WRITING CULTURE 2012: Film, Food & Beyond

Being a typical New Yorker and having suffered many of Mayor Bloomberg’s “natural disaster scares” that have gotten me all riled in anticipation for something very impacting and awful only to be greeted with laughable wind currents and a snow storm that gives me the shivers, I was not expecting any of this to happen. The day before the subways were meant to be shutdown in lieu of Sandy’s rage, I was in Albany partying it up for Halloween not worrying a single bit about what will happen. My sister calls me the following morning telling me to go home early because the Subways were going to be shut down at 7pm and too be careful. Of course, I brush her off and give her a unamused “yeah okay got it” expecting nothing but a little rain fall and some mild to heavy gusts. Boy was I wrong. Big time.

Thankfully, I’m alive and well. Worst damage done to m home was just some minor roof damage but I’ll take it happily. I have no words to describe what happened. It was just a shock. Never in my lifetime I would have expected a hurricane of that caliber to hit Brooklyn the way it did. My heart goes out to the many of those who lost their homes, cars and loved ones during this tragic event. Just being without power for a day completely disables New York. Driving to work those couple of days afterwards felt like I was going through some post apocalypse city and some Resident Evil creature was going to jump out at me and eat my head off. It was pitch black. Never have I seen New York in such a paralyzed state and I was heart breaking.

For now, I am grateful. I feel New York did an outstanding job handling this unfortunate situation the best it could have. When Mother Nature strikes, the best thing to do is just keep on because you can place the blame on anyone. Here, a couple weeks after the matter, we are still trying to recover and go back to things being normal. Although it’s hard, we just have to be strong and keep on. We just don’t value our well beings and our city as much as we should. We take things for granted and assume the best. After the dozens of cries from the Mayor in previous years of similar situations, it’s not baffling why New Yorkers didn’t evacuate when they were told to and why people were still on the streets when they were told not to be. It’s New York. The best city in the world. The same city that people who want to go see the World Trade Center don’t because they can always go see it next weekend or next year and assume nothing bad will ever happen.

No matter who you are or where you are, unless you’re some sort of bread hater, you can never go wrong with a good ol’ fashioned hot and toasted sandwich hot off the grill or toaster oven or whatever tickles your fancy. If you’re looking for a place that serves sandwiches of all kinds, from your typical BLT and Tuna to more acquired tasting sandwiches made of Hot Ox Tongue, Eisenberg’s Sandwich Shop, located on 5th Avenue between 23rd and 22nd Street, is a good place to go.

Not the catchiest of slogans if I do say so myself, proclaiming to be “raising New York’s cholesterol since 1929”. Maybe it was appealing back in 1920’s but for modern day New York, this may actually be a trigger for potential customers to head down the block and grab a burger at Shake Shack on Madison Park. Once you get passed the poorly thought out slogan, Eisenberg’s does have a nifty method of trying to make up for it by trying to grab the attention of pedestrians walking by. Right on the window of the shop, there is a collage of photos with the restaurant owner, Josh Konecky, and various celebrities that appeal to all sorts of people such as Jeff Goldblum from Jurrasic Park, Nick Jonas of the Jonas Brothers Band and Kenan Thompson from the popular 90’s television series “Kenan and Kel“. So maybe if you want to get a little taste of what the stars are tasting themselves, you might want to head on over.

Already, before even looking at the food, a potential customer can either be driven away by the small sandwich shop or drawn to it, you know, if a high cholesterol is kind of their thing. Nonetheless, once you go inside you might get a much unanticipated vibe. To me at least. Giving off a very neighborhood diner vibe with a bar where people can sit and enjoy the food right in front of the kitchen or tables for a more private and solitary experience, the shop makes you feel comfortable and right at home. Pretty bizarre for a restaurant smack dab in Midtown Manhattan on 5th Avenue to give off such a pleasant aura. Once seated, you get a nice look at the menu and being a sandwich place, it is no surprise that the majority of the menu’s entrees are sandwiches. However, there are many other choices as it has sections dedicated to burgers, platters, cold plates, sides, and desserts. Being of Latin origin I was very intrigued as to how the Cuban sandwich tasted so I ordered myself one with a side of onion rings. I have had all sorts of Cuban sandwiches since I was a boy, from a nearby shop in Washington Heights when I was four called “El Barrio Deli” up until now in college when I satisfy my Cuban sandwich desires at a place called ‘Sophie’s”. I am a full-time lover of Cuban sandwiches and who knows? Maybe Eisenberg’s can top the list of my favorite Cuban sandwiches.

