Monday, May 18, 2009

One Girl's Trash Is Another Girl's Treasure ...

Look what a long stroll through Brooklyn on a sunny day can bring ...Oh please, do click on the picture to get a zoom view ... I'll wait .... :-)

Yep, it's what you think it is. It's a newer version of what precious few of us adult foodies had while growing up ... the play kitchen. I remember having an Easy Bake Oven and that was it for a while. Then there was this stove top looking thing with a fake cast-iron frying pan and fake bacon and eggs, sunny side up. Nothing fancy in any way, the basics. I was quite happy with it, but as I was walking by I saw this sleeker version and immediately stopped. I was transformed back to childhood and as an adult, I was instantly envious, just green with envy, green like the obviously marble (!?!?) counter tops. Because they wouldn't be Formica, not in this kitchen would they? Not with the stainless steel appliances! The contractor went a bit wild with a fullsized-water dispensing fridge ... on the countertop!? Plus, I have a sneaking suspicion that the blank spot beneath the countertop below the fridge ... is for a dish washer. Wow, I have one, but can't use it due to my new digs ... I'm even more green with envy now, and this is just a toy!!  Teeheehee ... wow, lemme tell ya ... times are so crazy and neat at the same time. Wish I had this big toy as a kid and then as an adult, I wonder how hard it must be for parents to buy toys for their kids that give off such an expensive lifestyle. Really, stainless steel is pricey! :-)

Anyway, the neat thing about this is the former owner of this cute little kitchen was sitting on her stoop. I asked her if it was hers and told her it was reeeeeally nice (totally jealous, I was) . She said thank you and went back to concentrating on writing a sign that she put on it after I snapped the picture. It said in a cute 'I just learned to write well' penmanship:
"Not for Sale
     Free
for anyone"(with a smiley face).
Too cute. Some lucky little girl (or boy) is gonna get a neat toy, just from their parent taking a slow stroll on a sunny day like I did. Wish I was Marty McFly right about now ... or at least a young foodie growing up in a foodie friendly world.

19 comments:

Lisa said...

Awww! :)
I remember having a play stove, sink, and fridge and an Easy-Bake oven. I use to play restaurant... wanted to be a chef how warped it that? LOL

I hope some lucky kiddie is have a great time with this and would. ;)

JessD said...

Hey Sunny,
I've been a fan of yours since you were a radio personality on Hot97. I remember years ago when you were on 34th Street in the Foot Action I went to see you and gave you a letter and you actually called my house. LOL But I missed your call and you spoke to my grandma. I'm glad you have your own show now and happy you're doing something you love. Also if there's anyway you can put an email up so I can reach you, I would be so happy. LOL

Thanks,
Jessica Williams

Lys said...

They are steppin' up the toy game nowadays. You are right -some little foodie in training is going to be VERY happy.

Nkoyo said...

Cool mini kitchen! Man these toys are really moving along with the times. (LOL) Now I've been to NY once, but never to Brooklyn. Sunny how would you say your hood is different from Manhattan?

Shannon said...

I wish I would run across something that neat for free!! What a nice lady to just give it away. Some little kiddo had a truly great weekend!

t2ed said...

I am so bummed my appliances don't have kitties on them.

I've got to run out for some stickers now.

Sunny Anderson said...

mise en place, i know ... i actually never had chef dream, but i thought if i fake cooked enough, one day i'd get entry into the adult kitchen ... only happened when i moved out and joined the air force, what a break in to cooking living in south korea for a year ...

jessd, hey! i vaguely remember the call! i really do. the funny thing is i can't tell you details about much because i've packed plenty into these 34 years, but when i get a lil reminder it all comes back. hope you've been well. i think if you look at my profile there is an email, it goes right to me. glad you are still with me for the food journey! keep in touch!

lys, ok!?!?? i was totally envious. felt like little house on the prairie and i was laura and the girl with the mini kitchen was that rich chick whose fam owned the general store.

