240345 Mon Jun 02 12:53:24 -0700 2003 26 19 Outer Boroughs 0 1275052 Last night I posted a foolish message. I asked people not to launch a political debate, but I myself posted a highly political message. It was inappropriate, and I apologize. I'd like to start again with a posting focused on deliciousness, rather than larger issues. Hopefully the following will spur a discussion more within the context and boundaries of our highly chowcentric discussion. I ask that everyone PLEASE avoid inflating this to a larger issue or digressive political debate. It's about (and only about) The Arepa Lady, who many of us love. ___________________________ The Arepa Lady of Jackson Heights tells me she likely won't be in business for more than a couple more months, tops. The city is cracking down on street vendors. Neither the site nor I will "take a stand" on this or any other political issue. Chowhound is an apolitical site that doesn't do political debates. We chowhounds rise and fall with the tide, finding and enjoying whatever's best under any prevailing conditions. We're all about the deliciousness. But The Sainted Arepa Lady is a paragon of deliciousness. She is not just "a street vendor." She's a cultural treasure for the city. I've eaten in 21 countries and in thousands of eateries and never found a chef with a more magical, deft touch than that of The Arepa Lady. In my opinion, nobody offers more consistently heightened deliousness, bite after bite, year after year. The Arepa Lady is loved by many, she's been extolled in two big-time books (Von Bremzen and Trillin) and countless articles, and the thought of her being "cleaned up" to improve our quality of life sickens me. I hope an angel comes to the rescue and The Sainted Arepa Lady is not lost with the bathwater. She's not representative of street vendors or of any other group. She's not equivalent to the dudes with the honey peanuts, watery hot dogs, or scary tacos; she transcends grouping. She's an individual - an individual who, it must be hoped, will somehow be allowed to radically improve many New Yorkers' quality of life for years to come. ciao Link: http://www.chowhound.com/writing/arepa.html Mon Jun 02 12:53:24 -0700 2003 0 Jim Leff 1 1275054 Point taken. Looking for an angel. We could live our lives without her - but why should we. Thanks for the info. Maybe not the best time to mention this but dom at difara's said the other night - another four years and he's gone. Of course there's still time there if he does stand by his proclamation but it's all starting to feel kind of chilly... Mon Jun 02 13:18:21 -0700 2003 1275052 0 djk 2 1275055 "Looking for an angel. We could live our lives without her - but why should we. " People of my parents' generation said that anyone could make it in America with sufficient hard work and talent. It's regrettable that The Arepa Lady, who works VERY hard and has at least as much talent as your average millionaire star chef, has no choice but to await an angel. And so must all of us, if we're to continue having our lives brightened by her work. ciao Mon Jun 02 13:26:08 -0700 2003 1275054 0 Jim Leff 3 1275057 "average millionaire star chef" I get your point, but this is a phrase with oxymoron written all over it. jake Mon Jun 02 13:47:44 -0700 2003 1275055 0 jake pine 4 1275058 Hey, who you callin' an oxymoron? : ) I was being ironic in how I was saying it, but the gist was sincere! ciao Mon Jun 02 13:54:25 -0700 2003 1275057 0 Jim Leff 5 1275088 Jim, Let me be the first to admit that I have not earned the right to say what I am about to say. (Nor have I ever eaten a blessed Arepa) But after reading your original post and responses, I think that you should realize that this is an issue which for you is important enough that you should come out from the "I am not political", or "this is not what this board is about" hiding place. It's time to organize a call for a solution in any way that you and the Arepa Lady think appropriate. Maybe it will work, maybe it won't. What have you got to lose? Mon Jun 02 23:29:56 -0700 2003 1275058 0 bobjbkln 6 1275089 LOL, thanks, Bob. FYI, the political issue is the city (and local restaurants) versus street vendors. I'd not like to do that debate here (both sides have their reasonable viewpoints); just speak about one very special vendor many of us love and who deserves to be Schindler Listed regardless of feelings re: the larger political issue. But I don't know much about any of this stuff. I don't have time/knowledge/connections to do much myself except to get the word out. I'm talking about it with everyone. We'll see what happens. You're overdue for an arepa, by the way! : ) ciao Mon Jun 02 23:38:27 -0700 2003 