The preparation was key to making this meal. All Cuban sandwiches consist of the main ingredients: ham, pork, cheese, pickles and mustard. Just these five in between two warm toasted slices of bread is good enough but good enough isn’t what I’m looking for. There’s a fine line separating a good Cuban sandwich and a bad one and that line can be crossed if the meat is not prepared right. In the places that I’ve enjoyed the Cuban sandwiches the most, chefs like to marinate the pork in a special olive oil based sauce called “mojo”. This sauce makes the pork feel moist and tender to the human tongue and tastes fantastic. If they did not marinate the pork in mojo, that might spell “Shake Shack” for the next time I’m in the area looking for some grub. However, to my pleasure, I found out they did marinate their mojo and my taste buds were going to be happy that night. To wash down my delicious Caribbean style meal, I decided to get myself a malted drink and I tell you it was the best malted I have ever tasted. Well it was the only malted I have ever tasted. For those of you that don’t know, a malted is a type of crazy ice cream soda milkshake combination. I had a taste of both the vanilla and chocolate malted drinks and they were delectable. It’s like drinking ice cream except not that kind of ice cream drink you get when your ice cream is all melted in your cone and you’re forced to sip away at it on the bottom of it. This one is a lot better.

Not bad for a Kosher spot located in the middle of New York City. The sandwich was great, the onion rings were crisp and the malted drink was A plus. For a grand total of $18.50, I wouldn’t mind stopping by again every day for lunch for the rest of my life. Until, you know, all the cholesterol gives me a heart attack. Good food, good service. Would recommend to anyone who is not looking forward to lose weight in the next ten years.

Sunday Morning we began making calls again. The DHH gave me the name of the same nursing home in Carnarsie. I called and they said he was not there but at a different building a few blocks away where they have adult-day programs. They transferred me and the receptionist said he wasn’t there, but she would check to see if he was at the shelter in basement. He was there.
Minutes after speaking with the DHH a nurse called to tell me where my father was, what a coincidence.
When I heard the word “shelter” images from Katrina flashed before my eyes and I wanted to get him out of there. I planned to take him from the shelter to the respite center but when I arrived, I was surprised how pleasant the place was.
A receptionist walked me past the dining room full of adorable seniors slow-dancing to live music. This was one of the fanciest adult centers I have seen. Most are non-profits that have to fight for the small amount of funding they receive every year.
When he saw me he shot straight up in his chair, his eyes got huge. He can’t talk but he laughs. His eyes and his mouth were wide open. I gave him a big hug and he just stared at me, he speaks with his eyes. He always was a nice guy but this illness has made him less inhibited, and more of what he already was.
A lot of people say their dad is the best, but mine really is. The nurses always say he is their favorite resident. Most likely they say that to everyone, but he really is that sweet and lovable so I believe them.
Since he has been in a nursing home he has had countless girlfriends. He loves music, especially country and a beautiful ballad could bring him to tears. He often hums along hitting all the high notes. His memory isn’t what it used to be, but he remembers songs like a living jukebox.
Two caregivers from his nursing home were there and I asked what happened. One woman said the water on the first floor came up to her chest and that the ocean and the bay overflowed and became one body of water. The entire Rockaway peninsula was underwater. The first-floor generators failed because they were submerged. She covered her mouth with her hand and eyes filled with tears when she told me she is living in a shelter with her family. She is taking care of people in a shelter and living in a shelter. I’ve watched these women take care of my father for two years and I want to help them but I don’t know what I can do. The nurses believe everyone will be going back to Rockaway next week when they get the power back.
I had planned to take my father with me and asked about discharging him. I spoke to the manager from the nursing home and she said they did try to call me but couldn’t get through. The week of the storm, my cell phone service was terrible. I’m sure they tried to call. He was taken to Brooklyn Tech, never John Adams. If I chose to discharge him I would have to wait until Tuesday to get approval and new prescriptions. There is a risk that if I take him out, they may not take him back.
Nursing homes don’t want people like my father because he is too young and active, and has dementia. Most are at full capacity and have an evaluation process before they accept a new resident. Two previous nursing homes sent him to the emergency room in an ambulance and made it clear they did not want him back. Once he was so over medicated he had to be placed on a breathing machine. This is the first place where he has had no issues and is well cared for. I decided it wasn’t worth the risk of moving him.
No one could have anticipated how devastating Sandy would be and I’m glad everyone from his residence is safe. I still believe the city did an excellent job considering the circumstances.
I just wish my father could tell me what happened.