Party at the Water-Less Pool, and Thai Food
- By Robyn Lee
- Jul 24, 2007
- Comments
Sun scorching my retinas. Faint smell of pot wafting around my head. Little kids playing in a questionably sanitary puddle. Muffled sounds of indie rock band performing on stage. Hipsters patiently waiting in line for beer.
WHERE AM I?
- the pool
On Sunday I went to Pool Parties at McCarren Pool for the first time this summer. I went once last year to see Of Montreal, after which in a state of severe bodily fluid expulsion ("sweating") I asked myself, "Jesus, did I really travel 2 hours to roast in the sun and feel like a overly wet, leaky sponge and smell like...[sniff]...oh my god that is not human."
Yes, yes I did. And then I did it again to see last week's Pool Parties because Diana, Patty, Annie, John, Pete and Alex were going and seeing people who stimulate happiness as opposed to trigger nightmare-ridden panic attacks is always a good thing. But if I wasn't sure before about whether my former penchant for attending concerts was being sucked out of this universe, I was now. After standing around the pool with friends and...that was pretty much it, I didn't really feel like watching the bands, even the headliner Band of Horses (who I really do like, as long as I don't have to watch them from the pit of a decaying pool with the same area as a Walmart while being attacked by ultraviolet rays).
- sky
Instead of stationing my stubby self in front of the stage (a novel idea at a concert), I mainly stood in a small grassy spot shaded by the pool's encompassing brick wall to the side of the stage with Diana, Patty, Annie and John. The lone metal barricade and burgeoning garden of weeds told us that this area probably wasn't meant for loitering (although it would've been pretty cozy without the barricade or weeds, even better with a few pillows and a hammock thrown in...and an air conditioner and a free ice cream truck), but we stayed put because moving would grant some other overly heated soul the gift of shade, something that none of us was willing to give up.
- omg people
Besides, the main reason people came to this spot by the pool was to grab a drink or salty snack, not to enter our precious 10 cubic feet of semi-darkness. Whisky and ginger beer...hm, nah. Annie was interested in trying a whisky-ginger beer concoction though, so I grabbed us a cup in case they carded. Which they didn't. Funny how the first time I decide to see what perks being 21 will bring me, it does nothing. This age, IT DOES NOTHING.
- tastes like burning
I took a careful sip of the mix drink amounting to a teaspoon or less, all I really need for my brain needs to know whether or not it dislikes something. My dislike radar went off, prompting my tongue to peek out and my face to scrunch up in confused horror, which is my natural reflex expressing...confused horror. Oh, and dislike. The other part of the reflex that people can't see is how my inner tubes (the ones that food flows though) suddenly feel like they're being violated by a river of some dead, molten, conscience-less substance, first killing everything in its path (old ladies, infants, badgers, nothing is safe) and then magically poofing or something so that my tubes feel uncomfortably sharp and clear before feeling dead again and...I might be exaggerating a bit, but if you know the feeling then you might agree with one of those things I just babbled.
Annie took a sip. "Whoa, that's bad."
"So it's not just me?" I asked.
Annie took another sip. "Yeah, it's pretty bad."
"You don't have to keep drinking it!..."
And yet another sip. "Actually, it's not that bad."
After having tried whisky-ginger-beer for the first time, I figured I may as well infect myself with the other drink of Pool Parties choice: Red Bull. Don't ask me why a bunch of people smoldering in a pool would need an energy drink designed for "increased mental and physical exertion," not much of which seemed to be happening as most people were standing or sitting, not pulling all-nighters, exhaustedly driving cabs, performing 10-hour brain surgery, rescuing crying babies from burning buildings, or whatever the other suggested uses of Red Bull are.
- candy in a can
Patty donated a sip of her Red Bull to my knowledge bank of beverage experiences. The first sensation was a blast of candy. Then fizziness. Then tartness. Then, "Oh my god what the heck did I just drink," a question that wasn't answered any better after looking at the ingredients listed on the can. If it were actually called "Liquefied SweeTarts" the taste would've made more sense to me, but the brand never seems to advertise the tastes of its miracle drink. And why should it; you don't drink it for the taste, you drink it because it repeatedly pokes your brain with stimulants.
