Eating In Translation

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.

Oaxaca Deli Grocery

Strange, that apple soda is a bigger seller in Mexico than north of the border.