Hakata Tonton - Pig Trotters in the West Village

GAH! This blog is like a ghost town.
Culinary school is kind of kicking my ass right now, in a nice way, but as a result I haven't been interneting and eating at new places so much. This is from months ago. Also, this is my attempt at a new, revamped, more succinct style of blogging - which, as you can tell, is not going so well already. Me: not the best at using a few number of words to describe something in a verbally frugal manner.

Hakata Tonton! Tonsoku! AKA Trotters!

For my birthday [months ago] M treated me to some pig's feet. What can I say but the guy knows the way to my heart.
If you haven't already surmised, Hakata Tonton (I believe 'tonton' might be a cuteified abbreviation for tonsoku, but that's just a freewheelin' speculation, with no google research whatsoever, woo!) specializes in pig's feet, in various preparations, and according to their website, "Authentic Kyushu Japanese Soul Food." They have 2 very reasonably-priced tasting menus: Tonton Tasting Menu ($38) and Chef's Tasting Menu ($42). We went with the former, which won us over with the inclusion of a hot pot, and fortuitously also came with a lower price-tag.

Shabu Shabu Pork Salad

Pork salad. Can't be bad, right? It wasn't. The shreds of shabu-shabu pork were not dry, as I was half expecting, and an interesting deviation from the other forms of pork more prevalent in salads - bacon, lardons. The dressing was tangy and light. Very refreshing. I think there were fried shallots or minced onions on top.

Atlantic Salmon Carpaccio

Another can't-really-go-wrong dish. I could squawk something about the menu "playing to the masses," but the food was good, so who cares? I like raw salmon, I like sparkly tobiko, I like colorful sprinkles of garnish (chives). Win. The fish was fresh, and the dressing was a lemon (and soy?) dressing that played up the ingredients nicely, without being too overpowering.

Grilled Pork Toooooonsokuuu! (That is how I imagine it's supposed to be inflected)

This was almost certainly my favorite dish. Simply seasoned with not much more than salt, allowing the essential flavors of the meat and char shine. Yes, char shines. Oh so tender, and gelatinous, cartilage-y, and collagen-y...I understand the last three adjectives might not make most people's mouths water, but if you know what's good for you, you know they are good things. Seriously. Chef Himi Okajima praises pigs' feet, not just for the wonderful flavor and texture, but claims (in a 2008 interview from NYDaily News):

"In Kyushu, many people eat pigs' feet, so there is a lot of beauty there - beautiful women."

Collagen: it's not just for injecting into your face with a syringe anymore.
I definitely prefer the insertion-into-the-mouth-chewing-and-swallowing method of administering.

I regret to say that I could not capture a good picture of the most interestingly flavored dish of the evening, but you can catch a blurry glimpse of it in the top left corner of the picture above. I forgot what they were called, but we got them in lieu of the gyoza, which pleased me, 'cause I like getting special things, and trying new things. They were chicken wings, crispy and coated in...something. I can't say I liked them immediately, but for some reason I couldn't stop eating them. Here's what I said to M: "They taste like peanut butter rice crispy chicken wings." Scoff (or gag) if you will, but I liked them...I think...? Something made me keep going for them, but I would be remiss if I didn't say that it could've been their uncanny flavor resemblance to my childhood favorite candy bar.

Hot Pot - Phase 1

You are given the choice of the Hakata Tonton Hot Pot, or Shabu Shabu Hot Pot. I love shabu-shabu, but in the spirit of the night, we went with the namesake again. There was just a shitton of stuff in here: collagen broth, tofu, dumplings, vegetables, Berkshire pork belly, and tonsoku. Additionally, I think those are goji berries scattered on top.

Phase 2

I thought it was nice that we got a chance to digest the first few courses while waiting for the hot pot to stew, as wafts of funky, porky aromas waltzed around our contented faces.
I really enjoyed this dish, as well. I don't know if it is a traditional dish to Kyushu, but it actually felt very Korean to me. Like Kimchi Jigae, but really rich and deeply flavored Kimchi Jigae, probably owing to the collagen broth of long stewed tonsoku.

Phase 3

Confirming my notion of Korean influence is the choice they give you for the third phase of the hot pot: rice bibimbap or ramen noodle. We chose ramen. After you are done eating most of the contents of the hot pot, and it is apparent that you are fully satisfied, the server comes out and plops a bunch of more shit into your pot. You let that boil, and then you eat your Hot Pot Part Deux (remember the Hot Shots! movies? Yeah...)
This was also tasty, and still reminded me of Korean food, except this time Shin Ramyun.

