a weird thing about new york (an occasional series by miss claire)

on thursdays i walk half an hour into harlem for my field project, where a classmate and i are helping design a lower school social studies curriculum at an independent school.  (is this an awesome project?  yes.  is it the subject of this blog post?  not really.)  the school is small and doesn't have a cafeteria, so for lunch my classmate and i walk to a nearby...okay, this is the point of the story.

facts, according to me:
1. harlem does not have many real restaurants.  do you want a panera bread or something like it?  doesn't exist.
2. harlem has a lot of...7-11s.  but without the gas station part.  little stores that sell all the foods you would find at a gas station (chips, candy, sodas, beer, cigarettes) PLUS they are apparently required to have a sandwich counter.

it is at this sandwich counter where we get our lunch.  well dressed white people?  ah yes, we stick out like a sore thumb.  no one cares, though, which is awesome.  so we go up to the counter and order a sandwich and of course there is nothing vegetarian, so i get (POINT OF THE STORY!) an egg and cheese on a roll.

that is what you say.  "i want an egg and cheese on a roll, please."  a roll is hamburger bun sized, but smaller than a hero.  that is important to know so you don't get an absurd amount of food. but egg and cheese on a roll is available everywhere, even for lunch...no one bats an eye.  the cheese is american (duh), and the sandwich is delish.  today's egg and cheese on a roll cost $1.75.  one dollar!  and seventy-five cents!  it is the only food item in this city that costs less than you think it will.

this post is inspired, and my lunch choice validated, by my new smitten kitchen cookbook: