits and nuts all covered with powdered sugar, this one had a spicy flavor, perhaps cinnamon and nutmeg and allspice? Mama hadn't had that either . . . and I think she'd like Siena! She picked up some chocolate and candies for the kiddos and eyed all the imported oils and vinegars, cheeses and processed meats. Another day, definitely another day. But she did get a torrone, which she'd always wanted to try (even if she was later not very impressed).

Kalustyan's: This specialty food store opened in 1944 and is now renowned for its international array of spices, herbs, teas, coffees, and other ingredients. I'd even seen it featured on tv. There is a whole room devoted to a variety of grains and beans--oh, the beans, the beans! I bought so many packages of heirloom and other hard-to-find beans: Anasazi, Christmas Lima, Swedish Brown, Scarlet Runner, Indian Butter, Canary, Steuben Yellow, Rice beans, European Soldier, Corona/Runner Sweet White, Jackson Wonder, Rattlesnake, Lupini, Gigante, several dals in gorgeous colors from black to brown to green to yellow to orange. Are the names evocative?! The spices--oh, my word, the aroma of that section--and anything you could imagine, things you've never heard of. Because we regularly go to Penzey's, we're pretty well-stocked, but I did find some asafoetida, which I'd heard about at the Silk Road exhibition. Mercy, is it stinky. I'm not sure I can keep it around long enough to cook with it. (Guess where the word "fetid" comes from?). I did get some sweeter smelling ingredients, including dried rose and jasmine, if only for potpourri. And some lovely masala chai. And a French rollling pin! Best of all, we managed a snack in the small upstairs cafe, sharing a vegetarian platter of amazingly sweet and onion mujadara, stewed gignate beans in a Heinz 57 beans-like sauce, and this chickpea dish that had too much cilantro for me, all "washed" down with a rose lassi. Mmmmmmmm! As we walked out, I was inspired by all the cookbooks--Paula Wolfert, Julie Sahni, Madhur Jaffrey, Najmieh Batmanglij (Silk Road and Persian cooking), plus random titles like The Art of Armenian Cooking--which would tell me what to do with all the ingredients I couldn't identify. We'll be going back here again, and probably ordering beans online before then.

It was such a delightful experience, roaming the streets and stores of the city I love with the woman I love, talking food, eating food, planning food. Almost made me glad we'd had to venture in to see that neurologist--I just hope my next visit to Murray Hill is just for groceries!

Thanksgiving: The Amazing Grocery Zapper

Today, the kiddos and I headed to the grocery store to purchase the ingredients for our Thanksgiving meal. We'd gone over the menu while scarfing happy meals after school and knew everything we wanted to get, having drawn each food next to its name on the list. While they were excited about both shopping and the meal itself, they were most jazzed about the new grocery store ray gun/zapper thingie that allows me to ring up purchases as I shop. This was fabulous fun! It took awhile for them to get the hang of the button, find the UPC code, and make sure that the red scanner line actually read the UPC, but they had it down before we were out of produce (which is fun because you weigh the produce and then print the sticker, which is where the UPC code is). We got everything we wanted.

But forgot one thing: I had wanted them to pick out some items to take to our church's food bank collection box so that we could share some of the bounty of the holiday. We are so lucky that we can walk into the grocery store and buy whatever we want for a huge meal without worrying about it. I try to let them know how fortunate we are, encourage them to share what we have (while also nixing pure extravagance, like a third pie!). And getting caught up in the zapper thing and my list and all, I totally forgot. And then I didn't even have any bills to drop in the bucket of the bell-ringing lady. So, the charity that begins at home stayed there today and wasn't with us at the grocery store. But, we'll rectify that before Sunday's collection.

Going Shopping

The British Grocery Store

We've done a fair bit of shopping this weekend, starting with a rare trip to the British grocery store in our area. Usually peopled by expats, we're some of the few Anglophiles that make semi-regular visits, not to try foods from "home," but to pick up things we remember from trips or have read about since then. And this time we took the kids! Of course, they can't tell it's a specialty grocery store, except that it was little and none of the brands were familiar (though Bud recognized the Royal Standard). But Sis can spot chocolate a mile away and came home with some fudge. And Bud immediately spotted Mr. Kipling's Cherry Bakewells, which were very reminiscent of the Empire Biscuits he got at the Scottish festival, in other words shortbread, jam, frosting, and a cherry on top (plus an almond sponge layer). And they were pretty good! Are there other Bakewell flavors? Do people make Bakewells at home? Who is Mr. Kipling? I picked up a box of Scott's Porage Oats, complete with a kilt-wearing shot-putter, and a can of Lyle's Golden Syrup so I can make homemade flapjacks, which Mama loves but which even the British store doesn't sell pre-packaged (though Aunt Banana brought her some from their trip last Christmas but those are long gone). But for the first time the recipe was printed on the box and so all I have to do is figure out how much 125g of sugar is (I think it's almost 2 cups!). Mama got Ovaltine. Not chocolate. Just plain. She was very excited. It's a childhood thing. We skipped the freezer section completely but will do bangers and pasties next time, but probably not the haggis!

The Asian Grocery Store

Today, we took the kids to the Asian grocery in our area, a place they remember mainly for the chocolate (Thomas the Train box) and strawberry (Hello Kitty box) Pocky (for the uninitiated, it's like a thin straw cookie with a flavored yogurt-like coating). It was a warm-up before we go to the big Chinese grocery stores in Flushing next weekend with Ma and Gong (after, not before, dim sum). Mama was specifically out of some soy sauces and noodles (which she doesn't need to haul all the way from NYC), but we always browse every aisle, just to see what's there and to show the kids new-to-them foods. We also picked up some seitan ("mock" or "Chinese chicken" from gluten) and black bean sauce (for my lunch), plus a variety of fried tofu, bat chai, bamboo shoots, baby corn, and "water jicama" to make a stir fry. Finally, there are cans of lumyai, rambutan, and other fruits to have as slushies on another day. And the Pocky were all gone before we got off the highway . . . .

My "New" Grocery Store

The powers that be are reorganizing my local, regular grocery store. And it's a madhouse. I couldn't find anything and it took double my usual shopping time, even with a list of relocated items that I managed to snag halfway through my trip. Funny how discombobulating it can be when the marmalade changes location while the oatmeal is in the same place. Everyone was just wandering around cluelessly, asking strangers, "have you seen the maple syrup?" It's going to take me a long time to get used to the new arrangment. But there is a plus side: I'm noticing all sorts of new items I had just glossed over before, namely, single serving sizes of premium ice creams like Haagen Dazs and Ben & Jerry's!

The Warehouse Store

It's been a long time since I've been at the warehouse store during sample time. I skipped the dino nuggets (don't tell my kids you can buy those at the store; they think they only exist at the dino museum) but inhaled the natural peanut butter, which we still don't keep in the house because of their possible allergies (or, well, mainly because I'd just eat the whole jar. I love peanut butter). I tried some of the other Kashi cereals, since I eat one every morning. But I think I'll stick with my usual. Still, it was fun to browse sample time. I only miss the cake they used to give out!

That's it: 4 stores in 2 days. But at least we should have enough food for the week, and beyond!

A Mommy's Dilemma

No, nothing like Sophie's Choice, so perhaps nothing to get worked up about.

But with two sick kids at home--first, DD with the stomach flu, and now both with head colds--I am faced with what I think is a fairly common suburban dilemma.

That's right: Target, McDonald's, or television?