How to Order an Egg Sandwich
Ben Vitale
 

I always dread ordering an Egg Sandwich at one of the local delicatessens. The cook needs to be spoken to in a language that is relevant to her; however the customer is forced to deal with this proprietary language of the trade, when he picks up his sandwiches. The more sandwiches that you order the more potential trouble the customer can get into.

OK… You’re in a crowded Deli and you place your order with the person behind the counter. “I need two Egg Sandwiches; the first sandwich is with no seeds, ham, turkey and cheese, on egg whites, with salt, pepper and ketchup. The second sandwich is with seeds, easy over, with ham, cheese, salt, pepper, and ketchup.”

The clerk delivers a sheet of paper with the ingredients that you want on your sandwiches, to the cook. When the order is complete, the sandwiches are given back to the clerk with the same piece of paper that lists the ingredients.

So… with 15 people in this store; “to whom do these sandwiches belong to?” The clerk is now holding two sandwiches and an ingredient list. In a crowded store, the only way to determine the owner is to recite the ingredient list! Now here is the part that makes my heart beat faster! The clerk starts his narration: “Salt, Pepper, Ketchup, scrambled, turkey, ham, no seeds, with seeds, swiss!” OMG! I thought it was my order but I did not order the swiss! My heart is now beating at 120 beats per minute; I wouldn’t want anyone to know how stupid I am! My brain simply can’t  process anything that fast! LOL

OK… The clerk once again appears, and starts his ritual; scrambled, no seeds, cheese, ham, turkey, salt, pepper, ketchup, egg whites, ham, cheese, with seeds, salt, ketchup, pepper. OMG it sounds like my order! “Yesss…” with the grace of God I was able to identify my sandwich without looking stupid! LOL

Last Sunday I went to the Deli with a Plan! “Yesss a plan!” I walked up to the clerk and said, “this order is for Ben.” The clerk looked at me with a facial expression, as if to say “why is this guy giving me his name?”

OK! When the order was complete the clerk recited his ritual but this time only said the word, “Ben;” I lit up like a Christmas tree! I smiled, the clerk smiled as if to say, “Wow asking for a name might just work better than reciting an ingredients list!” LOL. I smiled for three days! LOL Let’s see if the clerk asks me for my name next Sunday, when I order my egg sandwiches! LOL

Epilogue: I went back to the same deli because their Sandwiches are the best on the planet! While waiting for my order I paid attention to what other people were ordering. One person ordered scrambled and bacon times 3; another ordered ham and cheese times 2. Hum… I guess I was not too smart after all; everyone else around me figured out a way to beat the system! LOL. Oh yes… They did not ask me for my name when I placed my order! LOL. “Great fun” at the “deli!” LOL

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Anniversary of the Flight 800 Disaster

Ben Vitale

July 17, 2013 is the 17^Th Anniversary of the flight 800 disaster. The family and friends of the Flight 800 victims, gathered at the Smiths Point Park in Shirley, Long Island, NY, to attend a ceremony in honor of their departed loved ones. The ceremony took place at the Flight 800 Monument.

Photo Credit: Ben Vitale

After the ceremony, everyone that attended the ceremony was given a white Carnation. The attendees walked slowly beneath the international Flag display, on route to the water. The flags were all flown at half mast, to honor the loved ones that were lost in the Flight 800 disaster. The attendees then walked slowly along a 300 foot path, and then down the staircase that led to the water.

The Music that would normally be playing at the Beach Hut, was stopped, in honor of the Flight 800 ceremony.

Photo Credit: Ben Vitale

The family members all gathered along the surf, and dropped the flowers into the water. The entire ceremony was absolutely beautiful. As the family members walked by I could sense their feelings of love and closure.

Coincidentally a Documentary was aired on Channel 13, indicating that the plane was really taken down by a missile. The NTSB blames the disaster on a fuel tank explosion; the documentary says that the plane was taken down by a missile. Who do we believe? I was personally at Smiths Point the night of the disaster, serving in my official capacity as an Auxiliary Police Officer. I was told by some unknown person that the plane may have been taken down by a missile, possibly from our own Navy, during a military exercise; but this is hearsay!

After the families departed from the surf, the band started to play for  the huge crowd of people that came to enjoy their music.  “Life goes on!”

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Patchogue Seismic Fault Partially Repaired

(Update from 2012 report "Seismic Event near Maple Avenue; Patchogue, NY" )
Ben Vitale

Sewer Repair funds, can now be used for Road Repair, in Patchogue Village.  This could not have happened at a better time.

A recent study of the road conditions within the area serviced by the Maple Avenue Neighborhood Watch, has yielded valuable information.

Seismic equipment was installed into an automobile, and a not so scientific study has determined that riding over select streets in our area can create ground motion that is equivalent to a 7.2 earthquake. LOL

The above Seismogram is typical of some of the roads in our village, North of the Montauk Highway. It has been established that the most severely effected streets are Oak Street, Cleveland Street, Northridge Street, Wood, Grant, Taber Street, and portions of Maple Avenue. Cleveland St, Wood and Grant, have since been repaved, but Northridge Street, Oak Street, Maple Avenue, and Taber Streets, remain in disrepair!

Although ground motion of this magnitude generally would not create catastrophic damage to a car, the net effect is still substantial, when traveling at any speed, across these roads. "The back bumper of my Pickup Truck, has actually shaken loose, and fallen onto the highway! LOL

As I have been told, the stray Cats and Dogs have moved on to other parts of the village, because they experience a form of vertigo, similar to that experience by human beings, when walking on our local roads.

 

 

 

Hopefully Patchogue Village will consider re-paving the remaining streets. "Yessssss"

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