These times are a-changing

I always find the seasons to be fun for food. Winter has all that evocative holiday food that you either love or hate. Spring has all the new vegetables coming in, the little stands outside of restaurants getting full as patrons in shorts and flipflops steadily fill them up as they delude themselves into thinking that 50 degrees is somehow summer weather. And now in this twilight between summer and fall, where suddenly its mid-60s without warning, those beloved pumpkins are making their comeback and we bid goodbye to ice cream.

Or at least, to the extent that it's trendy.

I can't think of a better segue now for Big Gay Ice Cream's opening three weeks ago. I think everyone who has heard of the shop has heard of roller derby girls and the crossdresser and Bourdain making the opening speech, and anyone else who's heard of BGIC knows what it's about- ice cream with an added zest. That is, the ice cream isn't imported gelato derived from the finest of utters, it's very similar to your typical ice cream truck, but the design and presentation, as well as the charisma of the owner is what sets the food apart.

Being the son of enterprising parents whom have had prior restaurant endevours, I know how difficult a restaurant can be, and how scary it is, even if experienced, to open up a new place. That being said, I wish lots of lot to the BGIC shop. But I think even without my well-wishes, the place would do fantastic. What's so peculiar, nowadays, is that charisma and hipness is so integral to the success of an establishment. Like I said, Doug, the owner, is a social media darling, being featured on television shows, followed by lots and lots of individuals on Facebook and Twitter, and having his Justice League of celebrity friends, which tends to always be a plus.
Couple that with the ever-trendy St. Mark's, and I think, barring unforeseen circumstances, that BGIC will be a New York staple for years to come, even with this cold weather.
So I guess you can take the cold out of the trendy, but you can't take the trendy...out of the cold...or something. Anyways.

Now we turn around to what semi-inspired this post. Pumpkins. More specifically, Dunkin Donuts sending me a mailer advertising their new pumpkin products.

Again, I love the season changes for that. There's something very alluring those foods that epitomize a season. I think it's tradition, in part. Knowing that pumpkins get you all Halloweeny, and Turkey is happy-time because not only do you have school off (as a kid), it's a foreshadowing of the days off and presents of December.. I can't imagine these seasons without food, honestly, in the same way that I can't imagine summer without ice cream, whether the ice cream comes from a chic New York spot, or autumn treats comes from a capitalist powerhouse known as Dunkin Donuts.

Now, to relate things back, so this isn't just me stream-of-consciousning it. I hate being trendy for the sake of trendiness. It's like being touristy for the sake of touristy. But there's nothing wrong in eating a trendy place or a touristy place, if it warrants it. IF, it warrants it.

That being said, BGIC is worth the visit either for trendy hipsters or for European tourists. It's got that unique sense of style and charisma that a lot of places lack, plus the taste and creativity that sets a place apart so that it becomes its own. Out of everything, I recommend the Mexican Coke Floats the most, because a) I'm proud of my soda heritage b) if you've never had cane-sugar cola, you've never had soda c) it's the most unique creation from the shop itself, seeing how mostly everything else can be found on the truck. I've tweeted it before, so I'll tweet, er, say, it again- the place should use Mexican Pepsi instead of Mexican Coke. I know Mexican Coke's are all the rage, but an affecionado, both as a Mexican and a fattie, I think the Pepsi's sweetness, coupled with its overly carbonated taste, would complement ice cream very well. It'd be closer to a shake than a float, especially with the syrupy content of the soda.

But that's my two centavos. I actually want to devote equal time to the donut from Dunkin Donuts. See, I didn't want to do a blog for all the trendy spots in different cities. Not everyone is lucky enough to be able to go to large city, but everyone should be lucky enough to eat good food, and trendy, expensive, and popular does not necessarily make good food.

That being said, I'm going to be the voice of the proliteriate by talking about the working man's breakfast food- the Dunkin Donut, specifically the pumkin one I spoke about. I'm also quite aware, at this point, of my literary genius, juxtaposing the seasons with different economic schemes, and applying negative capability through my use of a giant money-regime like Dunkin Donuts to represent the common man. I'm just baller like that.

I have bad luck running into the actual treats advertised themselves- for some reason, the pumpkin donut has been alluding me and I'm not a coffee person, so I haven't tasted their pumpkin latte. BUT, I did have their pumpkin muffin, which was delicious. It's your basic muffin shape and style, and you have a hint of the pumpkin throughout the base. The top is very sweet, glazed across the muffin top symmetrically and stylishly. It's not a work of art, but I love when places put in effort, instead of phoning it home. The muffin cost about $1.69, which is great, because it was really filling for a small amount of food. Sure, it's not the healthiest or the fanciest, but it was good, and that's what matters.

Ultimately, the morals of the story are twofold- good food can be had anywhere, whether it's McDonald's or Shake Shack, a Philly Cheesesteak in Philly or at an IHOP, and so on. That, and seasonal food is awesome.