Category Archives: Port Richmond

Port Richmond, Staten Island

Port Richmond Tour

Posted on by
Reply

On Thursday, our class went on a tour of Port Richmond. We got to walk around the neighborhood and go into all different types of grocery stores and restaurants. Culture has a huge impact on this neighborhood and it is very different then my own culture so I was very intrigued by it. Port Richmond is filled with a variety of restuarants including Mexican, Chinese and even Peruvian. At the begining of the tour, our tour guide asked the class to count all the restaurants we saw. I couldn’t even keep count because there was just so many and I was too busy trying to learn about all of them. At the end of the tour we were able to stay and eat guac and chips inside a small Mexican restaurant with the class. The guac was made right then and there, it was so refreshing after all the walking we did outside in the sun. People in this town take there culture very seriously and it made me realize how diverse all cultures really are.

nopal2

During the tour, we entered a local market filled with fruits and vegetables and other foods I had never seen before. The store provided all sorts of foods, one being a mexican cactus plant called Nopal. Nopal is a common ingredient in numerous Mexican cuisine dishes.This was a very important ingredient in New Mexican cuisine. As I looked around the store, I was overwhelmed with all the different fruits and vegetables I had never seen before, but I was so curious to find out what they were. I really enjoyed this tour and I am happy I got to  see what this town provided. Wagner College is only a short distance from Port Richmond and I feel it was important that my class go to experience this and see how diverse culture really is.

 

 

 

Food Deserts Are Everywhere

Posted on by
Reply

Food deserts are something I never really thought was a problem, but after witnessing and learning about how it effects everyone in the community, it is more then just a community problem. Food deserts are most common in low income and low access communities. The USDA found out that there are nearly 23.5 million people in the US are living in food deserts and more then half of them are apart of low income families. To be considered living in a food desert you have to be more then 10 miles away from available and afordable fresh fruits and vegetables. The price of fresh fruits and vegetables in local markets or grocery stores are not cheap, instead of buying a bunch of grapes for $3 why not buy a bag of chips for only 50 cents. However, some people do not even have a choice, they can only buy those bags of chips or cookies. But with food deserts becoming more common and it being harder for families to get fresh foods it is challenging to keep a healthy diet. Not being able to afford or get to fresh fruits or vegetables caused the obesity rate to double in the past 20 years. The USDA is always trying to find new and healthy eating habits to lower the obesity rate in america but with food deserts becoming more frequent it is more challenging to have everyone try to follow their guide lines to a healthy diet.

Touring Port Richmond over the week made me see and notice things I would never get to see. There was one store that was completely empty that used to be a supermarket that now closed down. Even though there are a lot other supermarkets and farmers markets on the block that is just the first of many to close down. Instead of opening more farmer markets or grocery stores that provide fresh foods I also noticed that more and more chain fast food restaurants have been opening, in Staten Island especially there is a fast food restaurant on almost every other block. When I was on vacation this summer in Aruba, we had to pass the towns where the locals lived to get to our hotel. The airport was on the opposite end of the island so we had to drive through almost the whole island which is only 20 miles long. On the way to the hotel I noticed there was not a lot of grocery stores or farmers markets, I only saw about 3 or 4 farmers markets and 2 local grocery stores that sold fresh food. Even in Aruba there is fast food chains everywhere rather then more grocery stores.

In 2008, New York’s Mayor Bloomberg opened up the idea of Green Carts to help put an end to New York’s food deserts.The Green Cart is a stand on a sidewalk corner that only sells fresh fruits and vegetables in places with little access to them. Most of the costumers that shop at the green carts are from low income families that make under $25,000 a year. Since Mayor Bloomberg established the Green Cart over 500 permits have been issued to owners running Green Carts in New York. 350 opened in the Bronx and Brooklyn, 150 in Manhattan, 100 in Queens and 50 in Staten Island. Since the Greens Carts opened there has been a 71% report increased consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables.

Food Deserts

Posted on by
Reply

After visiting Port Richmond and watching the film “A Place at the Table”, I have realized that food deserts are present through out the nation and the inhabitants that live there face many issues. It is devastating that people do not have enough money in order to purchase food for their families and when they do they must travel long distances to super markets. Many low income communities only have bodegas and little grocery stores that do not offer many selections.

In the film “A Place at the Table,” it was not shocking that obesity and hunger are closely related because when one does not have a lot of money to spend on food it minimizes their choices to food that is cheap. Normally the cheap options for food are processed foods like chips, cookies , canned and boxed food. It is hard for a person on a budget to buy fruits,vegetables and meats because they are expensive and do not last long. This is the reason why people begin to eat high calorie foods because it might suppress their hunger longer.

