I love it! A grilled cheese sandwich truck in New York City!
Gluten Free Bakeries Are Popping Up All Over The Place Here In NYC
Trailer Park Burgers
Big Booty Bread Company
Tiny New York Kitchen Goes To Koreatown
Last week Tiny New York Kitchen took a little trip to NYC’s Koreatown. I had a west coast girlfriend come into town and was thinking of things to do and hadn’t been to Koreatown (West 32nd Street) for quite a while and figured that it was about time to pay my respects. First we went for Korean barbeque at my favorite place, Wonjo. I made sure that we got there a bit early to beat the inevitable rush. We had delicious marinated meat that was cooked on the table grill. We had the usual sides of kimchee, tofu, little dried fish and all sorts of things that were quite interesting. I also ordered fish stew and a side order of vegetable tempura. Everything was delicious and what was not eaten was brought home for the next day’s lunch.
After making our way through the waiting crowd we finally left Wonjo stuffed. Being stuffed didn’t stop us from walking a few doors down to the Korean bakery, Paris Baguette. Don’t ask me why in the hell it’s called Paris Baguette because it’s a cafeteria style Korean bakery. We picked up our cafeteria trays and giant metal tongs and helped ourselves to a strange, but delicious, array of desserts. The place was packed with mostly Korean people doing the same thing. We got in line, paid and took them to go because we had one more place to go.
At this point it was about 9:30pm and our final stop was, Zen Spa, a 24 hour Korean spa that was cheap and bizarre to say the least. I had been to two other 24 hour Korean spas before and just found out that one of them is a gay sex place so I crossed that one off the list. We showed up at the “spa” and the place wasn’t very busy at all. The front end was a nail salon and I was looking around for where the spa part might be. We were shown to the tiny back area where we were given robes to put on and then promptly taken away never to be seen again. We were shoved into a sauna until I was burning up and poked my head out to see what the heck we were doing next. These two short Korean women, wearing matching black sport bra outfits, brought us into a room with two side by side plastic covered massage tables. We were still buck naked and they had us get onto the tables and scrubbed us raw and then threw buckets of water on us. This was the exfoliation treatment. They scrubbed every inch of our bodies and I am NOT exaggerating one iota. The tables were so slippery and we were sliding all over the place. When I was told, “you turn over now,” I swear I was going to go flying across the room. When they were nearing the end of the exfoliation treatment they were slapping our butts like they were spanking us. I don’t know what that was about. They shoved us back into the sauna until I couldn’t take it anymore and popped my head out. We still had no robes or towels and it’s a good thing I’ve known my friend for many many years. My woman says, “You ready now?” I replied that we were ready for our massages. We were taken back into the same wet room and put back onto the same tables where the women were up on the tables massaging us with their knees and elbows. Actually felt pretty good.
Finally the treatment ended with a “facial” of cucumbers and hair washing. The cucumber stuff was weird and didn’t seem to do much, but the hair washing was kind of nice. We laid there and they washed and conditioned our hair with vigorous hands. Then they threw more buckets of warm water over our bodies. The very last thing they had us do was sit up and handed us cat bowls of milk to put our faces into. I don’t know what that was supposed to do either, but I am sure it had some purpose. Finally we were handed a towel each to dry off and get our clothes on. I tipped the ladies quite well and luckily it was a nice evening out as we walked back to my apartment with wet hair at midnight.
The Origins Of Easter Symbols
Easter celebrates the resurrection of Jesus, but is also associated with popular symbols such as eggs, candy, bunnies and food. Here is a look at the origins of these beloved symbols.
The Easter Lily
The white blossoms of the lily symbolizes the purity of Jesus. The trumpet-shaped flower that blooms in the spring also symbolizes new life and the resurrection of Jesus Christ. People use the flower to celebrate and enjoy the very essence of the Easter season.
Hot Cross Buns
A favorite during spring and the Easter season. Hot cross buns are a sweet, yeast leavened, spiced roll made with currants or raisins. They have long been a symbol of Good Friday. Each bun has an icing cross on top to signify the crucifixion.
The Butterfly
The butterfly’s unique life cycle is meant to symbolize the life of Jesus Christ. The first stage, the caterpillar, stands for his life on Earth. The cocoon stage portrays the crucifixion and the burial of Jesus. The final stage, the colorful butterfly, represents Jesus rising from the dead and the resurrection.
