If you haven’t heard yet, I’m working in the art dept. at The Wave. I’ll have to write an official post explaining how lovely its been so far but in the mean time, check this link!
Last Saturday, I went for a pedicure at Sunny’s Nail salon on 116th street. Afterwards, I decided to pop in the Rockaway Farmers Market. I immediately walked over to the open rows of produce. So fresh! Crisp kale, avocados, ripe tomatoes, firm onions, artichokes, and a rainbow of peppers were only some of the many vegetables to choose from. And the prices were on point. The orange bell peppers were only 1.99lb! The aroma of sage and thyme passed me as I walked by the herbs.
On the back wall to the right is a refrigerated area housing pre-packaged selections including sushi, diced veggies, pre-peeled garlic and sandwiches, among other grab-and-go items. To the left is a deli counter. In the center is a juicing bar! You can pick your own or purchase their staple blends. On the counter, I notice a strange looking ball-shaped fruit. It was redish in the center with green “tentacles” shooting out around the berry. The sign below explained that this fruit, rambutan is a fat burner. It boosts energy and is a rich source of protein and iron. Rambutan, native to Indonesian, helps generate white and red blood cells and builds up the immune system. I’ve never seen these exotic fruits in Rockaway before! The price for juices is only 7 bucks – sweet deal!
There’s a specialty raw honey aisle with over 15 brands and different flavors to choose from. The honey jars would make great gifts as they’re packaged so nicely! Like the rambutan, the honey section had an informative sign explaining the five benefits of pure bee pollen.
You can go nuts in the nut section! (Wokka wokka.) Find raw cashews, walnuts, trail mix, almonds, corn nuts, peanuts, you name it. There’s no shortage of dried fruits either – pitted prunes, jumbo dried raisins, pineapple, cranberries, kiwi and mixed dried fruit. Purchase by the pound.
For only 8.99 a lb. pick up whole roasted coffee beans from around the world.
Italian food lovers shouldn’t miss the fresh pasta from Papa Pasquale Ravioli of Bensonhurst. Look in the refrigerator towards the back on the left side. I’m picking up a package to taste test next weekend. From penne to linguini there are many varieties to choose from. Once you go fresh pasta it’s hard to go back, right?
I was impressed by the selection of healthy foods for purchase at the Rockaway Farmers Market. I’d say most people see food shopping as a chore but shopping at the farmers market is a pleasure. I found great deals, unique products and the service was welcoming. Rockaway Farmers Market is located at the corner of 116th Street and Beach Channel Drive. Support this locally owned business by visiting any day of the week. It’s open from 7am. to 8 p.m.
Chris Romulo (left), Sarah Romulo (center), Katie Long (center right), with class participants.
Attention muggers: you DON’T want to mess with me! I learned self defense from Chris Romulo, champion Muay Thai fighter and all around badass dude!
Chris and Sarah Romulo, owners of CROM, partnered with Katie Long, creator of the beautiful boutique shop THE SWELLIFE, to offer a self defense workshop. The idea came about after a discussion on safety at book club, one of the many gatherings hosted at the shop.* Recognizing the community interest, Katie, a long-time member of CROM, reached out about organizing the class. Chris and Sarah were 100% on board.
With over 35 years of experience as a professional martial artist and as a Certified Personal
Defense Readiness Coach, Chris has the expertise to teach us what we all should be prepared for; defending ourselves and protecting our loved ones in the case of an emergency.
Over 25 attendees were seated, waiting for the workshop to begin. Out of nowhere, Chris ran in from a back door and simulated an attack on Sarah, who was on her smartphone. We were all startled and caught off guard, which is exactly what Chris Romulo wanted to demonstrate. “What we want you to take away from this class is awareness. You must be present, this is key. With technology today, we all find ourselves distracted in our surroundings. Personal defense starts in your mind.” he began.
I learned so much I couldn’t possibly explain it all here but what I found particularly important is as follows.
There are two strategies in personal defense you can assert to defuse a potential physical confrontation. The first: be mentally present. If you have an emotional or physical response to an individual or situation — that “fight or flight” adrenaline feeling — remove yourself. Whether that means changing subway cars or crossing over to the other side of the street. Why take a chance?
The next defense tactic we learned was verbal diffusion. If a person starts speaking to you and it feels inappropriate, verbally defuse the interaction. “Look, I’m not interested”, or “My husband (or brother) will be here in a minute and he won’t like you speaking to me like this”. Make eye contact and walk away but never turn your back, Chris taught us. Being on the offense verbally shows the attacker you’re confident and clear-headed. And eye contact makes it personal which is a big deterrent.
