Alon Z / Art / Mickey mouse

In unpredictable intervals during winter I pull-down the green twelve quart pot from the cabinet above the stove and make my house special chicken stock. The reason I call it the house special is mainly due to its deviation from traditional stock recipes. I do use the same classic ingredients and mirepoix blend, though the ratio changes greatly in each batch based on availability. I also tend to over season the stock at this point with fresh herbs including but not limited to thyme, bay leaves, oregano and recently collected stems of cilantro and parsley at various lengths. Like in a traditional stock I also wrap the herbs alongside with crushed garlic, cinnamon sticks and peppercorns with a cheesecloth into my own version of a bouquet garni. Needless to mention the chief ingredient in the stock being chicken bones, which is what I’m on a quest for today on my way to the butcher.

Normally I would be riding my bicycle to the butcher, but because of the rain yesterday I left them at work, so I’ll be employing my feet today instead. The route is not particularly scenic, but there are parts of it that make me feel nostalgic, especially as it gets closer to the intersection of Grand and Graham avenue, where it gets a little less gentrified, reminding me of the times that I was a little less gentrified as well. In this part of the neighborhood you can find some chain restaurants side by side to local stores like the Peruvian chicken place, Edwin Travel & Cruises with the giant globe in their front window, The Absolute power fitness gym and Grand Morelos where I had my first real tacos many moons ago. I remember thinking that it’s the best tacos having somewhat of a limited tacos palette back then.

On the other side of Graham avenue there’s an old bodega, I have no memories of ever being inside of it, although I walked by it hundreds or even thousands of times. Outside of the bodega on the corner of the street stands a large plastic Mickey Mouse figure that kids can ride for a quarter. I have never seen a kid in a close proximity to the figure, and the overall neglected feel of the place suggests that it hasn't been used in a while. But a kid with a good imagination can see beyond that I’d like to think. Maybe it’s that there are not that many kids in the neighborhood in general these days as gentrification replaced them with young professionals and bars.

On a folded chair next to the figure an overweight man sits holding a cigarette in his hand, his shirt is half open from the top and you can see some hints of a faded tattoo right above the first button he put together when he left his house. I pass by the man nodding for hello and wondering when he came to the neighborhood or if he was born here and if he used to ride the Mickey Mouse toy growing up. I can imagine a lot of sweet childhood memories he has coming here with his mom or siblings for the ride, and how it might be the last reminder for him of a simpler time. Then I turn left on Graham avenue and he leaves my sight and mind for a while.I look for him on the way back but he’s no longer there, I think that he went inside of the bodega. holding the bag of chicken bones in my hand I made a decision not to follow him and just keep walking straight on Grand, occasionally looking back realizing that I’ve probably seen him for the first and last time.