Me too! I wanted to see the whirling dervishes too!

I need more advanced notice of things, people!

Ok, I could see if the shelves couldn't hold any more books - then you try to sell them, and if they don't see and you're running out of space - you toss some of the outdated books.

But (a) fiction doesn't get "outdated," and (b) they've got plenty of room in that library!

They do have a "used book sale," on the 2nd floor, but when I've gone there, it seems like they're selling more tchotchkes with library logos than actual books.

This town is so backwards.

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Good eye. I didn't even realize.

I picked up a delivery menu when I walked by on Saturday. I'm really excited about the good reviews. And I'm surprised that they have a liquor license. It seemed like more of a storefront kind of place. But I haven't been inside it since it's last incarnation as a steam table kind of place.

Well, I wish it luck and I will try it as soon as possible.

I was going to suggest Exchange Place too. I'll never forget, one night, I was there and the escalator was out of order. It took me a half-hour to climb those stairs, and it completely kicked my butt. The whole time I kept thinking, "Maybe I should go back down and take the PATH to somewhere with less stairs." But it was late at night, and I had to do it. Man, am I lazy, or what?

I live a few blocks west of Grove (Jersey/Coles) - when I got home around 5, I could tell my power must have been out because just one of my clocks was blinking.

I don't think it was out too long, because the VCR clock (which takes a few minutes to go off) was still working. And everything in the fridge/freezer was still good and cold.

You know what? I've made a decision. Fulop's Tracey should run for office. (I think that's her name.) She gets things done. I'd vote for her in a second.

I'm thinking about a write-in vote. I should check that's her name though, first.

I think I can safely report that The Great Jersey City SOUP SWAP '07 was a success.

I came home with a Salsa Soup, the famous Chili, Seafood Gumbo and Pasta Fazul. And there was so many other great soups to choose from.

Thank you to everyone who came, who brought delicious soups, and gave generously to the food pantry.

If you have any suggestions or ideas for the next SOUP SWAP I'd be happy to hear them.

A few people also suggested some kind of summer swap... maybe ice cream swap, or smoothie swap, frozen daiquiri swap, salsa or sauces swap... I'm open to ideas.

Again, I just want to thank everyone who came. This was my first time meeting jclisters as a group, and it was really nice.

I hope everyone had a good time and you all enjoy your soups! Thanks again.

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I'm appeasing everyone. Mine is more of a Thai curry than an Indian curry.

For those of you thinking soup season is over...

Mike Woods is calling for snow again this weekend, Friday night into Saturday.

Wouldn't it be nice to know you have some nice (curry) soups coming your way???

SOUP SWAP. This Sunday. Be there.

Hey all, I got a tip that the Jersey Journal is going to cover the SOUP SWAP. It would be really great if we could have an excellent turnout.

So, if you've been on the fence about whether to make soup or whether to come, come on out!

Here's your chance at Soup Stardom!

Any way that you want to measure out a quart is file - quart-sized plastic containers or freezer bags are probably best.

I found them at the 99 cent store on Newark closest to Jersey Ave. (I think it's next to the pet store maybe), for 3 for 99 cents. I bought 6 which was perfect - I made 6 quarts of soup, 2 for me and 4 for the swap.

(BTW, that may be the cleanest/nicest of the 99 cent stores.)

Just cooked up a batch of Green Curry Chicken Soup.

It's yummy.

Want some? I'll give it to you... a week from tomorrow!

This weekend should be a good time to whip up a batch of soup to freeze for NEXT WEEKEND'S SOUP SWAP!

I don't know, but I think Fulop's aide can do anything.

In case you're wondering, SOUP SWAP is totally going to kick Soup Club's a$$.

Soup Club tries to trick you into thinking "Oh, they're vegetarian, they must be caring... and nice..."

But SOUP SWAP actually benefits a food pantry. AND you can get soups with meat or seafood or whatever you want.

(Now we need a choreographer so we can have a Soup Gang dance-off in the middle of the Jersey City streets.)

SOUP'S ON!!!

Sunday, March 18, 2007
3:00 p.m. to meet and mingle
3:30 p.m. - SOUP SWAP begins

Barrow Mansion, 83 Wayne Street, Jersey City.
(Wayne Street between Jersey and Barrow.)

Invite your friends, the more soup, the better. You can even copy and paste the info below to an email!

