Tom Swifties.

Sarah's spent a fairly sizable chunk of two evenings sitting on the couch chuckling into her computer at a snarky blog devoted to grammar, misuse of punctuation, and wordplay named either Subjunctivitis or Spastic:, depending on which title bar you believe. One particular entry was funny (terribly, awfully, punnily funny) enough to reproduce; the author lists Tom Swifties, named after the hero of a series of penny-dreadful novels whose dialogue was always described with excessive adverbs:

" ..., and you lose a few," said Tom winsomely.
"I'd love some Chinese food," said Tom wantonly.
"We're presently thinking about a figure somewhere between 7 and 9," said Tom considerately.
"I dropped the toothpaste," said Tom, crestfallen. (doesn't technically fit adverb structure, but funny)
" ," said Tom blankly
"No pilaf for me, please", said Tom derisively.
"Fee, fo, fum, I smell the blood of an Englishman!" said the giant defiantly.
"I've lost my trousers," Tom said expansively.

Just trying to spread the groans.

While I'm Channeling The Food Network...

Espresso!
Originally uploaded by ispivey.

I'd like to recommend the Moka Bialetti to anyone who wants a quick, easy, and delicious way to make a bit of espresso at home. Inspired by my roommate from Marseille, Alessandro, I picked up the three-cup version of the friendly-looking stovetop coffeemaker at Porto Rico Importers (sic) in the Village for $18.

What a great decision that was. The process is dead simple: fill the base with water, fill the metal filter with ground coffee, screw the top on, and warm over low heat. Water boils in the base, bubbles up through the grinds and a fountain of delicious espresso erupts in the top of the apparatus. The only way to mess it up is to try and make less than the stated three cups -- then you'll end up with something too weak or too strong and decidedly not right. The good news is that three cups is a vast overstatement; the maximum capacity is really more like two small glasses of espresso.

The Moka Bialetti gets the Golden Goat Horn O'Plenty award for rockingness.

Fatty Dinner

Fatty Crab

I've been trying on and off to eat at Fatty Crab, a new asian-cuisine spot in the West Village, ever since I read a review about it in the NYT six or seven months ago. Sarah, Michelle, Alex and I finally managed the feat this evening, and it was even better than I'd hoped.

We arrived around 8PM on a Saturday night and had to spend thirty minutes waiting. Inside, quarters were tight, as we had to pull a table out from the wall to let the girls get at their seats.

Dishes rolled out of the kitchen sequentially, inducing us to share each one as it arrived. The fatty duck came first, along with an appetizer of green mango with a side of chili-flavored salt. The duck had the expected sweet sauce with an added smoky spiciness, and the meat was perfectly cooked: pink and tender in the middle, the fatty skin crisped and blackened. The green mango (not a different kind of mango, simply underripe) had a sour flavor like a Granny Smith apple which mixed very well with the spicy salt on the side. Dipping sticks of mango in salt felt strangely like Fun Dip -- those old candy sticks you'd dip in powdery sugary goop years ago. Except the mango was far tastier and far less sweet.

Black pepper mussels were next, and also highly recommended. The sauce was thin but bold, and offered a different flavor for those used to eating their mussels in butter and garlic. The finale of nasi lemak was killer: an egg yolk over fragrant coconut rice with spicy chicken and all sorts of veggies and sauces to the side.

Considering our entrees each cost $11-16, the meal was eminently reasonable, particularly by Manhattan standards. If you're near the West Village or simply craving a taste of something different, Fatty Crab will not disappoint.

Summer Fun.

Glasses Make Her Look Friendly
Originally uploaded by ispivey.

Summer is definitely here. I know because I now take the bus to Union Square in the morning, as it's too hot to walk there in a suit. I also know because I spent last weekend on Fire Island, barbequed in the city, went to (and left) a free concert at Battery Park, and attended a rooftop housewarming party.

New York magazine has a great summer guide for anyone in the city. Particularly awesome is the list of summer street fairs, which I plan to take advantage of this weekend or next.

Sheldon just moved in to his new apartment 10 minutes from mine, contributing to my slow-but-steady accumulation of friends in the New York City area. We drank beer on the roof while watching fireworks; it reminded me of Boston.

I have a bit of writer's block, and it's time to finally put up the last two shelves. With any luck, we'll be having our own housewarming soon, some ten months after I first moved in. No time like the present. In the meantime, check out the latest Flickr pics, which include lots of Chinese food and summer relaxing. Sarah has uploaded her China pictures and more, so check those out as well.