Writing New York: Posts from the Boroughs and Beyond — 2008-2011

For Baruch College students, convenience seems to be the name of the game.  As the weather grows colder, wetter, and generally more uninviting, students are searching for the quickest, most accessible solutions to their lunchtime cravings.  

There are, of course, the usual suspects in the area – chains such as Subway, Dunkin Donuts, and Popeye’s are all within a block and a half of the vertical campus.  While all three are great for a quick, inexpensive meal, students can only eat so many sandwiches, pastries, and chicken wings each week.

There are dozens – most likely hundreds – of restaurants in the east 20’s alone, well within walking distance of the Baruch campus.  Simply spend a couple of minutes browsing through this blog and you’ll discover an endless array of carts, serving anything from halal food to cupcakes.  For those who want more of a restaurant experience, all money issues must be set aside for a while; in order to shake things up, the usual five-dollar budget of a college student has to increase, if only for a day.

One of the most recognizable names for Baruch students is the Gramercy Star Café.  Located on the corner of 23^rd Street and Lexington Avenue, nearly every student who takes any of the 23^rd Street subways to campus has to pass by it just to get to class.  With a variety of sandwiches and a full salad bar, it may appear to be similar to countless other cafes in New York City.  But Suzanne Patrick, who works in Union Square but walks to the café once a week, begs to differ.  “I recommend [the Gramercy Star Café] to my coworkers all the time; I would definitely recommend it to students as well, not just because it’s only a block away.  I especially love the breakfast sandwiches.”

But for New Yorkers who constantly buy their food, sometimes a simple café just doesn’t fit the bill.  Luckily, the east 20’s offers a wide variety of ethnic food as well.

One of the most widely recommended restaurants in the east 20’s is the Ecuadorian spot called Latin Thing, located at 61 Lexington Avenue between 25^th and 26^th Streets.  Yelp (www.yelp.com), an online resource where anyone can post reviews of virtually any business, currently ranks them 4.5/5 stars.  Entries include glowing reviews such as “The best burrito I’ve had since I lived in Texas” and “Cheap.  Quick.  Delicious.   That’s everything I want at lunchtime.”  Bonus: If you’re still hung up on the money issue, full plates of food hover around $7.50 a piece, and can easily serve two people. 

Right next door to Latin Thing is the Vietnamese restaurant Baoguette.  Serving sandwiches with authentic Vietnamese meats such as curry beef and pork banh mi, guest (and Vietnamese tourist) Will Singh calls it “a taste of home.”  In fact, other customers were so animated about the authenticity of Baoguette’s cuisine that it was impossible to find another who was able to review the food without bursting into a string of enthusiastic expletives.

For students willing to walk a little further for some great Indian food, Sirtaj (26^th Street between Broadway and 6^th Avenue) is the place to go.  Customer Alex Sito raves, “They hook people up with full plates of stuff…the mehkni and tandoorhi chickens are the best in New York.”  Another customer, Joe Sou, simply declares “Sirtaj is the bomb.  I work down the block and I’ve been going for years.”

One of the most distinguishing characteristics of these restaurants is their sizes – Latin Thing contains three 2-person tables, while Baoguette and Sirtaj barely have enough room for their ample lines of customers.  In fact, Yelp reviewers frequently comment on the “dingy” or “unflattering” appearances of the restaurants, going on to say that often, the smaller the space, the better quality of the food.

Lastly, it seems as though you can’t walk more than a block without running into a pizza joint; New Yorkers surely know that the aforementioned rule (smaller space equals better quality) seems to always apply to these restaurants.  After speaking with multiple students and pizza lovers, the consensus seemed to lie with Rosa’s Pizza and Pasta, located at 37 East 28^th Street, between Madison and Park Avenues.  Shockingly enough, Rosa’s is no hole in the wall.  With plenty of seats for choosing, and employees to provide fast service, it’s no wonder Rosa’s has become a franchise, with more than five locations throughout New York City.  The most popular item?  “The Grandma slice,” declares customer Adrienne Batali.  The square, cheesy slice with an ultra-thin crust is easily the most admired slice at any of Rosa’s locations.

It’s easy to see why Baruch College students sometimes don’t branch out past 23^rd or 24^th Streets for their lunches.  In fact, between homework, studying, involvement in organizations, and those dreaded group projects, it’s a wonder students even have time to eat nowadays.  But when looking for a way to spice up the old lunchtime routine, these are some great ways to get you started; from there, one can discover all that New York – not just the East 20’s – has to offer.