While walking through Port Richmond I noticed there was no super market. I soon found out the one there had burned down and was never replaced. This is surprising because all of the people in this community have been either buying their food at local stores or traveling to other communities. The one local store we walked into did have a variety of fruits and vegetables and also a smaller selection of meat. But as we walked forward I noticed it was one of the only stores that sold such a variety because the strip in Port Richmond was only a few blocks long.

I feel that I have learned that food should be more valued by people in the United States because there are many people that are starving throughout our nation and need our help.

Port Richmond Tour

Posted on by
Reply

On Thursday, our class visited Port Richmond. Even though, I have lived in New York all my life, I’ve never visited Port Richmond and actually walked around the neighborhood. This class visit introduced me to a neighborhood intertwined with its culture. One of the “challenges” we had received at the start of the tour was to keep track of the number of restaurants we would pass by throughout the avenue. I had officially lost count of the amount once we had20150917_121633-1 completed the tour. It wasn’t until I had physically noticed the number of different restaurants that I realized how rich in food culture this neighborhood really was. It also made me realize how truly diverse it was. There were multiple Peruvian, Mexican, and Chinese restaurants. There was even an Irish pub and a gourmet shop (that had just opened) we first passed through.

One particular store that stood out for me was the local market. It reminded me of the movie we had watched and what we had discussed in our class regarding food deserts. Many neighborhoods across the United States don’t have shops that offer a variety of fruits, vegetables, and other nutritious types of food. It showed me how important food choices really are. I had noticed that this shop was pretty much overflowing with fresh fruits and vegetables. The shop also served different types of fruits that I had never even tried before. Another thing I had noticed was the décor. It represented the culture and gave a welcoming atmosphere. At one point, our guide spoke about the neighborhoods presence and the scents of South America. Although I have not been to South America, it seems welcoming to know that people found something familiar and that it reminded them of home.

 

Discovering Port Richmond

Posted on by
Reply

I’ve lived in Staten Island my whole life. I’ve been to almost every part of the island in my 18 years here, including Port Richmond. However, there is so much I didn’t know about this historic place that’s only 10 minutes away from where I live. Between my basketball games and my brother’s I have been to the Port Richmond area countless times and yet I didn’t know anything about it. As I walked through Port Richmond through the guided tour set up by Wagner College, I learned about the history, the food, and the challenges of the area. Historically, one of the highlights was the Dutch church and graveyard that was one of the first built on Staten Island. A second highlight was the large arrow that pointed to water, that in faded writing read the word “Ferry.”

The image2food side of Port Richmond was also very interesting. Almost 20 restaurants line the streets of Port Richmond Avenue. Among these restaurants there were many Spanish and Chinese cuisine restaurants. There was even an Irish Pub. One of the restaurants was something quite uncommon, a bakery that also serves many different types of dinner dishes. In the shop there is not only cake, ice cream, but also chicken entrees and pizza pies! Although this may seem unconventional, it is quite interesting.

Another one of the restaurants we stopped into was a newly image3opened one, which specialized in tamales, it’s decorations actually made me want to eat there more. It’s amazing how many different elements can go into a “where should we eat” decision. The idea that a restaurant being nicely or culturally decorated can make a person want to eat there is very interesting to me.

A lack of restaurants is definitely not a problem for the area. Along the way we stopped into two markets that provided fresh fruits and vegetables. Seeing these places made me very happy because I know that these fresh foods are available to people that live so close to an area that lacks fresh food, Arlington. Arlington has not yet been declared an official food desert, but it is on the road to becoming one, something that the community and those in charge can hopefully change.

In these markets I also saw a lot of spices hanging on the walls. These made me think of how spices have impacted history and the age of exploration. Some of the spices hanging up I had never even heard of, I guess I need to expand my spice knowledge! image1Even though Port Richmond did have these markets with fresh foods, they did recently lose one. A fire took away one of the supermarkets and I don’t believe there are plans to have it replaced. Another problem with the area would be the arsenic and lead within the soil at Veterans Park. Even though this issue is under control, there are still other problems facing the area, such as the garbage littering the streets, but the community is working hard to change that. Port Richmond is a rich community with a lot of history and day by day it will grow stronger and better.

Exploring Port Richmond

Image

Reply
This historic building was renovated yet the historical character remains.

This building was renovated yet the historical character remains.

