Monday, January 26, 2009

Ruby Tuesday: Eat Something - You'll Feel Better

I spent a wonderful Sunday back in Brooklyn. I was going to a surprise party for a dear, dear friend at 3 but I decided to get to Brooklyn early and visit some of the old places.

Starting today I'm going to share some of the sights and stories of The MotherLand here and on THE OTHER BLOG

Hope you enjoy.

I think we can all relate to the fact that family and neighborhood and events revolve around food. In my home town of Brooklyn, NY food, like all other things, is taken to a larger, louder level.

Many Sundays begin at Bagel Boy. There's something so wonderful about bringing home that paper bag full of warm bagels. The morning of my son's wedding I stopped there to get breakfast for the wedding party. The morning of my niece's college graduation we stopped there to get bagels for the long car drive to CT. Everything goes better with bagels.


I'll met you at Luigi's. Can't count the number of times I've said or heard that. My niece is famous for - "Could I just go get a slice? Then I promise to do my homework."


Everyone has heard of Nahans but if you haven't eaten at the one in Coney Island then you haven't had Nathans.


The surprise birthday party was held at another Coney Island landmark. Might not be as famous but it is a tradition for many. I have lost count of the number of weddings and christenings and showers and birthdays I have attended at Gargiulio's.


I ran into a local who swore he remembered me. The conversation went something like ...

Him: Hey! Yo! How ya doin? You're Denise right?
Me: Dianne
Him: Yeah
Him: So you moved to Long Island.
Me: New Jersey
Him: Yeah Long Island is the place to go.
Him: Your daughter still working for the city?
Me: My son works for the phone company
Him: Kids are great
Him: You still with Vin?
Me: I don't know Vin. I used to go out with Pete, the bartender.
Him: What a douche that Pete was.
Me: Well actually Pete ...
Him - interrupting: Gotta go babe, so good to see ya! Give Vin my best.
Him - as he runs to catch someone else: Hey! Yo! I was just talking to Denise, Vin's wife ...

Ahhhh home - where everbody knows your name.

Check out more RUBY TUESDAY

48 comments:

ellen b. said...

Hi Dianne,
It must be so stimulating living in such a vibrant environment!! I love Nathan's hot dogs and if I ever buy hot dogs it's either Nathan's or Hebrew National :0)
So if I ever get to travel to New York again I need to go to the original Nathan's...

Carletta said...

It was nice going back with you. I'd love to spend a little time in New York. I've never been there but the mystique of it haunts me. (too many movies)
I served my Mom Nathan's hotdogs when I moved back here and she thought they were the best ever.

You gave that guy the rest of his day!

Gattina said...

your pictures look like "little Italy". When we visited NY in the 90th I remember we did a tour through Brooklyn and my Italian husband was astonished about so many Italian shops.

eastcoastlife said...

I'm visiting Brooklyn and seeing it through your eyes!

Hi Dianne, I'm from Singapore, a tropical island in south-east Asia.

Maithri said...

I love seein these places you know and love... I wanna go there with you some day and eat and laugh ;)

LOL@ the convo between you and 'Him' - so how is Vin these days anyway... lol...

Much love, M

magiceye said...

lol! that was a great conversation!!

and a very nostalgic walk down memory lane!

Robin said...

I could totally hear that conversation in my head LOL.

There's just nothing that says "home" in NY like a great neighborhood bagel place and your favorite pizzeria. It's been twenty years and I still miss mine.

Anonymous said...

Dianne, hand me bagel with cheese anytime :P They're comfort food to me!

Anonymous said...

I'm getting hungry!

Catherine said...

Thanks for the addresses, Dianne. I'd love to "try" all this places, never heard about Nathan before today, if I go back in your town, I'll go and taste (maybe not in Coney Island but ...).
The best was the end of your post, love, love this non-dialogue. I could have heard the same things in French.
Great post, reading it, one forget it was a Ruby Tuesday post, just an interesting slice of life.

Terry said...

Hi Dianne
These pictures are so homey.
No wonder you like where you live.
Maybe that guy you were talking to thought you were Mary T, but then again she and Vin have gone chasing the sun and there sure hasn't been too much sun in New York the last while,eh?

