Dinners with Gingers

Meanwhile back in New York, it was time for another dinner with a blogger. Well, it was time three months ago when this actually happened. Our appointment on that breezy September evening was with Beck of Not A Fat Opera Singer. 

Beck is the Queen of Planning. We had been emailing for weeks beforehand, trying to decide where to meet. Or more accurately, where to eat. She had suggestions for every borough and every cuisine, and it all sounded good. In the end I suggested we go somewhere that was special to her, so I could get a good stickybeak into the Life of Beck.

I was a little nervous as Dr G and I headed to Union Square for our rendezvous. I'd never met an opera singer before, let alone a redheaded opera singer. How do you talk to an opera singer? Would she greet us in song?

She chose a traditional "hello" instead, and was not wearing a horned helmet. She was also tiny, thus destroying the last of my opera singer stereotypes. The three of us jumped on the subway and chatted merrily all the way to Bayridge, Brooklyn, one of Beck's old neighbourhoods. 

Our first stop was a wee Italian bakery where Beck purchased some of these crazy tri-colour cookies that she'd been telling me about, for our dessert later on. This was my first American Bakery Experience. I was amazed that you can buy items by the pound. So instead of saying, "Two cookies please. No! Three. I mean, ten!", you have say you want half a pound or whatnot. Then they put the goods in a little white box and tie it with red string! That charmed my pants right off.

That weigh-and-pay system would take some getting used to. So much mathematics involved! You'd have to decide if a particular cake looked dense or fudgy, and was that frosting whipped or heavy? How substantial are those chocolate chips? Etcetera, etcetera. 

Next we met up with Beck's handsome companion, the Maestro. An opera singer AND a maestro in one day - this was very exotic for a farm girl like me.

My only experience of orchestra drivers was the recent BBC reality show Maestro, in which celebrities had to learn this fine art including Blur's Alex James. It looked like a bloody difficult thing to do, so it was good opportunity to quiz a real live Maestro about his profession as we ate a delicious dinner at Beck's favourite Indian restaurant. Really profound questions like, "Do you have a favourite stick?"

Seriously though, Beck and Carmine were two of the most deliciously interesting people I've ever met. Dr G and I grilled them with nerdy questions about how voices work and how the hell you conduct orchestras and why opera singers aren't so large these days. Television, that's why. Bloody television.

After dinner we walked for miles in the beautiful evening, over to the bay and down to the Verrazano Bridge, which I'd previously only known as The Bridge From Saturday Night Fever. We then walked down a really long street that I can't remember the name of, but being New York it was probably named after a number. It was full of shops with amazing old school fonts on the signage. And there was one shop with dresses in the window, and Beck and I said at practically the same time, "That dress is so my colour!" Holy fellowship of the redhead, Batman. (Although Beck pronounced it color.) 

Finally we wound up in a coffee shop, in which Gareth was completely bedazzled by the fifty varieties of coffee on offer. "Can I just get... coffee?"

Beck sneakily distributed chunks of tri-color cookie under the table. The cookie was more of a cake; almond-flavoured and so very tasty.

ETA: Smitten Kitchen has a recipe today for homemade seven-layer-cookies, tri-color cookies, whatever ya want to call 'em!

Alas, soon it was time to head back to Manhattan. The four of us piled back onto the subway and gabbed the whole way, with Beck remembering at the last minute, "PHOTO!" We arranged ourselves around a pole and The Maestro took about twenty million shots.

Dudes, I feel misty-eyed just looking at these pics. Beck is such a good egg and likewise the charming Maestro. I wish they lived closer so I could go see Beck sing and Carmine wield his baton, although there's not much call for opera singers and maestros in our wee town. We do have a Carnegie Hall but we don't have red-string bakeries or a subway. There is a regular bus to Tesco, however.

Thank you again Beck for showing us your 'hood. I really hope we make it back someday :)

Beck called the pic on the right the Get Away From Me, Crazy Lady shot. Bwhaha!

Comments

[1 · Posted by vickie · December 17, 2008 at 12:33 AM]

VERY cute pictures!!! sounds like a very fun night. I can't believe I am first - but maybe someone is typing faster than I am and will beat me to it. I lucked on to 10 one pound packages of extra lean ground turkey (major sale price) today - so I have been cooking turkey burgers and turkey meatloaf. Your long ago night sounded much more fun than my kitchen. . .

