(Thanks to Arnaldo Buzack)

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I have no idea what the above sign means: but hope your Turkey Day was a happy one!

Best wishes from TomatoDesign.Net!

After, it’s the corporations, banks and military that got us into this mess in the first place, and they are still profiting handsomely from “our” recession. It’s a bit like a cattle rustler stealing a cow from us, and then demanding that we pay for its room and board!

Measuring happiness (or at least, contentment) is what many successful European countries do, and we fall very short when it comes to this.

Read this powerful article by David J. Rothkopf: “Redefining the Meaning of No. 1″:

http://nyti.ms/oU4s9t

(David J. Rothkopf is the author of the forthcoming “Power, Inc.: The Epic Rivalry Between Big Business and Government — and the Reckoning that Lies Ahead.”)

. . . And start checking your life to see if it measures up on the “happiness scale”!

Next I walked south on Broadway to Union Square, where a large number of emergency vehicles was parked at the north end, opposite the New York Film School. They looked so useless sitting there, as the streets were dry and very few tree branches were down. I don’t think anyone in Manhattan even lost power.

Naturally, the above truck had “Emergency” written on it

Further along in the park there were a few downed branches; but not enough to justify closing the park.

I kept walking along 14th St., south of Union Square, and came upon a hardware store with this telling sign:

Just past the hardware store was a ConEd truck, parked and opinionated:

Okaaayyy. Well, moving right along: I continued on into the East Village and saw a tree trying to get out of its box in a schoolyard:

On the sidewalk in front of the tree was the perhaps the most discouraging comment on the heavy rainfall. It reminds me of Sisyphus or maybe the Sorcerer’s Apprentice:

You can’t fault them for trying.

At Tompkins Square Park (in the heart of the East Village) there was tree debris all over, but only a few branches and one tree down that I could see.

On my way back, I crossed town on 10th Street, which gave me this thought-provoking vista. You’d think she would have seen this coming!

At least the trees weren’t real . . .

That pretty much covers the “devastation” of Irene, as we experienced it in NYC. It was very cloudy, but the sun occasionally brightened the sky and it didn’t rain all day.

Arriving in the West Village, I saw these 2 houses by NYU, and photographed them for the hell of it:

I don’t know how you feel, but I find it’s utterly essential to ensure that your ride always matches your shutters.

Next door to it was this house, with an (old?) sign advertising “Private Boarding Stables”. As there was also a sign concerning an Active Driveway, I assumed that the horses had been retired to their celestial pasture some time ago. But maybe not . . .

And, after a ±4-mile trot, I arrived home soaking wet from the humidity.

Some weekend.

Hope yours was better!

So I go to my grocery store (The Garden of Eden, of all things) to see if I can pick up a couple of items. This is what I see there:

The lines are longer than the store! So forget about last-minute shopping.

It’s a funny thing: New Yorkers (and New Jerseyans/-ites) respond to events in nature by hoarding food. True, they seem to be terrified of nature (one drop of rain and every NYC pedestrian is under a giant umbrella; and every NJ car comes to a standstill in bumper-to-bumper traffic, generating fender benders right and left). They are basically biodegradable people who are afraid of melting. It never fails.

I continue the mile or so in the drizzle (or is it just humidity?) to Pier 62 of Chelsea Piers.  Here I find an almost totally deserted playground, normally teeming with sports enthusiasts, cyclists, runners and people hell-bent on getting melanoma. Today, however, it’s just iron-gray water, iron-gray clouds, the odd photographer (like me), and emptiness everywhere one looks. Here is what I see:

This is looking northwest toward NJ, looking up the Hudson River.

One of my favorite things at this pier is the carousel, featuring animals from New York State: including a skunk, a crayfish (doubled over and facing backwards), an eel, a turkey (bolt upright and proud) — and even two white unicorns with purple butterflies (something I’ve never seen anywhere in NY state!) Today, however, all the animals are trapped in a cage:

All you can clearly see is one of the unicorns, apparently in distress.

Even the gardens, with their winding paths and tables, are devoid of life:

The Empire State Building (or the Entire State, as a friend’s son once called it) has a scarf of fog tossed carelessly around the base of its zeppelin spire:

Looking down toward Staten Island and The Narrows, one can barely make out the Verrazzano Bridge and the Statue of Liberty (at the left of the photo):

And not a boat or plane or helicopter in sight! The silence is eerie. Only the flowers are there to greet me, so I photograph them. After tomorrow, they will be demolished, I figure:

Was anyone actually preparing for this event named Irene? On the way home, I find my answer. The inscrutably named “Ha.Ha.Fresh” deli has boarded up its windows:

And a restaurant in the next block is taping up its windows, while being filmed in the process. (Many places had Scotch-taped their windows in a half-hearted and pointless way; but this guy is serious, albeit bemused by the camera):

Inspired, I immediately go home and take all the flower pots I had placed on top of the deli’s duct in front of my window, securing them below the duct.

