Serek Truskawkowy (homogenizowany)

I'll be you didn't know that says "Strawberry Soft Cheese (homogenized)".

Let me tell you a little about my new neighborhood, Greenpoint. It's a largely Polish community. When my dear college friend and fellow Greenpoint resident Nicole forewarned me of this, I thought "How charming. I can buy good sausages." What I did not expect were entire stores -nay, entire blocks- of solidly Polish-speaking New Yorkers.

It's this kind of situation: You go into a local store, and everyone there is not only speaking Polish, most of the signage is written in Polish. So you fumble your way through the dairy produts trying to find a suitable spread for your breakfast bagels. You end up with Serek Truskawkowy. At least it has a picture of a strawberry on the package. This seems safe enough. Remembering you still need a shower curtain, you venture up to the register to ask if they have any. The clerk looks pained when you open your mouth and English comes out, and no. They don't have any shower curtains. Rejected and desperate for a hot shower, you opt instead for a plastic party table cloth. You are a smart girl; you'll figure out a way to make it into a temporary fix.

I hear Greenpoint is on the fast track to becoming gentrified. Which is to say that in ten years, there probably won't be as many Real Polish People. There probably won't be a "PoleMart." (Yes, really. There really is a store called PoleMart.) Anyway, I think that's kind of sad because it's neighborhoods like these that make big cities fun and diverse places to be. So, in the meantime, I will learn a few Polish greetings and maybe I can say hi to the old man next door who peeks his head out every time Jack and I walk by.

And as for the Serek Truskawkowy, it's kind of like a cross between Strawberry yogurt and cream cheese. Next time, I'll try the blueberry.