-----------------------------------------------------------------
The Great Jersey City
SOUP SWAP 2007

Bring 4 Quarts of Your Frozen Homemade Soup
(divided into single quart containers)
PLUS
One or More non-perishable item to donate to the St. Matthew?s Food Pantry
(canned soup, one-can meals, cereals, peanut butter, tuna, canned tomatoes or sauces, canned fruits or vegetables, and non-perishable milk are all appreciated)

WHEN: Sunday, March 18, 2007
3:00 p.m. to meet and mingle
3:30 p.m. to swap soup

WHERE: Barrow Mansion, 83 Wayne Street, Jersey City.
(Wayne Street between Jersey and Barrow.)

What exactly is a SOUP SWAP?
You bring FOUR single-quart containers of your homemade frozen soup. (Plus your donation to the food pantry.) We will then draw numbers and take turns picking out different soup. You will leave with FOUR 1 quart containers of a wonderful mix of homemade soups. Bring whatever soup you like to cook best. This can include chili, stews, chowders, and gumbos. Can?t be here? You can always assign a proxy to do your soup swapping for you!

INVITE YOUR FRIENDS! We can never have too many soups to choose from!

The St. Matthew?s food pantry serves persons living with HIV/AIDS through the Hyacinth Foundation.

It's a soup SWAP. We come, we put the frozen soups on a table, maybe we mingle (and drink a little wine) a little while we wait for everyone to show up. Once we've got everyone who is coming, we go around and tell our soups - what's in it, how it tastes, etc.

Then we'll each draw a number. Number one goes first, and picks what soup they want to take home. Let's say there's 10 people. We'll go 1 through 10 and then 10 through 1. (So that number 1 goes first and last, and number 10 goes in the middle, twice.) Then repeat.

Once all the soup is chosen, you can take your frozen soup and get out. It's not a long process, because I don't want anyone to say, "I'm not going to do it because I don't want to devote a whole afternoon to this swap."

And you leave behind at least one canned soup (or other non-perishable food item) to be donated to the food pantry.

You can bring bread or crackers to go with your soup, but you certainly don't have to.

For future reference:
Tip on Freezing, Storing, and Reheating Soup

I mentioned a soup swap on another thread (Things to Do When It's Freezing Outside), but maybe to see whether or not it is really viable, it deserves it's own thread.

So, first, what is a soup swap?

To participate, you make a BIG batch of soup. You freeze a few quarts. (We would set a number, probably between 4 or 6 quarts).

We get together somewhere in downtown Jersey City and, through some democratic system, choose to take home 4-6 quarts of different soup.

We could drink a few glasses of wine and make it a social event, but it's not like a soup dinner or anything. The whole thing might take an hour-ish, depending on how many people are involved.

I can draw up much more detailed rules and guidelines, for people who feel they need that sort of thing.

Some blog posts by other people about their soup swap experiences are here:

Boston Soup Swap '06

Seattle Soup Swap

I'd like to do it in a few weeks. This would give people time to research their recipe, buy their groceries and cook up their batch. (Maybe Sunday 3/4 or 3/11?) But if everyone feels like they'll be souped out by March, you can hold out for National Soup Swap Day - January 23, 2008.

If you're interested in swapping soup, leave a reply or PM. Please let me know if you have a preferred date and if you have a suggestion for a swap location.

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hey, I've got to save some money for the Olive Garden!!!

I work near the Hackensack Manna and live (somewhat) near the JC Mana. (Or, at least, I live in the same city and drive past it twice a day.)

And I haven't tried either one.

So, which is better? Which should I try first?

And he's the 28 year old working with an 18 year old kid, so it's not like the other kid corrupted him or something!

I posed this story yesterday under the thread of "Drugs at Wayne."

I don't know how a mother doesn't know that her son is a drug dealer.

Also, does anyone know if this spot is within 500 ft. of a school? That carries a very serious penalty.

You know, this may not seem like a big deal, but if you've ever looked into what it costs to store a boat, you'd know that it is.

No way! I love that place! =(

Jersey City - Our cops are as drunk as Hobokeners.

Hello? Old people... depression... run on the banks... they all keep their money under the mattress!

Hey, look, I think I just found an officer with the perfect amount of experience to take Feinbott's place:

New Police Chief Arrested on DWI, Promotion Rescinded

Oh, and look, he's available to start immediately!

I cannot believe another JC officer has been arrested for DWI.

Don't you think - this week especially, if only for one week - you might say, "Gee, the heat is on around my workplace. Maybe for one week it would be a good idea not to drive drunk and get in an accident?"

I don't know... maybe this is unreasonable... but it's not like I'm suggesting that police officers give up drunk driving forever... maybe just a week or 2 after this infant died - how about that?