Posted on 09/05/2021 12:08:25 AM PDT by Silly
Dear Diary:
A T-bone steak was riding the uptown 1 train on the evening of July 5. I noticed this oddity when I boarded at 34th Street. The steak sat alone at the end of a row of orange seats: fresh, bright red and grocery-wrapped in plastic on a white, plastic foam tray.
Passengers were fully distancing themselves, almost shunning this conspicuous item. (It looked fine, actually.)
I broke the ice.
“Look, a T-bone.”
--snip--
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
FR friends,
Sometimes if you're "Just Being Silly," The New York Times will publish what you write.
Scroll down at the link to find “A T-Bone Rides the 1”, the fourth story on the page.
I know the NYTimes is not a favorite site for many, but I am always grateful for the enthusiasm you show for my light-hearted content.
Still being,
Silly
The couple next to me supposed that someone had dropped it.
“Manager’s special,” the man noted. It was 1.03 lbs., $7.99/lb., from Ideal Marketplace.
The couple got up to leave. I had taken an open seat across from the steak, so the row was empty again.
“If you want to enjoy that T-bone,” the man said, giving a friendly slap on the back as he got off the train, “it’ll be our secret.”
At the next stop, a small man in moccasin slippers and no shirt got on. The white tray took up half of the seat next to the door, and he sat on the other half, over the molded seat ridge. Odd.
“T-bone,” I said, gesturing toward the meat. “Full pound.”
The man peered to his side. Eventually he became curious, picked up the steak, felt it and then tossed it a seat or two away.
I thought about using the other guy’s line on him when I left. But I missed my chance. The man in the moccasins exited hastily at 86th Street. He had grabbed the steak. And I never promised him it would be our secret.
(Really, I’m sure it was perfectly fine.)
— Paul Klenk
Getting Around (Oct. 11, 2020)
In a rather cramped McDonald’s on Second Avenue, I watch as a woman in a wheelchair rides backward away from the counter and down the narrow aisle to the front of the store. There, she backs into a tiny space near the entrance. ...Sharing (Jan. 26, 2020)
I was in Vanderbilt Hall at Grand Central Terminal. The couple I was sharing a table with in the food pavilion warmed up to friendly conversation, sharing their recent food discoveries and favorite restaurants. ...Locked In (June 3, 2019)
I was downstairs at the Duane Reade in the Chanin Building one evening after work, making my way to the back exit, a convenient entrance to the subway. ...
Always enjoy your stories. Thanks!
Thank you, Jenny!
Thank you for sharing this amusing glimpse of life in NYC. I canceled my New York Time subscription almost 30 years ago and would not have seen it had you not posted it (and given it an intriguing title).
The 1? Not the A1?
Good 1...!!
I’m very happy to hear you like it! My suggested title was “Steak on a Train”, but the Metro editor likes to write the headlines, so I am always happy with what they go with, and happy to be in print. (And the column editor did a bang-up job of editing it, and adding 22 words to my 248 to boot!
I’m waiting to hear back on another submission, and am working on two or three more really good stories I think will have a vert high likelihood of getting in.
So cross your fingers and say a prayer, I may get one or two more in this calendar year!
My mother taught me to never pick up strange steaks handing around on subways.
Just call him Koko the Monkey
that’s nothing, I saw koko the chimp an a motorcycle... koko Koko!
bump
Cool story Silly. Is it true? Or just for fun. I could see that happening for sure.
Yes, every word. It’s a requirement of the column. :-)
Nice one.
:-)
Thank you!
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