Desserts: Cheese Mousse & Black Sesame Ice Cream

The desserts were nothing spectacular, but not bad. Just very bland subtle. I remember noting how black sesame ice cream looks like concrete.

So much for succinct. Fuckcinct.

Hakata Tonton
61 Grove St (between Bleecker & 7th Ave )
NY, NY 10014
(212) 242-3699
http://www.tontonnyc.com/

Burger Porn Post - vol. I - Updated

Pictures now, words later.

Name that burger.

[Update] I'm back! Now the words on these delicious babies...

Disclaimer: "What about Shake Shack, Burger Joint, and blah?" I love those burgers, but they are extremely well-covered, and I imagine that if you are reading this then you either have heard of them, or know how to use Google. No? Here you go.
These are Some of My [Other] Favorite Burgers in NYC - vol. 1.

BLT Burger - The Boy Next Door

Look at that bashful cutie...

There ya go.

But really, it's what's inside that counts.

I have no complaints about this burger. I went with "The Classic" [pictured], which weighs in at a very modest-but-sufficient 5 oz. of Black Angus beef - notably not so oversized as some of its mid-range, sit-down restaurant peers (I would say that the rest of the burgers in this post fall in the 8-10 oz or more range). It comes bare bones, but they offer a ton of toppings to choose from. I'm usually inclined towards the traditional - American cheese, lettuce, tomato, onions, condiments. And it's cooked to order - with proof in the form of a cutesy cow-shaped stake piercing the bun - which is a crucial quality that should never be overlooked (see Five Leaves burger, below).
Despite the high-profile French chef behind the joint (Laurent Tourondel), this place puts out a no-frills, well-executed American classic that's more "Oh, yeeah," than "Oh la la!" Not unforgettable, but it hits the proverbial spot.

The other options on the menu are mostly 7 oz. [still modest-sized] affairs, with various pre-selected themed toppings, all pretty standard, and perhaps now considered classic by some - bacon, lettuce, tomato; blue cheese w/grilled onions and mushrooms; jack cheese, avocado, etc. They also have more 'fancy' variations - "American Kobe," lamb merguez, turkey, veggie falafel, salmon - which, aside from maybe the first, I wouldn't really call 'burgers,' so much as burger-inspired sandwiches.
I should also note that they have "Spiked Milkshakes." I haven't tried the ones here, but a previous alcoholic milkshake experience (Beer Shake) taught me that sometimes a thing might sound like a good, no great idea in theory, but the reality ends up just being another reminder that sometimes good thing+good thing ≠ better thing. (That said, I will probably end up trying these at some point because, hey, I like ice cream and I like booze, and I often suck at learning lessons when they concern things that I like.)

Lure Fishbar - The Beach Babe

Yow-oww.

I really do like this burger, but 2 things keep me from going back to it too often (despite the fact that it's just a few blocks from my work): 1.) It's not cheap: $17 for the "Lure Style Burger," and a bowl of fries (which are always crispy and well-seasoned, but I could take 'em or leave 'em). And 2.) The place, Lure Fishbar, is right in the heart of SoHo, beneath the Prada store, and feels more "Sex in the City" than I generally like. (If that's your thing, no one's judging - just not mine, really.) The decor seems to be trying for...nautical chic[?], while the ambiance consists of pop hits from the 80s and 90s (which I don't mind, but it's pretty loud), and the inevitable gaggles of "ladies' night out" type situations (more gossiping over "cosmos" than dancing on bars) going on all around. Not my ideal burger eating conditions.
But about the burger: especially for a place whose focus is supposedly sea food, this burger is surprisingly well-executed. I first read about it on A Hamburger Today, and there's not really much I can say about it except what's been stated on that post: it's like a fancy, supercharged In-n-Out burger. Who can argue with that? It's served on a brioche, but the contents are not upstaged. It works. Also, I've had it a few times, and it's almost always cooked to order (M's was overdone once). It's not exactly a burger to seek out, but if you find yourself craving a burger in SoHo, or for whatever reason find yourself in Lure Fishbar, I would highly recommend it.

