THE NEW NEIGHBORHOOD



I was very naughty yesterday, when I walked over to Annapurna Vegetarian and read the Sunday paper and ate an Indian lunch among the Southeast Asian families who also know a good deal when they see one. Annapurna is kind of like Stand-Up Chats in Gokulam - cheap food, fast - only here you sit in bright blue plastic booths.

Twice last week, after a long day of teaching, I walked over to the supermarket and treated myself to a tender coconut. Wonderful!

Did I mention dirt-cheap pomegranate seeds?

In the new neighborhood, people smile when your eyes meet.

(I said hello last month to someone who'd just moved into my old building. She looked away without replying).

I could be wrong, but in the new neighborhood it seems that the feeling is less I'm gonna get my piece of the action and to the hell with everyone else and more We're all in this together so we might as well make the best of it.

The new neighborhood is adjacent to a suburb that has cheap gas and stores with free parking and lower sales tax. The Foods Whole up here actually has free samples.

And last week, the cat and I were surprised to find a squirrel on the dining room window ledge, staring at us through the glass. When he was done, he leapt back onto the tree and scooted down.

You just don't see things like that on Ashland Ave.