so the girl and i go up to some depressed neighborhood about once a month to play cards (liverpool rummy) with her great aunt. usually we order pizza from this local dive near there. it's good stuff, not exactly classic stlouis style, but something approximating it at least. this time we went to the 'restaurant' itself. it's basically a room with badly stained carpet, aging posters on the wall and fold out tables covered with frayed vinylish tablecloths. the food is... well, some of it is vaguely italian, coupled with such delicacies as fried cauliflower and aldi's brand condiments. the meal was ok - but not anything that something emerging in twenty minutes from my own spartan kitchen couldn't rival. we went back and played the cards - i won handily the second game - and then drove home thru the most wretched and depressed ghetto this side of bedstuy. we almost hit a guy selling balloons on the highway on ramp.