orange juice
Last Friday night – right after concluding a very long work week and right before collapsing in bed at 9:30 pm – Maya asked me to pick up orange juice so she could have it at breakfast.*
Because clearly her weekend consumption of Vitamin C should top my list of priorities.
At Cabana Restaurant.
Which it apparently does. As evidenced by the fact that I woke up on Saturday morning, bright and early, with one thing in mind: Must. Get. Maya. Orange. Juice.
As the lines at the NYC Trader Joe’s have been known to form OUTSIDE the store, I threw any sense of fashion out the window as I put on whatever I saw first.
Seafood salad @ Cabana, Falafel @ Ilili, Salad @ Le Pain Quotidien
Time was obviously of the essence.
I got to Trader Joe’s one minute after it opened and secured – are you ready for this? – the very last freshly squeezed orange juice. The last one!
Another picture @ Cabana
And then, when I turned around triumphantly, another, even more amazing thing happened. The nicest person in the world stopped to tell me that she:
- Is a fan of my blog.
- Enjoys my random posts.
- Liked my jacket.
- Thinks I am a good mother.
- Is glad we moved to NYC.
Fig & Olive: Salmon, Chocolate Souffle, Chicken Paillard
Sorry you had to see me in the state you did M. (Ali thought you might not want to be named!), but thank YOU for making me feel (for five minutes at least) that I exist for reasons other than to supply Maya with sugary drinks. You made my weekend.
While I'm not going to win Mother/Wife of the Year Award anytime soon, I haven't killed anyone yet or shot myself in the head. And that, my friends, is how I calculate success these days. 
FANCY THAT FANCY THIS 
Hmmm, maybe the next item you can put on your to do list could be “teach maya that squeezing oranges is a delightful and amusing game she is not allowed to play” so she will sneak into the kitchen before anyone else is awake to squeeze oranges…
This would be ideal except that:
a. we don’t have a juicer
b. we don’t have oranges. 🙂
That’s a very cool ending to your post today, Ameena. You have fans in NYC !
Thanks Razwana!
Really its time you stop shirking your motherly and womanly duties and teach your daughter how to cook and clean and wait on men hand and foot. How irresponsible can you be?
P.S.
your husband offered me $5000 and 2 tickets to anywhere I wanted to go to tell you that. 😉
🙂 oops
always enjoy your blog Ameena have a great week!
2 tickets and $5k? Sounds like Ali.
Thanks for the comment Erika!
That’s so cool! I’m glad one of my favorite bloggers was recognized. And to think that never would have happened had Maya not asked for OJ! 🙂
Yes…so I should be thanking Maya I guess? 🙂
Isn’t that the greatest thing when people recognize you and tell you they’re a fan of your blog?! I had that happen twice at the Royal Opera House in Muscat and a couple of times while out hiking in wadis in Oman. Back in America, I’m now as anonymous and unknown as I ever was. But that little bit of appreciation meant the world to me! We all love you! 🙂
How crazy that it happened to you twice! And in Muscat & Oman. Amazing.
Well, of course my blog was all about Oman (www.catbirdinoman.wordpress.com) at that time, and Oman is a very small country! So it’s not that amazing really. It’s much more amazing to be recognized in New York! 🙂
Reminds me when my daughter was in grammar school. Mom, I volunteered you to make chocolate covered strawberries for my teacher’s birthday tomorrow. This conversation took place at 7 pm. Yes, I went to the market. Yes, I made them. Yes, I drove her to school and helped set up the room. The things you do for your kids! I hope karma really exists though, May she be blessed with a child just like her. I will keep an eye out for you when I’m in NYC Thanksgiving weekend. I will just look for Ali’s ear muffs 🙂
Chocolate covered strawberries seem SO easy but are really not. So I have a lot of respect for you Seana!
Totally agree…the things we do for our kids.
If you see me in NYC please say hello. You have the advantage since I don’t know what you look like. 🙂
You’re officially blog-famous!
Blog famous…I love it. I’ll take what I can get!
I knew you were just being modest about your fame! I would find you at the local Trader Joe’s too if you moved to my city. You should just pour Maya a big glass of orange juice every morning until it’s gone. Perhaps even dinners as well.
But then she’d be high on sugar and that would open up a whole other set up problems. LOL
My “fame.” I love it.
very sweet of M 🙂 hope this week is going better for you and wont require TJ run.
Every week requires a TJ run. Numerous TJ runs!
Aww.. that’s very sweet of M. I wish I could see you in person too. On another note, at least what Maya asked is healthy and not a soda for breakfast. If it’s still unopened then it’s just a blessing in disguise, that way you don’t have to be waiting at the lines to get it the next time she asks 🙂
Love your pics with Maya and Ali. Great hair day!
Maya has had a soda once…when she was sick and the doctor recommended giving it to her so she’d have SOMETHING. Soda for breakfast = pretty nuts!
Thanks for the compliment Lydia! 🙂
That is so lovely that you have a little fan club 🙂 You deserve it daaaahling, your posts always put a smile on my face.
