LONDON REFLECTION

Photography by
 Jack Bierschenk

                                         
 THERE IS a big wide world out there: all it takes to discover it is simply to hop on a plane and fly across the sea.  If the sea happens to be the Atlantic Ocean,
then London is a perfect place to disembark. This

St. Paul's Cathedral

vast metropolis is a cornucopia of sights, sounds and colors. So many attractions: Hyde Park, Piccadilly Circus, Camden Town, Trafalgar Square, St. Paul's Cathedral, Covent Garden, the Tower of London.

 SO MUCH ART: at the National Gallery, the Portrait Gallery, the British Museum, the Victoria & Albert Museum, Tate Britain and Tate Modern, a former power station transformed into stunning showcase of contemporary art. Inside, a five story high turbine hall of gigantic proportions (3,400 square meters of floorspace) is the perfect site for larger-than-life installations.

Turbine Hall at Tate Modern

                                         

Inside the Tate Modern

ON SUNNY DAYS, London parks fill up with picnickers and day trippers; after work, quaffing a beer at the local pub, or a stroll along the banks of the Thames is a good way to kick off the evening; theater is a strong lure and so are the many bookstores packed with titles new and old. Sandwiches are the preferred lunch choice and it wouldn't be England without a steaming cuppa at the slightest excuse.

IN LONDON, the past collides with the present to achieve a sometimes discordant yet never boring skyline. Buckingham Palace and  the   Houses of Parliament, overshadowed by Big Ben, embody the grandeur of a nation that took pride in the conceit that "the sun never set on the British empire." Muscling in next to the old, modern buildings and structures show off a jumble of styles. Some hark to the future, like the trio of edgy additions that Londoners have tagged with clever soubriquets: The Eye, a giant Ferris Wheel; The Shard, a glitzy glass pyramid Telegraph reporter Ed West glibly described as "a giant middle finger directed by the super rich at the rest of London"; The Gherkin, a commercial building that looks like a bullet smashed into the ground... or one hell of a funny egg.

Quo Vadis?

AS A WORLD capital, London is an amazing
marketplace of goods and the sight of huge
throngs, locals and tourists from abroad,
rushing along such main thoroughfares of
commerce as Regent and Oxford Streets
makes quite a vivid impression. Wading
through the chaotic crowds that wend in
and out of countless stores on these two
bustling avenues is to witness the stark
reality of human need and its flip side,
human excess. It is the kind of spectacle
that brings into sharp relief the power of
consumerism and the voraciousness of
economies. It makes one ponder the
perennial quandary that has yet to be
answered in any appreciable manner:
how do we reconcile economic growth
with rampant consumerism while minimizing
the inevitable effect of both on the environment?

COMMERCE on such a vast scale as we are seeing these days also implies waste. The seemingly infinite array of goods available in London, and for that matter in most parts of the world, surely reflects abundance but cannot hide the fact that a great many things for sale are, in truth, quite useless and unnecessary. Waste is inbuilt in economic production and the price of such excess can be found in landfills that are quickly running out of space and third world countries fast becoming the preferred dumping ground for the rubbish of industrialized nations.

ONE USED to travel to experience the new and marvel at the extraordinary world around us. These days, that feeling of wonder is tempered by an enhanced awareness of the dangers of our profligate ways and a realization of how important it is for human beings to start getting serious about the state of the world and to seriously commit to doing something about it. Consumption is inevitable and even necessary; clearly though, there needs to be a more ecological approach to it, both on the part of people and business (This approach must take into account such aspects as what to produce as well as packaging materials). Everyone is a part of the problem but can also be part of the solution. Are we willing to take on the challenge? Do we care enough? Do we care enough to change our ways? Can we? Will we?

Photo BY DENISE BLASOR
PEOPLE ARE TRANSFIGURED BY LOVE,
THEY'RE ELEVATED, MADE DIFFERENT,
LIFTED OUT OF THEIR ORDINARINESS.
ANATOLE BROYARD
"KAFKA WAS THE RAGE"

A SIMPLE TIP: Plastic container tops make practical and colorful coasters. Or being that it's summer, use tops as drinking glass covers to protect liquids from pesky insects or intrusive dust particles.

