04.15.08
An un-birthday greeting.
For many others April 15 is simply Tax Day, the day a tithe goes to the Almighty Gov’t or the day the Gov’t giveth back. For me, April 15 also has the distinction of being my “un-birthday,” and every year on this day, I find myself reflecting on what might have been.
See, I was born over two full months premature, via c-section. I wanted out, low birth weight and potential health problems be damned. I was determined not to wait until April 15 to make my debut. I couldn’t stay floating safely in amniotic fluid one second longer. But what if I had? It’s a question I can’t seem to stop asking myself. What if I had gone full term? How different would I be?
It’s very likely that I wouldn’t have dermatitis, asthma, and migraines. It’s possible that I wouldn’t have vision problems. And without that bevy of health issues brought on by my early departure from the womb, it’s possible I wouldn’t have grown up quite as weak and sheltered. An underachiever in every way.
If my parents and brother had two more months to contemplate, would I have even been named “Mala?” That’s something unsettling to ponder. I know there were other possibilities being thrown about…Monica, Priya, Nupur. What would Monica be like, turning 30 today? Would she be a doctor, a lawyer, a PhD? The perfect desi Superwoman, balancing career and fiancé and cultivating that sense of ghar-sangsar? Would she be the antithesis of me, a person who has doggedly followed her own path even when it led her astray? Would she be pretty, would she be rich? As the song goes, “Que sera sera. Whatever will be, will be.”
I’ll never really know who I would have been. All I can do is wonder. All I can do is look at this day on the calendar, wish myself a “Happy un-birthday,” like the Mad Hatter at his tea party, and avoid looking too closely at the rabbit hole.
04.07.08
If Penelope is “Pene-lopee,” why isn’t antelope “ante-lopee”?
In my quest to expand my gastronomic horizons (and, sadly, my waistline), I finally tried out one of the much-touted brunch places in Murray Hill yesterday. Okay so there’s, like, TWO much-touted brunch places in Murray Hill and this is the other one (Josie’s being the first). But, still, it was well worth the trip!
Penelope is a cute, kitschy, little place at 159 Lexington Ave and 30th, right on the cusp of Curry Hill, and their $13 prix fixe brunch menu is a deal that can’t be beat. They have about 6-8 dishes to choose from and each comes with coffee, juice, or an apple cider mimosa. There’s an ala carte menu as well. I actually saw a girl a few tables away taking pictures of her food, probably for a foodie blog, but I suck at that sort of thing, so you’ll just have to use your imagination. My friend L. had the Nutella French Toast, which she let me try a little of, and it was suitably delicious. They basically made little nutella sandwiches, slathering the delectable stuff between two thin slices of French toast, and then accompanied it with a selection of fresh fruit. Another friend, E., went the lunch route and had their BBLT, which is, as you might think, a double bacon sandwich. Yum. It was so ginormous she had a tough time tackling both it and her fries but she gave it her seal of approval. As for me, I went with the Pumpkin Waffles, which were an absolute sugar overload and definitely something I’d go back for. Accompanied by apple butter, cinnamon, powdered sugar, and pecans, I could barely finish the dish and the side of bacon I ordered. (Naturally, I finished the bacon rather than the waffles… I’m a pig. Which I suppose made me a cannibal.)
Though Penelope gets very busy and there was definitely a wait, the line moves fairly quickly. Our waitress was a doll and didn’t rush us out even though they probably needed the table. I would definitely go back there to try other things on the menu…and take advantage of the mimosa. I mean, come on, if you’re going to pay for a prix-fixe meal, might as well get something besides standard coffee, right? I learned that lesson too late. In my own defense, it WAS 10:30 in the morning and I tend to be a bit cautious about engaging in the drinky-drinky before noon.
