Eating In Translation

Banggane

(This venue is closed.) Toward the tail end of the three-course black-goat feast, you may wish that you'd paced yourself better.

"Cold TX water melon"

With a color-coded translation from English into Korean.
Murray Hill, Queens

Kimchi refrigerator

First in a series, perhaps a very short one, depicting lesser-known major appliances of the outer boroughs.

Kimchi refrigerator
Murray Hill, Queens

St. Nicholas Greek Festival

Sheftalia are stubby Cypriot sausages wrapped in caul fat rather than sheathed in a casing.

J.E. Deli and Grocery

(This venue is closed.) Meal ready to drink: Misutgaru (Mee-suit-Gah-roo), literally "roasted rice powder," is a Korean beverage that also incorporates other grains, beans, sesame seeds, and what-have-you. Mine, blended with water and sugar, had a consistency and bulk that suggested a health-store nutritional supplement. Sometimes (though perhaps not at J.E. Deli and Grocery), misutgaru is prepared with milk and honey. That would make it more of a smoothie, but I think I'd miss the faintly grainy mouthfeel.

The front door of the grocery, which displays the much less common transliteration mishu garu, suggests that it's a summer special. Indeed, in Korea, misutgaru is reportedly most popular in the warmer months. Since that front-door photo was snapped in January, however, at J.E. it's likely that misutgaru is available year-round.

J.E. Deli and Grocery
162-02 Northern Blvd. (162nd-163rd Sts.), Auburndale, Queens
718-939-2930