An Oriental Adventure in Queens

I love ramen, I consider it as one of the major food groups. As I bought a few packs at Sea Land food market on Flatbush, the cashier asked "Ichiban, that's Japanese for number one, right?" I said yes. "So what's number two?" he asked again. I said "I don't know, I'm not Japanese. What's number one in Korean?" He replied "I don't know, I'm not Korean."

In New York we're surrounded by a rich diversity of food and culture, but much of our eats are misunderstood, or compromised to suit the neighborhood, for example: beef and cheddar negamaki with fries? Oi vey, the horror. To get the real deal one must stray from the usual path and abandon all diet plans.



Dan, Matt, and I made a mid-winter excursion to the food malls of Flushing Queens — a long journey to the end of the #7 line. Dan was a chef in another life, and Matt and I just love eating. Main Street was as crowded as a street scene from Blade Runner. As planes flew low over head, we walked past crowded food stalls that used every available space for steam tables, noodle stations, dumpling stalls, and grills. It reminded me of the markets in Hong Kong or old Makati Square.



The first stop on the map was at the Golden Mall for the elusive cumin lamb burger. The owner of Wang Zhen's Muslim Snacks is from northeastern China where lamb is the prevalent meat. We walked in, he said "Lamb Burgers" as if he read our minds — or maybe he read the glowing food reviews about his cooking, apparently Anthony Bourdain had beaten us to Queens, that bastard! The bread is similar to the ones used make Bánh Mì sandwiches, toasted but very soft and delicate. The lamb is spiced carefully and braised with a mildly sweet flavor.



He also recommended his own hand-cut chili noodles and the day's special, braised lamb spine. I'm sure it sounds better in Tianjinese, but never the less it was the best braised spine I've ever had, even Matt agreed. The total damage for three hungry men? $20. How can you beat that?



So the adventure continued to the next stall for smoke-cured pork, preserved beef, and chili-pork dumplings. One man asked why we were at this mall, so Dan showed him the printed article. He said that was he in the photo unloading supplies from the truck. He was impressed that we came all the way from Brooklyn for snacks. I asked him were the bathroom was. He pointed me the way, I followed the winding hallway but ended up in a Chinese DVD store. English is not readily spoken here. Anyone I asked for bathroom directions gave me a blank look and said "No!" in reply.



Onward, we meandered down the street through a few grocery stores and a home provisions shop to walk off the meal. Live food sat next to frozen and preserved foods. As frogs sat close in a tank next to the soft shell turtles and the live prawns, refrigerated cases stocked with chicken feet, pork belly, and different types of fish foretold their fate. Dan pointed out that much of the snack packaging had animal mascots that were more than happy to be eaten — most having two-word English translations such as Big Squid, Happy Anchovy, and Oriental Mascot. I didn't think anyone used the "O" word anymore. The home provisions shop had just about everything — travel gear, cooking equipment, traditional funerary supplies, a Hamilton Beach soy milk maker, and the like.



Shuffling through crowded main streets and side streets I wondered — if I stood in one place long enough would I have been knocked over by an old lady with a loaded grocery cart? Weary from walking we re-energized with a few more appetizers. Dan found a stall that sold Peking Duck by the piece — slices of crispy duck in a soft rice wrapper with Hoisin Sauce, cucumber, and scallion. He ordered six, Matt bought us some steamed fish balls while we waited in line.



The gorging didn't stop here. I suggested we take the train to Jackson Heights for Korean food. Instead we thought more sensibly and walked back to Roosevelt Avenue to the other food mall that we previously passed. And finally, a bathroom!



This mall was more low-key and a little English was spoken there — as in "No, pay now, then make! Sit now!" Dan and Matt pondered the menu: intestine with thin or thick noodles, fried chicken feet, Toa delight... they got two different noodles soups, chicken & beef, and pork dumpling respectively. We took a seat at the dumpling bar across from the large karaoke screen.



We split an order of beef and scallion dumplings, made fresh for us by the owner — this was the farthest thing from fast food. His wife rolled out each round thin wrapper with a dowel. He stuffed them and put aside to set. The tray resembled a minature armada of Portuguese Man of War — deliciously deadly on contact.



Technically these dumplings are not dim sum (served only as early tea lunch). The dumplings were pan-steamed until the skin was barely translucent. We dipped them in a light vinegar dressing and chili paste. Each bite had a taste of ginger, then scallion. Everything had such a delicate fleeting flavor.



