Hong Kong Supermarket

If I could, I’d trade the Gristedes on my corner for the Hong Kong Supermarket in Chinatown. Katie P and I walked down the aisles picking up one box and package with Chinese characters after another, thinking up recipes we could concoct or wondering what some unidentifiable items would taste like. Everything is so cheap, you can’t really resist buying it just to find out.

Strawberry Dofu Delight

Since I have an automatic attraction to anything pink and like tofu, the box of Strawberry Dofu Delight caught my eye. No tofu involved though – it’s a fat-free gelatin dessert. Let’s forget that Katie said it reminded her of Pepto Bismal. It could be delish! If not, I have my blueberry jelly, which are wiggly, individually wrapped cubes as opposed to a spread from a jar. Apparently, you eat them at your own risk. The box warns, “Please chew carefully and swallow slowly, so as not to be choked.”

See, you won’t find this stuff at Gristedes. I forgot how much I enjoy wandering Chinatown. Rachel and I had a great time in Flushing’s Chinatown too.

Curry Hill Cheap Eat

There are certain subway stops in New York City that are unlike any other — you walk up and instantly, your senses are hit with a completely different experience than where you left from: Times Square, for example, is an overdose of lights and fleeting cabs. The NR stop on 28th Street is like that for the nose — you walk up and instantly smell spices. You’re in the part of Murray Hill known as Curry Food — Indian and Middle Eastern food galore.

mujaddara platter

Today, I met my favorite Canadian, Jessalynn, for lunch at one of nymag.com’s 2008 Cheap Eats, Kalustyan’s. YOU MUST GO. The whole meal — and it was a bountiful heap of grape leaves, moujaddara, pita, and salad drizzled with tahini sauce — only cost $9 each, with bev included. First, browse the downstairs mart, where you’ll find every obscure ingredient you’ve never dreamed of, like nopalitos, which is from a cactus plant and used in Mexican dishes. Then, go upstairs to the deli (seating is tight so avoid peak lunch hour) where a friendly white-haired man is eager to serve you and give you samples. The moujaddara platter seemed to be their specialty, so order that — it’s mild and made from lentils, rice, extra virgin olive oil. Delish. I will be back, because this place would be like Rachel’s ultimate candy store. If you’re a cook with exotic tastes, you can order online from their grocery here.

Brooklyn Fall Festival: The Prequel

In my last post, you read how Sammy and I took on Brooklyn’s Gowanus neighborhood for cheap fall fun. The New York Times may have written about “Frugal New York” this weekend, but that’s how we live every weekend…NYC is an insanely expensive city, but free stuff is all around you. Take for instance Union Square on Saturday morning, where we met up before hopping on the F train to Carrol St.

1) Free Fashion Advice at the Union Square Green Market.

were they for real?

Two women who claimed to be stylists were giving free fashion advice to anyone who lined up at their booth. Sammy and I eavesdropped and tried to ask them the business rationale for setting up here — was this for a TV show? A book proposal? a web site? A magazine prank? (Yours truly used to do that for JANE magazine…remember the infamous street spa in Times Square for the March 2006 issue?). They avoided non-style questions and only gave out a paper with this web site, which looks pretty hokey…plus, these bloggers caught some cameramen hanging around the girls, so I’m betting it’s candid camera for a reality show. Another reason to love NY: Where else can you get locally grown produce and good, free fashion advice in one place?

2) Free Mini Crumbs Cupcakes!

You know it’s your lucky day when a woman stands on the street corner with a pink baker’s hat serving free mini Crumbs cupcakes, of the M&M, Oreo, and Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup variety. This plate was cleared in less than a minute!

cupcakes are bliss

See, freebies abound you when you have wanderlust and open eyes.