I think I need a new name for these Friday posts. In some ways, I think the foodie scene in Camden is a gateway to so many other cultural and social aspects of the city. I’ve certainly found it so. In that spirit, let’s start with food, and spread to culture. 

Last night was October’s Supper Club. We managed to make it out to the Latin American Restaurant (the one at 3523 Federal Street). Last semester, one of my students did this review: 

Me and my fellow classmate had to do a restaurant review for our Urban Studies class and this restaurant was recommended to us. They have 3 locations, but we went to the one on Federal Street about 12:30 in the afternoon on March 12, 2015. The type of restaurant is south and Central America, Mexico and the Caribbean. The quality of the food was very good and fresh, especially the yellow beans and rice, which is my favorite. Whole chickens were on a very large grill cooking as you came in to the right along with other side dishes, like chicken stew and plantains. And they had a wide variety of choices on their menu as well. Customer service was sufficient since it was buffet style, it was partly self-serve, there was no real need for waiters, but the staff overall was pleasant and helpful. It appear to be very busy and crowned around lunchtime, we didn’t have a table at first. Latin American is a really great restaurant and if you’re looking for authentic Latin American food, this just may be the place for you. You get a lot of food for your money, which their lunch specials can be low as $7.00.

The patrons were nice and respectful as well and the atmosphere was very calming with the unique Spanish music playing in the background. Dessert looked scrumptious, but we ran out of time and I had no room for dessert. I had too much food left over to take with me. I give Latin American Restaurant 4 of 5 rating.

On my part, I really appreciated the restaurant working with us. It’s a small place, and I thought they did a lovely job making sure we got our food while also serving a steady read of customers coming through for pickup. 

The food, of course, was great. But I was struck by the conversations that were happening around the food. A retiree bringing in copies of newspaper articles of the DyeDee Wash where his aunt had been a “champion” diaper folder. Another Supper Club attendee was quoted in the article. Another brought his nephew, to discuss paper topics for an undergraduate class. And surrounding all of this was the kind of discourse about Camden, it’s issues and its history that harkens to a day before our public was “bowling alone.” 

In that case, the restaurant was serving as the gateway to a type of civic engagement in the city. And in that spirit, I want to do the same thing here. So often I talk about civic engagement like it is a primarily political event. But it happens in all kinds of smaller ways as well. And much of that is in supporting artists, entrepreneurs and others in the community. 

I’ll be heading out to a book release tonight to do the same thing. To support (and check out) a local author. Randy Ribay’s release of An Infinite Number of Parallel Universes is tonight at Boys Latin in West Philly. Now, Randy’s written here at the Local Knowledge Blog before about his work in the field of education, but he’s also an accomplished young author. 

Here’s my favorite line from the Amazon Reviews for Randy’s new book: 

A legitimate geeky book written by an awesomely geeky man who understands the classic geeky teenager. And. it. Was. On. Point. (let’s all take a flashback to high school and understand how true this is. You there? CAN YOU SEE IT!? Jesus. I have goosebumps now.).

Hope you’ll consider joining me at the book release, or in buying Randy’s latest work. For those who need an excerpt to get hooked, here you are.