Stone Park Cafe: The Duke

Pure class

I don't often get the burger here because they have so many other wonderful offerings, but like everything else on the menu, the burger is Solid. Capital 'S.' Screw it, capital 'OLID,' too. Capital SOLID.
Maybe I'm biased because Stone Park Cafe has been one of my favorite restaurants in New York pretty much since I moved here about 5 years ago. (Full disclosure: I also know one of the owners, but that didn't really happen until after it was already a favorite). But I have brought many friends to this place, and have never felt like I had talked it up too much. Honestly, it's just one of those places where the incredible attention to detail is evident in every aspect of the restaurant, and every dish that comes out of the kitchen. Hearty and soulful, yet beautifully precise - it's sophistication without pretension. The burger is no exception. It's Grace Kelly in Levi's. I'm not really sure what that means, or if it conveys any sort of deliciousness, but this post is taking too long and I'm starting to get into stream of consciousness mode. It makes sense, trust me. Anyway, I didn't even have to try to make that shit look that good, and it's gorgeous, no? I went for the non-traditional, fancypants burger toppings this time - blue cheese and sauteed mushrooms - but you can also get Vermont cheddar, pepper jack, gruyere, what have you. The bun is a classic, soft sesame bun, which is my favorite kind of burger attire. Also, those are my favorite kind of fries. You know the ones - the "fancy McDonald's style" fries that everyone loves. I don't know how hard or easy it is to make fries like this well, but I do know that I come across mediocre or crappy fries a lot more often than not. These are always perfect.
Just go there, even if you don't get the burger. You can't go wrong.*

*Totally uncompensated endorsement, and not swayed by any sort of bias except for this beer sitting beside me.

Five Leaves - The As-burger Syndrome*

*Named as such mostly for its eccentricity and unpredictability, as well as its ability to be really fucking incredible and spot-on when it gets it right, the analogy doesn't really go into any deeper significance relating to Asperger Syndrome , nor should it imply that I have any real understanding of the actual condition (aside from fictionalized accounts). I love this burger dearly, and do not mean to offend anyone. I'm just a sucker for a stupid pun.

When I started this post, I thought I was putting the burgers in order from my least to most favorite. However, I have had this burger several times since then (YES, I started this a while ago...I am a busy lady), and I'm sad to say I might be changing my mind - mainly just due to the inconsistency. The first couple times I had this burger, I put it above all my previous favorites with much haste - such was my enthusiasm for this extraordinary burger. Incredibly juicy, well-seasoned, coarsely-ground patty, topped with a fried egg, fried pineapple, sliced beet (in the fashion of the Australian owners' native land), and harissa mayo, all on a fresh, lightly-toasted chewy but relenting ciabatta-type roll. It's a bigger mouthful than that incomplete sentence, and worthy of at least 8 more adjectives. All previous notions of a good burger, all love for tradition, went out the window. But as the story goes, haste makes waste, and my decision proved too hasty, indeed. Because it's in the neighborhood, paired with the fact that our first experiences knocked us on our asses, M and I find ourselves consuming the Five Leaves Burger pretty frequently. More than any other. It's never bad, per se, but to put it in M's words, "The inconsistency of this burger is hilarious." Our collected empirical studies have led us to the [somewhat arbitrary and unscientific] estimate that the burgers come out either overcooked or underseasoned about 3 out of 5 times. Which is no small fraction. And it seems to be getting worse, which makes me sad because when this baby is right, it is damn RIGHT. Flavorful meat, juicy (even when overcooked) with a nice crispy char, the broken egg yolk melding with the harissa mayo, oozing its way into every bite, with the sweet tang of the pineapple and beet to cut through the richness - heaven. Anyway, it's worth a try, even if the odds are against. If you like a well-done burger, you're in luck; if you like yours either medium rare to rare, be sure to order it rare (we always order ours rare now, and have yet to receive a rare burger).
Like at Lure, there is the regular burger and the restaurant's signature namesake burger. At both places, I recommend the namesake. Also at both places, not a cheap burger - the Five Leaves Burger will set you back 15 big ones. But if you're lucky, it'll be 15 bucks well spent on a burger that won't soon be forgotten.

Night shots

I eat this burger a lot.