Easter Baskets
In Germany, children made nests in which the “Osterhase” or Easter Bunny could lay his colored eggs. The nests were replaced with baskets once the tradition was brought to the United States and the Easter contents were expanded to include candy and other treats.
Easter Ham
In the United States ham has become a traditional Easter dish. In the early days, meat was slaughtered in the fall. There was no refrigeration so the fresh pork that wasn’t consumed during the winter was cured for spring. This made ham a natural choice for the celebratory Easter dinner.
Easter Egg Hunts & Rolls
The first official White House egg roll took place in 1878 under the presidency of Rutherford Hayes. Egg hunts and rolls have no religious connection, but some will point out that the roll is a symbolic act for the removal of the stone blocking Jesus’ tomb.
Easter Parade
The origin of Easter parades dates back to the mid-1800’s in New York City. The wealthy used Easter as an opportunity to show off their new spring wardrobe by walking up and down Fifth Avenue after church. Soon the less fortunate started showing up to watch the spectacle and a tradition was born.
Easter Candy
Second only to Halloween in candy sales, Easter is a holiday for children and adults with a serious sweet tooth. Chocolate eggs and candy shaped like bunnies or eggs are extremely popular. Also, jelly beans are often associated with the holiday due to their egg-like shape.
The Egg
Easter eggs are likely linked to pagan traditions, but eggs have long been used to celebrate spring and the idea of renewal. It’s not unusual that in almost all ancient cultures, eggs are held as a symbol of life. At the Passover Seder, a hardboiled egg dipped in salt water symbolizes both new life and the Passover sacrifice offered at the Temple of Jerusalem.
The Easter Bunny
The cute furry creature is certainly not mentioned in the Bible, but has nonetheless become the most well-known symbol for the spring holiday. The Easter Bunny’s origins are not entirely known, but some stories date his arrival in the United States back to the 1700’s when German immigrants brought their tradition of an egg laying hare called “Osterhase” to the country. Much like children leave cookies for Santa, boys and girls leave carrots out for the Easter Bunny in case he got tired from hopping around all night.
Besides getting hit with a lawsuit or having the Department of Labor come after you for not paying employees properly (Fair Labor Standards Act) NOT paying the IRS is one of the worst things that can happen to a restaurant. Ray's Pizza, on 62nd & Lexington, has been shut down and seized for not paying their taxes.
Interesting Chicken Facts
I have loved chickens for many years. Twenty years ago I had a chicken coop built on my property where I lived in the Pacific NW. I raised laying hens so that I could cook with fresh eggs. During the day I let my hens roam my property and at dusk my son’s corgi would herd them into their coop. Each morning I would go out to the coop, thank the “girls” and gather beautiful fresh eggs. Those days are gone and I now live a much different life dividing my week between my apartment in New York City and my house in Fairfield County.
Here are some fun and interesting chicken facts:
Chickens are omnivores. In the wild they will scratch the soil searching for seeds, insects, young mice and lizards.
Alektorophobia means “fear of chickens.”
The older the hen the larger the eggs she lays.
Chickens with white earlobes lay white eggs. Chickens with red earlobes lay brown eggs.
Chickens can live for 5 to 10 years depending on the breed. According to, The Guinness Book of World Records, the world’s oldest chicken died of heart failure at age 16.
A fresh egg sinks in a bowl of water, and old egg floats.
Hens start clucking to the eggs a few days before hatching, making it more likely that they will all hatch at approximately the same time.
DNA evidence suggests that chickens are the closest living relatives to the Tyrannosaurus Rex.
The first pictures of chickens in Europe were found on 7th Century BC Corinthian pottery.
Eggs dry out more quickly in your refrigerator’s egg rack so it is best to leave them in the carton.
If you can’t remember which eggs you cooked then spin them. If an egg spins quickly then it is hard boiled. If an egg spins slowly and wobbles then it is raw.
It is estimated that there are four chickens to every human on the planet.
The egg carton was invented in 1911 by a Canadian newspaper editor named, Joseph Coyle, in Smithers, British Columbia
An egg standing on its end can bear up to 200 pounds. The record was set by the Ontario Science Centre.
For best results, eggs should be brought to room temperature when used for baking.
A plastic egg, golf ball or avocado pit placed in a nest will encourage a hen to lay in it. This is the origin of the term “nest egg.”
“Go away, boy! Or I’ll spank you where the feathers are the thinnest.” – Foghorn J. Leghorn
