Sunday, October 30, 2005

哪家的楓糖香


入秋以來有一件奇事。週四晚間,紐約空氣裡到處都是甜甜的香味,像是楓糖或黑焦糖打翻了。

這甜香無所不在,我下午在辦公室裡就一直聞到楓糖香,以為是自己太想吃美術館餐廳替員工準備的新早餐---麥片加乾果和黑焦糖。秋雨連續下了兩個星期,又濕又冷,早上看到熱麥片真是幸福。只是一早吃甜甜的麥片跟打起精神工作不太搭調,麥片感覺是週末早晨看報紙時的點心。美術館的麥片早餐的確讓人印象深刻,但愛吃總不至於在腦袋裡製造香味幻覺吧?

晚上和朋友約在曼哈頓吃川菜。走在街上還是一陣陣的楓糖味,心想自己真是沒救了,明天來買麥片早餐好了。

進家門第一件事老公就問我,「妳有聞到糖漿的味道嗎?」喔,原來不只是我。還好我腦袋沒問題。我們看新聞,上網查,都沒看到相關的報導。整個晚上屋子裡都 是濃濃的楓糖漿味。第二天一早NY1 News有報導,說曼哈頓市民打電話到新聞台詢問焦糖香的來源,最北邊是從哈林區打來的。到星期六都沒人知道這壟罩紐約市的甜香是哪裡來的。

pic: Belgian waffles with strawberry, Petite Abeille, 134 West Broadway, Tribeca

以下是www.NY1.com的報導:

Maple Syrup Anyone? City Investigating Source Of Sweet Smell

October 28, 2005

In a city full of foul aromas, a mysterious sweet smell is receiving a lot of attention after residents throughout Manhattan began reporting it Thursday night.

Calls have been pouring in to the city's 311 hotline and to 911 from Manhattan residents wondering just what the smell is.

Many describe it as smelling like maple syrup. Other say it smells like flavored coffee or roasted nuts.

NY1 has been receiving calls from as far south as Lower Manhattan and as far north as Harlem.

"It started at work about 8:30 Thursday night,” said one aroma-witness. “I was at the computer and I felt like, I don't even know, maybe someone had some maple syrup and they were typing away and I was typing and it got on me somehow. I was laying in bed last night and I felt like I had maple syrup in my nostrils."

"I have no idea where it came from,” said another New Yorker. “I thought it was like a baker was making sugar or something and they left it burning."

Officials from the Office of Emergency Management have been running tests all night to try to figure out just what the smell is.

A spokesman says air samples aren't showing anything hazardous, the source of the smell is still not clear.

Thursday, October 27, 2005


惠特尼雙年展2000

前天晚上去惠特尼雙年展開幕
排隊的人從門口排到下一個街角
是星期三的晚上九點多還這麼多人來
有人盛裝打伴 也有人穿著上班的套裝就來了
唯一的共同點是 大家都穿得黑黑的
哈哈... 紐約人

惠特尼美術館很小
擠進這麼多人真是恐怖
展覽空間共三層 每次去都覺得展太多東西 偏又愛辦大型展覽
樓下有免費的飲料和酒 煙霧彌漫
把雙年展辦成party... 蠻好玩的

-----------------------------------

昨天辦公室裡五個女生都穿黑色上衣,站在一起像是約好的,有點好笑。紐約人愛穿黑色,已經成為一個共同的語言,可幹練可嫵媚,時尚又低調,安全不失禮,不論老少貧富都可以在黑色裡找到自在。-2005

pic: 貓的後腦袋

Sunday, October 23, 2005


專有名詞: Art Handler (2001)

Art Handler 是搬運藝術品的專業人員
像是搬運工, 因為有些作品很重
需要很細心, 不然會把壺打破
我們美術館的 Art Handler 多半是藝術家
或是像藝術家的樣子, 有東海同學的氣質
總之看起來蠻有趣, 很有親切感
上星期有一家 Boston 的拍賣會來取件
因為我們有一千兩百件東南亞及南亞藝術品委託拍賣
那家拍賣會自己派 Art Handler 來搬東西
哇, 每個都又高又帥又強壯
唉……

Saturday, October 22, 2005


十月底,突然閑了下來。

美術館的老闆帶著一團十八人到大陸,回程應邀去日本一星期,十一月中才回紐約。古董商E也在香港採購一個月,週二週三晚間的工作暫停。星期天兼差的收藏家工作呢,富太太明年三月要搬進Manhattan,現在藝術品跟古董家具全打包了,藏品編目工作暫停。

於是我回復美術館忙碌但只「加一點點班」的工作時數,開心得回家煮飯十點上床睡覺;但是也在這三年內頭一次完全靠這少得可憐的美術館薪水過活,窮到存款剩下100美金,巴望著下星期四發薪水,然後馬上被房租吸走。

上週知道明年三月才會回去幫富太太工作,腦袋裡馬上閃進的念頭是,「那我週末要找什麼兼差?」這才發現自己成了完全沒救的工作狂。

最近正想要把NYC Morning Report搬到Blog上,今天因緣際會xxc問到一個網站有連結他的網站也有我明日報的網站,重燃我post文章的希望。趁著閑閑沒兼差又沒錢,來寫寫東西吧!兩年來累積了不少好餐廳,寫來給你們流口水。

早安喔