Turn Five

Coming off Route 17 in New Jersey is The Bendix Diner in Hasbrouck Heights. They have every kind of food imaginable, and all cooked fantastically well. The pancakes, grilled cheeses, hash browns, great coffee, and burgers and fries, all are what you’d expect from a diner, good down home cooking and legitimate trucker food. The diner was manufactured in 1947 by Master Diners in Pequannock, New Jersey. It still has the original flooring, displays, stools and dispensers. You might recognize the diner as being the diner Rosie used in a Bounty commercial and it’s been featured in many movies as well.

The Bendix is definitely a greasy spoon, its charm and character is memorable and it’s almost guaranteed that you’ll make at least one friend on your trip here. The friendly diner banter will automatically pull you in with their amusing stories. Many of the patrons are guests staying at one of the luxury Hasbrouck Heights hotels in need of some comfort food, and not wanting it known just how much they really enjoy chowing down on some scrumptious un-healthy food and everyone else eating there is doing the exact same thing, enjoying the finer points of an joyously juicy meal.

Bendix is this amazing place, even after the owner past away, his wife and son, both run the diner to keep up the tradition of not only the quality of the food, but with the love and joy he had for all his customers. What’s really amazing about Bendix is the cherry pie. It doesn’t matter if you only visit the joint once a year, the cherry pie’s sweet, tart, ruby red cherries with a dense pastry style crust tastes just as delicious as before. But, to make sure that there will be a slice for you when you arrive, it might not be a bad idea to call ahead; it’s that good.

The origins of vegetarianism go back for thousands of years, and there is an enormously rich history here. In the west, there are such fanatics as Leonardo Da Vinci, or Shelley, the Romantic poet, who helped to make the principles known to other regions of the world. In the east, however, the proponents and adherents didn’t need to profess an alignment with a new discovery about food and science, because there were already enough justifications in the spiritual systems.

Whether or not the beliefs started with a spiritual basis, or as a healthy way of living, may be be beside the point, or it may be the exact same thing. There is no argument, however, that grabbing a vegetarian meal in Singapore certainly feels like life just got longer, and more compassionate. And rather delicious, too.

There are plenty of options for vegetarians in this city-state, being a kind of locus for different cultures, and many with very developed vegetarian philosophies. There are plenty of old scriptures, sayings, and ideas to support it, as well as the constantly developing ideas of food that move the argument ever forward. Even if the arguments about not getting enough protein seem convincing, for tourists, a vegetarian diet won’t hurt. There are plenty of other options, too, because not every restaurant is vegetarian, but it’s nice to have too many choices for a change.

It is a lifestyle choice in contemporary times, and there is a Vegetarian Society in Singapore for anyone who might be interested in looking at the arguments from a religious and scientific standpoint. Those who follow it are usually pretty enthusiastic about it, and meeting enthusiastic people can be fun. The organization here is part of the International Vegetarians Union , so there are those who adhere to it out of belief in the nutritional and ecological elements of it, and those who see it as a moral choice, but in the restaurants here, all that’s obvious is that the taste is superb.

It was a dream that brought me here, and a dream that’s convinced me to stay.  Sometimes there’s no more than an occasional blast of lightning in the middle of the darkest forest on the darkest night.  It’s just enough illumination to tell you that you’re on the way, but not enough to know where it’s going.  There’s just a hint in you that this is the right thing, and it’s matched by a few fleeting signs.  Some are enough to remain convinced, and this particular flash of lightning was a dream where there was a woman with fire in her tongue, and her hands were open, revealing a small scar between the finger and the thumb on the left hand.

I’ve spent the entire trip, then, just following signs, moving here and there throughout the city, wondering what might happen if I decide to act on a sense of direction that seems to be always shifting.  But there are plenty of moments that also tell me this is leading somewhere, and that’s the case today.  This Italian restaurant is one of those dream places at the edges of the world, where you can apparently, have anything you want.  The food is splendid and there’s something to go on every part of the tongue, and in unusual combination, along with coffees and liqueurs.

As I’m eating, there’s a very strange sense that time is starting to spin in all directions, and I’m not sure why this is happening, or even if it’s important.  But there’s a sense that time is spinning backwards and now forwards, and suddenly it slows.  There is a moment when I am sitting, and my mouth is full of salt and sweet.  The table next to me is moving.  A woman coughing.  She holds up her hand to stop the waiter.  She is not choking.  Her mouth is burning from a pepper.  She is fine.  She holds her hand to stop him.  She has a scar between her thumb and finger.  It is on her right hand, however.  This might not be her.  I better check.

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi is known throughout the world as Mahatma Gandhi. He was born in October of 1869 and would become one of the greatest politicians and spiritual leaders the country has known. He is also recognized internationally as a great advocate for peace and equally. Gandhi was a primary leader of the Indian Independence Movement and is considered to be a pioneer of satyagraha, which is a non-violent form of political resistance. He is most famous for his long fasts, which were intended for both self-purification and also as a form of resistance. Tourists who are staying in one of the four star hotels in Delhi will certainly encounter one or many memorials to this great leader.

Gandhi’s form of political resistance called for mass social disobedience to fight back against tyranny. His protest work in India led to numerous protest marches and civil rights campaigns across the world. His ideas were firmly routed in ahimsa, which among other things emphasizes a resistance to violence. Ahimsa also instructs adherents to practice honesty and to live modestly. Gandhi was true to this philosophy and swore to always tell the truth. He also lived in a small self-sustaining residential community. He was a vegetarian and wore the traditional Indian dhoti with shawl, which he hand spun on a charkha.

In 1921 Gandhi become the leader of the Indian National Congress. He immediately began work to ease poverty and advocate for the civil rights of women. He led a nation wide campaign advocating Swaraj, which means the independence of India from foreign domination. One of his early and most famous protests occurred in 1922 when he led a non-cooperation movement protesting the British imposed salt tax. He also called for complete British departure in 1942 in the British Quit movement. Gandhi is officially recognized and honored as the Father of the Nation. His birthday, October 2, is commemorated as the national holiday, Gandhi Jayanti. This day is also celebrated world wide as the International Day of Non-Violence.

The city of New York has long been one of the best food cities in the world. The best chefs in North America and top chefs from around the world come to New York to prove their worth to the city’s savy diners. For the last decade, the New York Food Museum has worked to educate the public on food and food sources.

In 1998, the New York Food Museum hosted its first event: a panel discussion at Brooklyn College title “The Food Voice and the NY Food Museum.” In 2000 the Musuem hosted the first annual “New York City International Pickle Day” festivities and began plans for online exhibitions to promote the Museum’s activities.

The Museum was founded with the mission to “encourage people to think about the food they eat.” This includes reminding diners of the source of that food as well as its preparation. Through programs across the city, the Museum partners with non-profit organizations and public space managers to provide exhibitions on food sources, workers, distribution, land use, nutrition, and the ecology of farming. They also host events that celebrate the strong culinary culture of New York. Exhibits have appeared in schools, museums, ferry terminals, galleries, and community and cultural centers areound New York.

Online the museum offers virtual exhibitions on New York’s food history. This includes two centuries of articles and images about fishing, farming, dining habits, and New York restaurants. Some of the special topics covered on the museum’s site have included chewing gum, hot dogs and street vendors, beer, the history of pickling, and fruit marketing. In addition to articles and photographs, the museum’s online collection includes recipes, maps, and transcripts of interviews with chefs.