In the Land of the Living

Yesterday was a rough day. Glad to be back. On the way home my husband and I passed the lovely sight of two folks enjoying an outdoor lunch at Pupatella. Must go there soon, we thought.

So, I smiled when I saw this on YouTube this morning:

“The most authentic Neapolitan pizzeria in Maryland is in Columbia” Christina Tkacik, Baltimore Banner, June 3, 2024

Her original print article is from April but here it is if you prefer that format.

The Dish: The most authentic Neopolitan pizza in Maryland is in Columbia

Your challenge, if you choose to accept it: eat out doors as much as possible before it gets so hot that you’d rather be doing an ice bucket challenge. If you haven’t heard, there’s a new COVID variant making the rounds. If you can avoid another infection while enjoying an outdoor meal - - why not?

Speaking of eating outdoors, mark your calendars for June 15th at the Oakland Mills Village Center!

Althea Hanson will be celebrating the debut of her new “Almost Famous” food truck which will specialize in her absolutely scrumptious Jamaican Patties.

You're Invited!

Althea's Almost Famous PATTY Shop Launch

* Bold flavor. Fresh vibes. A brand new trailer.*

We're thrilled to invite you to the official launch of our second food trailer - the Almost Famous Patty Shop! Come celebrate with us and be among the first to try our handcrafted Jamaican patties, straight from the brand-new mobile kitchen.

Location: Oakland Mills Farmers Market

Date: Saturday, June 15th

Time: 11:00 AM - 1:00 PM

Expect fresh patties, street food energy, and good vibes all around.

Whether you've followed us from the start or are just discovering our flavors — we'd love to see you there!

And here’s the sentence I wish I had written:

Come hungry. Leave almost famous.

While I’ve enjoyed multiple things on the menu, it’s the patties I keep coming back to - - especially the beef ones - - but they’re all good.

I hope I’ll see you at the Farmers’ Market on the 15th.

One last thing. If you’ve been reading about the new Yar Spice in Columbia and wondered where it was, it’s here:

Not my pix. Images shamelessly grabbed from Google.

To clarify: 9123 Old Annapolis Rd, Columbia, MD 21045, which I would describe as on Route 108, on your right hand side if you’re heading towards the intersection of 108 and Centre Park Drive.

If you’re in the mood for a deeper dive I wrote about that building in 2022.

Drive-by Curiousity, Village Green/Town², December 2022

Since I’m thinking a lot about outdoor seating and outdoor eating, where’s your favorite HoCoLocal place to do that? If I get enough responses I’ll gather them up into a separate post.

Village Green/Town² Comments

Comments

Getting Fresh

One of my favorite days in the Spring comes when this year’s list of Farmer’s Markets is released. That happened this week. New this year are markets in Old Ellicott City and the “Merriweather Market” which, according to the address, will be located here . I mistakenly thought at first glance that it was in the new-construction part of the Merriweather District. I find the name confusing considering its actual location. I’m going to guess that this market is an initiative of the Howard Hughes Corporation because the name seems chosen more for branding purposes than anything else. Alas, the market in Maple Lawn is gone. The thread on the markets on the County Executive’s FB page will provide you with quite the education in who actually runs the Farmers Markets vs what people often think is going on. Short answer: they are not chosen nor run by the county. Each market is an independent entity, sometimes started by community volunteers, other times supported by local businesses...

Teacher Gifts

Today is the last day of school before the Winter Break. It’s a good time to remember the far-reaching nature of our public school system. You may not have children. You may have sent your children to independent schools. It matters not. You will be impacted one way or another. Yesterday I read a long thread on Facebook about several waves of illness in the schools right now. There’s influenza A and norovirus, I believe. And of course there’s COVID. Apparently in some individual schools the rate of illness is high enough for school admin to notify parents. When I was little the acceptable holiday gift for a teacher was one of those lovely floral handkerchief squares. (I don’t know what it was for male teachers. They were rare in my elementary years.) These days the range of teacher gifts is wider and I have fond memories of Target gift cards which I have written about before. I think it’s safe to say that giving one’s teacher Influenza, norovirus, or COVID is not the ideal holiday...

They Can Wait

This is not a typical Saturday post. That’s because, in my community, it’s not a typical Saturday. Oakland Mills High School, after years of deferred repair, needs massive renovation. It’s pretty simple: when you don’t fix a problem it gets bigger. The school system itself said the the OMHS school building was "no longer conducive to learning" back in 2018. 2018 . But Thursday the Boad of Education voted to push it out of the lineup of important projects which will be given the go-ahead to proceed soonest. In my opinion it’s a terrible decision and sets a dangerous precedent. To explain, here’s the advocacy letter I sent in support of Oakland Mills High School. I was rather proud of it. I am writing to ask you to proceed with needed renovation at Oakland Mills High School in the most timely and comprehensive manner humanly possible. I have read the letter sent to you by the Oakland Mills Community Association and I am in complete agreement. You are extremel...

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