Upstate New York and the American Masala Farm by Jack Tiggleman

Greetings from the American Masala Farm. 

Before arriving at the farm, my mom would tell endless stories about Suvir and Charlie, as she had the privilege of spending a week with them at the Floating Island Writer's Workshop. And within an hour of being here, I told my mom that they were better than I ever could've imagined.

Of course, it took a while for the Dobrez-Tiggleman's to get to Hebron from Grand Rapids, Michigan.

We barely made the flight from Detroit to Albany after having to madly dash from Terminal B to Terminal A, because of a delay from the Grand Rapids airport, but thankfully we were able to land in Albany a little after lunch time. The drive from Albany to the farm is about an hour and a half, and of course we were starving after only eating stale peanuts, so we stopped at the first decent looking diner we could find.

Sadly, 'decent-looking' is probably the only thing nice that could be said about this place. Look at the menu, for instance:

As my mom said afterward, a place with that amount of food can't make one thing good. It's a classic case of quantity over quality.

Because I am on vacation, I decided to be adventurous and try something only known as 'The Jitterbug.' I should have known by the look on the waitress's face when I ordered it that it was a bad idea. The Jitterbug was a (burnt) burger patty in between two pieces of white bread, absolutely smothered with gravy. It was so disgusting that even this blog refuses to show it correctly. My sister ordered chicken tenders, which is one of the simplest things to make, and even those were burnt. We sent those back to the kitchen, and the ones we got back were still burnt!

When we finally got to the farm, we told Suvir about the horrors of the Diner, and he immediately suggested that we should go to Bob's Lunch. So after a quick tour of the farm, that 's where we went.

 

After we all ordered milkshakes, I looked at the menu and saw that (thankfully) it was about a tenth of the size of the previous menu we had, and there was one thing that stood out to me: The Texas Burger. It was an 8 oz patty with BBQ sauce, onion rings, bacon, and cheese; and I knew it must be good because Charlie ordered the same thing. As soon as I somehow stuffed the first bite in my mouth, I knew it was something extraordinary; the sweet bbq sauce and the salty crunch of the bacon together was a match made in heaven, the burger was perfectly cooked, and the onion rings added a whole new dimension to it. After I ate it, I told Rodney (son of Bob) that it was 'the best thing I ever ate' . And I wasn't lying. The burger alone might warrant a trip to Upstate New York.

On the way back, we stopped at Sheldon Farms to stock up on fruits and vegetables for the week, and after reading about it in a previous blog post of Suvir's my mom and I were anxious to check it out. Although we haven't had it yet, I'm sure the corn will be out-of-this-world good. 

There also were these humongous lima beans, which I'm sure will become a part of some delicious pasta or something later in this week.

 

After a long day of traveling and food (both good and bad), we went back to the farm, fed the goats some extra corn, and I fell asleep dreaming about what the next day at the American Masala Farm would bring.

Comments

[Angelina Dobrez]

Good job Jack! Now I am hungry:)

[Craig Tiggleman]

Jack,
What a great blog post! I am so proud of you! I really like your voice and your descriptions of your journey (so far!) and I can't wait to read more about your adventures.
Have fun, and I love you buddy!
Dad

[suvir saran]

Thanks Jack for your first dispatch. Your voice comes through perfectly in your words.

Your words very articulate for your years. Or shall I say you seem as smart as your years. We have gotten used to a dumbing down of youth over the years and so when we find one that is smart and able, they seem smarter than their years. Your parents ought to be very proud of you and you of them. It seems the travels you have enjoyed are being paid off in ways one would not imagine. Like these blog posts and your charming ways around people.

Keep traveling and keep sharing please.

I especially love how you and your mother were savvy enough to understand how quantity cannot equal quality. This is a pandemic we face in North Country and around most small rural and even small urban communities. Sadly people associate choice with quality. Very unfortunate. If people cannot cook 2 things well how could they cook 200 things well? That is something most diners never both comprehending and so pay for mediocrity and keep such places in business and solvent. Unfortunately most people have forgotten what quality, taste and good stand for. We have dumbed ourselves down to such a level that we are more than accepting of bad standards and in fact have made them seem good. Horrific but true. It is refreshing to see one so young and so astute. Maybe there is still hope for the future generations. Especially if more people can see like you, eat like and you read and write like you.

It is a pleasure having you at the farm and to see how Mattie and your minds work and how you speak, embrace new things and how you are in the company of people.

Our home is yours to be at whenever you feel like. Remember that and come visit often.

Suvir

[Rodius59]

Jack, WOW I will second what your father said, a very nicely written blog. Thanks for coming by with your Mom, Sis, Charlie and Suvir. We truely enjoyed your visit and I am glad we could satisfy your hunger with the Texas Burger. I too think that is the best thing I ever tasted. Great pictures too!! we all look great especially the burger. Hope we see you again before you head back home. Take care buddy and enjoy your stay here in Salem.

[Sally]

Jack, your style of writing is very engaging, and how clever of you to have an ending that ensures I will check in for the next post. You must be an old soul, like Suvir's nephew Karun, because you don't have the awkwardness that so often goes with youth.
Bob's Lunch is very good - I wish we had more places like that instead of the standardized franchises that are so boring and serve such dreck.
I think Suvir should have you as a regular guest blogger on his site! - Sally

[Colleen Connor]

Excellent post Jack! Your photos are diverse and perfectly paired with your story. Very well documented! And you've aced the knack of finding the right speed/movement in your delivery.

Now on to bigger questions: How in the world did you get Suvir to parasail with you?!! When do we get to see THOSE pictures and hear THOSE stories?!! Another post is a MUST! -Colleen

[Jack Tiggleman]

Rodney - Now that I'm back in Michigan, I don't know how I'll be able to eat a cheeseburger ever again! Thanks for commenting!

Sally - I wish there were more places like Bob's too! Places like Bob's always taste thirty times better than the Burger KIngs of this world. Thanks for taking the time to read my posts and for commenting.

Colleen - I am working on that blogpost right now! It was nice talking to you over my Mom's phone, but obviously I can't wait to actually meet you over spring break. Thanks for taking the time to read my posts and commenting!