The Greasy Five: Daydreaming about Ordering from Shopsin's Menu

Monday I wrote an entry about Shopsin's General Store in NYC. That night I attended a lecture by Pulitzer-Prize winning author Michael Chabon. I brought along a copy of the menu from Shopsin's General Store, so I could browse it and entertain myself while I sat patiently waiting for the lecture to begin. If I don't do this, my mind wanders, and soon I'm contemplating some fringe activity like growing a pencil-thin moustache or raising bison. You see, I'm subject to whimsy; it's my tragic flaw - or one of them, anyway.

Let's get back to the menu, a legendary tome allegedly containing 900 items. I didn't count, but the menu contained a list of dishes packed elbow to elbow, jostling for my stomach's attention. If they handed out Pulitzers for restaurant menus, Shopsin's menu would need to be considered for the award. The menu boosted my spirits, inspired me, and of course, stirred my appetite. In my twisted little mind, I've made the 1230.64 mile trip to Shopsin's several times and here is what I ordered:

1. State Fair Breakfast Plate: corn dog, s'mores cakes, chicken fried eggs
2. Krakatoa Breakfast Plate: eggs, sausage stuffing potato volcano
3. El Paso Shepherd's Pie: bbq pork or bbq brisket, corn, veggies, corn meal crust
4. Reubifoo Sandwich: corned beef chili, bok choy, fried scallions, swiss
5. Blue Plate Special #10: bbq oxtails, ranch nachos, cheese stuffed fried peppers.

Browse the menu, and tell me what you would order.

Check, please!
muddywaters

PS. . . The lecture titled "Conquering the Wilderness: Imaginative Imperialism and the Invasion of Legoland" was outstanding. At first I thought it would be overly intellectual for this boy from Pomona, but the down-to-earth lecture explored the challenge of raising children to be creative and imaginative in today's world.