So bad its good.

This falls under the category of so bad that its good, but then goes back to bad again.  Then good.  Then your head explodes.

Often I find myself feeling so sad for children today who don’t know the wonders of Popeye, Pee Wee Herman or Kermit the Frog.  “Those poor kids with their Hannah Montana,” I think.  Then while watching daytime television this morning I came opon this:

We are left to decide if its a tradgedy that children of 2009 don’t know Urkel.

Local Business Enthusiasm

One of the best, best things about New York – and Astoria in particular – is that you don’t have to go to a huge chain store for everything.  Personally, I am a big fan of the more-than-one-stop-shopping experience. Why?  Partly because I am cheap.  And also because of ethics.  But mostly this is due to the fact that I get visually DAZED  in stores with more than 3 aisles, or shops that have identical twin shops on every block, and wind up wandering around for 3 times as long as I would have looking for things, involuntarily listening to smooth jazz or crappy top 40 hits and hating my life. 

 

So here are some alternatives to those pesky franchise situations.  Most of them are in Astoria.  Cause that’s where I do the shoppin, y’all. 

 

Caffeine alternative to Dunkin Donuts: Cyprus Deli, Sai Organics

I’m sure Cyprus Deli has a tremendous selection of cheeses, olives and all the small jarred fish a good Mediterranean could ask for, but what I am fixated on is the coffee.  This is the best freaking deli coffee I’ve ever tasted.  Big ups to Robin for the recommendation.  A small coffee costs 75 cents and will keep you buzzing all morning, and they are very conscientious about how much milk you want.   And I think Sai Organics will be on every item on this list, simply because it’s my favorite store. 3 small aisles of joy. And they have soy creamer.  Delicious.

 

Hippie food alternative to Whole Foods: Sai Organics, Broadway Natural 

Free orange juice, wheatgrass shot or rice dream cookie sandwich with any purchase of $20 or more at Sai!  The owner of Broadway Natural once talked me down from buying an orange in September because they were not in season and, in his words, “too pricey.”  Yep, the man running the store told me I should get a cheaper and more delicious apple instead. That’s lookin out, you know?

 

Chilling out alternative to Starbucks: Sublte Tea and the Himalayan Tea House

Subtle Tea is in Manhattan near my workplace, and it is so much better than a chain for the following reasons: 1. The staff,  2. The tea, 3. The outlets where you can plug in your ipod/laptop and 4. The music.  So you should check it out.

 

Himalayan Tea House is more of a restaurant (an awesome one, actually), but you can go in for a pot of tea and a khapsey cookie and scribble in your journal for several hours unmolested.  Also notable for very nice, though sometimes forgetful staff.   

 

Non-hippie grocery alternative to Key Food: MK Market, Elliniki & United Bros Fruit & Veg Markets.  A big reason I chose to move back to Astoria after living in Manhattan for a year was the availability of 24-hour produce.  Eliniki takes credit cards, but United Brothers has an ATM and is open all night for those late night navel orange or fava bean cravings. Mmmm winter citrus… 

 

MK has fruit and veg of lower prices but also lower quality than the two titans of produce down the street. It touts hand-pressed tofu for like $1 for 3 blocks and cheap, cheap bean sprouts in bulk.  Sweet deal.  You can also procure milk, tea, cereal & eggs there for cheap, along with some Korean stuff. And it still costs less than at C-Town.

 

Hardware alternative to Home Depot: Broadway Hardware

You will probably need to ask for what you need, since this place is crammed to the gills with stuff. But everyone is nice & helpful and you don’t have to carry your purchases 3 miles to a register.

 

I could have a whole other post about the advantages of locally-owned restaurants, but that’s a different issue.  For now I wanted to share my love and enthusiasm for small, easy-to-find-stuff, friendly-staffed local shops.  They need your money and your love!   

 

 

 So what’s your favorite alternative to the big, scary boxes?

25 things- Hooray for sharing!

So I know everyone and their mother is not only posting “25 things” on their facebook pages, but lots of bloggers, journalists, etc, have been commenting on this phenomenon (see NYT and TIME) and not everyone is keen on it.  I’m going to agree with Samhita’s position on Feministing.com in that I enjoy “25 things” as a “story-telling tool”.  She states, ” reading about [my friends’] lives gave me more insight into who they are and why they do the things they do, are passionate about the things they are passionate about”.  Indeed! 

I don’t really see “25 things”  as an outlet for narcissism, as critics seem to be suggesting.   In fact, I’ve found it to be quite the opposite (lots of self deprecating in some entries).  I see the act of sharing 25 things as a refreshing admittance of faults, wishes, guilty pleasures, annoyances, passions, etc.  This was often mixed in with lots of praise of people the authors cared about.  And, if nothing else, people were exercising their first amendment rights! 

My goal was to send it to people I wanted to get to know better or hadn’t seen or talked to in a while.  At first I worried that this was like calling someone after months without contact just to talk about myself.  But in a way, I was hoping for a response from some long-lost people as a means to measure change.  Hey, remember me, friend?  How much have I changed?  How about you?   What do we still have in common?  Incidentally, I gained a sense of comradery with many as I learned that most people I know can’t live without chocolate and or cheese.   What a life that would be, huh, guys?  And I’m not the only person who cries at Pixar movies (come on, General Enthusiast…get on the band wagon!). 

I think part of being yourself involves sometimes admitting embarrassing things…and seeing how people react…it’s a humbling experience.  I’m sure I’m not alone in hating “too much information” moments:  you’re talking with someone you don’t know that well and, hopefully within the context of the conversation(!),  you just happen to blurt out something that you immediately realize is “too much information” based on their response.  Sometimes I feel that response is unmerited.  Give me a break… so what if you now know that grapes make me fart.  Now you know not to offer me grapes!   As much as I hate those moments, though, they serve a purpose.  I just learned that So-and-So probably does not like fart jokes.   Never suggest the movie White Chicks to So-and-So. 

In conclusion, while not everyone has something new or meaningful to say, there’s nothing wrong with admitting something personal about yourself… or 24 more things on top of that.  That’s why I can’t participate in hatred for “25 things”.  My (slightly idealistic) hope is that these entries will stimulate conversation about the new things that people are learning about each other, and encourage them to open up and share more *. It’s healthy (it relieves stress and keeps you enthusiastic!).  So don’t be afraid to share…on FB, blogging, or elsewhere.           

 

*For example, feel free to tell me what makes you fart.  I know you do it!