It is breakfast time here in Southern Ontario but hey!...who says that a hot dog has to be for lunch?
I just think I will microwave me one.
Your ruby red post has made me hungry!
God bless you Denise and have a great cold Ruby Tuesday....Love Terry

bobbie said...

That conversation was hilarious! And I've been there and done that myself.

There is nothing - NOTHING - like a NY bagel! We have a place here that comes close - but not really close enough.

Dianne said...

ellen - you let me know when you get to NY and I will take you to the one and only Nathans :)

carletta - we live up to the hype, yes we do!!

gattina - there are so many ethnic neighborhoods in Brooklyn - the top 2 shots are Bay Ridge which has a huge Norwegian pop. - as a kid I loved the wonderful Norwegian Day parade, and of course wherever you go in Brooklyn you're part Italian - it's the law lol

east coast - I hope you're enjoying the tour, there's more to come :)

maithri - I can't begin to tell you how much I would love to meet you! someday sweet doctor :)
as for Vin - well he's a douche ;)

magiceye - 'HIM' was a hoot!! all night he just kept calling me Denise, the hilarious part is no one thought it odd, no one corrected him.

robin - of course you could!! the universal language of NY lol

napaboaniya - in Brooklyn it's a bagel with a schmeer - which is a big helping of cream cheese

ilanadavita - Brooklyn is the place to be when hungry :)

catherine - I'm so glad you enjoyed :) When you come to NY I will take you to Coney Island

terry - I think Mary knows the restaurant I was at - I know she knows Nathans :)
enjoy your hot dog breakfast - sounds good to me
love
Denise

bobbie - NJ keeps getting closer to delivering a NY bagel or pizza but until they find a way to pipe in NY water it'll never be totally the same ;)

Linnea said...

What a funny conversation! I can even picture it in my head going on. Love it. Looks like the folks in Brooklyn really like to eat. Great pics and you seem to have had reasonable weather during your visit.

Patti said...

This is a great post. I really enjoyed reading it, having been to your Motherland a few times. Not recently, though!

What a conversation you had with that guy. Too funny. ;-D

I saw Harry Chapin perform in Prospect Park. Yep, that was a few years ago!

Ivanhoe said...

He he he, love the conversation :o) One day I'll go back home and take pics as well.

Rose said...

Oh my goodness, I loved your conversation with the local!

Dianne said...

linnea - it was a cold day but the sun was bright and the sky was blue :)

patti - so glad you enjoyed - thanks!! the Prospect Park bandshell used to be such a great place - haven't been there in years

ivanhoe - your trip back home is a bit longer than mine :)

rose - thanks!! he was a character

Daryl said...

Bagel Boy got nuttin over H&H ... hot bagels (H&H is on our 'corner'), Philly, coffee and the NY Times was our Sunday morning for eons

Linda Reeder said...

You have me laughing again!

Gayle said...

I love the story you shared with your Ruby Tuesday post. Things are a bit different here...no "history" of the bagel place on the corner or anything like that. I wish I had those stories to tell...

Olga said...

so not fair! You are totally making me hungry :)

I actually tried Nathan's hotdogs finally for the first time in an airport and was rather disappointed: the casing was too thick.

Anonymous said...

I would never get hungry in your neighborhood!

Anonymous said...

I really enjoyed your post - that conversation at the end was hilarious!

Unknown said...

Hahahahaha...great one-sided conversation. Kinda reminds me of talking to my 87 year old future MIL.

God, I love real NY bagels. WP was in the city the day the plane landed in the Hudson - he happened to have just left a building on the waterfront and saw the plane go down. Anyway, on that trip he brought home corned beef and rye bread from Katz's but it was too late in the day for bagels. :-(

gabrielle said...

Please stop, Denise...You're making me homesick

Ralph said...

New York bagels are the best - boiled and baked, makes for the excellent crust and gooey soft inside...

NYC pizzas are the best in the USA. I have been told. And Italian ancestry makes for a great meal, topped off with a cappuccino ans a shot of Sambuca.

Fianlly, why not at Nayhans? A dog cooked until the casing has that satisfying "SNAP" when you bite into it. I haven't been to the original, but since it's been there since early last century, they should have a tasty heritage...and dog!

