May You Find What You Seek.

So, having told that story, I can move forward to the latest to tell the real story. My friends and a few others close to me know that my life has been rather...turbulent lately. (When the nickname you receive from a group of strangers is Rouge Wave, perhaps turbulent is an understatement.) Anyway, the two journeys have been, in the grand (or foolish) romantic tradition, over a woman.

Originally, she was supposed to be leaving for Philadelphia, which was one of the main reasons that I signed on to do The Elephant Man, enabling me to visit. Well, that didn't happen, and in my infinite wisdom, (sarcastically so) I fell for her hard. She loves someone else though, and she wants to be friends. That was and to some extent is still really hard for me, and I wasn't sure if it was going to be even possible for me to handle. So, more or less on a whim, I headed to New York to do a job, and seek some perspective.

I found what I was looking for in the middle of a park, about 174th street. As I was sitting there, trying to figure things out, a little old woman, about half of my size sat down next to me. Wanting to be friendly, as I truly don't know many people in the city, I said hello, and we began talking.

She asked me why I was there, and I suppose she could sense my hesitation, as she told me in her heavily accented English.

"Don't worry. It's almost anonymous here, I just met you, you just met me, we can talk about anything, and then we both go our separate ways. Tell me what is bothering you, and I can tell you what I would do," she added with a twinkle in her eye. "I have a lot of life experience."

Not having a thing to lose, I told her exactly why, that I was looking to get a sense of perspective from being away from the woman I was in love with. I told her that she loved someone else, and I was being left out in the cold.

She listen to me thoughtfully, and after a long pause said "I see. Were you married to her?"

"No." I replied.

"Did you have children with her?"

"No..." I responded again, slightly puzzled.

"Lived with her?"

"I never had the chance" I rejoined, thoroughly confused.

She then floored me with her response. "Then move on. You are a young man, your wings aren't broken. If you were smaller I would put you over my knee right now. This is nothing, it is a bee sting. You have your whole life ahead of you. Yes, you love her. But move on."

After that, we sat in thoughtful silence, and shared an apple. She then shared her story, which was fascinating in it's own right. Growing up under Communism behind the Iron Curtain, traveling broke through Italy, and having her name changed at Ellis Island, the woman has seen most of the twentieth century. Then she added something which added a lot of perspective for me.

"I'm at the end of my journey now. When elephants go to die, they go to the elephant graveyard where all of the other elephants died, to die among the bones of their ancestors. I have to make that choice now. Do I want to go back to Croatia, and die there, where I grew up or do I want to stay here, and found a new graveyard for my ancestors?"

At this point, my phone, which had been mercifully silent the entire time, suddenly rang, startling us both. I was being summoned to deal with yet another problem on set. She saw the concern on my face as I took the call. I hung up, and before I could say anything, she affectionately dismissed me to go work:

"You are at the beginning of your journey. Be careful, and know that now I will be missing you. Good luck on the next part of the trip, and remember to move on."

With that, I thanked her, and left, with simultaneously a lot on my mind, and without a lot of weight, as I realized that I had somehow miraculously managed to find what I had sought, and that the perspective I was looking for came from the last place that I was looking. I guess when answers are needed, you just need to ask.

Until next time,

Andrew

No Amish Country for Old Men

Here it is, February, and the first audition road trip of the year. Some where glamorous? Not exactly, but unique in it's own way. I'm here in the (relative) heart of Amish Country, Lancaster, Pennsylvania. To be truly specific, I'm in Lititz, a smaller town about 8 miles away from Lancaster. Why would I be here, you may ask. Simple, about 10 miles or so from here is the home of the Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire, one of the largest Faires in the U.S. I decided to audition this year.

There truly isn't that much to do here, I fully admit it. But what makes this area unique is the people. They are some of the nicest people you will ever meet, right there on the street. As much as I hate to say it, it's almost stereotypically small town. There is rarely a stranger, and you're an old friend within five minutes. Being raised in a city where the outsiders are never trusted, this is a new approach to life.

Not having much to do, and being hungry, as I usually am, I decided to try to investigate the local foods, and try for some regional specialties. In this situation, Lancaster County does not disappoint. The wide variety of food is fairly astounding, and generally pretty good. Some things truly stood out though.

First stop of the day turned out to be for desert, with a visit to the Wilbur Chocolate Factory. For those of you who don't know Wilbur, it's a smaller chocolate company in Downtown Lititz. What makes it notable is that it's been in operation for over 127 years. Due to the size, I think they offer a superior product than a larger company, such as Hershey's. Of special note are the Buds (Think something similar to a Hershey's Kiss, but not quite) which are delicious in the semisweet chocolate. (Granted it's chocolate, so of course it's delicious, but make sure to go for the semisweet, as it has a much more complex flavor profile than the cloying sweetness of the milk chocolate.)

Next up, craving something salty, as one is bound to do after something sweet, I headed to the Julius Sturgis Pretzel Bakery, the first commercial pretzel bakery in the U.S., according to their marketing materials. Also in downtown Lititz, the building is hard to miss with the large pretzel in front of it. I must say, they do make a good pretzel. But it's just that, a good pretzel, not a great one. Still, if you find yourself in the area, stop by, it's always fun to see how they are made.

Finally, after an exhausting audition, on the way back to the hotel, I happened to find a deli, S. Clyde Weaver, Smoked Meats and Cheeses, in the middle of Manheim. Curious to find out about what would be considered "traditional" Pennsylvania Dutch fare, I inquired about it to a rather knowledgeable fellow behind the counter, and he led me to three very disparate items that are unique to the Lancaster region.

The first of these items was Lebanon Bologna. As first glance, it's like no bologna I've ever seen before. Made of all beef, and with sugar, it is almost akin to salami, but even sweeter. I tried a sample, and it is delicious. Also in the case were rolls of the bologna, rolled with a vegetable cream cheese. The two together complement each other perfectly, and fortunately there are still a half dozen waiting for me in the refrigerator.

Next up, an item that 1) took me by surprise on a few counts, and 2) took some mental preparation to try. That item would be the tongue souse. Souse is a type of head cheese, which it turns out is not a cheese at all. It's actually a type of pressed meat (think homemade Spam) and the tongue part, well, you can figure it out for yourself. It's another all beef product. After a minute or five of looking at it, I decided, "What the hell, why not?" and gave it a try. Honestly, once you get past what it is that you're eating, and that mental block, it's actually really good. Full of spice, it has a full body, and the tongue is one of the most tender cuts of meat I've had. It's not something I'm going to dine on regularly, but for something different, it does not disappoint.

Finally, at the end of the day, desert once again, and the final item, shoofly pie. This is the culinary item most people think of when they hear Pennsylvania Dutch. The best way to think of this is as a marriage of a custard and a fruit pie. The notable exception is that in this case, it is a molasses based custard, with a thinner raisin based fruit layer. It is very good, but also extremely sweet, almost too much so. I could only handle a small piece personally. The crust to pie ratio however, is absolutely perfect. Now that is an item I will be dining on again, just in small doses, if only for my health.

I started this talking about travel, but then I ended up discussing the food. But doesn't this make a lot of sense? The best way to get to know a people is by experiencing the way they live. Food is something that unites all of us. The people of Lancaster are a welcoming, kind, down-to-earth group, and it's reflected in the food; simple, but filling, humble, but delicious and prepared with care. So, all in all, what I thought would be an inauspicious start has turned out to be a learning experience worth more than I ever thought it would be.
Until next time,
Andrew