I live upon a dying ember, a sad place where the remnants of a rich cultural history has slowly dwindled to become nothing more than torturous school field trips for elementary kids, masters’ thesises for the crazy, and trifled hobbies for the retired and rich. I speak, of course, about Long Island.
A place so close to a hub of world culture, and yet so far away.
It’s maddening, truthfully. To think that what may have once been great restaurants, a seafaring culture, a burgeoning arts community patroned by the likes of Vanderbilt has fallen..to what? To Applebee’s, to strip malls, to a god damn mother fucking Dunkin Donuts every 200 feet wherein the antagonistic voice of Rachael Ray pumps over the radios of SUV’s; beckoning soccer moms to come running for the newest corn-syrup masked caffienated piss water special.
Not that I’m immune to the sway of Starbuck’s, the siren call of nostalgic crap. But as a poor college student, finding GOOD food and interesting things to do is becoming increasingly difficult. It has become an endangered species, and due to this rarity what was once a birthright, has become a privilege.
Long Island, if you have the money can still hold some of that charm that it did during its golden years. But for the middle class? It’s all but gone, and nobody seems to be at all upset about this.
Why? Why is it that nobody has raised up in arms that the farms that once dotted the landscape are now reduced to the few out east, wherein a family has to spend a week’s worth of pay to pick some apples or strawberries, to pick up some local produce. Why does nobody seem to care that the old diner(the one that still made their Hollandaise) was turned into a Friday’s?
That’s not to say all is lost, the vineyards are growing at an alarming rate. Introducing beautiful things like Duck Walk’s Blueberry Port to a crowd that had once only known the wonders of Sutter Home and dare I say it..Boone’s Farm.
We still have seafood! Although for an authentic experience you need to head far out of your way and be ready to pay a pretty penny. And the arts community? Well, Pollack is dead but the house stands waiting for pilgrims, and places like Stonybrook University’s Staller Gallery are showing burgeoning new artists, and displaying great talent from the past both in their gallery and their faculty.
So..is all lost? Has the world of diarrhea inducing, deep fried, ethnic bastardization and kitsch won over? Have the masses been totally swayed by the wonders of faux antiques and sweet & sour deep fried asian chicken quesadillas?
Not yet…but it’s happening. Slowly. Not just here, but across the country.
My mission? To find what’s left, what’s good…and save it.
So. If you, dear readers(if there are any)..send in your recommendations for anything worth it’s salt. Whether it be a small gallery, a new restaurant, wine or beer, a diner or deli. Let me know what’s left that is pure..and good. And I’ll try to go..as much as my budget and time may allow me.
It is these adventures that I will be posting here, along with some other food or art related trifles.
