Day 13
Cafe Express
397 S End Ave.
Nov. 9, 2006

forest green and bright yellow awning
outside, an ice cream freezer - early november?
inside, a beige crescent carved out of south end ave
there are no seating options, just a counter
they are obsessed with ice cream
inside and outside
i choose the vegetarian panini
my hopes are high, this is battery park city after all
and their beverage fridge has coconut water and bottled water that looks like it's in a vodka bottle
there i am by the mighty hudson 5 minutes later
prying open the white styrofoam sandwich condo
i am greeted by a drowning victim
a soup'n'salad sandwich
the zuchinni floodwaters released by the pannini process
have claimed my purchase
a spectacular triumph over common sense, this sandwich
it's one thing to dine with fingers in an ethiopian restaurant
quite another in public, with no spoon or straw
i should have known that a place that sold exotic water and had an ice cream fridge out front
in early november
would be capable of serving the world's least practical sandwich