Eating In Translation

Placita Ecuatoriana

Unlike Mexican alfeñiques, brittle sculpted confections that typically show their faces for the Day of the Dead, Ecuadorian alfeñiques resemble sticks of soft turrón or stiff taffy, made with sugarcane. They're anything but brittle: To separate my purchase ($1.50) into portions for sharing with a friend, he and I needed to grab on from opposite ends, with both hands, before we could pull it in two. Biting off a piece might have been easier (if messier); buying two alfeñiques, easier still.

The market's proprietor also withdrew several other enticing items from beneath the front counter: bars of white chocolate Nestle Galak; concha negra (not shown), his home country's famous black cockles, waiting to be shucked and served on the half-shell with a few drops of lemon juice; and a massive egg, one of several in stock. Obviously it's from a bird, mate, but who can say what bloody flavour it is? Not me; I've never tried huevo de avestrus.

Placita Ecuatoriana
205 Wyckoff Ave. (Harman St.-Greene Ave.), Bushwick, Brooklyn
718-381-3680

Empanadas Dona Raquel

Some versions of this Puerto Rican snack contain meat, but at Doña Raquel's cart the sorullos ($1.50 each) are simply cornmeal dough wrapped around mild cheese, and deep-fried. Imagine a mozzarepa in the form of a fat cigar.

Empanadas Doña Raquel
Knickerbocker Ave. near the southeast corner with Harman St., Bushwick, Brooklyn
646-633-2869
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Iavarone Brothers

The forebear of this small chain of Italian markets opened in 1919; most current locations are on Long Island, in service of a newer generation of Italian-Americans.

Iavarone Brothers
Surviving signage above Eva Deli Grocery, 165 Wilson Ave. (Hart St.-Dekalb Ave.), Bushwick, Brooklyn

Falansai

Deep-fried appetizers took the honors at a small group dinner.

Las Alcapurrias

True, "alcapurrias dos veces frito" doesn't have the ring of "twice-fried fries." But you get the idea: First they're deep-fried at a relatively low temperature to cook them through, then on higher heat to create that crisp shell. (French fries, whose preparation is often the subject of exhaustive analysis, may be a slightly different story, since they're all-potato and much thinner.)

As at the yearly Festival Cultural de la Calle 152, the two operations are performed simultaneously, side by side, to satisfy a continual demand for the ground-beef-filled frituras. The bright color of this alcapurria (ahl-cah-Poor-ree-ah, $1.50 each) comes from an unusually generous ration of annatto.

Also shown: a sandwich de pernil ($6); the cut edges of the loaf seemed to have been wiped with garlic. Ensalada de pulpo, pinchos de pollo, bacalaitos, pastellitos, pasteles en hoja, and morcilla were also on offer; a rotisserie was not in action this day.

Las Alcapurrias
Outdoor stall in the used-car and auto-repair lot at the corner of Cooper and Wyckoff Aves., Ridgewood, Queens
Saturdays and Sundays, 10:00-8:00
(Via a tip from an EIT reader and devoted bicycle rider; thanks, Mark!)

Northeast Kingdom

Fat, rich, and with plenty of juice: This grass-fed burger ($14) is stacked with mushroom duxelles, Vermont cheddar, and tobacco onions.

Northeast Kingdom
18 Wyckoff Ave. (at Troutman St.), Bushwick, Brooklyn
718-386-3864
www.North-EastKingdom.com

Edward B. Hittleman Brewery

The Hittleman name was added to the facade only after other figures had made their mark.

La Isla Cuchifritos

Tippy canoe.

Roberta's

The only b.s. was in shorthand, on the order slip.

The Deli & General Store

None of that Cheez Whiz on the roast beef.

Wilson Candy Store

As at Big George's Soulfood Plus, a sign that promises food, perhaps drink, has lingered past the sell-by date. As long ago as 2004, "the lunch counter and booths [had] been torn out to make room for dancing." The door now bears the name of a tile and countertop contractor.

Wilson Candy Store
Surviving signage at 602 Wilson Ave. (Decatur-Schaefer Sts.), Bushwick, Brooklyn

Nuevo Canario Restaurant

In my experience, concon (cone-Cone), the burned rice that adds crunchy texture to many Dominican dishes, had always seemed to be a byproduct, thriftily collected from the sides and bottom of the cookpot after fluffier rice had been scooped free.

Gold Bond Stamps

This paper-and-adhesive-gum-based frequent-shopper program was founded in 1938 and, like its major competitors S&H Green Stamps and (A&P) Plaid Stamps, hit the heights of its popularity in the 1960s.

Flora Mir Candy

It's not only this sign, for "executive offices and kitchens," that's been nearly obliterated in the decades since the confectioner's doors were shuttered. An online search for "Flora Mir Candy" revealed a series of legal proceedings and commentary thereon, but no details about any candy that Flora Mir may have made, or directed others to make, or caused to be made...

Flora Mir Candy
Surviving sign for "executive offices and kitchens"
Near the Chauncey St. station, Bushwick, Brooklyn

Angel's Fruit Market

Looks like the donut peach of the pumpkin family.

Circo's Pastry Shop

This Sicilian bakery's sign still rises high.

El Salvador Restaurant

The name above the entrance still says "El Salvador," but hand-lettered signs for cerveza, queso, and Zambos — beer, cheese, and a brand of snack chips — suggest a growing customer base of Catrachos, as natives of Honduras are sometimes known. As at a nearby pupuseria, the menu remains primarily Salvadoran, but the cooked-food menu includes baleadas, too.

El Salvador Restaurant
276 Knickerbocker Ave. (Willoughby Ave.-Suydam St.), Bushwick, Brooklyn
718-821-7269

Tierra Blanca Grocery & Deli

It's not often that you see a fellow wrangle a baby with one arm while working the register with the other.

The '68 Election: An Alternative Reality

In the Star Trek episode "Mirror, Mirror," four officers of the Starship Enterprise find themselves in a cruel, imperial version of their familiar universe, and Spock has a beard. In my briefly and bizzarely imagined reality, the Yippie presidential candidate Pigasus has tusks, and his image is hoisted high so all can see, and tremble. (Click the photo for a larger version, if you like.)

Back in our more familiar universe, the original Yippie campaign pledge is more reassuring, though not for tuskless, whiskerless Pigasus: "They nominate a president and he eats the people. We nominate a president and the people eat him."

I'll wring two morals from my story: 1) Register, and vote; and 2) Stay hydrated when you're on a photo safari in Bushwick on a 90-degree day.

Flags flying over the Boar's Head Provision Co.
24 Rock St. (Bogart St.-Morgan Ave.), Bushwick, Brooklyn

Mexican ice cream vendor

Walking down Knickerbocker Ave., along Maria Hernandez Park, I saw a gentleman sitting by the curb before a small barrel that contained a smaller tub; with a bowl scraper, he slathered a sunny yellow substance into serving cups.