Matt's pork dumpling soup was thick, it had a deeply smoked flavor but not overly salted. As we left he didn't want his soup to go to waste so he took it along on the train back to Brooklyn... then he went into a food coma. As we pulled out of the station I wondered if, like Shangri-La, all this would be gone when we return, leaving us wonder if it was all just a savory dream. Ordering Chinese food will be so disappointing from here on.

Knit PH a Freddy's: February 15 '09

Stephanie and I got up late and walked through Redhook to Ikea for meatballs and gravlax, She wore the earings I got her for Valentine's Day along with the Angora hat I made her for christmas. Later we went out Korean food, and rented "Pineapple Express." We were still laughing about the irate woman at Ikea who screamed "Ok people, Stealing is bad karma! Who took my cart!" at everyone as her shopping cart had been usurped. Happy Valetine's Day!



A brisk Sunday night, Naomi hiked it down from Greenpoint on the G, she just finished a show in Montreal. Meg caught the bus from South Slope to finish her green baby blanket over a beer or two. Naomi is now working on the other side of her Berroco sweater. I hate instructions that just read: Left side, mirror right side. I posted the square patterns on our Knit PH MeetUp page but I printed a few and put some samples on a table for the Afghans for Afghans blanket drive.



I set up the swift and winder and soon the rest arrived for beer and balls. Zuri and the EMT crew asked if they could share the room with us. Why not — it would be win-win if we had a craft-related malefice. Marci and Meike are the resident hookers — Maggie crochets as well. She showed us the hat and scarf set she made. Meike is a minister, she also plays fiddle and follows a few blue grass jams in the city. I told her about the Old Time Jam at Freddy's — lately it's been all about fiddling.



Petra sat at Tomo and Harp Girl's table. I hadn't seen Petra in a long while, she's been in Argentina while her band Gaijin A-go-go is on break. I coached Pat along with the oblique knit square. She sat with Charolotte and Maggie.



I've made 12 squares so far — just 8 short of a baby blanket. Marci said she would get started after she finished current project, but didn't want to break a new skein. So I tossed her a freezer bag of odd balls. I guess that makes me a craft bully.



We have two new guys in the group, Stew is new and Zack is now our resident sock guru. Meg chatted him up for sock advise, she wants to something small that she can make on the subway. There sure is a lot of good self-patterning sock yarn out there.



Although I use MeetUp register to RSVP, I never enforce it at Freddy's. There's lots of room to spread out in the back room. Elfe brought some friends along, they were reacquainting themselves with a pattern in the corner booth. We had a good crowd of 17 people and few oglers. I guess we're all sick of staying at home to avoid the weather.

Knit PH at Perk: February 10 '09

58° on a February evening? I'm not complaining. Amanda arrived first, then Tomo. I ordered a hot cocoa and split an almond croissant with Tomo. My plan to lose some of that winter weight involves sharing my snack guilt — half a pie, half a bag of chips, half an order of fries, half-rack of ribs, etc.

I did some mid-winter apartment cleaning — that included downsizing my yarn stash. I'm helping Eliza organize the Afghans for Afghans charity blanket drive. We're getting good responses from the group. The squares are simple and make good use of odd balls that I don't want to throw out. So far I've knit 2 and crocheted 3.



Patty brought her friend Jan, but showed up without her dreads — I do like her new micro-fro. She needed some help with the knit instructions I wrote for the blanket drive. Jan is reacquainting herself with crochet, "It's been over 9 years."



Lisa stopped by briefly to show Eliza her new plum sweater while her dogs were tied out front. Lola and Rudy howled away impatiently. Emily's finished a very tropical looking shawl. She said it was a quick knit, only took about two weeks. She asked if there was a way to measure yardage without using a yardage counter.

I told her how I used to do it. I had a gram scale , I tried to manage my weight by weighing my food. That became tiresome, and it made me want to eat more than the recommended point system allowed. Anyhow, if you have a "mystery" ball here's what you do with a gram scale:

First weight the ball of yarn, this is variable A. Now measure out 50 yards with a ruler and weight it on a gram scale. That's variable B. Therefore (A grams ÷ B grams) X 50 yards = Your total yardage. Sounds good right — but I was always off by 10 or 15 yards. I told her to show up at Freddy's this Sunday, I'll bring the yardage counter.




Tomo made drink sleeves with a heart motif as Valentines Day gifts. Adrienne finished her Fiddle Head mittens and modeled them proudly. Marina is starting a baby blanket for a friend who is due very soon. I just worked on more squares.

