Another post in an ongoing series of things we found in the trash, either on the streets or in our building.
What: Allaire desk fan
Where & When : In the trash room by the service elevator last week.
Why We Picked It: It’s pretty!
Why We Kept It: It works! Extremely quiet, and most importantly, keeps me cool enough while working at the desk that I don’t need the AC.
A recent study has concluded that women with breast cancer who failed to get annual mammograms are more likely to die from their disease than those who had annual mammograms, and argues that more frequent mammograms are warranted in women under age 50. Unfortunately, despite all the media attention this study is getting, I don’t think the researcher’s conclusions are supported by the study results.
The researchers did a retrospective medical record review on deaths that occurred among breast cancer patients receiving care at Mass General or Brigham & Women’s Hospitals in Boston between 1990-1999 and followed until 2007. They call this a Failure Analysis.
Invasive breast cancer failure analysis defined 7301 patients between 1990 and 1999, with 1705 documented deaths from breast cancer (n = 609) or other causes (n = 905). Among 609 confirmed breast cancer deaths, 29% were among women who had been screened (19% screen-detected and 10% interval cancers), whereas 71% were among unscreened women, including > 2 years since last mammogram (6%), or never screened (65%). Overall, 29% of cancer deaths were screened, whereas 71% were unscreened. Median age at diagnosis of fatal cancers was 49 years; in deaths not from breast cancer, median age at diagnosis was 72 years
The authors concluded that because most deaths from breast cancer occur in un-screened women under age 50, initiation of regular mammograms before age 50 years should be encouraged.
Where this Failure Analysis Fails
Despite its strongly worded conclusions, the study raises more questions than it answers, and has a number of severe limitations.
One thing that is evident is that breast cancers in younger women tend to be more aggressive than those in older women, an idea that would support more aggressive screening in younger women since each life saved carries more years of life saved. However, this is countermanded by the argument that breast cancer, despite being more aggressive, occurs much less frequently in younger than older women. Add in that mammograms are much better at detecting slower growing, less fatal breast cancers than the more aggressive cancers, and that screening is less effective in the denser breasts of younger women, and you have a sense of the screening conundrum we face for this cancer that claims so many women’s lives each year.
Unfortunately, this retrospective analysis is not going to solve the issue.
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Webb, M. L., Cady, B., Michaelson, J. S., Bush, D. M., Calvillo, K. Z., Kopans, D. B. and Smith, B. L. (2013), A failure analysis of invasive breast cancer. Cancer. doi: 10.1002/cncr.28199
More on mammograms –
First in a new series – Trash Picked, or great things we found in the trash, either in our building or on the streets.
What: Still Life Painting
Where: East 63rd between 1st and 2nd, one fall evening a few years ago while walking home from the theater.
Why We Picked It: I liked the colors and the primitive style. Probably someone’s art class assignment…
Why We Kept It: It looks great on the wall going up the stairs at the cottage, and goes perfectly with the carpet on the stairs. (See?)
An elegant and actually quite easy preparation from Emeril Legasse. The sauce has cream, but lemon used in the scallops lightens the flavor considerably. (Half and Half would probably work just as well as the cream if you want to lighten it calorie wise as well.)
Mr TBTAM prepared this last week – it was so good,we used the leftover sauce, seared a few more scallops the following night and had it again. The sauce can be made a bit ahead, making it an easy dish to serve company.
We had it with Farro and brussels sprouts. Made for a real pretty plate. Recipe here.
One study does not a recommendation make, and results of a larger clinical trial are pending, but a new 2 stage approach to ovarian cancer screening is starting to look like something reasonable for ovarian cancer screening.
In a multi-center study led by researchers at MD Anderson Cancer Center, over 4,000 women were followed with annual Ca125 levels for 11 years, using an established algorithm (ROCA or Risk for Ovarian Cancer) that stratifies women into low, intermediate or high risk for ovarian cancer based on changes in ca125 levels over time, even when Ca125 levels are in the normal range. Based on the ROCA, which was re-calculated after each periodic screening, low risk women continued with annual Ca125 levels, intermediate risk women had repeat Ca125 levels done in 3 months, and high risk women went to immediate sonogram.
