Wednesday, January 27, 2021

What's in a Bodega?

What's in a bodega -- besides, ya' know, food, candy, beverages, cleaning products, certain electrical items, over-the-counter pharmaceuticals, various prophylactics, newspapers/magazines, and other random stuff? 

Perhaps the very soul of this city.

A bodega is something that's not quite a supermarket or a pharmacy but more than a deli or a newstand. It's basically a convenience store but it doesn't sell gas. A bodega almost always sets up shop on the corner of a city street -- the classic "corner store" -- a central organizing spot for any neighborhood. 

Bodegas originated in Spanish-speaking neighborhoods but have since migrated all over town and even the richest, whitest, most haughty neighborhoods refer to their corner store as a bodega. Most of them are run down or decidedly no-frills but, wherever they are, whatever they look like, they are a distinctly an NYC phenomenon, a place we love without even realizing it. 

No comments:

Post a Comment

Please keep it civil, intelligent, and expletive-free. Otherwise, opine away.