Afghans for Afghans: Charity Blanket Drive

Hello Brooklynites,

In a collective effort to help those less fortunate than we, Knit PH is asking you to dig into your hearts and even deeper into your yarn stash. We are organizing a blanket drive for Afghans for Afghans, a humanitarian and educational program that sends knit and crochet goods to the people of Afghanistan. To learn more about their cause visit their web site: http://afghansforafghans.org/

The thought of one person making a whole blanket can be daunting, but if each of us made one or two square, the task would take minimal effort. Through the month of February Knit PH wil be collecting knit or crochet squares and assembling a sewing team. Our goal is to make at least 4 children's blankets (40" X 32"). Each blanket will need 20 squares.

Blanket Square Instructions:
1) Use any medium weight wool or wool-blend yarn.
2) Download these PDFs with basic knit and crochet instructions for an 8" square:
http://www.meetup.com/KnitPH/files/
3) Drop off your work at Prospect Perk Cafe before March 31.
http://ProspectPerkCafe.com
4) Sewing date around April 7

You can use your own pattern as long as it measures 8" X 8". Afghans for Afghans guidelines state not to use representational images of people and animals in your pattern. This includes human faces and religious symbols. Flowers, abstract, or geometric patterns are acceptable to Muslim culture.

Please e-mail ahead if you will be contributing so that we can keep track of our charity project.
e-mail: theyarnmonkey@yahoo.com
Subject: Afghans for Afghans

It's Summer In Australia

It must be 14° out there, and the damp wind doesn't help. I had one of my refrigerator-clean-out lunches today — tuna and chicken pasta. I call it "Beach and Barn." I wished I'd made more leek and potato soup. What I really wanted was good smoky BBQ.

You can count the number of businesses that have closed on Flatbush by the large sheets of ice in front of stores. I slipped on the ice the other day, right in front of the pool hall. All I know is that I saw my feet in the air and yelled "oh nooooo!" Is it really worth stepping out to buy a pack of cigarettes in this weather?



"It's Summer in Australia." says my friend Anna Copacabana. That's also the name of her latest show. Anna is an Aussie ex-pat and modern-day vaudeville artist. I make props for her show such as this ginormous papier machier flower head.







I've only seen her show live a few times, but I usually catch her on YouTube. Anna is ridiculus fun.

Inauguration Day 2009

I left a few calls with a client about delivering a project due Tuesday afternoon. It turned out that he was in DC with his daughter. He didn't want her to miss the most important day of her life — the inauguration of our first African American president. What a good father he is.



I think back at some landmark days in my childhood: Nixon stopped on Guam en route to China, my parents took us to the airport to wave; Pope John Paul II, the first pope to travel world-wide tour in over a century, made a pit-stop on Guam — I waved from under the large sign that read "Welcome Pope" that was made entirely in bamboo letters; The Grass Roots reunited and held a concert at the local Greyhound tracks while en route to Japan. I didn't go, I was never a big fan... oh, there's so much more but I digress.



Eric and I went to watch the event on the widescreen TV at the diner, we watched our world change over burgers and soup. Barack Obama gave a compelling speech about change and responsibility, most of it being a 20 minute dis to the Bush administration and their policies. The road ahead of us is dirty and needs much repair. One has to wonder how America got duped into a war that no one needed. How was one man allowed to drive a once prosperous country into a black hole of financial devastation. One must also wonder why some people still defend the Bush administration to this day.



I left as Yale professor Elizabeth Alexander took to the podium to read her poem. I walked down Flatbush to join Stephanie, Ellen had opened Freddy's up early just for this day. Stephanie made an apple pie and an apple tart, Ellen set the back room up with water dogs and buns with all the fixin's. When I got through the door Adrianne was flicking the bird at Dick Cheney shouting "Keep rolling buddy!" Why was Cheney in a wheel chair? For pity? The news reported that he had hurt his back while moving — man oh man, that must have been one large shredding pile. Steph handed me a beer.



Freddy's had a small crowd, but more people walked in. Most in the crowd were emotional, ranging from angry to ecstatic. Marlene kept blowing her nose. A few were stoic, stopping in only for a beer after the late-late shift. The capital was packed with over a million people in sub-freezing weather. At one point Barack and Michele left the motorcade to walk in the streets freely, possibly for their last time — their daughters, Malia and Sasha, waved from the limo. Michele Obama's ensemble seemed to be a forced conversation among the media. Amidst the celebration a very senior Senator Robert Byrd and veteran Senator Ted Kennedy both collapsed — it was debated if they had collided into each other.

