What SEL Saw Today: Ice cream with a vodka chaser

Before going to China, I was warned by numerous people several times to avoid eating street food. In fact, rather than suggesting that I "avoid eating it," it went something like "do not, under any circumstances, eat street food." OK.

For some reason, I seem to have carried that with me. NYC is full of carts selling food on the street. To many people, NYC is synonymous with hot salted pretzels from a cart. Beyond that, there's falafel and hot dogs, fruit and lamb kababs, ice cream, nuts and tacos. But I don't partake in any of it. I don't know if it's residual fear from the China preparations, or my germaphobe-ness in general, but I very infrequently find myself hungry enough to indulge in a street snack. The wrapped stuff, like the ice cream bars and popsicles, those are ok. But unwrapped food, meals that are cooked in carts, and street meat are all off limits.

Tonight, however, as we were walking from the subway to LIU's Brooklyn campus for swim practice, there was a man selling ice cream out of a cart. It looked good, he looked clean, and I ordered up a double scoop of cherry and coconut. It was served in a Dixie cup. And boy was it good. It wasn't Italian ice but it wasn't ice cream either. I'm not sure how to describe it. I think that it was something of the Spanish variety. Whatever it was, I will surely be looking for him next Monday night!