When I was an undergraduate student, I slipped on an escalator (long story) and my right knee came crashing down on the metal edges. It was from this that I learned how blood streaming down my leg wasn’t enough to compete with the ER needs at the hospital when competing with more serious urban injuries. Years ago I injured this knee again when I torqued it doing a workout exercise. Actually I injured it twice, because after it healed I somehow managed to injure it again. It wasn’t the workout — it was my body. I automatically went into a martial arts Tae-Kwon-Do side kick from habit, and it didn’t work with the routine, and well, big ouch.
Enter packing, moving, cleaning the floors post move, post construction dust (twice), and then post floor sanding (twice), and my knee has been trash talking me like you would not believe. I have a high tolerance for pain, but it still is very distracting. Certain activities send waves of searing pain through my knee, radiating to various other parts of my leg. I’ve been getting a lot of therapy for it, which has been helping tremendously, but stairs are trigger the pain as does walking while carrying things. Enter the Holographic Universe.
Today was a very high pain day, It was also a day where many, many phone calls came in. It’s like the Murphy’s Law for the injured. I just started to carry the phone with me. Ring Ring, the phone rings again in late morning. I pick it up and the voice at the other end asks for me by name. The caller was Cleetus Friedman, the owner of City Provisions.
Cleetus called to inquire how my Thanksgiving was. I ordered almost all the sides for our dinner from City Provisions. While I can have a pleasant demeanor while enduring pain, I am usually distracted by the feeling of something whacking my leg, so I didn’t give him as much feedback as I wanted to nor was a as engaging as I’d have liked to have been. I did let him know that the Sweet Mashed Potatoes were a hit, and the Cranberry Ginger Sauce was very good, as was the Roasted Vegetables. If you haven’t had them yet, they are a must have item. The Roasted Vegetables are a nice medley which includes baby Brussels Sprouts, sweet potatoes and a wide range of complementary flavors.
We also had Carrot Cake which I highly recommend. My acupuncturist said she bought one piece and her and her husband ended fighting over it, because it was so good! The butter cream frosting is also delish. But I digress.
Think of the last time you ordered food from a deli for dinner, and then ask yourself if anyone ever called you to make sure everything you had was good. I know where I have ordered from in the past, and no, no, that’s never happened despite my having been a steady customer. I appreciated the fact that Cleetus called, and we chatted a bit and he offered to help me out since I’m going through a (hopefully) temporary situation with mobility.
I was more than pleased that he offered, and later I called back and placed an order. (Due to the Thanksgiving Holiday, I somehow ended up with a semi-empty refrigerator except for massive amounts of Spinach.) So thanks to his offer, today I got my fix of Roasted Vegetables, as well as egg salad (yes, I am actually out of eggs!), chicken salad, a beef burrito (the hot meal special of the day), and some other goodies. It is enough to keep me fed for the rest of today and tomorrow.
I really care about the quality of food I eat, and the quality of people I interact with, and this extends to businesses and the way they conduct themselves. At the core of it, we are all people, human beings. It is nice to know that a socially responsible business not only walks the walk, but goes that extra organic mile to honor their customers.
Steve Dolinsky called City Provisions a local foodie fantasy. That it is, and so much more.
Thanks again, Cleetus!
