Memories of Bensonhurst

My memories of Bensonhurst is the wonderful pizza, the men standing on the street for no reason, the good fellow style cops, the huge nails on women, big hair-do's, and men with too much hair styling gel on their hair. These people shaped bensonhurst in 1980. While being raising there is a strange experience. Most would assume Bensonhurst to be a chill spot. The area has changed from its Italian Guido look into a multi-ethnic community by early 2000's.

In 1980 I still remember the white castle on 86th st close to 22ave. It was like a drive through and across the street was a huge fruit and veggie Market with cold cuts and not far off was Spumoni gardens.
Its interesting that most of the bus drivers are still big Italian guys who now live in Staten Island. Despite growing up there, I hardly knew them, I am a Russian Jew and tended to always find other non-Italians to befriend. Most of the area has for rent signs up. Like of NY it changes and the new immigrants come in and take over. This area is still holding on to its Italian heritage despite most of the Italian residents having moved to Staten Island.

Bensonhurst is what is it and I have always been unforgiving about it's down falls.

When I'm far away from Brooklyn I find myself missing it. What I miss now is the Russian food stores and the new bensonhurst.

Now bensonhurst runs to the beat of the Chinese coffee shops, where Muslims, Chinese, Russians, and Mexicans come together.

Spumoni Gardens in my memories

Spumoni Gardens is to Italian, what Bensonhurst is to Guido. It is what I remember most, ice and a slice at the garden's. It was the hot spot 15 years ago. When I was 5 years old I remember thinking it was the greatest place. The area has slowly changed over many times, the hay day of Guido Paradise faded, the wiseguys are missing from street corners, and the pizzeria's are being replaced by Chinese bakeries.

I still go to Spumoni Gardens, but not for just a slice or blue ice. Late January 2009 I walked in for a square. I found the place full of Arabic speaking workers. They are new to this country and Spumoni Gardens is new to them. I laugh at the irony of the situation. These are Italian institutions and the people behind the counter are the immigrants that used to not be welcomed. The square is what Spumoni's is famous for, it arrives luke warm and a tad bit burned. The square is small but thick with slathered chunky tomato sauce and a sprinkle of parmesan cheese. I eat the slice at the run down table in the back, built over 50 years ago. The square has a tangy flavor and the tomato sauce is a mixture of bitter oregano and stewed tomato's. This slice is not soggy and the bottom of the square has a great crust with a soft sweet interior. The notorious square was fine but my memory says it was amazing.

The thought of the smiling older man giving me my blue ice brought instant heaven. The ice was impossible to eat in -1 Celsius, somehow I ate all the sweet ice. The ultra sweet chunk of blue ice, was the frozen kool aid of my dreams. Ah, why over analyze these memories.
Now Bensonhurst runs to the beat of the Chinese coffee shops where Muslims, Chinese, Russians, and Mexicans come together. With coffee and a bun for a dollar, how can the garden's win.

Vegas Diner in Brooklyn

The spot isn't the Vegas Diner anymore, where Italians get the best seat in the house and the nicest waitress. Last week I ate at the rundown Vegas dinner and found that it was as bad as I remember, not that it will stop me. I heard in 2008 they were closed for food handling violation and telling by the hair in my friends breakfast potato's i would say they need a new inspection. This place is falling apart, the booths are peeling and the decor hasn't changed in 20 plus years. For dinner they still sever too much food and charge hardly anything for it. I met for appetizers with my cousin. Our waitress was a woman with a mullet, and the 1980's Bensonhurst favorite curly frizz. She is wearing large brown rimed glasses and I assume she is 50 years old. Later, she divulges that she is in her late thirties.

My cousin and I order the calamari for $9.99 she advises us to pay $12.99 for the platter, we agree to it. I get a tea and my cousin gets a milkshake. The salad starts coming and never stops. First we get pickles, cold slaw, cucumbers, a pile of droopy veggies or junk, bread of all varieties, bread sticks, and a green salad with garlic bread. While we are surrounded with all types of mediocre food, my cousin gets the monster that is his milk shake, the waitress delivers this with pride. Me and my cousin are afraid of what will come next. The waitress tells me she lives in Staten Island and said she grew up in Bensonhurst. I don't have an accent, unless I get angry and then I speak like a "Bensonhurst girl". She starts saying she left "cus no one even speaks English in Bensonhurst," to this comment I smile, but with a dark undertone. I recognize Brooklyn's loss is certainly not Staten island's gain. I tell her I think its a good thing. Despite my obvious disdain with the direction of the conversation, she continues and mentions how "blacks" are now everywhere here. I take a deep breath and aggressively roll my eyes at her and then turn to speak Russian to my cousin, and she quickly goes to another table. This for me is bensonhurst I tell myself.

Dinner arrives and as expected is huge and tasteless. The deep fried calamari have a really gum like effect all of our chewing is to no avail. Eating them was like taking a pill you just have to gulp it. The french fries are freeze section style as well. We quickly and without further incident get the bill. We need to leave and then there are tons of Italian cookies. This is like a blast from the past and the fact that it remains makes me realize that these dinosaurs need to die a quick death so everyone can have good memories.