A recent venture into the city netted a surprising amount of snack-related encounters. En route to the subway, I came across these at my local grocery store:
Spicy Peanuts…genuine klass.
Apparently Doritos now come in ‘limited edition’ flavors, putting the snack treat in the same realm as action figures (not a bad marketing move, considering the Doritos demographic). However, Doritos are not a cheeseburger. Doritos should not be cheeseburger flavored. Just put Doritos on top of your cheeseburger if you want to combine the two so badly. Also on the short list of things Doritos aren’t: a nightclub. Unless ‘late night: all nighter’ implies when and how long you’ll be consuming them.
Ah, on to the subway to see the Natural History Museum. Education and knowlege, ahoy!
…or not.
I’m constantly amazed by the vastness of the museum; this time around I found a section on People of the East I’d never even seen before, full histories on the culture and religion of the Asiatic lands. The wheel below translates a large mural with images illustrating the cycles of rebirth and levels of existence.
In case it’s too tiny to read:
ARROW THROUGH MAN’S EYE (sensation)
DRINKER SERVED BY WOMAN (covetousness)
MAN PLUCKING FRUIT (clinging to worldly things)
PREGNANT WOMAN (new becoming with new karma)
WOMAN GIVING BIRTH (birth)
CORPSE BEING CARRIED (death)
BLIND WOMAN (ignorance)
POTTER AT WORK (forming emotions)
MONKEYS PICKING FRUIT (consciousness)
TWO MEN IN BOAT (mind and body)
EMPTY HOUSES WITH WINDOWS (six senses)
LOVERS (contact with sensory objects)
Without the wheel some of the images’ symbolism might not be so readily apparent, but the tortured souls and hells definitely read loud and clear. Nearby was the Hall of Asian Mammals. Oh, look at the adorable wee taxidermied deer!
AAAH! NOOO! VAMPIRE DEER! RUNNN! Seriously, not one but TWO species of fanged deer? The latter looks like he’ll eat your soul.
Speaking of fangs, the Museum of Natural History really, really wants you to get bitten by snakes. They even provide detailed dioramas with helpful hints:
Bringing it back to snack treats, they also showcased all the delicious nibbles snakes and other amphibious creatures can be made into. Canned turtle soup, tinned snakes, pickled snakes, and a Japanese liquor called Old Mam I’ve not been able to find further information on. It says live poisonous snakes (mamushis specifically, hence the name) were tossed into the mixture and became part of the fermenting brew. Why I have no idea, but considering how many absinthe tipplers love the implied history and danger, perhaps it’s time for an Old Mam resurgence.
After the museum I stopped by Little Korea. Little Korea’s very little- about a block large right near Penn Station, it’s mostly noticeable for the one street full of BBQ and karaoke restaurants. There’s also a late night grocery store, and after the museum I felt like eating something scaly.
This sounds like an educational video: ‘Kasuga Peanut And You’. Also a cute squid. Kawaii! (yes I know that’s Japanese but I don’t know Korean slang for cute).
Oh my. No thank you.
Perfecto! A delicious red bean ice cream treat. They promise a lot on the package…
…but they totally delivered! Unlike every other character pop I’ve gotten with wonky eyes.
Though it mostly tasted like flaky waffle cone and frozen cream, with just a hint of red bean, this fish was delish!
Mmm, fish-shaped ice cream treat. It’s hilarious this ‘tag wall’ mural is attached to the newest, most spacious (in NYC flaunting vast swaths of space is how the rich say ‘fuck you’), ridiculously architectured hotel, right below St. Mark’s Place.
If all those snacks inspired you, there are many classes around the city teaching all the basics you’ll need to know.
