Mahmoun's Falafel

New York -- Prepare yourself, for you are about to have a taste experience like none other. For the last hour and a half (you did eat in 30-minute increments, didn't you?) you have eaten but peasant food; tasty, but simple. Now you are about to consume the Pita Fulla Passion, the Mediterranean Magnificence. You enter the narrow doorway, and before you stands -- not much at all. And that's the glory of the place! Four long steps and you're at the counter. You order a falafel sandwich, pay two dollars (much cheaper than anywhere else in the city) and half a minute later it's in your hand, its vegetarian goodness ensconced in aluminum foil. You sit down on one of the 10 seats in the entire place, and think, "My walk-in closet is bigger than this." Then you unwrap the falafel and the aroma wafts up to tickle your nostrils and your fancy. In one bite are found fried balls of ground chickpeas and spices; tomatoes, lettuce and tahini sauce, a mixture of ground sesame seeds and oil. Not a single animal died in its production, yet it's a perfectly filling meal.

Mahmoun's Falafel | 119 MacDougal St, between Bleecker Street to the south and West Third Street to the north | Greenwich Village, Manhattan, New York City

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This piece is excerpted from an article that originally appeared August 15, 2000, in Nebraska StatePaper. You can see the original article here on StatePaper.