*kisses* H
p.s. those square falafel look divine, were they nice?
They were quite tasty HH…I think you would LOVE Ilili!
Article writing is also a excitement, if you
be acquainted with afterward you can write or else it is complicated to write.
And I agree with all those things she said! Your blog is a nice change of scenery.
Kind of scary that NY TJ’s has lines out the door. What I don’t get about NY is how people go food shopping. Here, there are cars, etc. Does everyone just carry all their groceries on the subway? Do you need two people to go with you? What if you want to buy milk?
Ah.
I’m lucky to live close to one of the few Trader Joe’s, but unless Ali goes groceries with me (which happens VERY rarely) I end up carrying everything by myself on foot. So I don’t buy too much at a time!
I see other people grab a cab after shopping…it’s a whole different thing over here.
how amazing! what a great feeling….fab foodie pics as always, i need to go back to f & o for all those items…missing you guys, xo
You need to come here so we can go to F & O together! Miss you too.
Coming from another fan, I’m sure you made her weekend too. I can’t wait to meet you in person.
A line for TJ’s? Seriously?
Love you Ameena- a great OJ picker upper and an even better blogger 🙂
I hope you come visit HM! Would love to meet someone with a similar sense of humor.
Thanks for the nice comment. 🙂
I think thats what parents are for!
Parents definitely should WANT to run out on Saturday morning to grab their kids juice…but evidently I missed out on that gene when it was being passed out. 🙂
oh. sorry. that came out wrong!
How exciting! I’ve never been recognized, that’s so great. I love TJs.. the lines are long, but they move quick, so shocking how that works. OMG.. I love all the places you ate at.. we share very similar taste in food. At Ilili I’m a huge fan of their Phonecian Fries.. and Fig and Olive just rules. I have to try Cabana. The Le Pain salad looks amazing! So funny about the juice… you are a good mother, although it’s probably more of a validation from one mother to another. 🙂
I haven’t had the Phonecian Fries…I will have to go back and try them out. F & O is always amazing, as is Le Pain. Cabana was good, just don’t have the salad (too much lettuce, not enough shrimp / scallops).
Hope we can meet up soon Nisha!
i want to eat at fig & olive from your posts haha. let’s face it ameena. you’re totally famous 😉 p.s. i also love that coat even if j simpleton ‘designed it’ she’ll drink that oj someday right?
I love that you consider me “famous.” Feels great.
So Ali popped open the OJ, finally. Maya still hasn’t touched it!
Oh my gosh, you are officially blogger famous!! And how dare you post about last weekend on a Wednesday? Totally joking. You know I could care less. The sad thing is that when the OJ runs out…back you will go to the store. I feel like we are constantly running out of things and constantly running to the store for them. So annoying.
I am constantly running to the store here because I can only carry so much at a time you know? Sometimes I actually do miss having a car.
How fabulous to be recognised and appreciated. GG
Absolutely GG – feels great!
Obviously,
you’re a super star, Ameena.
btw, I love how you add photos of scrumptious food to your blog posts! X
Thank you MIC…so nice of you to comment and compliment. 🙂 I appreciate it!
Jebus. A line outside the Trader Joe’s? Oh, my…
It’s really one of the craziest things I’ve seen here. Especially on a Sunday afternoon. Very scary.
Wow Ameena! And it shows you are a great mother, you stood in line early morning for orange juice!
Thanks Amelia…I appreciate your nice comment. 🙂
Too funny. Isn’t it interesting how sometimes things are SO important and necessary and then they are forgotten. I’m learning that for myself with this clean out. You’re a Good Mom!
You are a Nice Commenter. 🙂
I’m trying to rid my life of things that I’ve forgotten. Moving into a smaller space has really helped with that.
That must have been a fun surprise!
I always try to go to Trader Joe’s (if I need to go in the first place) in the morning…anytime after noon, and the lines get horrendously long. It even gets to the point where people start forming their own lines and try to cut in front of you with two cartloads of stuff.
^ Guess I had a mini rant there :P.
I don’t blame you…TJ’s in LA was pretty crazy. TJ’s in NY is a whole other level of crazy!
I’m pretty sure there’s no way I would ever get up first thing and head out to my OJ for my kid, so that makes you a good mom – or, at least, a better mom than I am 😉
So nice of you to say my friend, but I KNOW you are a great mom. You’d do far more than get OJ for your kids. 🙂
Gah, I thought I posted a comment but now I don’t see it (so apologies if it shows up 18 times and it appears I’m blog stalking you) 🙂 Also, you are a fantastic mom for getting juice first thing. When we’re out, we just tell Little Man “jooch khatam.” I’m guessing that strategy won’t work so well when he’s no longer two.
PS: I think you’re a bona fide blog celebrity now. And I can say I knew you way back when! 🙂
You are a celebrity Ameena! So fun.love all your food pics. We need to meet soon. Especially since I may be switching jobs and won’t be in NYC much. I’d love to hang out with a celeb 🙂
maya should try pomegranate juice!…she can get a head start on preventing wrinkles! btw that chocolate Souffle looks awesome!!!