Eating In Translation

Bete Ethiopian Cuisine & Cafe

Breakfast is a more intimate meal than lunch or dinner, and a breakfast menu is a sure sign of connection with an emigre population.

Parkway Deli & Restaurant

You'd get it if you were in the army.

Chez Dikel

The location, at one edge of a gas station's corner lot, flags Chez Dikel as a friend to the working man. No surprise, then, that it didn't stir from Wednesday through Saturday of Thanksgiving weekend. The likes of "poulet yassa, spicy lamb merguez sausage, fresh herb chicken wrap, peanut butter mafe, and spinach and beef stew" wouldn't have been new to me, but I regret missing out on a French-Malian food cart.

Chez Dikel
Usually parked at the Gulf station, 8600 Georgia Ave. (at Colesville Rd.), Silver Spring, Maryland

Murtabak stall

Malaysia's murtabak takes its name from an Arabic word for "folded," though this etymology glosses over the entertaining way in which the dough is flattened and flipped. The stretched-thin, translucent dough eventually encases minced fillings featuring mutton (rarer than reports suggest, and not available at this stall), chicken (shown), or beef (my choice this evening, rm 2, about 65 cents at the time). Whether my murtabak was further folded inside a newspaper wrapper, or downed on the spot, I leave you to guess.

Murtabak stall
At a Ramadan bazaar near Jln. Bangsar Utama 9, Kuala Lumpur

Tissue seller

When you enjoy stall food in Malaysia or chow down at a hawker center in Singapore, napkins are almost always BYO. Many folks rely on packets of sturdy all-purpose tissues; at busy times these can also be tossed down to "chope," or reserve, a seat at one of the communal tables. Just as in the States, the tissues are widely available in convenience stores. However, I prefer to buy them as needed (and even when not) from an independent vendor who wanders the food courts or, when that's not manageable, sets up her small business nearby.

Tissue seller
Kuala Lumpur

Popia stall

Spelled with or without a trailing "h", the popia of my acquaintance had always been fresh, yet these crisp firecrackers (three for rm 1) went by the same moniker. What gives? I later learned that "popia goreng" — incorporating the Malay word for "fried" — was the more specific name, one that's understood by the locals but not often used in full. It seems I was the only one present who hadn't been properly introduced.

Popia stall
At a Ramadan bazaar on Jln. Rajah Alang, Kuala Lumpur

Painted Goat Farm

Didn't meet the cheesemaker, did meet the ashmaker.

Table Tales Cafe

I'd have called it sauce, but among Italian-Americans with roots in the old country's tomato-rich south, gravy is the name.

Gan Eden Cafe

(This venue is closed.) The popular etymology of "alambres" (for one, $10.75) — here a mix of chicken breast and beef griddled with bacon, onion, and pepper, dressed with cheese, served with tortillas, quite satisfying — is that the translation from the Spanish describes the "wires" on which ingredients were threaded, once upon a time, before cooking.

Harrie's

Diner, not a diner. Though I've never set foot inside Harrie's and can't vouch for the current menu, its swaying lantern brought to mind the yearlong transformation of the Mill, near Columbia University, from luncheonette to Korean restaurant. The Mill's scrambled-egg breakfast special is a thing of the past, but the egg cream and lime rickey are still in play.

Harrie's
1407 Broadway (38th-39th Sts.)
212-221-3666