you ordered carnitas again
you painted your nails
we renegotiate
/ / /
24 January 2023
State College PA
Category: Food
January seeps in under the door
I pull my mug of tea
closer to my chest
/ / /
17 January 2023
State College PA
memories of solitary lunches:
the sound of Eddie Pepitone
the taste of chicken makhani
/ / /
16 January 2023
State College PA
look out into a field of stars
the salt at the bottom
of a bag of pretzels
/ / /
4 October 2022
State College PA
partially-oxidized
Chinese tea
oolong!
/ / /
21 September 2022
State College PA
mole, a tamale, refried beans
if only my stomach
were my brain
/ / /
9 June 2022
Pittsfield MA
the pickle is wrapped
in wax paper
but my napkin is wet
/ / /
2 June 2022
Pittsfield MA
okonomiyaki
chats with Japanese friends
trying ramen on YouTube
/ / /
27 May 2022
State College PA
the unbearable lightness of a Friendly’s at 4:36 p.m.
/ / /
25 May 2022
Pittsfield MA

In about 1977, my mom bought me a bag of popcorn from this cart, and then we walked into England Brothers department store, in front of which it was parked. There was an escalator, and as my mom and I went up it I was eating fresh popcorn from my bag. Near the top of the escalator I lost my balance and tumbled all the way to the bottom, popcorn flying everywhere.
From that day onward, I could never eat popcorn without feeling nauseous. I tried many times. My family loved popcorn and made it frequently. I tried when I’d go to the movies with friends. Every single time, I’d take a handful and immediately start feeling sick. That lasted until my early 40s, when I ate some popcorn with no ill effects. I can still eat it today, though I spent so many years avoiding it that I usually forget it exists until I go to a movie.
I took the photo above during my lunch break today. I’m not sure if this is the exact same cart or a replica, but it sure looks the same as the one in my memory. I’m also not sure if this cart is still open for business. There was nobody in it today, but perhaps it’s only open on certain days or at certain times. England Brothers, where my grandmother worked for years, was razed during Pittsfield’s urban renewal.
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