Cultures Collide

Dana Lyn walks into Mona’s, a dive bar on Avenue B and 14th street. With no sign out front, save for a light-up Guinness emblem in the window, it is easily passed by those not in the know. But locals flock to Mona’s at least one night a week, Monday, to hear the live traditional Irish music that the bar always offers, led by Lyn. As soon as her bow springs into action, you feel transported to a small pub in the Irish countryside. For such an authentic experience, it is easy to forget that Lyn’s background is Taiwanese.

Born in Los Angeles to immigrants, the 33-year-old started playing classical violin and piano at age eight. Her excellence in the classical style earned her a spot at the Oberlin Conservatory in Ohio. But it was there that Lyn realized that concert-style playing was not her passion. Following her graduation in 1996, Lyn moved to San Francisco. Her roommate, a student of traditional Irish music, exposed Lyn to exciting new musical territory. “I had her whole record collection to delve into,” says Lyn, though now her own collection covers three walls of her bedroom in her tiny East Village apartment.

As an integral part of Irish culture and history, Lyn has visited Ireland over 20 times in order to absorb the essence and importance of the music. At first, the Irish locals received her with mixed emotion. “When I first started going there, I got a lot of stares. Some people were kind of flattered, but other people were very insulting. I’ve definitely gotten that people do not think I can actually do this,” Lyn says. But today, Lyn’s differences between personal background and cultural passions are not so unfounded. Ireland in the past ten years has undergone a significant cultural and economic revolution. The country experienced substantial economic growth in the 1990s. As a result, immigrants from all over the world started moving to the once infamously poverty-stricken island. Today the cities are a mix of nationalities like Polish, Nigerian and Chinese. According to The National Tourism Policy Review of Ireland, published in 2004, “Total visitor numbers to Ireland increased by 91% from 1990-2002.” So while Lyn may have been one of the first of different background to become involved with the culture, she is now one of thousands.

Her lack of Irish ethnicity has not been a hindrance to her positive rise in the music scene. Mick Moloney, a professor at New York University’s Glucksman Ireland House, and professional Irish musician for over 40 years has known and played music with Dana since 1999. “Her [Lyn’s] lack of Irish heritage has never stopped her in the slightest,” Moloney says. “When she first started people questioned it. But that’s all gone now. She’s seen as a musician.” Moloney is a master banjo player, an instrument which like so many things today is not native to Ireland.

While she has not adopted the entirety of Irish culture, musically speaking, Lyn bleeds green. She explains, “I was looking for a way out of classical music. I knew some friends who played Irish music and they certainly looked like they were having more fun.”

*Catch live Irish sessions Monday's, 11 p.m. at Mona's, Tuesday's, 9:30 p.m. at Swift's (E 4th Street and Bowery), and Sunday's, 11 p.m. at 11th Street Bar (E 11th Street and Avenue A)

In With The Old

It’s hip to be ethnic. At least, that’s the take in the East Village, a past Mecca to foreigners and a present one to the hip. While the neighborhood is becoming more pretentious Caracas Arepas Bar To-Go, located at 91 E 7th Street between First Avenue and Avenue A, is a simple example of old-world home-cooking.

In 2003, husband and wife team Maribel Araujo and Aristides Barrios opened both Caracas Arepas Bar and Caracas Arepas Bar To-Go, side by side. Since then, the regular arepas bar is constantly packed as intrigued and loyal customers come to experience the traditional Venezuelan street dish, a crispy flour shell stuffed with meats, cheeses or vegetables. If seating isn’t your thing, forget the regular restaurant, where a 45-minute wait is considered short, and head next door to the tiny “to-go” counterpart, which seats only 14, uncomfortably. The menu is shorter than next door but equally savory, featuring arepas, empanadas and sides. Restaurant reviewers have sung the praises of this tiny hole-in-the-wall, calling it the solution to the overplayed burrito, falafel or grilled cheese.

Arepas are a true reflection of Venezuelan culture, traditionally served in roadside huts to travelers looking for a delicious bite and warm company. At Caracas, the kitchen staff (a whopping two guys) prides themselves on authenticity. Hanging above the kitchen reads, “Our food is 100% handmade. Please be patient. This is NOT a FAST FOOD restaurant."

And while the clientele is composed mostly of East Village hipsters, clad in skinny jeans, slogan-lined t-shirts and a-symmetrical haircuts, (and perhaps the occasional granola hippie caught up in the romance of South American cuisine) no one is there to see or be seen. Though the street surrounding it is modern East Village, with its apartment brownstones and alternative clothing boutiques, it is easy to feel transported to Venezuela stepping inside the tightly cramped room with loud music and clanking from the open kitchen. The employees are fast-paced but not rude. No one seems to mind that they are sitting right on top of one another. This is the East Village of the turn of the century, when ma and pa would set up their restaurants so that fellow immigrants could come inside for a taste of home. All that’s missing are Venezuelan customers.

Recession? What Recession?

Despite taboo words-of-late like “economy,” and “bailout,” student residents of the East Village have found that their spending has changed very little. Even with the upcoming election, few suspect that that will change. The East Village is an affluent neighborhood. Most students that live in the area either live in the New York University dorms or in parent-provided apartments. Sameer Patel, 20, a resident of St. Marks Place thanks to his parents says, “My spending hasn’t changed. But it ought to. My credit card bill has been astronomical.”

For other students, they say that while their spending has not changed, they have become more aware of what they are spending. Hila Raz, 21, lives on East 6th Street and First Avenue. “I feel that I am more cognizant of my spending now because soon I will be supporting myself,” says Raz. “I think, ‘Do I need that?’ when I shop.” East Village shopkeepers, because of their location and clientele, have not experienced as severe a decline in customers as other locations. “I have not seen much of a change in my business,” says Martin Gooding, owner of the boutique, Meg, on East 9th Street. “I see more uncertainty, though. People don’t know if they can spend those last $2.”

One barista at coffee shop, Mud Café says, “80 percent of our clients are regulars. New York City is the last place to feel the hit of the economy.” Although Mud Café has had to raise the price of coffee 25 cents, sales keep going up. One thing is certain. Shopkeepers and students alike are hoping for Obama. “When Obama wins,” says Patel, “I will be less nervous about spending.”

Recently...

Recently East Village news has been particularly spooky – and that is certainly fitting for this time of year.

On Halloween, (Friday, Oct. 31), the Theater for the New City at 155 First Avenue will be hosting its annual costume ball. In the past the event has drawn over 1,400 guests, all decked out in festive costume attire. For a $20 cover, you can enjoy drinks, food and dancing all night long. Costumes or formal attire is required.

From now until Nov. 1, “The Pumpkin Pie Show” is running at Under St. Marks, 94 St. Marks Place. The Show is a series of unnerving short plays rooted in classic Gothic literature. Each performance has a different lineup of plays, all written by playwright and costar Clay McLeod Chapman.

Perhaps the most ghastly of all news is the unfortunate loss of a beloved collection. Yongman Kim, the legendary owner of Kim’s Video, is selling his 55,000-title collection of rental videos. Due to the scores of people downloading movies, there is no longer enough business for the rental portion of Kim’s Video. In Fact, Kim is selling his landmark building. The music and DVD-for-sale collection is moving to a new home at 124 First Avenue, but sadly the rentals are not following. With the purchase of his rentals, Kim is making the buyer agree to conditions. The collection must be housed in a 3,000 square foot home and rental customers must be guaranteed access with a small membership fee.

Less spooky, but equally interesting, construction on the children’s playground in Tompkins Square Park is taking longer than expected. Parents who rely on the playground both for their children as well as for a social environment with other parents are upset. They are discussing the possibility of holding a meeting to expedite the process.

Tangible History

Last Wednesday, I was fortunate enough to meet Pete Hamill, author of 10 novels, articles and the book Downtown: My Manhattan, which is about the history of Manhattan. He has a voice made to be heard. I listened to him dreamily as he talked about his book writing experience and how passionate he was about this city.
Hamill lived on Second Avenue and 9th Street during the 1960s. I asked him the biggest difference between living there now and then. “Rent,” he answered without hesitation. When Hamill was a resident, he paid only $65 a month to live in the East Village! Today, it is unheard of to find an apartment in that area for under $1,000 a month. Hamill recounted his memories of living on the same block as Jimi Hendrix and drinking $1.50 beers at The Five Spot, a bar which was located at Cooper Square between Third and Fourth streets. When Hamill would visit, he would “nurse a beer” and listen to the house band – Thelonious Monk!
Talking to Hamill was almost like having my very own time machine. It was like looking at the East Village how I have always wanted to see it, but never will. It made me want to take his book and use it like a treasure map to discover the pockets of history around every corner. “Many of the buildings [from the past] are still around,” Hamill says. I recommend his book to anyone who loves history, nostalgia, and discovery.
And while Hamill was signing books, we were listening to Sinatra (how very appropriate old New York). I will always look to his note in mine, which says, “Keep the world on a string!” and I encourage everyone to do the same.

