Location: Clinton Hill, Brooklyn
One in every four boys under the age of five in the neighborhood of Clinton Hill go by the name of Malakai (or Malachai or Malachi). A small percentage of children in the area is actually a girl named Malakai. Typically accompanied by at least one parent (Mom if average, Dad if progressive), Malakai's caregiver(s) will have an iced coffee in one hand and a leash in the other. Malakai rides a three-wheeled scooter. He rides with a small backpack on him, and the backpack has Sock Monkey's arm sticking out of the part he couldn't zip up all the way. It is nine-o-clock on a Tuesday morning and passersby wonder why Malakai isn't in school yet and what his parents do for a living. Today, the parent is Mom. Mom wears white, Vans slip-on's with a tinge of pasta sauce on the left toe, black Lululemon yoga pants, and a grey American Apparel zip up. Mom's dirty blond hair is tied in a mid-level ponytail, and she chooses to wear sunglasses on this rather dreary day, probably because she didn't have time to do her makeup. Mom fast-walks to keep up with Malakai, and the French Bulldog drags behind them all.
Meanwhile, there's the group of three Hispanic teenage boys. At this point, who cares why no one is where they're institutionally expected to be? Two are holding skateboards and all of them have the appropriate skater hair and attire. Yet, they ironically walk into a well-established vegan bakery, precisely on the border of Bed-Stuy and Clinton Hill (post-ironically).
After perusing the menu, Jaime says indirectly to the cashier, "No way... everything's vegan?"
The cashier says, "Yes way," and nods his head.
"Awesome."
Jaime orders the BLAT ([Tempeh] Bacon Lettuce Avocado Tomato), a black bean kale and quinoa salad with tahini dressing, and a rooibos iced tea (total: $15.34). Jaime pays with the twenty-dollar-bill that his grandmother gave to him this morning for the week's lunch. Jaime sits outside on the tables set up just outside of the vegan bakery with his friends, and engages in light banter regarding the debate: farro versus wheatberry.
