Random tidbits from the Island

Has anyone noticed how yupped out the Lower East Side has become? Between Katz’s Deli and that monster Whole Foods, there’s a lot of juice-box yuppie places now with a lot of juice box yuppies patronizing these places who I’m sure, wouldn’t venture into the Lower East Side a year ago without a posse and a police escort. Now they are all over the place now. Even in Katz’s!

May I present, a pastrami reuben. Before it was devoured!
Inside Katz’s, there are tables along the wall with big signs (written in English) that say “Waiter Service Only”. During my 30 minute “scarf the big sandwich down” session, I saw three different parties who walked over to the empty table, made a point of reading the sign, decided that “they don’t me ME” and sat down with their friends. Only to have the waitress order them out in the most quaint New York way (loud volume with threat of violence. OK, I made up that last part but they moved!). Sigh.
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A few months ago, I blogged about the news that MUJI has opened a store in SoHo. I made a visit there and was a bit disappointed.

Well, it looks like a MUJI
According to the staff I spoke to, many of the things that the store carries are things that don’t require regulation. To make this easier to understand, here’s some of the things that MUJI sells that can’t be brought to the US because of the need of these things to be regulated.
There’s no MUJI food, appliances, CD player, bicycle, stereo, house and many of the home furnishings that they’re known for.
But there is a good selection of the stationary products, dishes, some clothes and linens that make up the core of MUJI’s product line. It’s a nice sampler into the world of MUJI, but for those of us that have seen the Yurakcho store in Tokyo, it’s a bit of a letdown.
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According to a local Japanese newspaper, Sapporo USA will be re-importing my favorite favorite beer, Yebisu! At least to New York City. Let’s hope that a nationwide re-launch is in the works! Hit the link and check them out. I’ve had all of them!
Burp.