Now the waiting begins. Stay tuned . . .

EngageGreen is a fabulous bag-making company which utilizes only recycled materials (click on the image to see the animated version).

There is a sort of bazaar going on in the middle of the island on Broadway at 23rd Street, and you can see them there.

For more information, go to: http://engagegreen.com.

You’ll be glad you did!

• To begin with, OVERSEAS FOOD TRADING LTD. has two lines of top-quality candies from France and Belgium: Le Chef Pâtissier and Truffettes de France. The former includes all natural items such as truffles dusted with cocoa powder, fine champagne truffles, Begian milk and dark chocolate mouthfuls and pâtés de fruits, among other delectable treats. At left is a picture of Mouna Aissaoui (left) with Etienne. The second photo shows the booth for Le Chef Pâtissier.

You can reach them at: mouna@overseasusa.com

• The next company I tried out was COMPTOIR du CACAO, a small family-owned “chocolaterie artisanale” based in France. Apart from such tempting items as flaky pralines, hazelnut pistachio and salted-butter caramel (which won 2 awards at the Paris Chocolate Show!), they also have sugar-free chocolates for diabetics. The photos show the family hard at work.

Their URL is: http://comptoircacao.com.

• ROGUE CONFECTIONS is an American-owned, New York City-based chocolate company that has only been in business for a short time. Their products are design-oriented, as they affix colorful graphics to their chocolate treats. The inspiration is vintage wallpapers, textiles and Victorian greeting cards. One of the dresses featured in the Fashion Show was designed by them, as well (see photo below). The booth photo shows owner Sherri Adler serving a customer.

Rogue’s URL is: http://rogueconfections.com.

• And what better complement to chocolate than vanilla? BOURBON VANILLA from Madascar takes an entirely different approach at this Show, featuring lovely deep-brown, fresh vanilla pods which smell like sweet perfume! Originally from México, the vanilla plant was was brought to Europe by the Spanish. At the court of the Bourbon kings of France, Madame de Montespan used vanilla to perfume her bath (and I can understand why!) From there, it traveled to Réunion Island thanks to Louis XIV, the Sun King, and thence to Madascar (around1880). The photos below show M. Yves-pol Taburet (at right), and the products artfully displayed.

Bourbon Vanilla can be contacted at: vanille.expert@neuf.fr.

• I was intrigued by the booth for VALRHONA, which had one of my favorites prominently displayed: chocolate-covered orange peels. Created in 1922 by a pastry chef in the Rhone Valley, Valrhona became a registered trademark in 1947. They feature a wide range of products, including single-origin and grands-crus chocolate bars, baking chocolates and gift items.

Their URL is: http://www.valrhona-chocolate.com.

• Another nice surprise, both visually and taste-wise, was SPICES AND TEASE, a four generations’-old company featuring an enormous array of imported, fresh spices and (what else?) teas. Based in Paris, they have been a source of flavoring for the chefs of that culinary city, and their success has been guaranteed for decades. Below is a photo of Bruno (at left) and François, plus a second image of their vast array of colorful spices.

Their Facebook page is: http://on.fb.me/coZo0m.
They can also be reached at: bruno@spicesandtease.com.

• FPB BAKERY and François Payard recently opened a new store at 116 West Houston Street, in SoHo. For Thanksgiving you can check out their chocolate pecan tarts, traditional pumpkin tarts, assorted macaroons and their Masterpiece Chocolate Collection is shown below (the $60 box — with 54 pieces — is on sale for $35 during the Show!) They also feature truffles, panetone, and many other chocolate delights, as well.

Their web site is: http://fpbnyc.

• Last but not least: I must say, as owner of TomatoDesign.Net, I was gratified to see James DiStefano, the Executive Pastry Chef of ROUGE/TOMATE walking the floor. They are located at 14 East 60th Street, and are one of NYC’s finest restaurants. It’s always nice to run into another tomato when surrounded by chocolate!

Their URL is: http://www.rougetomatenyc.com.

The New York Chocolate Show runs until Sunday, November 14, 2010. Tickets are $30 at the door and $28 online. Saturday and Sunday they will have demonstrations and exhibits for children, as well as adults.

Enjoy!

Each of the exhibitors had created an entire outfit made almost entirely of chocolate. There was even a chocolate train! Here are some of the images from that fashion show: