RIP(io Maya)

I just found out that one of my favorite Mexican restaurants in NYC, Pio Maya, has closed. Sure, part of the attraction was the name, but Pio really stood out as an authentic, family-run restaurant. I'm very sad to hear that it's gone and sincerely hope that a bank doesn't take its place!

Pio, you will be missed.

Hurting from frozen yogurt craze, Tasti D-Lite needs some TLC

Even though I'm a Pinkberry convert, I can't help but be sad that Tasti D-Lite has re-branded. It started innocently enough with the updated logo in early 2008, but one by one, the Tasti D franchises are now receiving a totally new look, including a new name: TLC.

The Tasti D in Chelsea on 8th avenue just switched over and was offering free "frozen dessert" to passerbys. Admittedly, it seems like a lot of people have been taking advantage of the staggered "openings" across the city by stopping in for a free cup.

Very few have picked up on the thinly veiled re-launch and even Tasti D hasn't issued a release. The Tasti D-Lite website is still alive and kicking with no hint of the recent re-naming initiative other than a January 2008 press release announcing James Amos's acquisition of Tasti D for $21MM and "a compelling strategic vision for the future." According to the Wall Street Journal, Amos's plan is to extend the Tasti D franchise to four more states and at least three other countries.

Started in NYC in 1987, Tasti D has weathered bigger storms than the rebirth of "fro yo." Take, for example, the controversial 2002 study that found Tasti D had been underreporting its calorie content. Sure, I can't deny that the competitive landscape has heated up, with frozen yogurt and fresh fruit chains opening up on every block, but Tasti D's name had to have been its greatest asset.

Although its popularity has faded over time, Tasti D has been a staple of the city ever since I was young. In short, I feel an unexpected sense of nostalgia.

He/She vs. They

I know that Oxford Dictionaries thinks that using he/she instead of their is "rather awkward," but I just cannot bring myself to do it. Using the plural form makes no sense! In fact, maybe I'm just dense, but I recently had to read and re-read a Facebook notification for this very reason:

So and So also commented on their status.11:00am

The use of "their" totally threw me off. Plus, shouldn't Facebook know whether So and So is a he or a she? Come on!

Shtetl mentality or eco-friendly?

I grew up with a father with a lingering shtetl mentality. According to him, his parents punched holes in tea bag labels after each steep so they could get the most out of each bag. That may seem incredibly cheap now considering tea bags are waiting room and office giveaways, but it's also a pretty clever method for tracking usage.

While some consider a shtetl mentality to be crippling (apparently the Democratic party suffers from a shtetl mentality--who knew? http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/27/opinion/27dowd.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin) I recently realized that much of my desire to be green is driven by this mindset. Leaving lights on in a room you were no longer in, taking long showers, using paper towels to clean up spills--these were all forbidden when I was growing up. My dad's motivation wasn't the well-being of the planet--it was his bills. Going through a roll of paper towels a week wouldn't have broken the bank, but using a rag was certainly cheaper. He wasn't footing the water bill, but a long shower was simply excessive. Unlike my grandparents who were struggling Ukranian immigrants, my dad didn't need to be this stringent, but his parents had long ago influenced his behaviors, and in turn, he would influence mine.

Why pay a subway fare when I can walk to work? Why have more lights on than I really need? Why throw out food even if there's only a small scrap left? Why buy lunch everyday at a deli if I can make it myself? So many of the small "sustainable" things I do on a daily basis are grounded in a tradition of being cheap--I guess having a shtetl mentality has some benefit after all.