Felisol said...

Your pictures remind me of what I see in my head reading Janet Evanovich.
Cool
From Felisol

Raven said...

Love the conversation. I do miss things about the city. Bagels, delivery... many things. Sounds like you had a great day. Look forward to more memories and photos.

EG CameraGirl said...

Loved that conversation you had with that very dear friend of yours, Denise. ;-) (Only kidding, Dianne)

Eaton Bennett aka Berenice Albrecht said...

What a lovely taste of your part of America. Thanks for visiting!
Eaton. :)

me ann my camera said...

Sounds like a great visit, I love the dialogue :-)

♥peachkins♥ said...

I would love to try all those PLACES!

thanks for visiting..

Dianne said...

daryl - are you dissin' Bagel Boy!! he doesn't like that ;)

linda r - that's good!!

gayle - I'm sure your place has its own character :)

olga - they taste the best at Coney Island :)

kitchenmaus - food is life there :)

jackie - that guy was hilarious!

pagan - and this guy was young, 40s I think
Bagel Boy is fresh all day but Brooklyn is a bit of a trip from midtown

gabrielle - Denise says sorry hehehehehehe

ralph - youse guys gotta take a drive down this summer :)

felisol - others have told me that too, would you believe I've never read her but I will
thanks

raven - it was the best day I've had in a while, felt good :)

EG - my buddy was priceless :)

Eaton - thank you :)

me ann - you can't make up people like this guy ;)

Mamapippa ... said...

This makes me hungry !

Amber Star said...

How funny and now I'm starving. Thanks for stopping by last night. You had some great pics for RT and I enjoyed them...we've never been to NY city and probably never will, but loved your tour.

OldLady Of The Hills said...

Loved the pictures, my dear...But I couldn't read your words...The colors are just too hard for these old eyes....Sorry about that. A black background is the hardest gor me now....

Babs (Beetle) said...

That's a lot of red signs!

Cherie said...

It's nice to know that some things never change. :)

Anonymous said...

I'd say great post, but pretty much all you write fits that description. As a one time denizen of Richmond Hill, NY (that in Queens for all you non-New Yorkers), I can totally relate to that scene. I haven't lived in Queens for over 18 years, but the few times I've gone back, that conversation of yours is always replayed with someone I knew, and the nostalgic feeling I get from visiting old haunts comes back in spades.

Deb said...

Too funny! Thanks for the tour and the food tips! Some day I am going to NY ~ it's on the list!

Van said...

Never been sorry after a wonderful and stimulating visit to NY. Love the place, love the people, love the accents - hey maybe I should move there!! Your post just pulls at my heart strings.

Norm said...

Thanks for the tour, wish to visit that yummy and fabulous places of NY.

pacey said...

Beautiful pictures...

Hope you can also join us at Saturday Footwear Fever!

Lara said...

now I'm hungry :)). it's morning here, just had my coffee and started dreaming of a Krapfen or a Kipferl... (donut or croissant). I am in Romania right now, and all the above mentioned goodies are in Austria :))

Dianne said...

mamapippa - I know how you feel ;)

amber star - one of my favorite things about blogging is visiting all those places I'll probably never visit in person :)

oldold lady of the hills - I'm sorry about the background - it's just the one that shows the photos best - I usually don't get so wordy here :)

babs - red appears to be a good sign color :)

cherie - yep! there is comfort in that

spartacus - I had forgotten how nostalgia warms the heart - it was a good lesson to re-learn :)

deb - and I will happily be your tour guide :)

van - a good pull at the heart strings feels good sometimes - glad you enjoyed the post :)

norm - I hope you do get to visit NY one day - we're always open lol

footloose - wow I didn't know feet got a fever - in Brooklyn they just sweat

lara - NJ to Brooklyn often feels as far as Romania to Austria :)

maryt/theteach said...

This is hysterical, Denise! And what else is funny that I read these posts newest to oldest and got my answers to my questions as I read the later post... unnerstan'? Huh? What a great idea writing about Brooklyn...I'll be there on Suunday for Superbowl at my nephew's house. :)

Dianne said...

mary - I unnerstan poifect! I'm reading your comments in the same order and laughing my ass off