Cousin Joel's First Smoke

1961 was the year Joel turned 11. I guess today I'd get thrown in jail for child abuse but my Aunt Anne, Joel's mother, was offering me cigarettes when I was about that age. She did tell me that Kent cigarettes were milder and I should switch from Marlboros. At the time both of my parents smoked unfiltered Lucky Strikes. Joel is probably lighting a Kent because Marlboros had "cork" colored filter tips. A few years later I did switch brands, to unfiltered Camels.

The photo was shot in our grandmother's living room on 127 Tri-X, probably with a Ricoh 44 twin lens reflex camera. We were most likely all dressed up to go to temple for the Jewish holidays.

The Bidis Arrived

First off I'm pleased to note that this blog has 7 regular followers who took the trouble to register. Thanks, folks.

This morning I got my parcel from Dehli, India. 500 bidis, those strange not-quite-cigarettes, not-quite-tiny cigars that are hand rolled in India. If you buy them in the U.S. they're a bit cheaper than cigarettes and come in boxes of 20. In India they're just bundled and wrapped in these pretty paper wrappers, no boxes, and extremely inexpensive. If you don't keep puffing they go out and you have to re-light them. Not only are they dirt cheap but I smoke half as many! Thanks Mukul. The photo shows the wrapper which is a bit torn because they seem to glue them together around the bunches of bidis.

A Match From The Past ~ STEVE'S PIZZA

Steve's pizza is the best I've ever had. Yes, you can buy slices! It's one of those roadside places out of the past. You sit down after you place (and pay for) your order. When it's ready they'll shout your name and you pick up your own damned pizza and drinks. No table service!

No napkins either. They have these varnished wood bases with a vertical dowel on every table. There's a roll of paper twels on the dowel. I guess paper towels are cheaper than napkins. You can sit inside or outside and everybody's friendly, passing grated cheese or hot pepper one table to the next, and if your party has more people than chairs somebody will offer their spare.

I think they're about the last place on the planet to have a basket of matches next to the register. No, they don't sell cigarettes, but the outside dining attracts smokers, as if the fantastic pizza wasn't enough of a draw. Check it out. It's on the east side of U.S. 1 Biscayne Blvd.) at 121st Street.