The much anticipated annual Unfancy Food Show was held this past Sunday at East River Bar, celebrating all things local, organic, sustainable, artisanal and Brooklyn. Organized by Annaliese Griffin and Tom Mylan, the show included nearly twenty vendors supplying a vast mouth-watering and curious mix of edible goods from raw chocolate and rooftop grown vegetables to authentic kimchee and peppery beef jerky. It was a packed mosh pit scene with sweat trickling from the pores of both skin and tongue. I arrived too late to sample Marlow & Sons’ brisket and whitefish sandwiches, or Salvatore’s freshly cut prosciutto sandwiches, but I left content at having tasted some of the best produce, cheese and sweets on this side of the East River.
Best In Show award undeniably goes to Mama O’s Kimchee, where Kheedim Oh (of The Beatards) and his mother have successfully created an authentic kimchee which isn’t overwhelming to the unfamiliar, while maintaining the pride of a Korean foodie such as this writer. I was stricken with a nostalgia upon sampling the kimchee that was just the slightest bit undercured and salty, maintaining the perfect balance of crunch and spice. You may get some at Marlow & Daughters, Foragers, and Jeffreys.
Yassy Goldie’s “GYJD” is loud and vulgar in its gold patent and pink leopard print recalling teenage splendor while questionably deconstructing and revealing stereotypes and cultural stigmas. The artist states “GJYD is a moke and mirror illusion that can change people’s perceptions and make them realize that most of their reality is smoke and mirrors.”