If these pre-measures don’t work and you’re attacked, you need to defend yourself physically. “Fight like a cat! Scratch, scream, ambush!” Chris instructed. Use the hard parts of your body – the heel of your palm, your elbow and your knee. Strike the perpetrator down the middle of the body, which is the most sensitive area. Palm to the nose, pulling down scratching your attacker’s eyes with your nails. Use your knee, aiming for the groin. Move quickly backwards, clearing the area before sprinting away.
Yes, Chris put it bluntly. An assailant wants one or all three of these things – your belongings, your body or your life. Chris and Sarah stressed, if you’re getting mugged, give them your bag, your phone or your sneakers. Possessions are replaceable; your life is not.
Learn how to strengthen your mind and body at CROM. There’s a wide range of classes for adults and kids such as Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu or Muay Thai Kickboxing, not to mention CrossFit and SHRED. Find more info at crompc.com, on IG: @cromphysicalculture, or call 718.945.1700. CROM Physical Culture – 217 Beach 92nd Street, Rockaway Beach, NY, 11693
* Learn about the cool creative events hosted at THE SWELLIFE by following @the_swellife on instagram! THE SWELLIFE fashion boutique is located at 91-08 Rockaway Beach Blvd., Rockaway Beach, NY 11693.
Since I wrote about my mother’s fall two weeks ago, the streak of strange events has continued.
My mother was out of critical care and on the mend, so Matt and I decided not to cancel our birthday vacation to Jamaica. The day before we were leaving, I pulled out our passports and Matt’s was expired. I couldn’t believe it. I was so annoyed and upset. With all the commotion surrounding my mother’s injury, I neglected to get our travel plans in order.
I started to freak out. Matt told me to stop being a “stinker thinker” and call Delta. He was upstate driving home from a work thing – it was all on me. I learned there was a chance Matt could get a rush passport if he headed to the NY Passport Agency on Hudson St. the morning of our flight. It opens at 7:30am. Our flight was at 10:05am. I pushed back the flights to 12:00pm and then his again to 2:00pm. If he received the passport, we’d meet in Atlanta and catch the connecting flight to Jamaica together at 6:00pm.
The next day, my birthday, Matt popped out of bed at 5:30am and headed into the city. It was a waiting game. I took the chance and left for the airport without knowing if he’d get the passport renewal. He called as I pulled up to the terminal and said “It’s a go!”
I spent most of my birthday alone in Atlanta, drinking pina coladas at the airport bar. Matt finally appeared, gave me a big hug and we headed to our gate.
We arrived in Montego Bay, Jamaica that evening. We still had a 2 ½ hour drive south to Treasure Beach ahead of us. We made our way to the car rental in an exhausted haze. “In Jamaica we drive on the left ya mon…” said Alamo car manager guy. “Oh God, the steering wheel is on the right??” I said to Matt. We drove in fear for maybe 5 minutes, twice the wrong way down a one way, before blowing a tire. We hit a pothole masked in the darkness.
We gave up on the long drive and decided to crash in Montego. With the help of Andre, the really nice Alama rental guy, we got the donut on the car by the light of our phones alone, and drove to the “Hip Strip” as it’s called, which, if you like weird dudes loitering in dark parking lots, is the hippest spot around. Everything we found had no vacancy except for a place that got two recommendations — including from our buddy Andre — The Glorietta. Unfortunately, it appeared that two ladies of the evening were having a boisterous debate in front of the place. We didn’t care. We just needed to sleep.
Bright and early, we started on our very scary drive through the mountains of Jamaica. And guess what? We blew another tire!!! It was only noon but I decided it was time to crack open the Jamaican rum I had bought in the the airport!
Thankfully that was the last hiccup and we had time to enjoy the beach, the food, the culture and the incredible nature that surrounded us. The landscape on the south coast is semi-arid. Cacti grow wild everywhere! There were pelicans that fished in front of our cottage, spiraling down head first into the sea to catch breakfast. Crabs were camouflaged on the rocks. I saw a colorful jellyfish and a huge stingray, like the ones you see on Planet Earth documentaries.
The element of weirdness did continue though, with our visit to a tire shop where the locals were speaking patois*, kindly offering us ganja and where the Red Stripes was quenching everyone’s mid-day thirst. Then there was the karaoke bar – more grass, more beer and 80s soft rock re-cast as reggae. There’s not enough space here to describe all the weird, wonderful and beautiful things we saw.
Now I’m back at home, taking down the Christmas decorations in a polar vortex. What I wouldn’t give to be back on the side of the road drinking rum while Matt changes tires.
*English-based creole language with West African influences
