The Many Adventures of a Thede

I would like to give the best idea ever award to the inventor of the Treats Truck. The other day my day was brightened when I saw the big silver truck parked in my neighborhood. The treats truck is a relatively new staple in New York. There is only one truck (named Sugar) and it travels to different locations around New York City every day...sometimes it moves several times a day. It brings back the idea of the ice cream truck from childhood. In the summer, when I was little, the ice cream truck drove by my house occasionally, but I never knew when it was coming and there was a good chance of missing it. That's what made catching it such a rare and wonderful treat, even if we had ice cream right in the freezer at home. Such is the Treats Truck. You never know when or where you might see it, but when you happen to catch it, it's quite satisfying. The Treats Truck doesn't sell ice cream though. It sells home baked treats like peanut butter sandwich cookies, home made oreos, giant gooey rice krispy treats, and raspberry chocolate brownies. No wonder sometimes the line runs all the way down the block!

I've been spending some time with my boyfriend in his neighborhood in Queens lately. Just to give you some background on him, since I haven't really said much about him on this blog, here's the quick facts:

Name: Luis Eduardo Gutierrez Jimenez (he goes by Eduardo)
Age: 21
Country of Origin: Mexico
Years in U.S.: 2.5
Favorite Food: Chilies Rellenos
Occupation: Bar Back/Cook at Soldier McGee

So, given the facts about Eduardo, it might make sense to you that he lives in an area of Queens that is basically Mexico. When I go there to visit him, I feel like I'm in another country. No one speaks English. No one. Or if they do speak some English, they certainly don't lead with it. The juke boxes play Mexican music. The TVs all play Telemundo. The restaurants serve traditional Mexican food. We're not talking about Don Pablos here. Even the products they sell in stores come from Mexico from drinks to snacks to household cleaners. Here are a few visuals for you:


Finding out that there is a neighborhood in New York that is just like Mexico makes me wonder how many other hidden countries there are in this vast city. Perhaps I might find India in the far reaches of Brooklyn or Romania in the heights of The Bronx. Sometimes I forget, or maybe I take for granted, that I live in the most diverse city in the world.