Yesterday I walked over to the Brass Door to meet some of my friends who wanted to play Diamond Dave’s British Bingo. I got a seat at the bar and Dana, the Romanian bartender, handed me a bingo card and pen. The first game (of six) had already started and Dave had already called quite a few numbers, so I sat the first game out.
“Paul, I have a question about something you wrote in your blog,” Dana said. “This farmers market you wrote about is something I want to go see. How do I get there? Do I walk down Main Street?”
“Yes,” I said, “It is a bit of a walk but I do it all the time. Walk down Main about 12 blocks until you come to a traffic light at a street named G.E. Patterson. You’ll see Earnestine and Hazel’s and the Arcade restaurant at this corner. Turn right and walk less than a block and you’ll see the Farmers Market.”
“Okay, I think I know how to get there,” said Dana. “Now, I have one more question. The hours. You said 7 AM to 1 PM, what does that mean? We don’t talk about times that way in Romania.”
“Okay, I’m not sure I have the words in the right order, but…” I replied, “şapte… ora….”
“Ora şapte,” Dana corrected me.
“Da, da,” I said. “Ora şapte to ora treisprezece.” Romanians use a 24-hour clock and there is no AM or PM.
See? I’m an international ambassador for the Farmers Market. If they count the number of countries from which their customers come, the total just went up by one. I wonder if I get a reward for this, like 49 cents off a bag of kale or something?
When I walk back north from the Farmers Market, I usually encounter a panhandler or two. They work the Civil Rights Museum area facing Main, knowing that it is a good spot to hit up gullible tourists. They tell the tourists they’re trying to get money for something to eat. (“I need money to get a bottle of Night Train,” while closer to the truth, doesn’t play as well.)
So the next time one of them stops me and says, “Look here, big bro, I’m just trying to get something to eat,” I can whip out a just-purchased Ziploc bag filled with green leaves and say, “Sure, man, I’ll give you something to eat. Here’s kale!”
VERY IMPORTANT PBR NEWS: Before I walked over to the Brass Door, I had a beer at the Bear with Greg from Club 152. He told me that on Monday nights, 152 has $2 PBR cans on the first floor. 152 is not on my normal Monday route, but perhaps it will have to be.
Want to stock up on some Grizzlies gear at a deal of a price? Come to the Grizzlies garage sale for St. Jude on Saturday, April 16 from 9 AM to 2 PM (ora nouă to ora paisprezece). There will be over 6000 items for sale, some for as little as $1. Hats, photos, promotional giveaways. PRO TIP: If you want the one dollar stuff, you better be there at nine on the dot.
The CA’s Jennifer Biggs has a first bite of Sabor Caribe, the new restaurant on Madison in The Edge in the old Arepa and Salsa location. Sabor Caribe serves Venezuelan, Cuban, and Puerto Rican cuisine. The food looks delicious. I will have to try this place soon.
Here’s a throwback to the 1980s when Donald Trump’s ego cost 500 Memphians their jobs. He wrecked the Holiday Inn brand name for his own personal satisfaction.
I had mentioned that I would have an update about a new trivia night at the Brass Door on Thursdays. They are delaying that for two weeks. The reason why is that they plan on having two bands next Thursday. They don’t want to start a new trivia night and then not have it the second week. I agree, that is not a good way to develop regulars; waiting is the smart move. I will gather info on next Thursday’s bands for you.
That’s all for now. Time to drive to work. Possibly back later today with a second post.