nkoyo, hmmm you have good questions, feels like mini interviews. i don't think there's much difference btwn bklyn and manny hatty in the way of nieghborhood stuff. although the city is big, each few blocks maintains a connection. i lived in chelsea when i first moved here and found it to be very similar to brooklyn. plenty of things to walk to, plenty of restaurants. i think the big diff is more sunshine cuz there are less bldgs to shadow. the cost of living is pretty much the same depending on where in brooklyn you live. i dunno, i think what i do like about brooklyn though is there are more people that have lived there their whole lives. like my landlord grew up in the house i rent and still lives close by. pretty neat. less sirens in brooklyn too, the first few nights in chelsea i had to get used to the sound of cars going by and ambulances at night. the most i hear now are my two cats fighting lol

shannon, don't we all ... i wish i could run across a free car and a free grill teeheehee

t2ed, hilarious.

Austin Wilcox said...

Haha! Sounds like you had an "aha, I need to blog about this" moment. Gotta love those haha. My cousin used to have one of those old school ones.. she often served me delicious plastic hamburgers and fake fries. Great memories..

FB @ FabulouslyBroke.com said...

I wanted a Barbie Dream House. Not an easy bake oven. That came later.

Btw, any reason why you do comment mod AND word verification? Isn't it usually one or the other?

Anonymous said...

I LOVE that toy kitchen! That has everything you need! Oh, now you just inspired me to blog about my "dream" kitchen. :-) Thanks!

Unknown said...

Too cute..I had one of those back in the late 70's... and now my best friend's daughter Alissa has one. I love play cooking with her, she's five. The other day she tried onions for the first time. I caramelized them slowly for some grilled sausages. She said they were so sweet they were like candy.. love it.


What's new in FN land? Are you planiing any trips to Chicago? I am here for the summer. I lost my job and had to leave San Francisco. I miss the Bay, I know I will get back. But for now, enjoying the city and doing various cooking demos and classes. Take care.
Alex

Sunny Anderson said...

austin wilcox, i did. i was like, look at that cute lil kitchen ... i think because i have no kids or friends with them, that i'm out of the baby toy loop ... times have changed!

fb, okay!? i begged for the bdh and got it ... only to realize it took forever to assemble and it never made the next move, so i had a limited run with it army brat style ...

cooking mama, have fun boggin!

alex, girl i know how you feel many people i know have been affected by the economy. layoffs suck. just keep pluggin along, hope chi-town is treating you well.

Sunny Anderson said...

fb, also forgot to answer your 2nd part. the answer is cuz i'm a doofus. i get what you mean ... i'll change soon.

downwithabsolutes said...

Ha! Too cool. We had one of those in the kindergarten classes I taught in a few years back. Had to always scrub it down with Purell because who knows what those kids would bring in from recess!

Sunny Anderson said...

downwithabsolutes, i know, made me feel like such a kid again seeing it!

Margaret said...

This post reminds me of my 'junking' adventures while stationed in Germany (Landstuhl/Kaiserslautern/Ramstein). We furnished most of our barracks with 'gently' used stuff found during midnight runs. All for FREE!
Thanks for the memories!!

Sunny Anderson said...

margaret, glad i could take ya back to some good times! good ol k-town, eh? so i'm guessing air force? don't you miss pomme frites and volksmarches?

Margaret said...

I was in the Army, stationed at Landstuhl at the hospital...NOTHING on the hill BUT the hospital, so we partied at Ramstein. We practically lived there on the weekends. When I 'winged' it and moved back with 3 bags of clothes and a snowboard in '99, I lived near Ramstein (and worked on base for a while also). I miss pommes frites, volksmarches, the schloss cafes, schnitzel, gyros, doner kebabs...the list is LONG.

Sunny Anderson said...

margaret, ahhhh the next best thing to being in the army, is being in the army on an air force base, eh? i always liked our barracks and chow hall better. and lemme tell ya, all the things you listed and more, i miss as well. more people should visit germany and discover what a great country it is. i'm jealous you went back. i'm planning a return in my head, can't wait until it comes to fruition.