2011 9th Avenue International Food Festival

Astoria - 12:00 noon - Waiting for the N Train

Cute guy on the train

Despite overcast skies, 9th Avenue was pretty crowded

My first purchase: Cheesecake

Can't resist a sign advertising "Balls". Sorry.

My favorite stand at the festival.

Mozzarepa - sounds like a violent, degrading crime against Mozzarella

So proud of his hot meat.

Not everything at the Food Fest is bad for you.

Speaking of "bad for you" - the guys making Bloomin' Onions.

Cute Lemonade Guy - Pic #1

Cute Lemonade Guy - Pic #2

Windows of my old apartment. 

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Strapping On The Feed Bag ...

Ninth Avenue - 2010 (taken from the fire escape of my old apartment)

In just a little while I'll be heading over to the Ninth Avenue International Food Festival - as I've done every year for the past 15 or so. Unfortunately it's not as easy as it was when I lived on Ninth Avenue - when attending the Food Festival basically consisted of "going downstairs". Nowadays, attendance involves subway transfers and pre-planning - but it's SO worth it.

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Ninth Avenue International Food Festival

There weren't just HOTTIES at the Ninth Avenue Food Festival yesterday, there was actually FOOD there too! Before I left my apartment, I crawled out onto the fire escape - which looks out onto 9th Ave - to see how the crowds were ...

So down the steps I went. This is a picture of what it looked like directly in front of my building (I took this picture from my hallway). YES, there were funnel cakes directly outside my door...

One of my faves was across the street, Kettle Korn. Mmmmmmmm...

[...in my best Mike Myers/Linda Richman voice...] "Noo Yawk Egg Creams contain neither eggs nor cream ... Discuss..."

There were a couple "Southern" pie stands. I'm not a big pie person, but they looked delish, and the prices seemed reasonable for NYC...

These "French Crepes" places are at every street fair in the city. I think they sell more lemonade than they do crepes.

Typical New York: the German food stand ("New York's WORST Pushcart") beside the Brazilian Rice N' Beans stand...

The Poseidon Bakery has been open since 1923 and is legendary. So legendary, that owner Lili Fable once appeared on Martha Stewart's show and did a phyllo segment. I remember watching and yelling - "I KNOW WHO THAT IS"! BTW, that's fierce Lili in the teal sweater below - dishing out the Baklava...

Dalton's Bar does a Pig Roast, where Porky Pig...


...becomes a Swine Flu Sandwich. I had TWO and they were delish!!!


And if you bitches think I'm weighing-in tomorrow, ya'll are OUT OF YOUR MINDS!

Genuine NYC Hotties

More Hotties from the Ninth Avenue Food Festival. PAPIveillance continues...

PAPIveillance

My Pittsburgh blogger buddy, Dwight Supremacy, has a continuing series on his blog called "SIRveillance". It's a brilliantly simple idea: Dwight snaps pictures of hotties on the streets of his fair city, and then shares these pics with his readers.

I decided to do my own version of SIRveillance today - calling it PAPIveillance. I went down to the Ninth Avenue Food Festival and just started taking pictures. I must say, I was quite happy with the results...

NOW do you bitches understand why I live in New York City?...

I'm Baaaaaaaaaaaaaacccckkk!!!!!!

I now have have my Internet connection back, and 20 blocks of International Food Festival outside my door. Life is good...

Tuesday Weigh-In

After my Thursday thru Sunday eating orgy, I was afraid to get on the scale yesterday for my Monday Weigh-In. But I did weigh myself this morning, and I actually have good news - I've LOST three pounds since last Monday.

Here's the deal - last week (before Thursday) I was a weight-loss machine. In fact, I reached my lowest weight ALL YEAR when I weighed myself on Thursday morning. Luckily, those productive pre-pigout days were enough to allow me a net loss for the week, and not a gain.

Saturday and Sunday will be particularly challenging this week - because it's Ninth Avenue Food Festival weekend. Yes, 20 blocks of funnel cakes, sausage & peppers, kettle corn, pierogies, and bloomin' onion blossoms. Literally all I have to do is walk down my steps and out my front door, and there it is. And the Bloomin' Onion guy is always right outside my door. Bastard.

I think I'll lock myself in my apartment on Saturday, because I have people coming on Sunday to hang out at the festival. And once I get started, I don't stop. For those well-intentioned Commenters who will say I should simply practice "moderation" - unfortunately that word has never been in my vocabulary. It's like telling a crack-head to just do a little bit of crack, even though there is a TON of available crack to be smoked. I have never understood moderation - much to my detriment.