BLT Burger
470 6th Ave (at 12th St)
New York, NY
(212) 243-8226

Lure Fishbar
142 Mercer St (at Prince St)
New York, NY
(212) 431-7676

Stone Park Cafe
324 5th Ave (at 3rd St)
Brooklyn, NY (Park Slope)
(718) 369-0082

Five Leaves
18 Bedford Ave (at Lorimer)
Brooklyn, NY (Greenpoint)
(718) 383-5345

#38 at Pho Pasteur - Chinatown

Sorry, blurry lady on the left, I didn't mean to catch you there (picking your ear?). Re-taking the picture was out of the question, as I did not feel like it.

Moline (IL), Richardson (TX), Rosemead (CA), Boston, Sydney, Toronto, San Diego, and New York City. What do all of these cities have in common? According to Google, they are all home to Vietnamese restaurants named 'Pasteur' or 'Pho Pasteur' (apparently unaffiliated) - and I am certain there are more.

So, what's the deal with Vietnam and Pasteur? Who really knows? Not I. I was unaware of how extensive the connection was until I started writing this post and googled "Pho Pasteur," which turned up numerous results from all over the world.
Curiosity and further googling led me to this:

Fully aware of the international importance of his work, Pasteur's disciples dispersed themselves wherever their assistance was needed. In 1891, the first Foreign Institut Pasteur was founded in Saigon (today Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam) launching what was to become a vast international network of Instituts Pasteur.

And then questioning my (questionable?) authority on all things Vietnamese, and dear friend, Arthur (Vietnamese by descent, but Texas born and raised), got me this response:

Arthur: something about french colonial influence
especially re: pho's origins in french consomme

Thanks, Arthur!

I don't know about other people, but to me the words 'Pasteur' or 'pasteurize' or 'pasteurization' do not really get my tummy grumbling. And if they do, it's not in a good way. But hey, that's just me.

Festive signage.
That waiter that appears to be delighted about the lower half of his body disintegrating into an amorphous blob roughly the shape of South Vietnam...really creeps me out.

Now, you might be assuming this post is going to be about pho, but you would be wrong. SO WRONG. You have never been so wrong. Shame on you.

Why the hostility, Susan? I don't really know. I'm sorry, it was a joke. I'm at work and not working (because who works on Friday?), and my mind wanders. I'm sleepy, and I have actually never had the pho here.

BBQ Pork Chop! AKA 'pokchap,' AKA 'pokechop,' AKA Com Suon Bi Cha, AKA #38 on the menu.
Pretty, no?

In my estimation, this has to be not only one of the most pleasantly polychromatic, but most satisfying meals $6 ($6.50?) can get you in this city. Or in Manhattan, at least.
It's nothing spectacular, nothing knock-your-socks-off about it. But it's hearty, and homey, and delicious. And the portion is very generous. Also, I am one who really likes to have a lot of variety packed into one meal, and this plate's got it. The pork chop itself is nicely cooked, sweet and salty (the chili sauce in the squeeze bottle provided adds a nice kick), and just moist and fatty enough without being greasy. Not once in the 8 or 9 times I've had it has it come out the least bit dry.
In fact, twice in the past month M has actually gotten 2 of these for take-away, biked them home to Greenpoint in styrofoam containers, and I'll be darned if they weren't still lip-smackin' delicious*.
Then you have the dry, shredded pork [stuff] on the side. Pork 2 ways! That's fancy. As one would expect, it is dry, and also has a sort of grainy texture. And a bit salty. I wouldn't say it's not tasty, it's...interesting. I usually eat a few bites of it with some rice and some of the crinkle-cut pickled carrots or daikon, and then try to pawn the rest off onto M, who's usually cleared his plate by the time I make it over to this part.

*FYI: thesaurus entries for "tasty" are sucks.

Egg...thing.

My second favorite part of the dish is what I like to endearingly call the "egg thing." I don't know what it is. A cupcake-shaped omelet? Anyway, it's good. Very dense, and packed with glass or rice noodles, bits of pork (pork 3 ways!), and seems to have a hint of some kind of spice that I can't place. I want to say it almost tastes a tiny bit cinnamon-y, or cardamom-y, but that actually doesn't sound very good, so I won't say it. Consider it not said.

Not the most appealing cross-section shot.

And then you have the rice, and the ornamental vegetables (which I always eat, because they're there).

For a quick, cheap, and satisfying meal downtown, to stay or take-away, this a great stand-by. The restaurant itself is a little tight, and has weird feng shui* issues (if you're not careful, you'll trip right over a 4-top directly in front of the door), but the service is fast and friendly enough. Highly recommended. I do want to try other things on the menu, but M and I are creatures of habit (lazy brains), and it's not really a place to take a group, so I can't make any promises.

