Pickles

So, some of you may not have been aware that last Sunday was the 8th Annual, NYC International Pickle Day. Which means that it was also the day for the Pickle Festival in the lower east side.


Vendors set up tents on Orchard Street, between Grand & Broome, and supplied visitors with free samples of, well, pretty much anything that could be pickled.


Pickles, of course, are cucumbers (Cucumis sativus) that have fermented in a briny vinegar. They belong in the Cucurbitaceae family and are related to many other foods including melons, pumpkins and gourds.


There is a rich, operatic history of pickles being produced and sold in the lower east side and, after a brief search on the New York Times, I am certain I can't abridge this suitably for a blog post.


Below, you can see New Yorkers doing what they do best: waiting in endless lines in order to get some sought-after food with almost fetishistic obsession. At least in this case, the pickles were free.


Sunday was hot. My friends and I didn't linger too long at the festival. As one of them put it, "The mix of body odor and vinegar: not good."