I relate to Obama as the can-do man from humble means. I hope he inspires a generation to pick up that ball to do well despite the odds. When I think of the Bush administration, I'm reminded of a lost generation... 20-somethings that carry nothing more than a burdened sense of entitlement into the workplace, 30-somethings still living off their parents, people duped into living in terror, GITMO, credit-rich-cash-poor living, bank mortgage deregulations, the rich getting richer while the poor get poorer... didn't we all learn anything from the crash of 2000? Enron? Corporate Greed? Anyone? We have become a Titanic douche bag nation of consumers. Better get some real skills and drop the attitude kids, there will be no more handouts from this day forward.



As Bush boarded Air Force One for the last time everyone in the bar cheered. On the TV the crowd also cheered and waved him a final goodbye — or was it a good riddance. Roger lead everyone with a few choruses of "Sha na na na, hey hey hey, goodbye" as some of the bar patrons hissed and boo-ed. Can Obama untangle the mess left behind by the last administration? It's like a golf ball that's exploded into a pile of string. At the last election Roger lead the crowd with "Oh Canada" reminding us that we might me all moving there soon.



Someone once said to me that it would be cool if our president smoked pot. I said "He does and look where are now." I was corrected, Bush is an alcoholic on anti-depressants... my bad. Will America ever regain the respect it's lost from other countries? Actually, the entire world is laughing at us at this point, even Canada.



After 8 years of an administration that broke our economy and our spirits, can we wholly recover? I look for signs of hope, but after 8 years under a disastrous Bush administration it's like looking for your belongings in a mudslide.



The "Bush Count-down Clock" at Prospect Perk finally expired. I expected it to either explode or shoot candy and streamers — instead, the LCD screen simply read zero. I don't know what to expect but I finally feel relieved, as if a cold rain-soaked overcoat were lifted from my shoulders. In the coming months I'll wait for hope to return. If someone asks me where I was on inauguration day, I'll say I was watching history with friends over a beer.

Knit PH at Freddy's: January 18 '09

I got through the door and Bleu, the bartender said "You're fans are waiting in the backroom." — snowy evening never deters an avid knitter. A woman spoke loudly with her hand over her free ear. "Yeah, I'm at a bar called Freddy's... that's right we're drinking... and knitting..." she laughed. Three new faces looked up from the corner booth, Maggie, Charlotte, and Cheryl. I introduced myself and set up the swift and winder. Emily walked in, beer in hand. She said hello and took out the mate to a fingerless mitten.



Tracey is so close to done with her red scarf. Patty brought her scarf and sat next to Sara and Moriah. Marina sat next to me, she brought out another beautiful neck warmer. Zack is also new to our group, he showed off one well crafted blue sock. I think this is his second pair. He showed us a clever technique for socks, he uses two short circular needles instead of using the magic loop or a set of DPNs. I'm still working on the new blue hooded scarf. I'm using Berroco Peruvia. "So where do you buy your yarn?" Emily asked. There are lot of alternatives to one's LYS. I get my yarn at Stitch Therapy (where I teach basic knitting), or School Products in Manhattan. I've purchase yarn Knit Picks with mixed results. Eliza said she bought from some ones Ravelry stash to match a yarn on a project when she ran short. Some people have purchased yarn on eBay with good results.



Marina highly recommends Knit Picks Harmony circular needles kits. The needles are inter-changeable, and the you can expand the length by adding more cables. They're made from layered colors of laminate wood and they feel very warm in your hands, but I prefer nickel-plated Addi Tubos. Emily and Moriah got up to wind some hanks of yarn saying that she was trying to work through her stash but "sale yarn... I shouldn't have, but..." I think we're all a bit weary that we might become a craft hoarders. I should buy a smaller swift, every now and then we get one of those home-spun smaller hanks that don't fit onto the large swift.

Knit PH at Perk: January 13, 2009

Brrrrrr! 12° on a Saturday morning, more coffee please. I stopped into Prospect Perk after running my errands and sat next to Matt and Stacey. Matt asked if I've ever made a baklava. Stacey corrected him "No Matt, you mean Balaclava, not that Greek filo pastry." Matt broke out the iPhone and Wiki-ed "Hmm, Crimean War... Battle of Balaclava, you're right." I added that the raglan is another Crimean War invention attributed to Commander FitzRoy Somerset, 1st Baron Raglan. The ingenuity of the mitered shoulder made dressing easier for Lord Raglan after literally losing his right arm at Waterloo. Stacey joked "So did Commander Tube-Sock lose a foot? Who buys those stupid things anyway?" I pulled the cuff of my pants lower to my shoe — 4 pairs to a pack— how can you go wrong? "The Charge of the Light Brigade" — a horribly planned war, but a great movie.