Meet Eugene

Say the words vegetarian and smoothie and think of…Ireland? Sure. Dublin is particularly famous for its soy, bananas and mangos. Well, maybe not, but for Irish immigrant Eugene, these heart-friendly foods have become his means to get him back to Dublin.

For the past two years, Eugene has sold smoothies from a cart on Astor Place between Fourth Avenue and Lafayette Street in the East Village. And while it has not always been the main profession in his life, recently he has decided to make the sale of smoothies, veggie burgers and veggie chicken wraps a steady business in order to earn enough to go home.

Lately Eugene has tired of New York because of “various reasons” and wants to return back to Ireland. However he has to stay to take care of his two children. His smoothies range from $3.50-$6.00 and do not always bring in steady money. “This business is weather dependent,” Eugene says. Especially now, fewer and fewer people are looking for ice-cold beverages. As a solution, Eugene recently started selling homemade soups like minestrone and corn chowder, in order to attract a winter crowd

From the land of lamb, fish, beef and potatoes, it is unusual to see a health-conscious Irishman. But Eugene has been a vegetarian for the past 30 years, due to religious reasons. At 19, he became a monk and traveled to India and America for preaching and missionary work. He arrived in New York 25 years ago and stayed. Since then, he has given up his monastic lifestyle, married and had two children, a daughter and son ages 16 and 12. But he still firmly believes in Eastern philosophy and has devoted his life to vegetarianism. In fact, to the outside of his cramped cart, he has taped a series of quotes from people like Linda McCartney, Albert Einstein and Leonardo da Vinci, all praising the benefits of being a vegetarian. In a neighborhood like the East Village, with over thirty purely vegetarian restaurants, Eugene fits right in.

While once the number of Irish-born immigrants in New York was overwhelming, today, according to the 2000 census that number has dropped to less than 1 percent. During the 1990s, Ireland experienced what is known as the Celtic Tiger, a period of substantial economic growth. However, that success has taken an immediate plunge similar to the United States’. But for Eugene, it is better to be taking a hit at home than abroad.

For now, you can still find a fresh smoothie, delicious vegetarian food, and an interesting story from the Irish guy in the cart at Astor Place.

Voice of the Vendor

Sean Basinski, founder of the Street Vendor

Project, can be called the voice of the vendors.

According to Basinski, New York City has

approximately 10,000 street vendors. The

explosion of street vendors in New York has not

gone unnoticed, especially by the police who

work to protect the business of retailers.

Basinski started his project in 2001 to protect the rights of these street employees.

There are four types of vendors in the city, three of which are food, merchandise, and books/art. Because the First Amendment protects freedom of expression, it is not necessary to have a license to sell books or art. Then there is the fourth group: the unlicensed vendors. The majority of street vendors are immigrants, looking to make a living just like anyone else who comes to this city.

But in recent years, according to Basinksi, it has become “virtually impossible” to get a merchandise license. As a result, many street sellers have no permit at all, or they have purchased one on the black market (a costly investment at $8,000 for a two-year fake permit). “You gotta be able to run if you’re unlicensed because the police will chase after you,” Basinski says.

And in the rare event that a vendor does obtain a permit, there is a laundry list of other rules he or she has to abide by in order to avoid a ticket. You must be 20 feet away from a building entrance, 10 feet from a crosswalk, and 18 inches from a curb. A ticket starts out at $50 but can quickly increase to $1,000.

Basinksi, a former cart burrito salesman himself, as well as a former Wall Street employee, has a few simple goals with his Project: to make permits more accessible, free up streets for vendors to sell on, reduce fines and reduce police harassment. Most vendors are immigrants or veterans who need to support families, pay taxes and buy legitimate permits. Basinski hopes to educate the police and unite the vendors. He believes that, “if vendors are strong and organized, there’s no say in what we can do.”