The sign says

African Jamaican
Vegetarian Vegan
Soul Food Juice Bar
And really what more could you want in an establishment? The place is good. The place is home. And the place is yet some thing else that I will be leaving behind.

Every neighborhood should have one of these in it. You walk in, you order, you try the smoothie of the day, you chat with the other customers, you leave, you feel much better. Oh, that everything were that easy! You might try the tofu burger, the no meat treat, the soup of the day. You might just settle for some fresh coconut juice. No matter what you decide, there is always a lot of dill action. You will, naturally, be listening to some reggae. You may or may not get schooled as in, this Bob Marley record is about the burning, mahn, of Kingstown but all they ever wanna play is One Love. You will become a regular and you will find that satisfying. You will smile as you read the saying of the day, neatly printed on the chalk board. You will look forward to the twelve-block walk it takes to get there. And you will handle your own money at the cash register as the proprietor doesn't get involved in that business. It's not that the food is that great, nor that much of a bargain, and it's not that I plan on becoming a vegetarian; it's the whole package, the whole easy package.


_{Dinner Plates, 1998 by James Kerry Marshall
Set of five
Edition of 15
$ 1,000.00
$ 50.00 shipping}