I spent Saturday night at my favorite no tell Motel (in Lee, MA) as we had a “unify” weekend at my son’s school….and let me tell you I was very upset to not have my favorite room on the first floor, but since I had all my usual equipment (my own sheets, pillows, duvet etc) I handled it)..Now, I did have a photo of my husband looking out the window at the Dunkin Donuts next door, but he begged me not to post it, but it was funny watching the action……
On the way to the event on Sunday morning, I made a little detour to check out a place someone who works at the school, who had moved from the Bronx and was going through his own “re adjustment”to the area….he said he was looking for good coffee, good bread and some good sandwiches…and not to the local taste, but someone who was “spoiled”….anyway, Leo directed us to the Berkshire Mountain Bakery, down road 183 just off route 7 heading from Stockbridge to Great Barrington. (along the way, you pass Taft farmstand, which is also worth the stop)…so we go on this 183 and are wondering how far down the road we need to go…and suddenly we find it….but it is closed….but there is a lady inside and she is speaking to someone…..oh….the owner!!
He let us in, even though he is not really open and now I suddenly understand what Leo was talking about. Besides the fact that this is a real bakery and the breads are all organic and smell wonderful..it is very simple and everything looks good. We chose a multi grain and a raisin…but then while we were about to leave, my husband spotted (now this is all one counter for everything so how we missed it is beyond) is a ready made pizza crust..whole wheat in fact. We say, let’s get this and make for our son for dinner and the owner tells us he supplies the crust to Baba Louie’s a local pizza “chain” (they have two or three I think)..that we have dined at..they simply put toppings on the pizza it seems and sell them… he said it is super simple and in fact it was..so we get that too.
I, of course interrogated the owner, whose name is Richard Bourdon, is an ex Canadian, that was on his way to teach some kind of baking course in the area over 22 years ago and stayed. In fact, he had no idea when crossing the Canadian border that he couldn’t just stay, and it seems his case to get a visa to stay was a landmark one…but besides that fact, he was interested in chemical combination of ingredients and what they do to the body and how he could make good for you and more natural bread 22 years ago..before today’s craze of farm to table etc.
He sells at lots of local farmer’s markets as well as many wholesale accounts, but the fun is to come to the bakery, really see something honest and real, and buy the bread there. He also sells “day old”which is so charming, as there is very rarely a large selection….he sells out….there are some tables outside..and he says that he put them there just for fun as he doesn’t have a “cafe”, but people bring salads and meats and then buy his bread to make a lunch…he doesn’t complain and neither does anyone else.
The pizza was wonderful according to my husband and son…and the two breads as well. You know I am a bread snob and I heartily recommend you make a detour and find a real “insiders” bread facility…there is what I would call a “low key” website..…Richard said that marketing is not his strong suit….he just wants to make good bread…and he is…..
My new job, bagel security………..
Now, I haven’t had a bagel in years….first they are fattening, second, I haven’t seen a bagel I was interested in for many years, and I would rather have some wonderful dense bread with lots of flavor, and I certainly would never eat those rings of bread that are called “bagels” on those coffee carts you see around town, that I am convinced only out of towners use…I mean, those are not bagels.
However, when I started to think about this tax thing, it became increasingly diffficult to understand how they were going to enforce this tax. I mean, I see lots of people who buy the bagel, get something put on it (that means cut..so that means tax) and then they walk out of the store……and I see lots of people at let’s say H&H who buy a dozen bagels, and then as they are walking out, or even while at the counter, take a bite out of a bagel….so…..that, now technically means that they should pay the tax…..do they pay the tax on the one bagel they eat, or the whole dozen?
By the way, I asked one of those cart guys if they pay tax on food now, and the guy I asked told me that street vendors don’t charge or pay tax for food? Is that true? I have never eaten from the street and only purchased water, which come to think of it, I didn’t pay tax..so it must be true…so are these guys affected by the new tax or not?
I think that there will have to be bagel security and this might be the perfect job for me……I relish in the idea of stopping the crying 3 year old and wrestling the bagel out of their hand as their parent tries to get them out of the store (again, H&H is a perfect example of a place that is just for bagels..ie not a sit down cafe)..Can you imagine….”excuse me..but your child just took a bite out of that bagel…you owe tax on it” and the ensuing incidents…oh, just the kind of thing we New Yorkers would love…..This job might be very interesting for me when I think about it..I like rules and enforcing them, and this would be fun, although standing on my feet all day might not be..I suppose the benefits would be that I would be teaching someone to respect the rules…
My husband thinks that store owners would love this as they could just charge everyone the tax and steal it…but I think I read that they are going to fine bagel shop owners based on an estimate of sales for not reporting how many people “had it sliced”……I think the only solution is the one I offer here…..Bagel Security to watch for open mouths and bagels shoved in them…..