By confining sonogram use to only those women with concerning increases in Ca125 (0.9% annual rate of sonogram referral), the researchers were able to avoid the high rates of unnecessary surgery for false positives that has kept sonogram from being an effective screening tool for ovarian cancer. Their results are impressive for the small number of surgeries done – only 10 over 11 years – and the relatively high rate of pathology found at those surgeries –
The average annual rate of referral to a CA125 test in 3 months was 5.8%, and the average annual referral rate to TVS and review by a gynecologic oncologist was 0.9%. Ten women underwent surgery on the basis of TVS, with 4 invasive ovarian cancers (1 with stage IA disease, 2 with stage IC disease, and 1 with stage IIB disease), 2 ovarian tumors of low malignant potential (both stage IA), 1 endometrial cancer (stage I), and 3 benign ovarian tumors, providing a positive predictive value of 40% (95% confidence interval = 12.2%, 73.8%) for detecting invasive ovarian cancer. The specificity was 99.9% (95% confidence interval = 99.7%, 100%). All 4 women with invasive ovarian cancer were enrolled in the study for at least 3 years with low-risk annual CA125 test values prior to rising CA125 levels.
If the cost of Ca125 screens is low, this strategy could begin to make sense as a screening strategy for ovarian cancer. This all depends of course, on whether it actually reduces mortality. The answer to that question will await the results of the much larger UK Collaborative Trial of Ovarian Cancer Screening (UKCTOCS), which will randomize over 200,000 women to either Ca125-ROCA (as in the Texas study), annual sono or routine care. Enrollment in that study has closed, and initial results are expected in 2015. It’s also important to note that other ovarian cancer markers are currently under investigation, both alone and in combination with one another and Ca125, and may prove superior to Ca125 alone.
Bottom line
Interesting, but not yet practice changing. Stay tuned.
Israeli Defense Forces deliver a baby at field hospital in Haiti
In a landmark article in this months Green Journal, Israeli and Canadian Ob-Gyns who deployed with international relief efforts to Japan and Haiti earthquake areas have summarized the lessons they learned in the field there.
The objectives of this report are to emphasize the often overlooked need to include obstetrics and gynecology personnel among essential medical aid rescue teams and to provide recommendations and guidelines for obstetrician–gynecologists who may find themselves working under comparable extraordinary natural disasters.
The article includes a list of recommended supplies (and amounts) to bring, and a layout for an Ob-Gyn field hospital. While I urge you to read the entire article, here are excerpts from their 10 essential lessons learned –
1. An obstetrics and gynecology team is invaluable however scarce its resources, because the provision of even the most basic prenatal care plummets after a natural disaster. ..as many as 10% of the victims seeking medical assistance may need an obstetrician–gynecologist.
2. The mix of cases that the obstetrics and gynecology team will confront requires that they are highly trained specialists prepared for and trained in dealing with emergencies in a suboptimal environment. Miscarriages, premature deliveries, intrauterine growth restriction, low-birth-weight neonates, gender-based violence, and undesired pregnancies increase after natural disasters….Approximately 50% of the cases the Israel Defense Forces hospital team encountered in Haiti were complicated deliveries.
3. Preparations for treating extreme prematurity should be made before departure to the disaster zone. … increased seismic activity could increase delivery rates and preterm births up to 48 hours after an earthquake and a significantly higher rate of premature births was reported over a 7-month period in the wake of the earthquake in Japan.
4. Foreign aid relief teams operating in a disaster area will inevitably encounter unique and difficult ethical dilemmas, often arising from insufficient medical resources. … not every victim in need would be able to receive the necessary treatment. … the dilemma of whether to impose a minimum weight threshold for preterm neonates to receive treatment is an ethical issue, which obstetrics and gynecology teams operating in natural disaster conditions should be prepared to deal with.
5. Obstetrics and gynecology teams treating pregnant women under natural disaster conditions should be especially sensitive to the catastrophic environment’s effect on maternal mental health.
6. Indications for cesarean delivery in a field hospital … will differ from the typical paradigm. … For example, fetuses in breech presentation with estimated birth weight less than 3,500 g were to be delivered vaginally. …with only one available fetal heart rate monitor, monitoring had to be carried out intermittently, possibly meaning some abnormality might have been missed. Potential contingencies such as these must be addressed and discussed before the team is deployed.
7. The delivery “suite” should be prepared for emergent cesarean deliveries in the event that a designated operating room may not be immediately available.
8. The likelihood of quickly obtaining additional equipment and medications is remote once the team has arrived to the disaster zone; …a list of recommended essential equipment and medications for obstetrics and gynecology relief teams is provided.
9. An outreach obstetrics and gynecology team with a portable mobile ultrasound machine including vaginal and abdominal probes not only detects problematic pregnancies, but also provides enormous psychological comfort to pregnant disaster victims.
10. The team must be briefed by someone knowledgeable about local cultural sensitivities and taboos, including local volunteers who serve as translators.
Kudos to the authors for providing an essential global resource for disaster planning.
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Image from Wikipedia
If, like me, you find yourself planning to make a lasagna for a friend recovering from surgery, stop for a second and consider, as I did, making something healthier. You just may find some amazing meals out there, including this delicious quiche from Cooking Light.
I was going for something not too high in fat, then realized that this quiche is also gluten-free*. Not that I have a gluten allergy, but any opportunity to replace processed white flour with whole grains is worth taking, as long as the result is edible. And this is not only edible, it’s delicious!
*Oats and Oat Bran are naturally gluten-free. Cross contamination, however, can occur with gluten-containing products during storage and manufacture. If you must, be sure to buy brands that are certified gluten-free.
GLUTEN-FREE LOW-FAT, SPINACH, LEEK & MUSHROOM QUICHE
My recipe is a little different from the original in that I increased the leeks, skipped the dill, added a few sprigs of fresh instead of dried thyme, and also hot pepper flakes and fennel seeds. I skipped rolling out the dough and simply pressed it into a well greased tart pan. As you can see, the crust baked up beautifully (I placed the filled quiche on a baking sheet in the oven), and slipped out of the pan with no fuss at all. Maybe that’s because I used butter instead of cooking spray, so if you do that, add on a few calories.
Crust
- 1 cup regular oats
- 1/3 cup oat bran
- 2 tablespoons chilled butter, cut into small pieces
- 3 tablespoons cold water
- Butter or cooking spray for the pan
Filling
- 2 large leeks, cleaned and thinly sliced
- 1 1/4 cups sliced mushrooms
- 1 cup evaporated fat-free milk
- 1/4 cup (1 ounce) grated fresh Parmesan cheese
- A few sprigs of fresh thyme leaves
- 1/4 tsp fennel seeds
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp ground pepper
- 1/8 tsp red pepper flakes
- 3 large egg whites
- 2 large eggs
- 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
- 1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed, drained, and squeezed dry
- 1/4 cup (1 ounce) shredded Gruyêre cheese
Preheat oven to 375°. Grease a 9 inch tart pan with butter (or spray with cooking spray), being sure to get it into all the side grooves.
Combine oats and oat bran in a medium sized bowl; cut in butter with a pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add water; stir. Press mixture gently into greased pan – it will seem like you won’t have enough, but you will, so just be patient, keep pressing it around and it will cover. Bake crust at 375° for 7 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool; leave oven on.
To prepare the filling, brush a cast iron skillet or saute pan lightly with olive oil (or spray with cooking spray), heat and add leeks. Saute for a few minutes till soft then add the mushrooms, salt, pepper, thyme and fennel and saute till the mushrooms start to release their liquid but are still plump and juicy. Spoon veggies into a large bowl and let cool.
Combine milk, Parmesan cheese and eggs in a blender and process until smooth. Add the spinach and pulse a few times to mix well. Add to leek-mushroom mixture, and stir well. Pour into prepared crust (best to put the tart pan on a cooking sheet first, as it may leak a bit when you pour in the filling) and sprinkle with Gruyêre cheese. Bake at 375° for 35 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Let stand 5 minutes, then remove pie from tart pan. Serve warm.
I had taught myself by reading the pamphlet that came with the box of tampons I bought, after a 3 mile hike with what felt like a hoagie roll between my legs convinced me there had to be a better way.
Hey, someone’s gotta’ go first.
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(The video is part of a marketing campaign for HelloFlo, a company that lets you send monthly care packages timed to the menses. Very cute idea. I like how it’s taking menstruation out of the closet so to speak…)
It all started the end of last summer, when I tasted smoked trout in Saltzburg, served with a horseradish sour cream and dill.
And remembered that they stock our lake in the Endless Mountains with trout every year.
I had a mission.
Getting a fishing license
Easy-peasy. Just go online, buy it and print it out. Make sure you buy the extra trout permit as well.
Getting a fishing buddy
Not as easy as getting a licence. My husband? Not interested. Most of my friends? Thought I was nuts. After all, Russ and Daughters is just a few stops away on the F train.
Except for Paula, the Eull Gibbons of New York City, who knows more about nature than anyone I’ve ever met. Here she is on a bike ride we took on the Croton Aqueduct Trail a few years back, explaining how to use black walnuts as dye.
What Book to Read
If there is an antique fair in town the weekend you decide to become a fisherman, you must buy this book. The Science of Fishing -The Most Practical Book On Fishing Ever Published by (are you ready?) Lake Brooks.
If there is no antique fair, you can download the free kindle edition.
Getting Bait and Supplies
Fortunately, the country store down the highway sells hooks, weights, floats, night crawlers and red trout worms. Meghan, the young girl behind the counter, shows you how to pierce the worm onto the hook, wrap it round and pierce it again, a skill you master well.
Your brother-in-law left his fishing pole behind last time he stayed at your place. You’ll need a second pole, which luckily, an antique store in town has for just $10. The owner graciously oils the works for you and gives you a weighted hook from the glass cabinet for free.
Learning to Cast
Practice in the street across from your house (sans hook, of course…) Your neighbors will have all kinds of advice, and everyone has a fishing story, so it’s a great way to pick the collective community brain on technique and timing.
When to fish
If you are Paula, who gets up at 5 am every day, or Peggy, who wants to be able to have enough time to smoke the trout for dinner that night, the answer is obvious – in the morning.
Everyone else will be asleep, so be sure to leave a note.
And mornings on the lake?
The best.
How to Fish
I had visions of me laying by a fishing pole propped up against the dock, hat turned down over my eyes Huck Finn-style, waiting for the big tug on the pole, at which point I would jump up and reel in a massive trout.
Turns out this is not actually how one fishes.
You need to be constantly casting, reeling, tugging and tweaking the line. A few minutes in one spot, then reel in and try another. Watch the still waters for little ripples that indicate a swimmer, then cast in that direction, intermittently twitching the line and hook as you gently reel it in. Watch for the float to bob and drop, indicating that something is grabbing at the hook, then pull back sharply to snag the fish and then reel it in.
What we caught
Me? Not a damned thing in two consecutive mornings. Seriously. Nada. Every worm, eaten off the hook. Not counting the one still hanging from the tree near the dock. And the ones caught under a rock or tangled in the grass in the water.
But Paula, the fish whisperer?
Two sunnies
and two little perch.
We tossed the sunnies and kept one of the perch.
How to Clean and Cook Your Fish
We followed the technique in this video entitled “How to clean a perch in 10 seconds!” (The best part is the guy with the Minnesota accent saying “Gaw! No way!)
Our perch was way too small for smoking all by its’ lonesome, so we coated it with a teeny bit of mayo, tossed it in flour seasoned with salt and fresh ground pepper and pan-fried it in butter and oil.
Little bites of heaven.
But not trout.
There’s Always a Catch…
In this case, it turns out that the best place to snag a trout is not in a lake using a worm, but in a cold running brook using a fly.
Which, I expect, is why they stock our lake each year. Except that they didn’t stock the lake this year, given the recent sunfish die off – caused by stress around the time the lake turned, but by the time they figured that out, it was too late to stock. (The water, thankfully, is as pristine as ever.)
But as it turns out, even if they had stocked trout, warm summer mornings are not the time to catch them.
Better in the fall and in the evening. And in a boat out on the lake.
So no trout.
For now. But I’ll be back.
Hopefully the fish whisperer will be there too.
Thanks so much to the great women in my book group for giving me the opportunity to do what I love doing more than almost anything else – cook for my friends. I only had the latter part of the afternoon to prepare, having seen patients that day, but it was so much fun spending even those few stolen hours during the work week in my kitchen with the afternoon sun coming in and the radio going.
Here’s the menu I prepared for our little rooftop gathering:
Fueled by food and drink, we had a spirited discussion on the Middlesteins – a book I didn’t love, but that much of the group did. Thanks to my fellow members for all the evenings they so generously hosted throughout this past year, and here’s to many more wonderful reads!
Goat Cheese, Garlic & Grape Tartlets
This recipe is modified from a crostini recipe in a lovely little cookbook entitle Small Gatherings – Seasonal Menus for Cozy Dinners by Jessica Strand. It’s a small book of gems for entertaining, complete with prep and timing instructions for stress free entertaining.
The day was warm and crostini felt too heavy, so I opted to use puff pastry as the base. (If you use crostini, simply slice a baguette crosswise into 1/2 inch slices, brush with olive oil and toast lightly in the oven on 5-7 minutes.) I admit I increased the balsamic vinegar from 1 1/2 tbsp to 3 tbsp – I loved the idea of drizzling a little of that grape infused juice on the tarts. And I added fresh thyme.
Makes 24 tarts.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees fahrenheit
Thaw the puff pastry at room temp for 45 minutes. Unfold it onto a lightly floured surface and cut into 12 rectangles, Repeat with second pastry. Place rectangles onto a cookie sheet, brush with olive oil, prick with a fork and bake for 10-15 minutes, pressing the pastries down with a spatula if they puff up too much. (If you want to get really fancy, you can brush the edges with a little water, the roll them in to create mini crusts that you then press down with the tines of a fork., but who has time?) Remove to a rack to cool. Keep the oven on.
Using a serrated knife, cut off the tops of the garlic bulbs to expose the cloves. Place in a pie tin, cut side up. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, combine the grapes, walnuts and vinegar and toss to mix well and coat the grapes fully with the vinegar. Transfer the mixture to a small baking dish.
Put the garlic and the grape mixture in the oven side by side. Bake the garlic until it is very, very soft. Bake the grape mixture until the grapes have collapsed and the juices are thick and bubbling. Both the garlic and the grapes should take 35-40 mins.
To assemble, squeeze a roasted garlic clove from its skin onto each puff pastry tart. Using a small knife, spread it as well as you can and then spread a generous teaspoon or two of the cheese on top of each. (It will be like putting the first layer of icing on a cake – lots of crumbs – and this is where you will think that making this as crostini would have been a much better idea, but don’t worry it will be delicious…) Place a spoonful of the grape mizture on top of the cheese and drizzle a little of the juices atop and garish with a few thyme leaves. Arrange on a decorative platter, sprinkle with salt and fresh ground pepper and serve.
In the middle of nowhere, east of East Williamsburg, officially Ridgewood but not really, near the terminus of the Newtown Creek, across the road from an auto salvage yard and just up the road from the NYC Transit Authority is Bun-ker Vietnamese Restaurant, the new center of my universe.
The place is tacky enough to be incredibly real as only a restaurant started on a shoestring by two brothers can be. (The out of the way location was to have been a seafood distribution center, but Sandy put an end to that dream.) The walls are covered with bamboo covered wainscoting, little toy soldiers line the window trim and utensils are in aluminum cans on the vinyl tablecloth covered tables, whose benches are made from skateboards and other found wood. If you want filtered water you are welcome to get up and get it yourself from the big orange cooler on the table by the door.
The message is clear – this place is not about the decor. It’s about the food.
And that food is incredible.
Enough said – here’s what we ate –
Crab chips – spicy, light and perfectly accompanied by lime aid with Chia seeds.
