A few days ago, I stumbled upon this article “Greenpoint Versus Greenpoint,” ostensibly about how the character of the neighborhood has changed in the past few years due to transplants, gentrification, etc. In order to test how exactly much the area has changed, the writer stops by various bars/restaurants in the neighborhood and describes the type of person she sees at each spot.
Before diving into the article, I should clarify that I do take a very sympathetic view towards people genuinely affected by gentrification: I’m sure it’s incredibly frustrating to be pushed out of your childhood home thanks to rising rent/property taxes, not to mention watching your neighborhood be overtaken by dog-inclusive craft cocktail bars and skinny shirtless men on jogs. However, the article somewhat falls to pieces as you slowly realize the writer is a gentrifier complaining about gentrification. In short, the article pretends to be a big thinkpiece about a changing neighborhood, but is really more about the author telling us that she’s Not Like The Other Transplants.
Let’s go through the article bit by bit:
What I wanted to know was: Between Eavesdrop and Esme, where does the old Greenpoint end? Among the $35 arctic char entrees and $19 house martinis, was it possible to find some of the neighborhood’s old kielbasa-shop and social-club flavor?
^This is how people talk after living in Brooklyn for two months lmao. It’s like the Greenpoint equivalent of NYU freshmen telling you they stumbled upon this chic hidden little speakeasy known to the locals as “Beauty & Essex”.
“On a Saturday afternoon at Karczma…the crowd consisted of youngish pairs & trios, including one who greeted the server with “Dzień dobry” before asking for pierogies in Polish, and another weighing the pros and cons of leaving a finance job to work for the government”
Do you get it? The first person is a good, Brooklyn native (just like the writer obviously). They speak POLISH. The second person is an evil finance bro who should move back to Tribeca or, if possible, the fiery depths of hell.
“My borscht came with a generous ladleful of mashed potatoes...draped in dill sauce that transported me to Warsaw, where as a teenage vegetarian I developed an aversion to the herb. Both dishes were well-cooked and comforting in a “we have aunties in the kitchen” way.”
The angle that this article is pushing is so obvious lmao. We get it, this is a real Brooklyn restaurant. Also, lines like “aunties in the kitchen” make it incredibly clear that the writer has already decided that “old” Brooklyn places are good and new Brooklyn places are bad. Like, you can say the food was good without assigning it moral value. But no, the outcome of the article has been pre-ordained and we just have to stfu and listen to how every mom-and-pop shop in Brooklyn is amazing and every trendy restaurant in Brooklyn is the house of Lucifer. I mean, really. There’s heavy-handed and then there’s “aunties in the kitchen.”
Also, pro tip: when trying to cosplay as a Brooklynite suffering from gentrification, maybe don’t mention that you spent time in Europe growing up.
“We got warmer at El Pingüino… the “Spanish seafood bar” seems to have remained relatively low-key — I saw a dude gulp leftover fish juice out of a bowl. I sipped a mezcal paper plane…”
Is this supposed to be the writer’s way of saying that, now that they’re at a trendy restaurant, the clientele is tacky or something? Because he’s “gulping leftover fish juice”? For what it’s worth, it’s totally normal to drink the rest of the “fish juice” (AKA leche de tigre lol) when you’re eating ceviche, which is probably what that guy was having. No need to get all high & mighty.
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