So if any Red Bull virgins out there wondered what Red Bull tasted like, I'd describe it as SweeTarts in soda form. I like SweeTarts. I like eating them. But I'd like to ingest SweeTarts in fizzy liquid form about as much as I'd like to drink melted gummi worms or Skittles or have holes poked into my brain by microscopic caffeine-powered leprechauns. Just my opinion, of course. (if you like Red Bull, that's fine with me. I heard it tastes good mixed with alcohol...not that I really want to explore that option.)
If I drank enough of anything, whether that be whisky-based slosh or Red Bull, I'd probably learn to like it. That's how I learned to like water...that, and I cut out all other drinks. But methinks it's a little more worthwhile to get used to drinking water, the most basic thirst quencher, than other beverages. And it's calorie free! (Of course, you can like water and other beverages; I've just stuck with water. And the occasional milkshake.)
I still remember the discussions I had with some of my alcohol-loving classmates during our trip to Rome about how to acclimate oneself to the bitter taste of fermentation.
"Oh, you just have to chug it. Drink it and drink it until you like it."
"...Oh...um..." My skepticism was difficult to hide. Not that I was really trying.
"It's great! After you get over the nausea."
"...Uhhh...."
I loved my classmates. It probably would've been funny to see them drunk, but I never got the chance.
Anyway, back to my story, if I was indeed telling one.
- my view is unstoppable
We left our shaded enclave and moved maybe 10 feet to watch Band of Horses from behind the barrier on the side, meaning that we didn't watch as much as hear. Diana, who had all-access privileges, informed me that it wasn't very interesting to watch anyway, so I took her word for it. And then the tummy rumbling set in and we left the show early to grab some foodstuffs. (But I do recommend Everything All the Time
We walked to Sea, a huge, spacious Thai restaurant with a shallow rectangular pool in the center flanked by tables on two sides and overseen by a statue of Buddha. The decor is trendy, semi industrial and semi Asian-y (don't ask me what that means; I'll figure it out later), but sometimes that's what you want. To sit at an oblong, somewhat triangular black table by wood paneled walls with rectangular boxes of light jutting out of them, you know? I had seriously been interested in checking it out every since I passed by it once a few summers ago and was like, "OOH GIANT BUDDHA AND STUFF, looks nice." There was also a balloon half-floating around our table, probably not part of the decor. It wasn't heavy enough to sink to the ground, but it wasn't light enough to float in the air (this balloon totally failed balloon school), so it eerily hovered around like a ghost...made of yellow latex. That's one way to annoy the hell out of someone—shove a bunch of half-floating balloons in their direction.
- Mummy Fish
Sea is a nice place to eat at for its reasonable prices. But I defeated the purpose of not spending much by ordering Mummy Fish, one of the more expensive items on the menu at $16 (most entrees are under $10). However, I'm a sucker for whole fish and that stuff usually costs a bit. Mummy Fish is, "Roasted red snapper marinated with lemongrass, cilantro, garlic, pepper. Served with chili-citrus sauce." And I had to copy and paste that description because I otherwise wouldn't know what to tell you besides that the flesh was soft and meaty (yes, meat is meaty last time I checked), not flaky like some other fish but not flaky, more like...mashed fish. Mashed fish with bones in it. Uh. You...you know? Nevermind. Although the fish was seasoned enough to be eaten on its own, I coated most of the fish chunks in the thin spicy and sour chili-citrus sauce because sometimes I like assaulting my taste buds. Overall, a tasty fish. I ate everything except for the bony tail bit and head.
- Black Noodles, Pad Woon Sen, and a fried rice thingy
Patty, Diana and Annie also ate food. And THERE IT IS! I don't have much to say about them since I didn't eat them. And lookie there, I didn't even deliver nice photos. Bah.
- dessserrrt!
Diana and I were the only ones to spring for dessert. I immediately went towards the molten chocolate cake with pistachio ice cream (a Thai favorite, I'm sure) because how could I not go for a cake with a burning core of raging chocolate goo with some pistachio ice cream on the side to cool your tongue, which you accidentally burned from eating the cake too fast? Oops, did I do that? Oops. Well. The cake goes from warm to, "OH SHIT, MY TONGUE, NOW PARTIALLY DEAD," so be careful, kiddies. Perhaps this shouldn't be eaten under anyone 21.