*I know approximately nothing about feng shui.**

**Man, I need to cool it with the footnotes and parentheticals.


85 Baxter St (btwn Walker and White)
New York, NY 10013-4433
(212) 608-3656

Er.

Blog inertia. Fuckfuckfuck.

So many pictures.

Soon, soon.

Someday, I'm gonna be a real blogger, and this will be a real blog. Again, not today.

Tonight we are doing a Miracle Fruit get-together, because we are old and behind the times, so we are partying like it's 1970. Or 2007. Or whatever.

Also, I started culinary school! Lots of things happening.

Me in about 4 hours:



This day is dragging like blargh.

Yun Nan Flavour Snack Inc. - Sunset Park, Brooklyn

Perpetually catching up on posts. This happened...a while ago.

We made it back, and it was open!
Yun Nan Flavour Snack Inc.
No shutters!
This is the menu. Its modest simplicity belies the exquisiteness* of the actual food.

We let M take over the task of ordering for the four of us, which turned out to be a good move. He picked out the 2 items on the menu which he had had on previous visits, which were incidentally the 2 items on the menu with quirky misspellings or substituted marquis letters for the word 'sauce' (I assume they ran out of 'a's for the "Dumpling with hot and sour sduce." I also suspect the 'p' in 'crispy' is actually an inverted 'd.')

*'Exquisite' is probably not a word anyone would use to describe the food here - not even me. I just liked the way it sounded and contrasted with 'simplicity.' A better word would be 'drrrtylicious.' But such urban colloquial terms are not really my style, even though I just made that one up right now.
Hot 'Sause.'

M told me that the first time he went there, after he had placed his order, the owner[?] of the place asked his Chinese dining companion how he - a glaring, flaring, blaring gweilo - knew to order the two best things on the menu. Such is the mysterious wisdom of M.*
He got us 4 orders of #13 - Rice noodle with crispy meat 'sause,' and 2 orders of the previously mentioned #27 - Dumpling with hot and sour sauce. I'm usually not a fan of hot and sour, but I put my trust in him. And it was well rewarded.

*Chowhound.

Unidentifiable amoebic forms and noodles floating leisurely in a nebulous broth. How gorgeous is that? Intensified by a few plops of ripened (read: old, but better for it) chili oil from an ancient dollar-store ceramic cup: sweat-inducing bliss on a warm night.

What does "crispy meat sauce" mean? I, who have had the pleasure of experiencing this dish, still cannot say. There is no 'sauce' to speak of, but the crispy bits of 'meat' (left) were delicious. Kind of like deep fried beef jerky, but not any jerky you'd buy trapped in cellophane from a store. Richer. Untainted by processing and overseasoning. Pure, subtle meat flavor - and crispy. And those amoebic, tubular forms (right and bottom)? I think tripe - but unlike any tripe I've ever had. Exquisitely fatty and heart-rendingly tender*. Hands down my favorite part of the entire meal - I'd go back just for that. The rice noodles were also a pleasant surprise, as they were much more springy and substantial than I would ever expect from a rice noodle. This soup entails a lot more chewing than your average soup.

*Beer makes me spew maudlin descriptions like wat.
The dumplings also did not disappoint. The skin was just as thin as I like, but not overboiled to the point of turning limp. The broth, deeply imbued with meat and tangy chili flavor, was worthy of sipping on its own. The meat filling was plentfiul and had a nice bite. These, as well as the noodles, come out piping hot, which works out well because I think the flavors of both only get better after sitting in the broth for a few minutes.
Obligatory close up, in Blurry Susan Vision™.

The guy running the place, who I assumed to be the owner, was gregarious and I think very excited to have us, obvious non-locals who had journeyed out seeking his delicious 'flavour snacks,' in the place. He even remembered M from his few past visits long ago. He was extremely accommodating and pleasant - exuberant, even - despite the very tight space being slightly overtaken by the four of us, and always trying to make sure we were enjoying everything. We promised we'd be back soon, and I'm certain it'll be sooner than later.

BYOB to experience Maximum Exquisiteness.

