Novelist Porochista Khakpour Drinks the Kool-Aid at a Hare Krishna Temple
In Porochista Khakpour’s debut novel, Sons and Other Flammable Objects, a coming-of-age story that may make its Iranian-American author the next Zadie Smith (the Times Book Review, Radar, and Paper are planning profiles), Khakpour, who grew up in Los Angeles before moving to New York, describes the exasperation of stern father Darius Adam at discovering that his wayward son Xerxes keeps little more than Fruity Pebbles in his Manhattan apartment. “Xerxes offered potato chips,” the passage goes, “which his father looked at as if he had never seen a Pringles can before, awestruck at his son’s supposedly adult living conditions.” Given that the novel is loosely autobiographical, we wondered about the living (and dining) conditions of the young novelist.
Neighborhood Watch
Chelsea Mourns the Loss of Chinese Vegetable Burritosstrong>Bronx: Ditri Coffee Shop has sold coffee and work boots for 28 years; it’s amazing this business model doesn’t seem to have been duplicated. [Lost City]
Chelsea: There’s a makeshift memorial set outside Bright Food Shop, which has closed along with sister-restaurant Kitchen/Market thanks to high rents. [Crazy Fingers by way of Blog Chelsea] Tasty Korean takeout near FIT. [Gothamist]
Clinton Hill: A bake sale gets frisky with a Middle Eastern dance performance this Sunday at 289 Grand Avenue. [Clinton Hill Blog]
Dumbo: Chestnut, Olea, and Sweet Melissa Patisserie are all participating in Tuesday’s tasting event at powerHouse Arena to benefit the American Cancer Society. [Dumbo NYC]
East Village: Bowery Whole Foods unveils plans to start serving brunch. [Down by the Hipster]
West Village: Murray’s Cheese is hosting a sparkling-wine course that includes cheese pairings on June 5th at 6:30 p.m. [Gothamist]
User’s Guide
Become an Instant Expert on Brooklyn Dining; Mildly Impress Friends
It’s not that there aren’t good restaurants in Brooklyn — far from it! It’s just that they’re so spread out that getting to many of them feels less like grabbing a bite to eat than making a pilgrimage. But you can conveniently affirm your faith in the borough’s food tomorrow night at the annual Brooklyn Eats tasting event, which convenes over 40 restaurants and stores in the downtown Marriot. For $75 in advance, $95 at the door, this cross-section of Brooklyn becomes your own personal all-you-can-eat buffet. Check out the Soul Spot, a beacon on Atlantic Avenue; Bierkraft’s tremendous beer selection; Kush Cafe’s aromatic French-African cooking; and, because you surely don’t want to neglect dessert, the ethereal Sweet Melissa Patisserie.