Photo by JULIETTE BLASOR

"IT'S IMPORTANT TO TURN OFF OUR COMPUTERS
AND DO THINGS IN THE REAL WORLD."
ANDY BOROWITZ

A BEACON IN THE CLOSET:  If you are looking for vintage, or want to snap up some funky second hand fashions at affordable prices, then head to one of beacon's closet three New York locations: Williamsburg, Park Slope, and Greenwich Village. The West Village store, located at 10 West 13th and Fifth Avenue is quite a showpiece: stop by if only to admire the stunning chandeliers made out of steel and white buttons hovering above the racks of men's and women's clothes neatly sectioned off by colors. This is strictly used clothing but much to the management's credit, the inventory is in good condition. You might even consider bringing in some of your old clothes and opt for either a 35% cash payment, based on the resale value of each item, or 55% in store credit. Open 7 days; beacons closet.com

IN OMNIBUS REQUIEM QUAESIVI
ET NUSQUAM INVENI NISI IN ANGULO
CUM LIBRO
(EVERYWHERE I HAVE SOUGHT PEACE
AND NOT FOUND IT, EXCEPT IN A
CORNER WITH A BOOK)
Thomas à Kempis

© 2012 by Lorraine Blasor All Rights Reserved

                     THRIFTING IN NEW YORK 

photograph courtesy of maps.google.com
Housing Works Thrift Shop, 10th St. New York City

Thrift stores, while seeming to operate at the periphery of the commercial world, have always been a staple for seekers of lost treasure, unusual finds or simply affordable used items. And now it seems they are enjoying a renaissance in New York, probably a reflection of the distressed economy but also proof of their enduring charm as an alternative shopping experience and useful recycling option. Still, even thrift stores need to change with the times and enhance their appeal, which is why the people that run them now pay closer attention to making them attractive retail spaces filled with salable inventory culled from donations which, these days, often include brand new or hardly used items and even one-of-a-kind designer clothes.  While consumers are looking for bargains, they certainly don't want to spend money on hopeless junk.

Take the Goodwill Store that opened last year on 8th St., between Sixth Ave. and Fifth Ave. Its presence, a welcome addition to this popular Greenwich Village corner, more than makes up for the closing of a Salvation Army store that operated up the street out of a run-down, dingy locale where, alas, everything seemed perennially coated with a mantle of dust. The Goodwill Store occupies a roomy bright space that is pleasant to shop in. Inside, everything looks neat and well organized: Clothing hangs on racks at the front of the store (during a recent visit all t-shirts were sorted out by color like a rainbow); household goods, neatly arrayed on white shelves, and furnishings can be found in the back. The store is operated by Goodwill Industries of Greater New York & New Jersey, Inc., a non-sectarian, nonprofit organization serving people with mental and physical disabilities, the unemployed, new immigrants, ex-offenders, mature workers and underserved youth.


Angel Street Thrift Shop, located on 17th street, has spruced up in recent times enough to look almost like a boutique. Inside, the bright lights of the store allow customers to size up the mix of goods typical of most thrift shops, from clothing and house ware to books and furnishings; here, however, the focus seems to be on apparel and accessories, both for men and women.  Quality of merchandise has improved and it's not unusual for the store to receive large caches of unsold designer goods such as the large collection of beautiful and well-made hair ornaments it sold out during the past holiday season. Proceeds from sales at Angel Street benefit programs for individuals and families affected by substance abuse, HIV/AIDS, and mental illness.

And then there is Housing Works, one of the most stylish thrift store operations in New York city and among the most visible thanks to its growing number of locations. Out of 12 shops manned by volunteers, 11 are located in Manhattan with one lone bastion in Brooklyn. Housing Works, which is devoted to helping people with HIV/AIDS, seems to have a knack for finding terrific locales. Its stores have a homey and casual vibe.  The store in Chelsea, for example, occupies a ground floor loft space with beautiful wooden floors and handsome furnishings which are for sale but double as decorative props while awaiting for discerning customers to snap them up. The store at West 10th St., in Greenwich Village, is small and inviting: going in is like stepping into someone's cozy apartment.

