It's the rare sign that safeguards local waterways with a warning in more than one language. In Lowell, Mass., home to a large Cambodian population, I came across an unusual bilingual drain marker, but nearby Boston's older, metal plaques were English-only.
Stencils offer more flexibility in addressing New York's multicultural kitchen crews. In the top photo, restaurant workers are cautioned in Chinese, and again in English; in the bottom photo, Spanish is added to the mix. Whatever the staffing situation at the very back of the house, the message is the same: Keep cooking waste at bay. As of late 2012, both sets of stencils were gone, but no more-permanent markers had replaced them.
"No dumping, drains to NY Harbor"
Mosco St. at Mulberry St., and Chatham Sq. near Mott St., Manhattan