Taking a tour of Port Richmond opened up my eyes to the food cultures that live in this community. Port Richmond is one of the oldest neighborhoods on Staten Island. Situated near the water of Kill Van Kull, Port Richmond embraces various ethnicities that can be seen through the family owned restaurants and markets. Taking a walk through the streets, I was able to see about twenty eateries in a span of one mile. On every corner, there are Mexican, Chinese, Peruvian, African and many more cultures being presented. Many claim that when they walk through the streets of Port Richmond they “smell” South America. This neighborhood is filled with culture and delicious food!

One of the shops that remains in my memory is a food market. Situated in the middle of a street, this Mexican food market sold a multitude a fresh fruits and vegetables. This shop was pretty small compared to the commercialized grocery stores I buy my food from on Staten Island. However, this market contained so many different fruits that I never seen before. The decorations and food in this market submersed me in the Mexican culture as I walked through the aisles.

Inside of the food market

Inside the food market

As our learning community passed this market, one restaurant that really caught my attention was a Chinese restaurant that also served Mexican food. This family owned business decided to broaden the types of food being sold and appeal to another major ethnic group found in Port Richmond. I found this restaurant to be particularly interesting because these to cultures are extremely different, yet someone believed it was possible to diffuse these cultures together. This restaurant defines Port Richmond’s food culture. In this neighborhood, there are many ethnicities and these ethnicities have merged together to create a multicultural community. This is clearly seen through the food being made by store owners and purchased by customers.

This Mexican Restaurant catered Mexican and Chinese food.

This Chinese Restaurant also catered Mexican food.

Tortillas Y Mucho Mas

Posted on by
Reply

Yesterday my class and I ventured out into Port Richmond in Staten Island. We took a tour and I was intrigued by the number of restaurants down Port Richmond Ave. There were tons of restaurants serving a variety of foods ranging from Chinese, Mexican, Peruvian, Dominican, and even Italian. Coming from a Hispanic descent, when I saw all the Latin food restaurants I immediately thought of the food I eat at home. I am Salvadorian however, traditional Spanish food is all very similar. We all enjoy foods like rice, beans, plantains and tortillas-especially tortillas. While walking down the parade of restaurants, we passed by a a restaurant that made fresh tortillas. It reminded me of home because my mother makes homemade tortillas from time to time. It shocked me that they were using a machine to make the tortillas because my mother usually makes them by hand and then yells at me to learn how to make them. Yet, I find it very difficult to make tortillas. I can never get the shape of a perfect circle and if I do I can never get it to stay intact and not break apart. There’s a hidden talent to making handmade tortillas that I have yet to discover. Fresh made tortillas that are still warm from the pan are so good. My parents can eat them with almost everything yet, I only like them with particular food like this soup my mother makes called Sopa de Res. Sopa de Res is a soup filled with all kinds of vegetables and beef. My mother does not always make handmade tortillas because they are a lot of work. Whenever there aren’t any fresh made tortillas we just buy corn tortillas from the store because my family simply cannot go without it. Whether it be breakfast, lunch, or dinner we always have a side of tortillas for our meals. Our class trip to Port Richmond was a trip that I particularly enjoyed because it hit really close to home. I can’t wait to go back and try all of the different kinds of food they have to offer.

20150917_122700

The man is running the dough through this machine I suppose to flatten it out before forming the circular tortilla shape.

Port Richmond Cuisine

Posted on by
Reply

My first encounter in Port Richmond with my class today was quite fascinating. There were a number of things that struck me as “different” than what I am used to back home in New Jersey. The first thing was how many bus stops there were in a single neighborhood. Everywhere I turned, another blue bus sign stood tall. What really stuck out to me though was the amount of food places there were. Once we walked onto Port Richmond Avenue, it turned into restaurants galore. Everything from Chinese take-out to pizza places and everything else in between were all crammed together on one road. One odd thing I noticed was that there were two Mexican places right across from each other. They both served the same food so I’m not sure as to why two Mexican places are needed in such close proximity. I was getting hungry just looking at everything! The different scents of food that I could smell while walking down the street were delicious too. I could smell grilled chicken and different kinds of hispanic spices. As we walked passed the restaurants with their doors open, the fresh food aroma wafted towards us. At this point I could not wait to dig into something delicious.

When we finally settled down to eat food, we ended up in a Mexican restaurant called Los Potrillos. We were served with chips and guacamole. I’m normally not a fan of guacamole but this particular kind was freshly made and contained diced tomatoes in it. I could not stop eating it. I took a look at their menu and saw so many great choices to choose from but unfortunately we were cut short on time so I left empty handed. I have no doubt that I will be back to Port Richmond in the near future to experiment with all the different food places. I definitely want to try pizza from the famous Denino’s to see if it really lives up to its expectations. I look forward to trying out the countless amount of different cuisines that are located in not only Port Richmond, but also in the rest of Staten Island.