[2 · Posted by dietgirl · December 17, 2008 at 12:39 AM]

You're quick, Vickie! I only just hit Publish.

Great bargain on your turkey! You know I bought some ground turkey to make your turkey burger recipe with the apples in it? Said turkey is still sitting in the freezer two months later. I need to adopt some of your planning skills :)

[3 · Posted by Marla · December 17, 2008 at 12:17 PM]

What fun! Two gingers can't be wrong.

You know what? I've known TWO opera singers, which is very strange considering I have nothing to do with opera, music, singing, stage, etc. What are the odds?

[4 · Posted by Lynn Bering · December 17, 2008 at 01:29 PM]

Lovely photos! You're both just stunning, and in a subway no less! I love New York, and if you're ever back over here, I'm sooo there :) How about a photo of us on top of the Empire State Building, just to be kitchy tourists?

[5 · Posted by BeckStein · December 17, 2008 at 02:42 PM]

Meh...the Maestro and I were saying the same thing, that we'd love to have you kids closer to hang...heck we could do a crossover rock/opera thing with Dr. G's skills and your lovely writing "Diet Girl the Opera"?... I hope we have a show happening next time you're over here...perhaps when you make the NY Times Bestseller list :D

Great pics btw...email me copies...I want, I want...especially since we look so very foxy!

And I'm surprised you can remember way back to September...I can't even remember what I wore yesterday...love the blog about it though, you're sweet to say such nice things, but everyone knows redheads are the devil. ;)

[6 · Posted by Sagan · December 17, 2008 at 03:32 PM]

I saw "tri-color cookies" and got distracted.

CUTE PICTURES!

[7 · Posted by K · December 17, 2008 at 04:56 PM]

Those photos.. look at the first panel of this! It's spooky.

Unless New York is genuinely full of redhaired duos taking the subway?

They do look more like cakes than cookies. Still, it's all good.

[8 · Posted by MizFit · December 17, 2008 at 05:30 PM]

oh.

sad and jealous. two women I love together for one fleeting moment and me stuck in a red state :)

[9 · Posted by BeckStein · December 17, 2008 at 06:17 PM]

Heh...that looks like the Maestro in the background...lol

They are cake...don't know why they're called cookies atleast deem them a petit four...

Sorry Miz...you know my Cat-loved Futon is always open...

[10 · Posted by LBTEPA · December 18, 2008 at 01:51 AM]

I love it that 'alas all too soon it was time to head back to Manhattan' - how exotic for a farm girl :)

[11 · Posted by Nancy · December 18, 2008 at 02:16 AM]

You can order by the cookie too. They'll justweigh it and tell you the cost.

[12 · Posted by tokaiangel · December 18, 2008 at 01:56 PM]

I take it the phenomenon of the Weigh N Save had left the UK by the time you arrived! Admittedly they didn't sell cakes in pretty boxes. More like Rice Krispies and washing powder. But the principle is much the same.

TA x

[13 · Posted by Loth · December 18, 2008 at 04:19 PM]

Yeah, taking someone to Greggs for a cheese n' onion pastie and a bottle of Irn Bru just isn't the same somehow...........

[14 · Posted by Laura N · December 19, 2008 at 07:56 PM]

Fun! You both look adorable. I've longed to be a red head since Nicole Kidman in Far & Away. I will forever be a blonde, though. So I married a red head instead.

Merry Christmas, Shauna!!

[15 · Posted by Isabelle · December 19, 2008 at 08:22 PM]

What a treat to read. A visit to New York without having to move. Travelling at its best.

[16 · Posted by dietgirl · December 20, 2008 at 04:26 PM]

howdy ho, comrades...

@K - that is pretty spooky! Hehe

@Laura N - Happy Christmas to you and your redhead hubby too :)

@Loth - just not quite as sophisticated is it? Yet still charming in its own way...

[17 · Posted by CatsPuke · December 22, 2008 at 03:09 PM]

Thought you might be interested in this recipie I found

http://smittenkitchen.com/2008/12/seven-layer-cookies/

CP x

[18 · Posted by CatsPuke · December 22, 2008 at 03:09 PM]

Thought you might be interested in this recipie I found

http://smittenkitchen.com/2008/12/seven-layer-cookies/

CP x