Ronald McDonald ain't gonna tease me no more - I just ate that sucker!
I've walked a lot of streets in New York during my visit, and tiniest minority are without any form of restaurant or food outlet. Sitting in the kitchen, and looking down East 34th St, I can see at least 15 restaurants and bars, 2 drug stores, 2 deli's, one frozen yoghurt shop, a branch of 'Subway' and a Dunkin Donuts/Baskin & Robbins outlet. I know there is a Starbucks on the other corner, but it's actually quite nice not to be able to see it, as there are so many of them, virtually one every street, and in some cases more than one. The best one I have seen so far, was I think on East 42nd, which was a dual purpose outlet, Starbucks and a branch of a bank, and we are not talking just an ATM machine here, we are talking whole staffed branch of a bank - perhaps as you need to have a mortgage to regularly buy Starbucks.
One high street name conspicuous by it's absence is McDonalds. I've only spotted four branches in my time here, and come to think of it I haven't spotted many Burger Kings either. Col Saunders and his KFC (Krappy Fried Chicken) fair slightly better, but again are not as much in evidence in New York as they are in the UK. But then we don't have the number of hot dog, pretzel and decidedly dodgy looking hot snacks. If you think a 'doner kebab' is a dangerous thing, stay well away from the street carts here that sell things on skewers. They say it's chicken, but hey it could be just about anything - and then my mother whispers gently in my ear from the past "Where do they wash their hands?" My guess is that personal hygiene is not a pre-requisite for being a street vendor here. Mind you not everything on the Street is dodgy, the fruit and veg carts offer a good choice at a reasonable price. Personally, i usually opt for the bananas at 4 for a $1 - well you I don't need to worry about washing them before I eat them, so mother would be pleased that I did listen to that little lecture.
The diners offer simple American food. Burgers, omelette's, soup, pie, salads, wraps, steaks etc etc, and in general it's good value at around $11 - $14 including tax and a tip. The one thing they really should address is the size of the portion they offer. Now anyone who knows me, knows I'm a bit of a food fan, but I haven't been able, or even wanted to attempt to finish a meal at a diner yet. They will happily package up anything you want to leave, but not many people do. The amount of waste food generated just within the places in this neighbourhood must be tremendous, and rather than encourage smaller portions, it's actively discouraged in some places by surcharging if you share one portion.
I'm reliably informed by the family that the best hot dogs are at 'Nathan's' at Coney Island, but to be honest I could live without one of those. Katz's Deli, that's the one where Meg Ryan famously 'faked it' in 'when Harry met Sally', is the best deli. Apparently there is a chip shop in Brooklyn that does fish and chips, yes even mushy peas, and to follow deep fried mars bars - but if I wouldn't eat it at home I'm not doing it here. 'Murray Hill', which is this neighbourhood in midtown is known for it's Indian cuisine, and therefore been renamed 'Curry Hill', because of the Indian shops and restaurants.
My impression is that people don't cook much here, they live in small 'cookie cutter' apartments, with kitchens that are not really kitchens, so they dine out or visit the deli, and in the morning they grab a bagel and a coffee on the way to work, just like it is on TV.
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