...Just kidding; I'm just stupid and my mouth moves faster than my brain. If you pace yourself then you can painlessly enjoy a not burninatingly hot core of chocolate goo within the lightly fudgey, not overwhelmingly sweet or chocolate-y cake. Sadly, my stomach was nearing the explosion point and with only a few bites left I—in a strange act of willpower—decided to put my spoon down. Aw. I didn't finish the ice cream either, as it's main function in its partially frozen life on my plate was to sooth the dying cells on my burnt tongue. It's probably a better idea to share a dessert with someone else.
- apple tart
Diana liked her apple tart, but I think like me couldn't finish it from lack of stomach space. She did a good job on it though. THAT'S MY DIANA, YEAAH, YOUR STOMACH IS EXPANDING!
- guava Thai tea
I forgot to mention that Diana and Patty got drinks of less than stellar taste. Diana's guava flavored Thai iced tea looked like tea but tasted like sweet guava juice. Which would've been fine if that's what she was expecting. I'm sensitive to the taste of tea (aka BITTER DIRTY LEAF SQUEEZIES) and I couldn't detect it in this glass. I didn't try Patty's lychee flavored tea, but I figure it had the same problem of not tasting like tea, or the tea just didn't mix with the lychee. Or I don't know. Her tea and Diana's tea were the same color...the color of all the tea leaves that had their lives squeezed out of them.
Fun times. Williamsburg is a neat little place, strangely run down and new at the same time, although not a place I could imagine living because 1) probably couldn't afford it and 2) too many young people. Or too many people within a 5 year range of my age. Which makes me wonder if I'll just end up disliking people in their 40s when I turn 40. Young people, geddof my lawn (waves imaginary cane towards the sky while failing to rise from imaginary lawn chair on imaginary lawn).
And now for your Potter update
I didn't mention how tired I was on Sunday morning.
I was really tired on Sunday morning. For good reason.
- HARRY POTTER IS MINE
Actually, staying up until 7AM to read Harry Potter probably isn't a good reason, nor something I should boast because it's kind of sad, but there it is. I received the book Saturday afternoon and told myself I wouldn't read it until I had a huge chunk of time where I wouldn't have to pull myself off my bed. Except I did pull myself off a few times to eat snacks and make popcorn (one of my favorite things to cook lately, if popping it in a pot counts as cooking). Had to keep my energy up, you know? Reading Harry Potter can be draining when it's blow after blow of bad things happening...
I won't give away any spoilers, although I figure anyone who really wants to read it would have read it by now and anyone who half-cares would've looked up what happened (who dies, who lives, OMG). Like every HP book, I loved the 7th volume, although it's not my favorite. Yet. I'm going to start reading it a second time to make sure.
A little background about my HP reading history, if anyone is still reading this [pokes your bored slumped-over body with virtual stick]. The first time I cracked open an HP book around the end of 8th grade (1999), I had never even heard of him. My mum bought the book from Costco and gave it to me, saying she heard it was good, which was kind of an odd gesture since she rarely bought books for me. The goofy looking cover and storyline of witches and wizards made me skeptical (up to that point I didn't like fantasy novels about magic and things...and I actually still don't aside from HP), but starting off with book 2 (because I didn't know there was an order, yet it still made sense not having read the first book) I was instantly hooked. Like reeeaaaally hooked. So I guess this is one of those things you either love instantly or don't get. I mostly known people from the latter set, but a handful of friends are like me and have..um, already finished the 7th book. Woohoo!
I love Harry Potter. A lot. The books, not the movies.
Comments
I'm sure there were millions of people who stayed up all night to read Harry Potter. Or you could've been the ONLY one...and yes, that would've been sad. ;-)
I'll just get my Harry Potter spoilers on Wikipedia.
"my mouth moves faster than my brain," - sigh robyn, we are twins! I can't tell you how many time I've thought that exact same phrase to myself, lol! The though usually comes about when I've eatne too much...but I still keep on eating, seemingly at any unstoppable speed. But then I stop eventually and then think, "ohno, why does my mouth move faster than my brain," teehee.