Vendors litter the streets of New York City, attracting customers ranging from local students and business people to soldiers, shoppers and tourists.  Why these people choose the particular lunches that they do may just be a matter of cost and convenience, but sometimes there is more that motivates them to buy a particular type of food.

Halal food carts are scattered throughout the Manhattan district attracting a diverse customer base.  On Lexington Avenue and 25^th Street alone, there are two Halal food carts, one on the North corner, another on the South corner, just outside Baruch College.  The vendor on the corner of 25^th and Lexington, presumably from the Middle East, speaks only Arabic, with a very limited command of English.  The customers, however, are Americans.

These two Halal food carts on Lexington appeal largely for the convenience they afford the Baruch students, although they do get a trickling of other customers from the area.  “They’re right here and the food’s good,” said a Baruch student, who buys Halal for lunch “basically daily.”

Another Baruch student noted the cost effective nature of the Halal food.  For a Halal lunch, all he has to do is walk a few yards and pay a few dollars, about “five dollars, no tax,” he told me as we stood by the cart and waited for his order to be ready, food that was being made fresh on the spot.

Chui, a soldier stationed in the vicinity, also frequents this Halal food cart.  He said he purchases Halal lunch about “once a week.”  “I work right here,” he said, “and when I don’t have time for much else, I come here and grab some lunch.”

But Halal does not only attract a local crowd seeking food that is budget friendly and easy access.  Halal is a specialty food, made to satisfy the stringent Muslim requirements for meat.  On Park Avenue and 32^nd Street, the Halal cart seems to attract a more select customer base.

Customers frequenting this Halal cart will also tend to be from the area, but here many or the customers are religious, seeking food that meets their religious standards.

“I know all the customers,” said the vendor.  “They are mostly religious,” he said, referring to the nature of the “regulars” who come not for convenience but for the exclusivity of this type of food.

Although the Halal food carts appeal to a varied customer base, appealing to different people for different reasons, the Halal food cart commands a more homogenously Islamic vendor base.  Still, there is no rule without its exceptions, and the Halal vendors have their exceptions, too.

The vendor at the Halal cart on Park Avenue and 32^nd Street is a Bukharin Jewish immigrant.  He chose to work at this food cart since it was an available job and since he associates Halal with Kosher food.  “It’s like Kosher food,” he said.  “Everything is clean.”  This type of food seemed more acceptable to him, closer to home, with his Jewish affiliation and background.

The vendor, with his deep, Jewish identification, said he would be putting a Menorah on his cart’s dashboard for the Jewish holiday, Chanukah.  Perhaps this is ironic for a food cart that so strongly identifies itself with the Muslim religious food requirements, or perhaps it is a manifestation of American pluralism that goes along with the diverse constituency it attracts, some for reasons of convenience and proximity, others for its inexpensive price, and of course yet others to satisfy religious laws regarding food.

Mere proximity effect?  Even if it is, it’s something more.

With the health food craze in full force in New York City, it’s not surprising to find fruit vendors carving out their own spaces amongst the street-meat masses. Their enticing displays of carefully arranged apples, oranges and bananas are rival to those that are just as painstakingly arranged by the employees at nearby grocery stores and supermarkets, and honestly, they look just as good.

So really, is there any difference among the products? Let’s attempt to answer that question in terms of the most consumed and traditionally cheapest fruit out there – the good ol’ banana. (Side note: I scoured the East 20s for any and all locations that offered bananas, vendors included, but there is a good chance that this list is not fully complete. Also remember that in places like supermarkets, prices vary depending on size and weight of produce.)

The journey begins on the southwest corner of 22nd and Park at the Morton Williams Supermarket. Here, Dole bananas come prepackaged in plastic in bunches of four and five and are sold at $.89/lb. The whole bunch will cost you around $2.30. (Interestingly enough, the other Morton Williams location in the area, at 23rd and 2nd, does not have bananas anywhere in the vicinity.)

Moving on, a few blocks northeast, on 3rd Avenue between 25th and 26th Streets, the relatively upscale D’Agostino offers the same Dole bananas as Morton Williams, at the exact same price. However, catering to the organic food movement, they also lay out Bonita organic bananas, which run at a slightly higher price at $1.29/lb. The pros and cons of organic produce can be argued here, but either way, a bunch of these elite bananas is about $3.30.