Yun Nan Flavour Snack Inc.
774 49th St (between 7th Ave & 8th Ave)
Brooklyn, NY 11220
(718) 633-3090

Weekend Retreat / Quickfire Challenge! - Phoenicia, NY

A few weekends ago, Lisa and I retreated up to her family's Summer house in Phoenicia, NY - aka my dream house. Four miles outside of town, up Woodland Valley Road, beside a serene whispering mountain creek (the only sound to be heard), the house comes complete with a wraparound porch, hammock, and porch swing - optimal accommodations for nightly bat-watching (very frightening and fun - they fly right by your face!).

One hitch in our plans actually ended up being the fortuitous impetus for this post: we missed our noon car rental reservation, because we were late and they closed at noon. (Who closes at noon?) Thus, we were forced to cab it up to the house from the Kingston bus station, making a pit stop at the Phoenicia deli for provisions, and possibly stranding ourselves in the mountains for the weekend.

We picked up some sandwich materials for lunch, some dry pasta and prepared pasta sauce for dinner, and placed them on the counter. We were 3 bucks short. While digging and scrounging for $3 worth of change in our respective purses*, two words rose out of the fog of my hungover brain: Quickfire Challenge. "Screw the sauce!" we cried, throwing caution and purse lint to the wind, and applauding our ingenuity.

*Admittedly too dainty a name for our huge crapbags full of essentials and nonessential garbage.

Delicious mountain sandwich. Turkey and muenster on toasted rye, w/mustard and mayo. [Full disclosure: this photo was staged. I wolfed down my first sandwich before realizing that I wanted to post about the trip, and so was obliged to create a new 'picture sandwich,' with cutely criss-crossed cornichons. And eat that one, too. The sacrifices I make.]

Isn't it wonderful how a 2 hour bus ride, 1 hour cab ride, and unfortunate mishaps can turn a simple thing like turkey on rye into such a beautiful, glorious thing? It was.


Kitchen Stadium (I know, mixing my cooking show references. I'm capricious like that.)

The Challenge: Make a delicious meal using spaghetti as the main ingredient, and only what was found in the pantry and fridge. Thankfully, neither of us opted to use the marhsmallows.


Susan's Cold Soba-Inspired Spaghetti Salad: did not taste good. I won't say what went in it, because I think this is something that should never be replicated. But I got points for carving radish flowers, and making little scallion wispies for aesthetic appeal. I was going for a "Summertime Garden" sort of look.

Susan's Simple & Tasty Spaghetti: onions, garlic, olive oil, salt/pepper, dry oregano, dash of lemon juice, fresh tomatoes, and turkey bacon. I played it safe this time, and it ended up pretty tasty, indeed. Not revelatory, but it did the job. It took everything I had to resist covering the whole thing in cheese.
Lisa, however, did not show such restraint.


Lisa's Spaghetti Casserole Surprise: the surprise was cheese. Gobs and gobs of 3 kinds of melted cheese. Like grilled cheese, but with spaghetti instead of bread. Lisa's an artist. It's conceptual.

Lisa's "Wakey Wakey Eggs & Bakey" Appetizer: the "bakey" is actually hot dogs, not bacon - but she's so adorable, who cares? She also cheated by making 2 dishes not using spaghetti, but the judges [ourselves] were willing to let it slide, since it meant not having to eat anymore spaghetti.

Lisa's Fiesta Salad Surprise: Lisa does not like predictable food. I'm actually uncertain what the 'surprise' was this time. Vegetables? Interestingly, her appetizer that supplanted bacon with hot dogs did not contain the word 'surprise' in the name.
She also stole that radish tulip from my dish.

In the end, we both won. Duh. We also had a lot of fun making quippy, Top Chef Judge-esque remarks like, "I can appreciate what you were trying to achieve here, but the flavors just weren't there." Lisa was a lot more ruthless than that - she was playing Gail Simmons.
Endless fun. Yes, we are nerds.

And now, some gratuitous idyllic nature shots of the gorgeous creek and swimming hole where we spent hours lying around like happy manatees (do manatees lie around?).


Nature
We watched that dude (scampering on the bottom right) catch a big fish. It was pretty neat.


Crick
(In the neck of the woods that was populated by tired nation on the fly...)

Swimmin' Hole...too cold for swimmin'.


I played tic-tac-toe with myself. It was a cat's game, which was a relief.

Fun Time House
Phoenicia, NY

Fonts

I just figured out how to change the font. Hurrah.
Also, new layout.