I'm not a fan of alcohol either, not even wine sadly :(. But truth be told, this may be all the better for us...what we don't spend on wine can be invested in dessert! =)
Yay! I finished it as well - my whole weekend was all about HP and Japanese potato salad (see flickr and blog)! I liked the book - but I also don't know if it's my favourite yet.
I too stayed up LATE LATE LATE into the night to finish HP - I was interrupted to pick up my friend from the train station at a very tension filled moment, and I felt all upset and nervous and fidgety until they were safely delivered home and I could dive back into the book. Now that I've finished I'm not ready to pick it up again, but I know I will have to soon... just to make sure I understood everything.
I'm amazed you don't like tea! Istead of bitter leaf squeezies, I tend to think of it as magical plant power tonic or something like that (in my head) as green tea is supposed to be, like, the most magical drink ever - aside from TRULY magical drinks that is, like pumpkin juice.
B
Hand to Mouth
A blog for the penniless gourmet
Heya Ro...
No worries. I received my Harry Potter book at about two in the afternoon on Saturday and I was finished reading it at 3:30am. And then I called my sister to mock her because I knew what happened and she didn't. So who's the super-dork now? Yeah, it's me, and I love it!
- S
I paced myself on reading Harry Potter in fear of finishing too soon! lol I only stayed up till 1am reading it.
Williamsburg is nifty, too many hipsters though. I get scared when I see guys wearing jeans that are tighter than mine! Rent is horribly expensive for tiny little apts ( with no lawns Robyn ) lol Bf pays 1700 a month! I guess if you want to live 10 minutes away from the city, that's where you go...
I couldn't wait for Amazon for Saturday delivery, I had to have my copy in my greedy hands Friday night. I think greed is one of the 7 deadly sins, because I paid for it by having to wait in a grossly overcrowded Barnes & Noble whose air conditioning could not fight the heaving sweaty masses...so um, it smelled. BUT I GOT IT AND READ IT STRAIGHTAWAY and now I am sad because there are no more.
Anyway, thanks for making me crave molten chocolate cake. (Now I have a goal for the day! Eat cake.)
I went once last year to a pool concert thing - sonic youth and yyy's - and this girl next to us passed out to the alarm of those nearby, woke up and threw up and then brightening exclaimed, yeah! this is my favorite song! hopped up and left. We took a few steps back away from the spew and some guys put like a garbage can and masking tape around the area. BUT PEOPLE KEPT STEPPING IN IT. It was like a great experiment of human failure. Or eye failure.
SEA was in Garden State in that part with the restaurant.
i need to leech of somebody else's harry potter. yesss book vampirrrrees.
hmm...burninatingly, a reference to homestarrunner.com? Hah, I LOVE Harry Potter and despite having my wisdom teeth removed, being on Vicodin, and falling asleep like 5 times a day i still managed to finish it by Monday morning. It was so good, the ending was happy without being cheesy.
I love Harry Potter! I got it at Duane Reade at 12ish am on Saturday. Pretty much read it straight through - except for minor snackage and a 5-hour nap. Don't you love Neville? (I know, Ima geek)
I love Harry Potter! I got it at Duane Reade at 12ish am on Saturday. Pretty much read it straight through - except for minor snackage and a 5-hour nap. Don't you love Neville? (I know, Ima geek)
Marvo: Oh yes, me and the other millions of people...we cannot sleep, ONLY REEEAAAD.
Wikipedia is way too comprehensive. But in case I need a list of everyone who died, I'm good to go!
Kathy: As long as your stomach isn't in TOO much pain after eating too much then...yer probably okay! Cos I usually feel like death after eating too much. :(
Dessert > alcohol.
Su-Lin: Yay! I loved the photo of your book and potato salad. :D Mmmm. I still find the British book cover so funny.
B: Oh god, I would hate to get interrupted while reading. My mum came into my room at some point and I told her I didn't want to be interrupted. :P "GET OUT MOM I'M READING HP OMG"
Highly diluted tea with sugar is okay with me, as by that point it doesn't taste like tea anymore. Wee! Ee. But when it's bitter and leafy, I'm not a fan. :(
Steph: I didn't really have anyone to gloat to about knowing the ending to, haha. None of my friends caaared!..waarh...
wonders: I thought I would put the book down and read it later, but then I'd be like, Ah only 200 pages more," and then THE SUN CAME UP...I totally failed.
