(not) an opinion piece

i've been sick lately. had a 101 fever and cough. nothing feels more lonely in a new city than being sick and feeling like there's no one around to take care of me. not that i took my friends or family up on it when they said, 'let me know if you need anything,' but it was just knowing that i had that option. the closest option i have now is calling the chinese delivery guy for some hot & sour soup. woe. is. me.


i did, however, make it to a happy hour i coordinated with 5 of my newest friends in ny. we all met up at jo's for $1 oysters. e.a., e.g., and i were the first ones there and we scarfed down 5 dozen within an hour. t.b., e.w., and j.b., came a little later and apparently, we ate most of their inventory so the last 3 people had to share 20 oysters. i felt so badly...but not that bad. you snooze you lose suckas! i kid! next time, i'll make sure to ask how many they have on hand and try to ration them properly. 


there's a few things that have come up lately that have made me nod my head and say, 'only in new york'. the first article was on cnn.com about babies in bars. i've never thought about this because this just doesn't happen in texas. there was only one time before i moved, i wanted to see s.a. and her adorable baby, pabst (not his real name), and i just happen to be at a wine bar. i asked the owner if it would be ok if my friend brought in her 7 month old son and he said, 'i guess so but you know, this is a bar. as long as he doesn't cry, it should be fine.' luckily, pabst was a perfect baby and never made a sound but s.a. will probably never do that again and i felt a little uncomfortable too. so here in brooklyn, the moms and dads just love to take their kids to the bar and hang out. i understand that these parents need a little vodka soda at the end of the day and really, i don't mind, but once that baby starts crying, they need to leave. like immediately. i don't want my jameson with a side of tears unless they're mine. i'm just surprised that there is such an uproar with the parents when a restaurant or bar puts up a sign that says 'no kids under 21 allowed'. the 'breeders' threaten to not frequent such places and the 'non-breeders' totally support it. this would not happen in austin although now that i'm here, i'm surprised it hasn't happened in such places like hyde park, tarrytown, or crestview. i guess austin parents don't need a drink as much as brooklyn ones do.


the other article in the new york times led me to this blog entry. basically, a famous pastry went to the breslin restaurant with 3 lunch companions. their bill was about $110 for lunch. she just happen to bring 2 pieces of cake that she made for everyone to share, even the restaurant's pastry chef and server. when she asked the server for forks and plates for the cake, they were charged a $25 'forkage fee'. now there's other details i'm leaving out but, again, this never happens in austin. my very good friend, a.y., loves to make cakes for all her friends' birthdays and in turn, i sometimes make her birthday cake. anyway, we've never thought twice about bringing it to a restaurant and using their plates and forks. there's always plenty of cake left and we share it with the wait staff and kitchen and tip well, so a 'forkage fee' was never a consideration.  i would be shocked if this was ever brought up. i guess it's like a corking fee but this guy was literally just bringing out forks (he didn't even bring out plates).  oh and some restaurants in ny charge to cut your cake! $1 / cut!!! this just boggles my mind. only in new york.


xoxo,
p.