Lessons from TurkFest ‘08

On a whim, I wandered to the NY Turkish Festival in Central Park today. Lessons learned:

1. Should you ever try Turkish coffee, do not drink the cup empty …you will end up with a mouthful of coffee grains, which settle on the bottom. It’s served with little gummy/sugary confections called “Turkish delight,” which are delish.

2. Turkish oil wrestling is a very odd sport. The Turkish are avid supporters of it — just as the Spanish are of bull fights. The men come out on the field with glistening torsos, to the delight of the women onlookers. But then, to win the match, they must stick their hand down their opponent’s pants!! I kid you not! See my quick video for a demo.

3. A performance of marionettes, those puppets with the strings, draws a crowd like you wouldn’t believe.

Don’t Travel Anywhere…

…without visiting idlewild books on 12 W 19th St (near 5th Ave.) That’s my new policy. Yesterday, I stumbled upon this bookstore that specializes in travel guides and international literature. I love how the books are organized by country — of course I gravitated toward the Spain section first. My recommendation: email events@idlewildbooks.com and ask to be added to their events list, so you can attend the book launch parties with authors.

Random Fact about the NYPD

Have you ever seen a gazillon police cars speed through the streets of NYC with sirens blaring? (or, as Rachel and I would say to use one of our favorite words, a cavalcade of police cars?). I always wondered what must be going on to cause the ruckus. Some major crime, no doubt. See this YouTube clip for a demo.

Well, when Rachel and I were seated at the counter of Polonia in the East Village, awaiting our pirogies, blintzes, beets, zucchini dumplings, and potato pancakes (photo to come!), two NYPD awaiting their carry-out dinner struck up a conversation. We used this opportunity to ask everything we ever wanted to know about being a cop in NYC. Rachel asked about the rush of police cars…mystery unveiled! The cop said that it’s done as a show of force, showing potential terrorists and criminals that the NYPD is ready to deploy en mass, if need be. This tactic has already proven to reduce terrorism threats in Israel, he said. Who knew? See what you learn when you pass up a table at a restaurant for the counter stools?

Egyptian Eats

One of my favorite things about NYC is that you can almost travel the world via cuisine. (Still missing a really authentic Cambodian spot—if you find one, let me know!) So to kick off our ‘try new flavors all the time’ campaign, Tammy and I decided to hop over to Egypt, via Astoria. Kebab Cafe is tiny (maybe 12 seats), comfy, and chef focused. The owner/chef, Ali El Sayed, cooks right in front of you. Better, though, was the lack of reliance on menus. Sayed described some of his specials, learned we were going veggie-style, and then proceeded to serve us a true Egyptian feast.

My favorite was a beet salad with balsamic vinegar and dill. Beets have been getting a lot of positive press recently—they’re a true superfood. Then a suberb hummus/baba ganouj/falafel platter, a rice/vegetable dish, and every imaginable take on the combination of honey+dessert. We rolled back through the streets of Astoria, satiated. I only hope the food in Egypt is half as delightful…

There’s a Store for Everything…

…Even mini erasers. These popular collectibles in Japan inhabit a shop all of their own on 10th St., very much hidden in between 1st and 2nd Ave. Who knew? The tiny store, Aica, sells little more than mini erasers in the randomest of shapes: bananas, toothpaste, fast food, ice cream cones, etc.

Erasers have become obsolete in my life since I swore off pencils after completing my final math class in college, but you can’t resist their charm, even if they are useless, for 99 cents a piece at Aica.

Lulu-what?

I got a gift card to lululemon athletica, a store I’d never heard of, probably because they specialize in clothing for yoga, which I can’t really bear to do…I’m a woman on the move. Turns out the only NYC location is right in my Lincoln Center neighboorhood. The clothes are well-fitted, feminine, and functional (i.e. I love that the lightweight jacket I got has invisible zipper pockets, so keys and money don’t fall out. It’s the perfect replacement for the college sweatshirts I still had lying around.)

The coolest thing about Lululemon is their manifesto, which they print on their bags (see below, or view here). How smart to build a brand around these universal truths. You can’t help but identify with the store, even if you’re not signing up for their free yoga class anytime soon.

p.s. If you’re wondering what lululemon means, the answer is nothing. It was simply created because it has three l’s in it. fyi!