hole-in-the-wall

The joys of the city came to an end last night as I headed back to my temporary home. After yet another fantastic eating experience with a New York friend, it was time to send her home to Long Island. We finished the night at a great hole-in-the-wall restaurant called Rick’s Pizza.

Over the last year of touring such a phrase is sort of redundant as most seedy, holes-in-the-wall are nothing but fabulous. The food rocks and comes in large portions, the service is friendly and efficient, and the atmosphere gives me exciting material for writing. Take for instance Rick’s- it’s a small place where the kitchen and dining room meet. The servers have very little ground to cover, and if a customer wanted to sing praises or shouts obscenities, the server wouldn’t have to be the middle man- just get out of the way. The tables had random newspaper articles laid under heavy glass and the booth seats were well-loved in the sense that they were comfy and not stiff rather than the “well-loved” torn plastic types you see in some places.

Then there came the menu/short novel full of any late night desire one could image. Fruit, any slice of Pizza on earth, Baklava, Mac ‘N Cheese, Jell-o, hamburgers topped with guacamole, omelets, and hot chocolate. I could eat a meal there everyday for the next year and still not have covered all the options. I can’t pinpoint whether the fact that all the foods had a bit of comfort in them or that there was novelty in the random assortment of menu items but I felt right at home and enjoying the whole experience. After another meal there, I might have considered the chefs my brothers.

A great deal can be said about the importance of sharing meals with friends, but much can also be said about the atmosphere of the place you come for food. I would rather eat at home most everyday: it has a pleasant atmosphere, endless glasses of water without waiting, and food that I love. However going to a restaurant is good fun too: it provides food I wouldn’t/couldn’t cook at home, interesting people to observe, and no dirty dishes for me to clean. Regardless of venues, both can create the best place for conversation, deep thoughts, and genuine delight. Food does that to me- gives me delight. So I am happy to share that delight with others especially if the chefs can see me dancing for their spectacular dishes.

Some cultures find joy is sharing meal TIME much easier than most Americans. All of the aspects of a meal hold significance so when one finds the perfect place to facilitate that experience, goodness is found, even if in its in the holes of walls.