August 25th, 2014
Dear Weather,
Another summer of picnics has come and gone, but I think you really outdid yourself with this last one. After developing a kind of meteorological anxiety disorder in the wake of 2013, I was generally pleasantly surprised that the you showed up so mild and mellow to ALL our picnics (save that dramatic end to the Smorgasbord - but that was sort of fun). If you keep this up, we New Yorkers are going to start getting all cheery and optimistic, like we live in L.A. or something, which could upset the natural order of the universe. Then again, that polar vortex was just a few months ago, so I think we are good.
So what about that Indian picnic? It might have been my favorite. Why? Well, let's just start with the bikes. Leaving my trusty (but ultimately frustrating) granny cart behind and Getting all the supplies to the park on a gorgeous Dutch cargo bike courtesy of my friends Auggie and Billy was like getting there on a flying carpet. And then there was the food. People took the Indian theme and went to town. Like as in Mumbai or Bangalore... those towns. There was Aloo subzi, chana chaat, biriyani, Indian black-eyed peas, dal, two kinds of dhokla, homemade turnovers and lovely desserts. Not to mention the mango lassi in those gorgeous bottles. Hell, we were even wearing bindis! It got that crazy. There were jugglers and friends we hadn't seen in months. The perfect end to the summer picnic season. See you in 2015!
