Update:
Like a lot of things in life -- Shopsins is, "not as good as it was - - better than it will be." The old 900 item menu is now a one page lunch and one page breakfast menu. The venue is like eating in the bathroom of a rest stop on the New Jersey Turnpike. The Alexander Hamilton stop to be precise. There is no joy here - - only silence interrupted by a battery of "fucks" coming from behind the counter and under the three gray lab darkroom timers suspended from the ceiling. It is a place as nasty as it's owner.
The rest of the market is a joy. Hand made blood sausage for $4.95 a pound. Goat for $3.95 a pound. 10 limes for a dollar. 50 corn tortillas for a dollar. 20 Oz of Achiote Annatto seeds for $2.99 (required for any pibil). And a haircut in the wackiest barber shop for $10. All in all, a very good afternoon in a place where my fellow customers were gracious, the shop owners welcoming and Kenny and crew living up to their reputation.
Kenny Shopsin's half baked theory of being a piece of shit
I'm heading down on the V Train to have lunch at Shopsins...if I don't get thrown out. There's also Aminova's Barber Shop in the same street market. Haircuts for $7 and voted best barber by the Village Voice in 2001. This has all the makings of a fantastic afternoon or a very bad one.
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19 comments:
are you going to smell people's butts in the aminova's?
sounds like a great afternoon.
i realize i'm a piece of shit but try to do good things on a more than occasional basis.
it's definitely up to question whether anonymous -- with the so tired butt sniffing comments -- can say the same thing.
There's a V train?
I know I am an anon lurker too, but I second DCB about the anonymous "butt sniffer" comments. You have shown you're a good sport, no reason to post his childish crap anymore.
$10.00 Haircut, you said it was 7. Wow inflation's out of control! :)
Ummmm - this guy has a horrible outlook on life. If there's any free therapy out there - this dude can use it.
You are not a piece of shit. Humans are not shit - ever - that is counter to life itself. People may need adjustment now and then, but they are never shit.
Ask yourself ...
Are we good people who occasionally do bad things?
Or bad people who occasionally do good things?
Tinman...I had Roy Rogers fried chicken last night at the Clara Barton rest stop on the Turnpike. Haircuts...had to start cutting my own about 2 years ago. Can't buy clothes, fried chicken and expensice haircuts.
DCB- I agree with you on all points.
Anon- Yep. It's orange.
reader- I understand and very much appreciate your input.
Anon- The web site stated haircuts 'started' at $7. Welcome to NYC.
sorrentolens- I think he has the attitude of many people in NYC who have given up. They're not enjoyable to be around. I like to think I'm part of the mass that is NYC and I'm not something special. That's not the same as being a piece of pooh.
But Tintin - you have a positive attitude! That's what makes all the difference - and it can be turned ON, anytime. =Paul
I am the "butt smeller" guy. Tintin, I can prove it by saying I posted dozens of comments daring you to post them or saying you did not have the guts to post my comments. You never posted these.
I admit it was a stupid, harassing thing to do, and I would like to apologize. I don't even know why I did it. I am pretty much a loser - 45, unmarried, in a shit, dead end IT job. I actually think you have a pretty good and interesting blog, I chose to spend time wasting your time rather than actually try to change my life.
Again, I am sorry. In many ways your attempt to quietly preserve some bygone elegance is inspiring, and as sorrentolens said you project a positive attitude. It takes some sentementality to do that, which immediately opens you up to harassment and bitter cynics - like me.
butt smeller guy-
Actually you posted 7 dozen comments I didn't publish but who's counting. I appreciate your apology and your honesty. What you did could not have been easy. Certainly not the mark of a loser. I'm older than you are, divorced and work in insurance...
And I just spilled iced coffee all over my shirt.
buttsmeller guy again:
tintin, thanks for being understanding and I wanted to especially apologize for saying those things on the memorial day post. (I guess shows how much of life I have if i spent memorial day doing that :) )
Anon 21:39- Don't sweat it. You wanna make up it for it? Since you work in IT--tell me if I should switch from PC to Apple.
if money were not object and you liked the design/look - mac easy
but waaaaaaaaaaay overpriced compared to PCs - though vista is utter garbage- if you get a pc stick w/ xp
if all you do is internet, some wordprocessing and light graphics stuff, its getting to the point were Ubuntu is a good bet - no microsoft license hassels.
only reason to consider macs if money is an object, is if you wanted to do something specialized like film editing - final cut was the 'killer app' that once again saved mac.
The Butt Smeller Guy
BSG- Interesting. Thanks. I bought a Gateway laptop because they were a client. Biggest mistake ever. An looking around for something so I can throw this POS out the window.
tintin
yeah, gateway and dell come and go w/ quality AND service, I used to be big on dell for service but its since gotten awful (outsourced) and filled with crapware (trial software, which mercifully, a mac doesn't have)
one option with a mac - though keep in mind you are ALWAYS getting less computer for your money - is to by their refurbished stuff. I do this with ipods - because it has the same warranty as new and often refurbished just means it was returned for some reason - and legally can't be sold as new- i figure if something is going to go wrong w/ hardware it will be in the first year.
Laptops are still more 'brittle' - prone to get getting knocked about - so I don't know that i'd do that with a laptop.
Again, it all depends on your needs. you don't strike me as the game player type so really how much computer do you need? I like to watch films on mine (poor mans HDTV the screen res is as good or better) , but most computers can handle it these days
BSG
(i think i will go with initials BSG rather than full name for now on :) )
A bit late for this now, but thought people who aren't familiar with Kenny Shopsin (Shopsin's) might be interested in knowing more than in your brief clip.
IFC (Independent Film Channel) is now playing the full documentary on and off. "I Like Killing Flies," 80 minutes, by (respected) Matt Muhurin, date 2004.
There's a LOT more to Kenny's personal philosophy than the "shit" remarks. (Interesting remarks about showing "respect" for people he doesn't like, etc. -- even when he evicts them.) The doc is fascinating! Includes the "old" Shopsin's and the move to the "new" one.
Comes across (to me) as an extreme version of similar places (E.G., "Fuller's" in Hampton, VA. Various Texas roadhouses. The basement oyster bar in Daytona, FL. Any number of hangouts in the Far East).
I especially liked Kenny's handling of certain annoying people -- "Go fuck yourself" that I also
occasionally use.
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