Summer Rolls – Shrimp, Pork and Vermicelli. Light, delicious, with fresh basil and a great dipping sauce.
Grilled Eggplant with Vermicelli, basil, peanuts, cucumber and roast tomatoes with a light rice wine-fish sauce dressing. Even I, the eggplant non-lover, loved it.
Coconut braised Duroc short ribs. (Duroc are a breed of pigs, and these were antibiotic-free, pasture and humanely raised.) Literally falling off the bone.
Tomato Fried Rice – The perfectly softened garlic clove alone would have been enough.
Ca Ri Ga. The best chicken curry OF MY LIFE, made with lemongrass and coconut, potatoes, and carrots and served with perfectly cooked Roti pancakes for mopping up the sauce.
Total tab including tip for this, two lime aids and two vietnames Iced Coffees was $92, which fed 5 of us with ribs leftover to take home.
There were so many dishes we wanted to try but did not – Lemongrass heritage pork loin with fried egg and rice, Banh Mi sandwiches, and the seared turmeric organic salmon just to name a few…
As we were leaving, past the line of patrons standing outside in the rain waiting for a table, Mason was scheming how she would get back for lunch tomorrow. Unfortunately, Mason,Bun-Ker is only open for dinner during the week, but does serve lunch on weekends.
To get there? I’d say take the L to Jefferson St and take a nice long walk down Flushing Ave to Metropolitan. (Or come with us next time we drive there.)
Arrive early if you want to get a table without a long wait.
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We’re not the first ones to find Bun-Ker – The NY Times, Wall Street Journal, and NY Magazine, among others, beat us to it.
Your insurer should be providing certain preventive services, including contraception, without a copay or out of pocket cost to you, even if you have not yet met your deductible for the year. These services include –
Are you still being asked for a copay for contraception or preventive services?
Call your insurer and find out why. (Some insurers have been grandfathered in and still don’t have to pay.)
If you do that and are still not getting the answers you need, the National Women’s Law Center has a toolkit to help that includes templated appeals letters on a range of preventive services.
Still not sure what to do?
Call 1-866-PILL4US or email pill4us@nwlc.org.
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This is wonderful chilled soup combines my favorite comfort food – potatoes – with one of the best all around brain foods out there – avocado.
That’s right – avocado is good for your brain. And your mood. And your heart. And your weight.
According to Drew Ramsey, MD , a NYC psychiatrist who has started an amazing conversation about the role of diet in mood and brain function, avocados are rich in oleic acid –
Oleic acid …. is strongly linked to a decreased risk of heart disease, diabetes, and depression. It improves insulin sensitivity. Oleic acid is used by the body to create oleoylethanolamide, which enhances memory, induces fat burning, promotes weight loss, and reduces appetite.
Dr Ramsey has begun asking the question – Can you eat for a healthier brain? He has written a book called the Happiness Diet – a way of eating that eliminates processed foods and reintroduces us to the nutrients and foodstuffs that support a healthy mind. It’s a dietary message similar to that we’ve been hearing from food gurus like Michael Pollen and Mark Bittman, but focused on how the modern American diet has impacted our brain and our mood, and how getting back to foods like whole grains, grass fed meat, and fruits and vegetables can support and even enhance interventions to improve mood.
Of course, the amount of research on this approach is limited, but suggests that Ramsey is on the right track. As a physician, I see dietary interventions as supportive of, but not necessarily replacing, psychiatric intervention, whether it be psychotherapy, or if needed, medication. I also see no harm in making the kind of dietary changes Ramsey recommends as a first step, along with exercise and talk therapy, when addressing milder forms of mood disorders that don’t require medication.
I’ve written before about the good fats found in whole sheep’s milk yogurt. Now I’ve added avocado to the list of good-fat foods in my diet.
Avocados are an incredibly satisfying food, not to mention delicious. Add some to your salad. Have a few slices as a side with your lunch or dinner. Grab a spoon and scoop some out for a quick satiating snack.
Or make this marvelous soup.