We had a full house at Prospect Perk this past Tuesday evening : regulars + guests - cancellations - a few no shows + walk-ins = a total of 12 people. Although the news warned of "Storm 2009" it was a mild 38°. Tomo and I arranged the tables and chairs into one sitting area and the rest of our group poured in. Kudos to Marci, her work is in a juried craft exhibit at Phoenix Gallery, she showed us the catalog. Lisa showed off the new knitting bag that Jose gave her for Christmas. You can park a car in this thing! Sara was working on something sweater-ish made from yarn that she spun herself. She's in good company since have a few spinners in Knit PH — Lisa G., Tomo, Eliza B., Alexandra to name a few. And the advise flowed freely. Apparently it's more difficult to spin a consistent medium-weight yarn.



I sat next to Alysia to show her my version of the invisible rib cast-on when I heard a little thumb on the window behind me. A little girl with glasses pressed her face against the window, she waved and pointed at the group. I shrugged my shoulders and waved her to come in. The door flew open, she ran in with her mother following behind her saying "Don't bother them!" Lisa said it was OK, so she skipped around the group, braids bouncing, asking each of us what we were making. Mittens, sweaters, hats, scarves , socks — she was so excited. Lisa told her we meet here Perk every second Tuesday evening if she wanted to sit with us. Her mother reminded her that she's supposed to be studying for an exam, and as they left she said wants to knit a coat.

The excitement of a child — it's like a fresh coat of paint in a well-worn room. Knit PH might have it's youngest member yet. I eventually settled in the corner table next to Tracey as more people arrived to knit. She's nearing the end of her scarf, I'm still relsolving pattern issues on another hooded scarf.

Summer Lovin'

The gray days of winter are here, a storm is allegedly heading this way from Boston. It's 34° outside, windy and cold. Spent Christmas trees blow around and gather around SUVs, a sign that our holiday season has come to an end. The news reports that unemployment continues to rise in the US and Gaza is under siege. Is this time of the season called the Epiphany or the Rapture? I re-fired a meal from some left overs — grilled chicken and pasta along with choriso and black beans... and a bag of Fritos™ — Fritos are awesome corn magic. It wasn't bad... but it wasn't BBQ. I shut of the TV and turn my thoughts to summer.

On a positive note I got some props on Ravelry.com for the Guayabera I designed for the Knit.1 Summer 2007 Issue. Also known as the Cuban Men's Shirt, it's embedded in most Caribbean cultures — Puerto Rican, Dominican, Mexican. I used Louet Sales "Euroflax", a worsted-weight linen yarn. Here are some of the FOs I found on Ravelry.



Citrus orange and mustard bring out the flavor in any ham, and as you can see Andee's brother is hamming it up for this photo. I think the hat completes the picture. Andee is from Austin TX, she made this for her brother — she originally made this shirt for her husband but she used a smaller gauge and a sport-weight yarn. Her brother got lucky this time around. She started a new shirt for her husband, but this time using larger needles and worsted-weight yarn. I advised her to make a few swatch tests to get the right gauge before she starts.



Ginger, champagne, and mustard — doesn't that sound like high-dollar dressing? These are the colors Carol used to dress up her husband. Carol is from Herndon VA. This shirt would be great on the golf course on a hot muggy day. Linen is a tricky material, it's made from rotted flax fibers, which can be rough and stiff. Euroflax is wet-spun and double-boiled, making it soft to the touch, but still very strong.



Kari from Hollywood FL made this for her father in French blue, willow, and white — an easy fit for easy living. Euroflax is machine wash-n'-dryable, but I'd still hand-wash this shirt. Machine drying on low makes it softer and gets most of the wrinkles out if you hand it right away. But I think it looks much better when it's pressed and ironed.



Go Tigers! I like this Guayabera worn with the baseball-T underneath — although he's has never played for the Detroit Tigers, this Guayabera looks very "Sammy Sosa." Kate from River Forest IL made this for her Sam. She used Gedifra "Korella", a linen/acrylic blend. Brown, green, and natural look very down-to-earth. It has a much softer and casual drape than 100% linen, which tends to wrinkle more than other fibers.