Paradise is Love to be Sure

Mediterranean Salad

Biggie Salad with Feta, cucumbers, red onion, dill, mushrooms, salami, tomatoes and lemon garlic dressing.  For a lunch box meal, I added two hard boiled eggs.  Everyone knows this but you must keep the dressing in a separate container until you are ready to eat or everything turns to mush. Keep your greens and toppings nice and dry and cool for a lunch box salad.

Walking to work through the neighborhood of Carroll Gardens, where I imagine big Catholic Italian American families grew up.  The houses are unique because they have front gardens with wrought iron fences instead of regular stoops. Many have statues of the Mother Mary integrated in the yard and there is a feeling that you are walking through sacred ground.  Some homes are gorgeous, mixed in with tackier ones but they all seem filled with love and big families. 

And a block away, the scary bridge to go across to Red Hook.  This neighborhood is just as interesting although far less cute.

The are less gardens and often the view is bleak. It is always a reminder of what this does to one's outlook on life, their idea of the world.  But its also good to remember that it's not necessarily black or white.  I know many perfectly happy people that live in the Red Hook housing and miserable people who live in and around Carroll Gardens.  Environment is only a piece of the puzzle and one can always walk to sunnier views, like me. It may give you something to strive for, rather than feeling hopelessly stuck. Alternatively, if you have every accommodation, sometimes you are ill-equipped to understand human suffering and life in general.  

My idea of a good salad is a tangy dressing, lots of herbs, crunchy bits, citrus, and surprises in every bite.