$1700! Crap! I'd rather live in Queens even if it's farther. And yeah, those tight jeans look like they cut off blood flow, which can't be good.
Jeanne: I felt like a lame fan for just ordering it on amazon.com, but I didn't wanna wait around at a midnight party. My mum wanted to go to one just for FUN, haha...cos hoards of HP fans are fun, hm.
I'm sad too! I hope some kind of...HP Encyclopedia will at least come out.
Janet: Whoaa puking girl, NOT GOOD. I didn't see any pukage at the show I went to. Or any show I've been too. Woo!
Humans fail. Yes. And this is the future of the human race! US!!!
Ooh, I didn't know that was in the movie! I don't really want to see the movie again to check, but it was fun..that one time...yeah.
I have to own the HP books so I can read em over and over again for the rest of my life.
Kristen: I used to LOVE Homestar!...but I stopped following the site a few years ago. Used to have a Trogdor shirt though.
The ending made me think, "WAIT YOU DIDN'T TELL ME EVERYTHING ARGH WHAT HAPPENED?" So I was kinda frustrated. But it was nice, ya.
Michelle: I do love Neville! Turned from seemingly not-so-bright wimpy dude to...non wimpy dude. Yaay Nevillle!
AHHH, I knew I liked you! HP!! I got the book when I got home on Saturday - from Amazon, and cracked it open at 11 p.m. and aside from a small break for snacks, I finished in the wee hours of the morning. I'll have to reread it to be sure that I liked it but I may have to reread the whole series...just because...>.> Well, do I need a reason?!
I haven't been to Williamsburg but for driving through...and I have been on only one short trip to Brooklyn for a barhopping nightmare - one really drunk guy was bothering all of us. =_= Some people should not drink. After that we went to have dessert at this pretty decent bakery and went home. :)
Hahaha a friend was visiting me on Sunday, and he had his HP book cracked at every spare moment. Crack, I tell you.
Really close to Sea Thai is this vegan place called Bliss - I highly recommend.
Hey: Just found your blog and have spent too much time reading...great stuff, and the photos! Love it. I miss GREAT food!!!
I went to the last Harry Potter book release party and my intention was to stay up and read it but I drove around to other Harry Potter release parties, mocking those who didn't get their book when I did. No, I didn't! Then I went shopping because at this one store, if you bought $30 worth of groceries you only paid $12.95 for the book, so I bought two books for the price of the book when it's not on sale.
I got home. I, like you, didn't want to start reading it until I could read it, which is why I waited. I make pumpkin pasties, I bought rose-flavored Turkish Delight (which tasted like soap -- you see, I thought it would taste like soap because of the smell and it did. My dad didn't think it had a soapy taste until I said I thought it tasted like soap.), I made tea, and I tried the marmite I bought that night (not cool. I gave it to my brothers because they like things that are odd. This was too odd for me but I might try it again just to make sure). But the book? I feel asleep after chapter 2. Then I read some during the afternoon on Saturday, fell asleep, Saturday night, couldn't stay up, and I finally was able to finish it on Sunday, though it required me to stay up until three in the morning.
Red Bull tastes like battery acid (or at least, what I imagine battery acid tastes like). I drank it once and I thought my body would reject it.
Re: HP - you and a million other dorks, including me. Though I had to wait until my brother finished it first, so I only started on Sunday. Finished on Sunday, too.
Yuizaki: I need to reread the series too! Or watch all the movies again. Or both. Yeah, both.
Brooklyn is a cool place that I don't go to enough. Too comfortable staying in Manhattan...cannot bring self to GO OVER THE RIVER. Sad.
Susannah: I refused to interact with more humans than necessary while reading HP. CANNOT DO.
I shall keep the vegan place in mind, thanks!
Seth: Thanks for reading! Not enough great food in Maine? Aw..
