Stray observations VIII

(i) The Great Deluge hits New York yet again. I need to keep in mind, that sunshine usually graces the early hours only, hence morning needs to be put to good use.

(ii) Cactus pear seeds ruin an otherwise fine dish, a fruit salad in my case, made out of fresh mango and kiwi slices in addition to the prickly pear. Mind, its pulp is nothing too spectacular, but it has a nice, exotic flavour. Such a waste!

(iii.a) New Yorkers love their pets dearly. Along Broadway, in the low 80s, you see „Adopt a puppy“ stalls week by week, and kitten cuties looking for a new home can be found one day in front of Barnes & Nobles, the other on the corner of Amsterdam and 81st.

(iii.b) Sometimes, though, such affection borders on the insane. I have seen leg warmers on poodles as early as in late September, my dry cleaner’s wife puts her small bundle of cuteness into a fitted t-shirt, and stores like Canine Styles on Broadway and Wet Nose Doggy Gym in Greenwich Village (at 34 E 13th St) speak for themselves.

(iv) The homeless next door receive much less attention than bow-wow fido. A silent, conscientious choice on a daily basis, whom society considers the real fleabags, and a mark of shame for the haves in US society.

Taxi drivers at Friday Prayer, Riverside Drive

Taxi drivers at Friday Prayer, Riverside Drive

(v.a) Friday, 30 Sep: Jumu’ah prayer at 1 Riverside Drive, while festively dressed families take a walk along the neighbourhood streets and parks, honouring Rosh Hashanah.

(v.b) My speculations on an etymological link between Ramadan and Rosh Hashanah prove false. Yet many other similarities in the holy days of Islam and Judaism are striking.

(v.c) Falafel with French fries might not be a New York specialty; I, however, encounter this fast food merger of East and West for the first time. I am not quite won over by this (supposedly) halal dish.

(vi) With the onset of autumn in early October, charity ads appear on TV, imploring the audience to help the growing number of the hapless and less fortunate in American society. Wendy Malick gives maltreatment of animals a voice, Ben Affleck highlights hunger and malnutrition in America.

(vii) Recto: On the D line to Coney Island, at early evening, pretty much everyone around me speaks Mandarin. On the N train (local) towards Queens, Astoria: à la gauche on parle français, to my right Nihongo (Japanese).

Category: Billed, Miscellaneous | Tags: , , , , | estienne210 Comment »


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