Fortune and Glory, kid

But let's be real, Disney went for fortune over glory

Jul 06, 2023

1. Noshing 😋

While I was on PTO a couple weeks ago, I took the Q58 bus to Flushing - one of NYC’s biggest Chinatowns. I spent some time in China a few years ago pre-pandemic and I’ve been searching for one thing ever since - jian bing. Jian bing is like the most delicious savory combination of a crepe/burrito/scallion pancake. A crepe-like batter is spread on a flat round surface and smoothed with one of those little crepe sticks. Then, some egg is cracked on top and spread around. Next come toppings and sauces - scallions and a sweet bean sauce are the standard, but you can add in all sorts of stuff (I got pork floss once and it was great). Finally, and this is the important part, a big crunchy wonton is placed in the wrapper and the whole thing is folded up for easy eating while walking.

I’ve tried jian bing at a few places in NYC and none of them have held up to my memory of what I had in China & it was mostly the crunchy wonton feature that was lacking. Some of them simply sprinkled some wonton crackers in the wrapper and some omitted the crunch altogether, which is blasphemous. I scoured the internet and it told me good jian bing existed in Flushing, so to Flushing I went and I wasn’t disappointed.

I trusted the Righteous Eats guy and went to Eight Jane. It’s just a small walk up counter and the entire menu was in Chinese characters. If my anxious little self hadn’t done extensive research beforehand, I would have felt even more intimidated. Thankfully, the owners spoke enough English to understand my order just fine (I’m sure all the white girls go there for the jian bing now anyways). They also have tea eggs and youtiao, which I would have gotten if I didn’t already have a long day of snacking ahead. I secured the jian bing ($5, cash only!) and Lorenzo and I ate it as we walked around. I wish we had gotten the spicy sauce (Lorenzo 👎), but it was really good. It had a whole ass crunchy wonton in there!

If I’m being honest, I do think the one I had in China was better. But the jian bing from Eight Jane was the best I’ve had so far in NYC. If you know a place with better jian bing in NY, let me know!

2. Watching 👀

I saw Indiana Jones & the Dial of Destiny so if you don’t want to read about it skip to the next section!

I’ve already discussed my love for Indiana Jones and I was really excited to see the final chapter in Indy’s journey. It wasn’t bad, but it didn’t feel like an Indiana Jones movie to me. It felt like I was watching a Disney Adventure Film™, like Jungle Cruise or something (which I liked!), but it was missing so much of the magic that an Indiana Jones movie should have. In many ways, it was inferior to Crystal Skull, which is a movie that is generally disliked.

Dial of Destiny was the first, and only, Indy movie to not be directed by Steven Spielberg, and it showed. I’ve spoken about the Spielberg Face before & how his films invite us in as participants, rather than just as passive viewers. This connection is why so many of his films have that timeless feel that we’re able to form an emotional (and nostalgic) connection with. Dial of Destiny did not have that, which is why, to me, it felt like I was just watching any random adventure movie unfold before me.

I did not connect with Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s Phoebe & I barely felt in tune with Indy, a character that I’ve known for years. And don’t even get me started on the kid in this film - a Short Round he is not! One of my biggest disappointments is that we didn’t even get a throwaway line mentioning what Shorty is up to despite there being the perfect opportunity when Phoebe mentions that she met Teddy as he was picking her pocket. Disrespectful.

The first half of the film also felt like it was throwing spectacle at me just to dazzle my simple little brain. There were three big back to back chase scenes (on a train! through a ticker tape parade! on a tuk tuk!) that made up the bulk of the beginning of the movie & that was simply too much running & not enough story. These scenes quickly made it evident to me that I was watching a Disney Blockbuster™ & not a character driven Indiana Jones finale.

Disney fuckin knows what it’s doing and they’re not even pretending

That said, I was pretty impressed with how they “de-aged” Harrison Ford in the opening scened. Visually, it looked pretty good most of the time. When the Nazis pulled that hood off & revealed a baby Harrison Ford face, I was impressed. His voice, however, didn’t work for me. It’s hard to explain, but it did not sound like his dialogue was coming out of his mouth and it sounded very digital, like how a voice sounds on the other end of the phone. I do also think the de-aged scene went on way too long (25 minutes and most of it was the aforementioned train chase) & could have been better as a shorter flashback.

All in all, this wasn’t a bad movie, but it wasn’t a good Indiana Jones movie. Crystal Skull may have had wonky CGI, but at its heart it was a good fuckin Indiana Jones movie.

3. Exploring 🗺️

I’ve been catsitting in Park Slope & if I’m being honest, I kind of love it here. Aggressive strollers aside, Park Slope is pretty cute and I’ve already found a Japanese grocery/beauty store, a board game cafe, and a solid gelato place all within a few blocks. However, I was most happy to use Park Slope’s proximity to hard to reach Red Hook to my advantage & spent a whole day winding through the streets.