1275088 0 Jim Leff 7 1275107 What IS an arepa, anyway? We don't have them in Corsica... Tue Jun 03 12:58:22 -0700 2003 1275089 0 Boneywasawarriorwayayix 8 1275110 It's a corn dough patty filled with minced meat--get with it, dude. Also, I'm going to be chaining myself to the arepa lady's cart in an act of civil disobedience. Anyone else wanna join? We can smoke some j's and sing kum ba ya... Tue Jun 03 14:25:07 -0700 2003 1275107 0 Billy 9 1275128 Actually dude, there's no minced meat in arepas. It's just corn cakes with cheese (some inside, but mostly outside). The arepa lady's arepas are different from most others in that her's don't have that grainy texture from ground corn (a finer grind, perhaps?) and she waits until they are perfectly cooked before she serves it up. The arepas de choclo (the yellow flatter ones) are also very good, but the arepas con queso is the star. Tue Jun 03 16:10:56 -0700 2003 1275110 0 Eric Eto 10 1275143 yes...i believe eric has put his finger on what sets piedad's arepas apart... after trying another vendor's interpretation as my introduction to the "arepa con queso" world, i was left wondering how good an arepa can be... then, i tried the arepa lady's...i could immediately tell that hers was of a different quality...but, still, i was not floored...but, in the lady's defense, as i have previously reported to this board, the circumstances that night were not amenable for a proper evaluation... *then* i had my third arepa sampling...this time i was ready to give piedad a fair shot...except for the fact that my belly was kinda stuffed from a donovan's cheeseburger dinner, i was psyched and ready to go for an arepa dessert... this time, i went earlier (11pm), and with buddies -- so, my focus could remain on the arepa at hand and not on whether i was going to get clubbed in the back of the head by some drunken freak...feakishness, however, was definitely on hand...during the 10 minutes or so that my arepas were grilling, this huge bearded transvestite (think the ghost of christmas present in a purple nightgown) was holding court in front of the little nightclub, down the block from where piedad sets up shop...lol...only in new york... anyway...the arepas finally were done...i hopped in the car and very eagerly bit in, hoping to see if i had been missing something...i think it is safe to say that i was...like eric says, the corn meal seems to be more finely ground -- wonderful texture...and piedad dosn't care how many people are on line waiting for her goods, she will not let an arepa go, if it is not ready...this is crucial, of course, not only for the arepa, itself, but for the cheese-melt factor...that gooey warmth is very placating...i finished only about half of mine, but i was even able to enjoy it microwaved, the next day... alas, how bitter-sweet it is to finally realize the delights of the arepa lady, only to have them stolen away from me so abruptly...it was a lovely night, last friday, on roosevelt avenue...father christmas in drag...piedad and her comforting corn goodness...may they both improve the quality of our lives as long as they see fit to do so... dominick Tue Jun 03 19:26:15 -0700 2003 1275128 0 astoriaboy 10 1275145 Where I come from they are made fatter in the middle and are usually filled with meat...cheese is not as popular in Venezuelan arepas. Columbian arepas use cheese more often--kinda like the Mozzarepas they sell at all the street fairs here... Tue Jun 03 21:42:46 -0700 2003 1275128 0 Billy 11 1275148 Dear Billy, I can tell you for sure that Piedad's arepas are NOTHING like Mozzarepas... Not even "kinda", by no means, size, color or taste. Sorry, but I think that comparing Piedad's arepas with Mozzarepas is sacrilegious. :) Tue Jun 03 22:18:54 -0700 2003 1275145 0 mickyme 2 1275064 Did he imply that he himself will be retiring, or that he will close up shop without his family being left to carry on in the same space? I guess 4 years will mark a milestone birthday that he feels he needs to retire by, either that, or his lease may be up. Happen to know which it is? Mon Jun 02 15:42:44 -0700 2003 1275054 0 foodpimp 3 1275068 I don't know exactly - he implied that he would close up shop. My feeling was that it would be because he's a might tired and it would be time to move on. I figure it's not worth panicking...yet. Mon Jun 02 15:52:19 -0700 2003 1275064 0 djk 1 1275065 do you know the exact time and location she's there in queens? because as i've been reading the outer borgouhs section, for the past couple years, it seems that's she's always elusives and never there when many of the hounds try to search for her. thanks. Mon Jun 02 15:46:53 -0700 2003 1275052 0 jimmyz 2 1275069 