Avocado Vichyssoise
Modified from a Recipe from Mark Bittman in the New York Times, one of twelve recipes for cold soups in an article entitled “Soup, Hold the Heat”. Bittman calls for 1-2 avocados – I used 1 1/2, but that made for a pretty thick soup that required about 1/4 cup water to thin it. Next time I will just use one avocado and see how that tastes. (This was delicious). Don’t skip the cilantro – it is more than just a garnish, it’s essential for the flavor.
2 tbsp butter
3 Idaho potatoes, peeled and cubed
3 leeks, cleaned and chopped
4 cups chicken broth
1-2 avocados, peeled and coarsely chopped
Salt and Pepper to taste
1/4 cup chopped cilantro for garnish
Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a soup pot. Add potatoes and leeks. Cook for about 3 minutes, stirring, until softened. Add 4 cups stock. Boil, cover, lower the heat and simmer until vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes. Stir in the avocado and puree (I use an immersion blender). Refrigerate till cold, then serve garnished generously with chopped cilantro.
When warm weather comes, the Brooklyn Flea moves outdoors. Saturdays, its in Fort Greene. And on Sundays, it’s the waterfront in Williamsburg.
For a pretty perfect Sunday at the Williamsburg Flea, arrive early to beat the crowds – the market opens at 10 am – and head straight to Milk Truck Grilled Cheese,
where you will order an All Day Breakfast Sandwich without the grilled onions (OMG….)
and while it’s grilling, grab a cup of iced coffee from Brooklyn Roasting Company. Gape at the Manhattan views while you eat your breakfast, and begin to understand the allure of living in this trendy section of Brooklyn.
But enough gaping, there are treasures to seek.
Lucky for you, your friend Amy is with you – she has the artist’s eye for flea marketing. After you passed through the best stall there – Dan’s Parent’s House (how much do you love that name?) – without finding a thing, she zeroes in the very coolest things there. Like these colored metal coils (she’ll use the big red ones for Sabbath candle holders, and make a necklace out of the rest)-
and these red saws (She found the two best and will hang them on her wall in some cool arrangement)
But don’t be jealous, because you found this – a real working NYC parking meter! Timed baking will never be the same in your kitchen…
Spend another couple of hours wandering, trying on clothes, wishing you needed a new dining room table because that one with the metal pipe fitted legs would be so perfect in your apartment, and in Amy’s case, regretting that you didn’t grab that red typewriter when you first saw it because now that nice young man is carrying it away (and at a great price too…)
Consol yourselves by leaving the now crowded market to head up the street to Artists and Fleas,
a place where the uber-hip artists have taken what the rest of us miss and turn it into treasures. Like these game board journals at Another Work in Progress-
and this gorgeous dress that had me wishing I were 18 again.
When I say uber-hip I mean it. This place even has a DJ spinning vinyl jazz and samba –
Too cool even for me.
Which means it’s time for lunch – in our case a delicious lobster roll at nearby Rosarito Fish Shack.
Of course, you could have headed back to the Flea Market to one of the many restaurant booths there, but a comfy seat and a cold drink under a spinning ceiling fan seems more in order on a warm afternoon before heading back home to Manhattan.
All in all, a pretty darned near perfect day.
I say darned-near because of the one thing we did not do, but which you must do when you go to the Williamsbug Flea, and that is to take the ferry there.
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The Brooklyn Flea Market on Sundays is in Williamsburg. (And now in Philly!!!) On Saturday’s, it’s in Fort Greene. In the winter, it’s indoors at the Williamsburg Savings Bank.
We created the electronic health record, but if we can’t figure out how to contain it, it may just destroy us.
A recent study at Johns Hopkins University indicated that hospital interns — physicians at perhaps their most formative stage of training — spend only about 12 percent of their time interacting with patients. By contrast, they spend 40 percent of their time — more than 3 times as much — interacting with hospital information systems. The flesh-and-blood patient is getting buried under gigabytes of data.
The Drawbacks of Data Driven Medicine by Dr Richard Gunderman in this month’s Atlantic Monthly.
A must read for docs and patients alike. Comments section rocks too.