At Gristedes, a supermarket located on the corner of 29th and 2nd, the Dole bananas are set out at, surprise, surprise, $.89/lb (and I’m starting to think these Dole bananas have a monopoly in the East 20s). However, the organic bananas, also Dole brand, sell at a slightly lower price than D’Agostino’s organic bananas, at just $1.19/lb. A bunch of these will cost approximately $3.00, a savings of $.30 (and misers everywhere rejoice).

Heading back downtown to the 23rd Street 6 train vicinity, the banana choices are somewhat limited. If you don’t feel like going into a grocery store and doing the whole checkout-line shebang for your one banana, it’s a lot easier to pick one up from either of the two vendors in the area (there’s one on 24th and Park, and another at 23rd and Lexington). Both sell cautiously stacked, majestically yellow bananas at the same price – 3 for a $1, or one for $.35. And maybe it’s just me, or maybe I’ve seen too many bananas for one day, but these brand-less bananas look slightly smaller (but somehow tastier) than their grocery store counterparts.

Also important to know about (and generally avoid) is Starbucks’ overpriced banana, which are $.90 a piece.

Ultimately, the choice comes down to purpose and location, rather than price. If you’re walking down the street and feel the sudden unstoppable urge to consume a banana (or any other fruit, really), chances are you’ll buy from a street vendor (if there’s one nearby). If you’re doing your weekly shopping, you’re more likely to loosen the purse-strings and spend the extra dollar or two on the ones at the supermarket. And if you’re feeling really crazy, you may even go for those organics. It’s really all about preference.

In a slow, steady stream, water from a Poland Spring bottle is poured into the rustling plastic black bag. Inside, sits a 75 cent green apple that is partially submerged in water. After tying the bag and shaking it repeatedly, Anu Mohammed hands back the apple to the waiting customer with a smile. On 23^rd Street, between Park and 3^rd Avenue, passing pedestrians can sometimes witness Mohammed washing fruits for customers who want to eat their fruits immediately. A fixture of the block for ten years, his fruit cart has gradually acquired hundreds of loyal customers.

In the bustling, fast paced city of New York, people are always on the move. For New Yorkers, rushing down streets and sprinting up subway steps are a way of life. “People always need to be somewhere in New York, whether it’s work, school, or anything else, so having a fruit cart here is really convenient for them,” said Mohammed. “Instead of going to a supermarket, people can just buy them here instead.”

Fruit carts, and in general, all street vendors, whether they are Halal or breakfast carts, offer customers convenience and low prices. With fruit carts, customers who want to simply buy a bag of grapes no longer need to go through the hassle of waiting on long lines at the supermarket. “Sometimes, all I want is a pear or two, so at this fruit cart, I just grab, pay, and go, instead of waiting on line to pay for one tiny thing that costs less than a dollar,” said Penelope Chang, a 28 year old employee at Credit Suisse. Since Chang was hired two years ago, buying pears, her favorite fruit, from Mohammed’s fruit cart has become a part of her daily morning routine.

As the sole breadwinner for a household of five, Mohammad starts off his weekdays at 5:30 A.M, when his wife, his two older sons, and his youngest daughter are still in deep, restful sleep. After commuting to the city via the train, Mohammed walks over to the entrance of a large garage, where he and several others must replenish their carts daily with fresh fruits that their boss supplies. From there, they separate, with carts in hand, each ready to start their day’s work. While business is slow during the early morning, by 11:30 A.M, the pace quickens. “From then on and up to 4 o’clock, I don’t have any time to sit down and take a break,” said the fruit seller. “It’s because it’s lunchtime, so a lot of people always wants to eat a healthy fruit after a big meal.”

The market determines the prices of fruits sold at Mohammed’s cart. Mohammed explained, “Usually, my boss gives us a bill to tell us how much each fruit costs, and we set it at a price that will give us a reasonable profit.” Pears, oranges, apples, and tangerines, for example, which are in season during the winter, are within the price range of 50 to 75 cents each. “They’re really cheap at fruit carts so that’s why I like buying them here instead,” said Andy Caputo, as he handed a dollar to Mohammed for three tangerines.

By 5:30 P.M, when Mohammed closes shop, he is able to sell most, if not all, his fruits. For him, this is the “happiest moment” of his day, and not because he’s successfully sold off his fruits. For Mohammed, devoted father and husband, it’s time to go home and join his family.