Saturday, January 29, 2011

What you see in Sunset Park, Brooklyn: Chickens


chickens, originally uploaded by shooting brooklyn.
To the outsider this would look out of place. I was the 'outsider' at one point many years ago and it did look a little... strange. Living in New York has taught me that the city is filled with immigrants; immigrants that have their own traditions, culture, and superstitions.

The first year I lived in NYC, I lived in Prospect Heights, Brooklyn. One morning, I will never forget leaving to go to the bank and the super to my building, who was usually very nice and witty, showed me the rooster he caught walking around the street that morning. When I asked him why a “rooster would be walking around the streets of Brooklyn”, he smiled and said, “You wouldn’t understand”. I have since concluded that by “you wouldn’t understand” means, cock fighting, sacrifice, and really, really delicious chicken dishes. I do understand, just a little surprised.