Christina: I've only been to two release parties in my life, so...the other times I think I just bought it on amazon. Or something. I don't know. [scratches head] I love HP, but I dislike crowds of crazy fans. (I mean, I dislike crowds of crazy anything.) Hmmm. :)
I tried turkish delight once. Once because I DIDN'T LIKE IT VERY MUCH, EHE?! Euhhh. An acquired taste, perhaps. I've had Vegemite before, and if it's anything like Marmite, it's...another acquired taste? Not bad, just not something I wanna "enhance" my food with.
I'm slowly trudging through my second reading of the book.
piccola: Mm, battery acid is really sugary!
I suppose it's a good thing that I'm the only HP crazed member of my family and thus don't have to share with anyone!
Long time listener... ha, ha! Thought it was time to leave a comment on your absolutely wonderful site! I have discovered some great tunes from some of your kind linkage. Thanks for your food porn- it keeps me motivated to cook!
FUN TIMES! YES!
Thanks for trekking out two hours to the scorching hot weather.
I was afraid you all we poo poo on the fact you couldn't see the band! Or, rather, bored.
Band of Horses were pretty lame on stage, like most bands, but I think my slight irk was the fact they didn't want photos. Bands like them are oxymoron-ic and are in the wrong field.
I didn't get my Red Bull Sugar Free at the pool, so I held it off for the Thai tea, which didn't meet my expectations (should've gone for "regular"), so I ordered the dessert! Too bad I couldn't finish it by the time I got to it.
MMMM. [rubs tummy]
Band of Horses. So good on album but kind of disappointing live. But St. Augustine's so good either way right?
Willow: Yay, you delurked! I can't believe I could motivate someone to cook...EAT, more like, but cook? Hehe. :D Well, good to know.
Diana: If I were there by myself then I would've been pretty damn bored, but thank god I wasn't. WOOEE!
I never heard of a band who specifically didn't want their photo taken. Weeiirrdd. That's more of the poopy venue's job. :\
blognut: True, that's definitely one of my faves. I shall listen to it in the COMFORT OF MY OWN ROOOOM.
Haha RO, enjoy Harry Potter if you're not done with it already!
The Thai food looks amazing. Thai is one of my favooorite types of cuisine. Especially Pad See Ewe! Mmmmm, now you have me craving some! :) Thanks for telling us all about this restaurant
Pad Woon Sen is delicious. Yum.
wow. 8th grade in 1999? *head hits desk* man I feel old. I turned 18 in 99.
I love Harry Potter too!
I've juste finished reading the 7th volume but I stayed awake only until 3 am (ok, I spend the day before reading it, too...).
Also, I was in Paris last week and I thought about you!
I dind't have time to visit Pierre Hermé or Ladurée, next time perhaps... anyway I'm not supposed to eat dairy-filled macarons...
Hillary: I did finish! On Sunday morning. :D Wee hours of the morning, at least.
I really like Thai food too. I would probably get sick of it if I ate it too often, but...I don't...yet. But I wasn't very enthralled when I went to a restaurant that made Japanese, Chinese and Thai food. My impression would be that they can't really excel at all of em. Er. (And I know they didn't cos...I ate there.)
Christina: I love me some thick rice noodles.
Shannen: Haha...you're not much older than me! No head banging.
plume: 3 AM ain't so bad! I felt like I was gonna conk out by then, but thankfully didn't...
I saw your post and it filled me with gleeee, even though I couldn't understand what you wrote. ;) (That's sad. I could only understand bits and pieces. You went to Kioko, yay!) But OMG please tell me you'll go back and check out PH.
I LOVE thai food!
the black noodles look delicious.
in vancouver whenever i go to the food court I go to Thai Express--it's not like normal icky food court food, it's really fresh and flavourful and it's great with a can of lychee juice!
OF MONTREAL IS AMAZING.
i haven't even read all of your post yet, but i had to comment and say that.
i don't know if i've ever commented on here before, but i found your blog and i like it. you are funny, and you take good pictures. it is nice to meet you?
skiwi: I haven't seen Thai food in food courts here...not that I go to food courts often. Hm. But there's already Japanese and Chinese food, so maybe it won't be long before we get thaaai foooood...mmm...
L: YES yes they are. Although that Outback commercial was strange. But they needed to make the moneys, so it's alright.
I don't think you've commented before...so HI!!!
Ok, i think i will save this for thenext time I’ll have to argue with Frank (friend of mine) about it! I wasn’t wrong