The Nile Falafel Inc.

140 W. 4th Street (in Manhattan)

It was just a little after four in the afternoon when I went into The Nile Falafel Inc., a place I've been a few times before. I had been at work all day and had not eaten anything since the toasted cheese sandwich (see previous blog). I stepped up to the counter of this somewhat dingy little establishment and told the man that I would like a falafel sandwich with hummus. This item was handed over to me in about two minutes. The price? $3.50. As I exited with my to-go bag I knew that I had something to look forward to.

I decided to head for the nearby park to eat. The area near the entrance to the park was a bit crowded so I decided to venture further in. I passed a girl sitting on a bench and noticed she was giving me a strange look. I slowed down to see if this was someone I knew and had just decided that it was not when she gave me a big smile and shouted, "Hey! Hi! How are you doing?" Clearly this person knew me; unfortunately I had no idea who she was. Of course I pretended that I did and returned her greeting. "Wow it's good to see you," she said. I said that it was good to see her too. Apparently she liked my sweater, is moving to Canada and getting married, spent the last year "just sort of wandering around and being a gypsy", is considering going back to school, and thought it was so weird to run into me in New York. I hope it all works out for whoever she may be. As for my falafel, it remained uneaten through this interaction. That was soon to change though, as I told her I was on my way to buy a CD during my break from work (not true). I said goodbye and made my way out of the park.

I ate my falafel as I took the long way around a few blocks back to work. The sandwich was really good. Good falafel, ample vegetables, good tahini, and great hummus. The only debit was the pita, which was a little dry. All in all it was really enjoyable. I walked back into work bewildered by my conversation with this girl, but no longer hungry.

Falafel: A-