Because it’s pretty isolated geographically, Red Hook has become it’s own little land in a bubble. What was most striking to me on my walk is that there are truly two sides to Red Hook - the side with all of the fun restaurants/shops that influencers always highlight as “hidden gems” and the side that is home to Brooklyn’s largest NYCHA development. The difference in businesses in both areas is pretty stark - the NYCHA area has dollar stores, discount groceries, and liquor stores. The hip area has expensive but delicious Hometown BBQ, a Food Bazaar, and a store literally called Apotheke. I once read an article that noted you can usually tell when you’re in a lower income neighborhood by what they call their alcohol shops - low income areas will have liquor stores vs wines & spirits shops in higher income areas. I had no idea about the income disparity in the neighborhood until I had a call with the Red Hook Initiative and they highlighted the issues that Red Hook faces, largely due to its isolation.

The raspberry swingle was very good, but it was also $8 😳

I’ll admit I felt like an intruder near the NYCHA houses so I made my way towards the trendy area & grabbed a slice at Mark’s Red Hook Pizza. Imagine my absolute delight when the slice cost a very reasonable $3.50! When I was in college and living in Bensonhurst, I saved my change all week so I could treat myself to a $2 slice at Pizza Den; that wasn’t even cheap, that was just the price of pizza then (and a monthly metrocard was $80 👵🏻). The pizza was good and I grabbed a water to continue on my journey in the 90+ degree weather.

I had always wanted to try Steve’s Key Lime Pies and this scorching day necessitated a swingle - their frozen mini pie dipped in chocolate. I got the one with a layer of raspberry and enjoyed it in a tiny spot of shade in Louis Valentino, Jr. Park. At the end of the pier there, you get an excellent view of the Statue of Liberty. I sat at the end of the pier until my pasty white skin simply could not take any more sun and made my way around the shoreline and towards Ikea - a haven of meatballs and air conditioning. They have a “meatball sundae” that is comprised of mashed potatoes, a few meatballs, and jam in a cup and for the price of a subway ride ($2.75 - a deal!); it hit the spot. I took the bus back to Park Slope because my feet could not take anymore. It was a good day.

The statue and this warehouse could both be seen from the waterfront and I feel like they perfectly illustrate the microcosm of Brooklyn that is Red Hook

4. Learning 🧠

On my Instagram I teased that I’d be writing about what a Brooklyn Trolley has to do with an LA Baseball team and of course Julianne of @howtobebrokeinnewyork knew exactly what I was hinting at! While I was in Red Hook, I stumbled on an old trolley car that’s a remnant from an ambitious plan to bring trolley service back to improve transportation in and around Red Hook. In order to find our connection, we have to go back to when trolley service extended all across Brooklyn!

An old trolley car behind the Red Hook Food Bazaar

Before 1930, trolleys were the main way to get around Brooklyn and they ran pretty extensive routes similar to our MTA buses today. However, the transition from horse-powered trolleys to electric trolleys proved to be a tough one. Folks were not used to looking both ways when crossing the street because the horses usually moved out of the way for people, but the electric trolleys would just keep zipping on by. Because of this switch, a lot of people were hit and killed by trolleys. Thus, “trolley dodging” was literally a matter of life and death!

And this is where our baseball team comes in - the LA Dodgers used to be the Brooklyn Dodgers and before that they were the Brooklyn Trolley Dodgers! They literally named themselves after the fact that people kept getting run over by trolleys in the streets, which I guess is similar to how the OKC Thunder are named after the fact that tornadoes are constantly destroying towns, but is maybe less cringey than all of the sports teams that appropriate Native American culture. Anyways, they initially played in Washington Park in Park Slope, then Eastern Park in Brownsville, and finally at the famous Ebbets Field in Crown Heights. They eventually signed Jackie Robinson, the first African American to play for a Major League Baseball team, and this eventually led to integration & did demise of the Negro Leagues. But because we can’t have nice things (and a dick swinging contest with Robert Moses), the team moved to LA and played their last game in Brooklyn in 1957 (they won, natch).

5. What’s Good 😎

I was just at Ikea but I didn’t see this light that looks like a bagel! Props to this person for seizing the opportunity to make an everything bagel lamp. This might be the other hot accessory of this season that we all need.
I haven’t been to Dinner Party in Ft Greene yet but it’s on my to try list! This Sunday they’re starting The Dinner Party Community Center. They describe it as “a space for the kids to hang out and talk, eat, listen to music, show their art, play chess, read, and drink” and they’ll have wine, snacks, and pay-what-you-can produce. They’re also open to hosting popups!
BK Mag just published an article about Brooklyn’s 50 Most Fascinating People. I was so happy to see Abi Balingit on the list! I’ve been really wanting her Filipino inspired dessert cookbook, Mayamu, and my birthday is coming up in August so ya know….Who are you stoked to see on the list?

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