Merchandise sold at Housing Works stores is a standout: The high quality and quantity of donations make shopping an ever changing feast for customers on the look out for bargains and special finds. To be sure, not everything sold in Housing Work stores is cheap but it is rare not to find a steal, whether it be regular or designer clothing, accessories such as bags and shoes, house ware or furnishings. Open seven days a week, stores feature regular discounts: one day it might be 50 percent off of everything while another day it may be a percentage off for particular items, such as books or household goods. Turnover is fast, which can sometimes lead to amazing offers at the end of the day when store staff need to get rid of particularly bulky but fabulous pieces of furniture in order to make room for new donations. (As part of a busy fundraising agenda, Housing Works holds regular online and store auctions featuring top of the line donations. Check out the organization's website to participate in upcoming auctions.)

The Goodwill Store  44 West 8th St.   212.472.7024
Angel Thrift Store  118 West 17th St.  212.229.0546
Housing Works   housingworks.org
       143 West 17th St.  718.838.5050
                            245 West 10th St.  212.352.1618
(Caveat Emptor: There are plenty of things to buy in thrift stores but certain items pose lurking dangers as noted in a recent post at sammydvintage.com/thrifting/thrift-store-shopping-not-buy-used/)

"Be yourself and the world is your oyster."
Emerson

DavidsTea 
or Starbucks turned coffee into a must drink and now it's DavidsTea time....
Tea a boring drink?  No way! And it's not just the available varieties of this ancient soothing brew, beloved by so many cultures: think black tea, and white, green, red (rooibos), oolong, pu'erh, maté, not to mention all kinds of herbal teas. Nowadays, tea purveyors sell teas infused with unique flavors or floral essences and one company that seems bent on popularizing tea in the same way Starbucks advocated coffee is DavidsTea, a Canada-based chain that recently opened two outposts in Manhattan, one in the Upper East Side and the other on Bleeker St., in Greenwich Village.

The Bleeker St. outlet is a candy-colored shop with shelves lined up with chic-looking silver tins sporting color-coded labels for easy identification. There are plenty of tables to sit at, unless you prefer standing at the long counter to sample any of the profuse selection of teas with tantalizing names and ingredients such as: some velvet morning, coco chai rooibos, jungle ju ju, midsummer night's dream, chicory dickory dock, la la lemon, and so on. Have a cuppa or buy a 2 ounce packet of loose tea to enjoy at home. Tea for sale, packaged in loose leaf form, is priced between $4.50 and $13 though there are also more expensive blends.

davidstea.com

275 Bleecker, between Jones St. & Morton St.  212.414.8599
1124 Third Ave., Upper East Side 212.717.1116

Photograph by Denise Blasor

“I've got nothing to do today but smile.”
--Simon & Garfunkel

Copyright 2012 © Lorraine Blasor All Rights Reserved










davidstea.com

Gastronomic History

CRIOLLO COOKING FOR THE AGES

 Photograph by Bill Gelabert

JUST in time for Mother's Day, a gorgeous table top book that honors women in the kitchen (plus a few men, too) and the glory of traditional Puerto Rican cuisine is out in print: "Sofrito The Essence of Puerto Rican Cuisine," by Blanche and William Gelabert. 

IT is clearly a product of love. And while its reason for being is to celebrate Puerto Rico's "soul food" in its many manifestations, this 185-page, full-color tome is also a paean to Puerto Rico, its landscape, its people. Its pages are chock full of fascinating facts like the clever ways used by the Taino Indians in hunting for fish (amazingly, they used trained sucker-fish to capture other fish) and the curious life of the Ceti, a fish with parallels to salmon.

THE book combines easy-to -follow recipes and plenty of lovely

pictures of foods and places around the island. Some of the recipes are hand-me-downs from Blanche's mother-in-law while others, including recipes no longer part of the day-to-day culinary lexicon, were culled from old timers that the couple met during their travels around Puerto Rico. One encounter led to another: each person they met would refer them to someone else who they absolutely must visit in order to learn some terrific recipe. These special recipes came, from among others, Aida Olga Genoveva Cummings de Florit, who shared her grandfather's recipe for Pan de Mallorca (sweet yeast bread) while Melquiades Nieves contributed his favorite recipe for Empanadas de Ceti (a small fish) and the daughter of Maria de Mari de Burset shared her mom's Ponque Divino recipe.