Per the article I linked (and will link again, below): northwest corner of Roosevelt Avenue and 79th street, weekends after 10:30 pm, look for the tiny, ageless woman with the beatific smile Some hounds haven't managed to make contact (the police often make her leave). But many have reported great pleasure in having found her. ciao Link: http://www.chowhound.com/writing/arepa.html Mon Jun 02 15:52:54 -0700 2003 1275065 0 Jim Leff 1 1275066 By angel, do you mean someone to financially back her and lease a space in Jackson Heights (or elsewhere) for her to ply her trade? Or do you mean that someone reading this should make the situation known to a chowhound who works for the city who could possibly pull some strings in her favor? The term angel (in business) traditionally refers to the former, but it would seem she is more in need of the latter. Either could work, but I guess I need to get out to Queens and sample her product before it's too late. Mon Jun 02 15:50:02 -0700 2003 1275052 0 foodpimp 2 1275070 I've nothing that specific in mind. I'm just a chowhound. I'm not an MBA or a politician or a string puller. I just pray someone can do something to ensure that The Sainted Arepa Lady can continue to ply her trade and delight the likes of us. Somehow. Somewhere. On some basis. And I know there are people out there who can help. And, FWIW, I've had her non-arepa cooking. Every bite is a delight. She'd kill in a restaurant. The Savannah Club model (put a great-but-untested cook in a full-out restaurant setting with the support and infrastructure she needs) isn't popular right now, but it's not a bad model. But I can't get too involved in that sort of scheming...I don't play for that team (and I have no idea if The Arepa Lady would even want that) . All I can do is wail and hope. ciao Mon Jun 02 16:03:32 -0700 2003 1275066 0 Jim Leff 3 1275134 This is a fascinating scenario and one that I hope works out to a happy ending. In some aspects I am reminded of the plight of certain Los Angeles barbecue restaurants that were run out of business years ago because they couldn't afford the expensive exhaust filtering systems that would keep them from "polluting" the air. That was a very sad era for L.A. bbq, and one that it hasn't recovered from yet, if it ever will. But, I'm also encouraged by the case of a gent I know in Calimesa (near Palm Springs) who ran an illegal carnitas operation in his garage on weekends. Eventually, someone "snitched" on him to the county health board, who immediately shut down his garage operation, but he took the profits he saved and opened a successful Mexican restaurant in the neighborhood that serves a variety of other outstanding dishes in addition to his excellent carnitas. Let's hope the arepa lady, if she is driven to shut down her street operation, meets a similar fate. Tue Jun 03 17:29:28 -0700 2003 1275070 0 Chris G. 3 1275152 Can you elaborate on "other cooking" experiences by the arepa lady? Wed Jun 04 02:25:54 -0700 2003 1275070 0 rootytff 1 1275072 Just curious as to why she hasnt opened a small store? I understand it may be a lifestyle choice, or issues of funding. If shes that good and now that famous, you have to believe someone would fund her..... Mon Jun 02 16:46:39 -0700 2003 1275052 0 Driggs 2 1275073 Chowhound.com is ample proof that fame and funds are unconnected! Mon Jun 02 16:47:32 -0700 2003 1275072 0 Jim Leff 1 1275166 Just curious to hear how The Sainted Arepa Lady's arepas compare to those at Flor's Kitchen in the East Village. Has anyone had arepas from both places? I love the chicken and avocado arepa at Flor's. Still haven't had TSAL's arepa yet - every weekend night when I've been in Jackson Heights it's been RAINING and she's not there! argh...when will this weather madness end? :) Wed Jun 04 15:30:47 -0700 2003 1275052 0 Jen 2 1275167 Very different (Colombian, not Venezuelan), and infinitely better. For La Flor style-arepas but a lot better, hit Pachas 93-21 37 Ave, 718-397-0729 Wed Jun 04 15:44:47 -0700 2003 1275166 0 Jim Leff 2 1275418 Just curious. If she's going to be hitting the job market, it would be nice to give her some exposure. I haven't sampled her wares, but her work is legendary. Sun Sep 14 15:39:10 -0700 2003 1275166 0 Lindsay B. 1 1275331 Jim, It probably wouldn't be too terribly difficult to have the Arepa Lady be the weekend grill master for a certain 24 hour restaurant, such as Coatzingo, and work the same way the octopus man in Flushing works, which is outside the restaurant. While the customers from the restaurant can place order for his grilled items, so can the people who are just walking by. What do you think? HLing Mon Jun 09 13:07:37 -0700 2003 1275052 0 HLing