The text came in from ML at 5:56 p.m. on Saturday, 'I have an extra ticket to googa mooga tonight if you wanna go w me.'
Heck yes, I want to go to there! (Despite not knowing until 5:57 p.m. what Googa Mooga was. I know! What kind of lame food blogger am I that I hadn't heard about "an amusement park of food and drink" in proximity to my own neighborhood!?)
Thankfully, I have hip, in-the-know friends.
In theory, the amusement park sounded fantastic... 75 food vendors, including some of the top portable food purveyors and restauranteurs in New York, and particularly Brooklyn, plus almost half as many brewers serving up draughts. All in beautiful Spring weather with live music.
ML had been in earlier in the day and said it was packed to the point of madness. As testimony, we passed streams of drunken twenty-somethings on our approach through the park. Between the walk in and the stroll out an hour later, we witnessed several episodes of sloppy walking, a few crying girls, public urination and falling down.
Despite the foreboding I experienced seeing hordes of wasted revelers, Googa Mooga was, in reality, still kind of awesome. Except it was nearly 8:00 by the time we made it onto the grounds and most of the vendors were sold out.
After a bit of wandering, we landed at Red Hook's El Olomega where we found pork and cheese pupusas and plaintain chips that were delicious. A pupusa is a corn flour pancake filled with delicious morsels. According to El Olomega's website, "The pupusas is stuffed while forming the round pancake-like tortilla. It is a culinary art form, and not everyone can make them."
So, I guess that means don't try this at home. But, if you are feeling adventurous, there are recipes online, including this one from Emeril Lagasse: Salvadoran Pulled Pork Pupusas and Pickled Cabbage. You will definitely need a lot of time on your hands, though--29 hours and 25 minutes. Or, you can just find your way to Red Hook and try some at El Olomega's truck (in which case I am coming with!).
Speaking of pickles, I tried a new recipe for pickled spring onions and asparagus this week from an article by Cathy Barrow in the New York Times "Not So Scary: Easy Steps to Canning." We will all have to wait at least a month to find out how my pickles came out since they need time to cure. If you have any trepidation about canning, read the article. It's like hearing your mother say, 'Aw, honey, you can do this, really. You won't poison your friends."
Finally, friends, there is a new cause of the month: the Prospect Park Alliance. Why? Because you can attend food festivals, barbecue your own grub and have picnics in Prospect Park and somebody needs to keep it looking nice, especially after hordes of revelers!
Heck yes, I want to go to there! (Despite not knowing until 5:57 p.m. what Googa Mooga was. I know! What kind of lame food blogger am I that I hadn't heard about "an amusement park of food and drink" in proximity to my own neighborhood!?)
Thankfully, I have hip, in-the-know friends.
In theory, the amusement park sounded fantastic... 75 food vendors, including some of the top portable food purveyors and restauranteurs in New York, and particularly Brooklyn, plus almost half as many brewers serving up draughts. All in beautiful Spring weather with live music.
ML had been in earlier in the day and said it was packed to the point of madness. As testimony, we passed streams of drunken twenty-somethings on our approach through the park. Between the walk in and the stroll out an hour later, we witnessed several episodes of sloppy walking, a few crying girls, public urination and falling down.
Despite the foreboding I experienced seeing hordes of wasted revelers, Googa Mooga was, in reality, still kind of awesome. Except it was nearly 8:00 by the time we made it onto the grounds and most of the vendors were sold out.
After a bit of wandering, we landed at Red Hook's El Olomega where we found pork and cheese pupusas and plaintain chips that were delicious. A pupusa is a corn flour pancake filled with delicious morsels. According to El Olomega's website, "The pupusas is stuffed while forming the round pancake-like tortilla. It is a culinary art form, and not everyone can make them."
So, I guess that means don't try this at home. But, if you are feeling adventurous, there are recipes online, including this one from Emeril Lagasse: Salvadoran Pulled Pork Pupusas and Pickled Cabbage. You will definitely need a lot of time on your hands, though--29 hours and 25 minutes. Or, you can just find your way to Red Hook and try some at El Olomega's truck (in which case I am coming with!).
Finally, friends, there is a new cause of the month: the Prospect Park Alliance. Why? Because you can attend food festivals, barbecue your own grub and have picnics in Prospect Park and somebody needs to keep it looking nice, especially after hordes of revelers!
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