FIFTEEN years in the making, "The Essence of Puerto Rican Cuisine" summons up the diversity of the island's gastronomic heritage for the benefit of master or novice cooks, a culinary inheritance made all the richer by the contribution of different cultures: Taino, European, and African. Blanche is quite familiar with island fare having learned to cook the Puerto Rican way from her husband's mother, Doña Maria Gelabert. She and her husband met as teen-agers living in New York. Doña Gelabert "loved to spend hours on end in her kitchen preparing comida criolla and it was always a joyous occasion for me to visit her and learn about native island cuisine," Blanche writes in the preface. Preserving this trove of culinary history is important because, as Blanche points out, today's generation "has lost the art of original Puerto Rican cooking…Everything is frozen food." 

PULLING the book together is the vivid photography of William Gelabert. His still life pictures of food and table settings are sure to steer you to the kitchen to recreate the delicacies that his wife Blanche explains with such ease and clarity (the large type in the book is a plus for those with less than 20-20 vision!). Interspersed throughout are views of the Puerto Rican rural and urban landscape, images that focus on the island's idealized beauty.

"THE Essence of Puerto Rican Cuisine" follows in the footsteps of the couple's earlier "The Spirit of Puerto Rican Rum", a book devoted to rum-infused recipes. Though the rum book was a success, the Gelaberts did not make plans to work on another book. In fact, for almost a decade they pursued a dream of establishing a bed and breakfast in their magnificent colonial house in old San Juan, an endeavor that, Blanche recalls, "took a lot of stress, money and legal battles" against opponents of the project. Eventually, they gave up on the plan in order to concentrate on their long-running business, a tourist publication titled "San Juan Guide," and to assemble all the recipes left out from the previous project plus information collected through the years into a second book. 

ITS publication is a bittersweet moment. Bill Gelabert died two years ago from cancer. For Blanche, the book encapsulates the lifework of her husband, a professional photographer who specialized in commercial food photography. During his illness, Gelabert worried about what would happen to his work and this concern pushed Blanche to bring the book to fruition with the help of several friends. "Bill was shooting photos till the end. That was his passion and therapy," she said. Ultimately, "this is a tribute to his work and to Puerto Rico."

"THE Essence of Puerto Rican Cuisine," priced at $55, is available at Borders in Plaza Las Americas and these stores in old San Juan: Spicy Caribbee, Butterfly People, The Poets Passage, Concalma, Puerto Rico Arts & Crafts. Written commentaries in the book are by Ellen Hawes, Lisa M. Gelabert-Rivera, and Della Smith. The attractive book design is by John Rivera.

Date to keep in mind: MAY 29, 2012

Bring me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses of cast off ELECTRONIC EQUIPMENT... That's the invitation issued by The Colegio de Contadores Autorizados de Puerto Rico to everyone with retired electronic equipment lying around the house. You can drop off the equipment 

TOMORROW FRIDAY at the atrium of the Capital Center building on Hostos Ave. in Hato Rey from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Depending on the item, you will have to pay a fee ranging from $1 for mouses, keyboards and speakers to $20 for servers and rear-projection TVs. For a list of items accepted and corresponding fees check www.colegiocpa.com

Photograph by Rafvs Franco-Steeves

For each ecstatic instant/ we must an anguish pay/

in keen and quivering ratio/ to the ecstasy.

For each beloved hour/sharp pittances of years/

bitter contested farthings/ And coffers heaped with tears. --Emily Dickinson

NEW YORK FINDS:

Greenwich Village, at one time a magnet for bohemians, revolutionaries and the literati, is now, instead, a draw for the fashion set thanks to chi-chi boutiques by the likes of Mark Jacobs, Burberry, Donna Karan, Ralph Lauren, and Michael Kors. And tourists, of course. Still, to walk along its quiet, tree-lined streets flanked by townhouses and other admirable brick buildings is one of the most enjoyable delights when visiting Manhattan. And if you love cheese, one stop-over you will want to make is Murray's Cheese at #254 Bleeker Street. It used to operate out of a smaller corner store right in front of its present location but the new digs have allowed it to expand into other food categories. Still, the "piece de resistance" here is clearly cheese from all parts of the globe and at prices spanning affordable to ritzy. Check it out and when you leave, stop next door at the delightful Amy's Bread for a bit of refreshment. The breads are divine!

Copyright 2011© Lorraine Blasor All Rights Reserved