Tampa and the Benefits of Aloe Vera

Cephas Gilbert tells it like he sees it. On a humid Friday afternoon in Tampa we took a visit to see Cephas down in Ybor (EE-Bor) city northeast of downtown on a culinary tip from Kit, our company manager who's from the area and had visited here a few years back. Kit waved me into her office one day last week and said she knew about our little food adventures and confessed that she was in fact a 'foodie' herself and we should do ourselves a favor and head down to Cephas' Hot Shop. she promised that it would be an 'experience like nothing else'. And she was right.

Back in the day, Ybor city was called cigar city. Vicente Ybor moved his cigar rolling empire from Cuba to the keys and eventually to Tampa where he set up shop and the northeast side proudly adopted his name. Today Ybor city, like Mulberry Street in little Italy, is reduced down to one big strip where the Tampa folks get their rocks off on the weekends. A strip of gay bars and clubs and trashy girls out front trying to lure you in. Much like the crowd you see cruising South Beach or on the weekend except Ybor seemed more reasonably priced. 

Tucked back in the side streets of the main strip on a bare looking block and old boarded up houses on the corner sits Cephas Hot Shop-basically an old store front with painted splashes of the Jamaican colors and giant leafy plants dotting the sidewalk. The bright murals of the Caribbean map, the Rastafarian last supper depiction, and another mural of 7 men's faces-white and black- on the Jamaican flag all caught my eye. And off to the side we spot a bar and a man standing out on the sidewalk, where the bar spills off. He's chatting it up with the bartender behind the counter. The bartender I'm guessing wasn't Cephus since Kit said he talked a lot. Very personable. and this guy was was not saying much.  The man on OUR side was having a drink-aloe I'm guessing. His name was John. No joke-with glasses this John couldve easily been my honors calculus teacher in High School...maybe on his way pick up the kids from the mall before headed out to the 'burbs'. kinda the last guy you'd expect looking so at-home at Cephus', whatever this place was. It turns out this is a twice a week spot for him. Mainly because John's Cephus' webmaster and is updating the site, taking pics, etc. But clearly a fan. John points to an entrance on the other side of the building. 

You walk into the backyard onto a playground. A place I could see my brother Tim owned if he lived in Jamaica. I thought It was all sand till I looked down at every last inch of white carpet. It was a carpeted jungle in the middle of the Caribbean, about a half-a-square blocks worth. Unbelievable. An entire stage on one end, a garden on another, and a big thatched hut smack in the middle with some diner booths around. All dilapidated and perfectly cozy. And here he comes. The man of the hour arrives. Its Cephus. Unapologetic and ready to roll off the simple menu.

"If you hungry you bedda eat," he says in his Jamaican drawl. 

"We got curried goat, oxtail stew, cod fish. Dat's it."  

He points his remote toward the stage and clicked on the Billie Holiday over the loudspeakers. I got the curried goat. It smelled like New York and I tucked in for some good eatin. Cephus got comfortable and goes into health benefits in Aloe Vera. and not holding back. Like if we didn't leave there completely convinced he wouldn't sleep right. Then again his life didn't seem too rough, @ 60 even with 15 children he fathered from 5 women, he later told us:) After hearing we were from NYC, he called one of them up from Long Island and put her on speaker phone as she talked about how she missed him.  

"Where was I? Da Stomach. Dere's only one person who godda big belly. A female. She carry it from day won to mont seven to mont nine...after that anybody who gotta full belly-I'm sorry you no eatin-is fulla shit!....you eat pork? (we nod) GARBAGE! shrimp? GARBAGE!" 

He makes a bicep and pulls his skin out. And then sized us up. Of course immediately I have to show him I'm just as worthy. Yeah! I'm proud to say I eat well so I curl up and pull my bicep out. 

"You doin alright" he says looking at me like I too was a junior honorary member of Cephas' fit club.

John interjects "Give them a chance to eat," he pleads with Cephas, apologizing to us for his friend. Now I'm rarely one to walk in and out of a place completely convinced of something as major as a diet change but after he brought us around and we finished our meal on his aloe smoothie, I was sold. I take that back. mostly sold. I did some aloe research and couldnt find one negative thing. Digestion, cancer fighters, immunity builders, eyes, skin, and the list goes on. He cracked open some Tamarind, his 2nd favorite medicine and I had a bite. Something I'd always seen up in Washington Heights but I never actually eaten. Like a sweet and sour date. and then he finished it with his homemade cinnamon-ginger tea which helps digestion after a meal.

He held the aloe up like he was gutting a tuna and cut into the flesh getting every last jelly and pulpy bit. He tossed it all into the blender with ice and blended till fluffy and frothy. "Now rub it all ovah and then put it in the sole of ya shoe!"he said, pointing to the now empty Aloe leaf.  And there we were, on the corner of 14th and 4th, on his word to 'hurry' rubbing aloe leaves all over our faces and neck and feet. And for whatever reason we kept speeding up:)

It was an experience. And I was sad to leave but happy to get back for the 2nd show and brag to all the folks coming back from the Cheesecake Factory that I had an aloe leaf in my shoe. and let me say for the record, as suburban and gaudy as it, The Cheesecake Factory is still damn tasty. 

Atlanta

the day after we arrived in Atlanta, while the rest of the cast was getting their nature fix at Stone Mountain, Lee and Julian and I cabbed it to the Little Five Points neighborhood in Atlanta...not to be confused with Five Points on the other end of town. Halfway through the trip our cab driver started mumbling something up front and realized he was taking us to Five Points and not Little Five Points. So he turned off his meter and we sat back and enjoyed the scenic detour around Hotlanta on his dime. I realized as we tumbled along the winding streets back to our destination, if you took all the people out and just left the geography of Atlanta, it looks a lot like LA...Silver Lake actually. but with a lot more shade-something that the south has not not lacked so far. Strip malls, tatoo parlors, even the way the streets wind around eachother, it was very reminiscent of LA.

We get to Little Five Points which is basically just one lengthy bohemian block-and a few side streets-of mostly vintage clothing stores, beer houses, a music video shoot around the corner, Ardens Garden-this Atlanta juice joint which could easily put Jamba out of business. ironically they use all natural ingredients. An area that could keep a hipster from getting to antsy. After a little retail therapy we hit the Porter Beer Bar and sat outside for some people watching and Bells Beer. Look out for Bells from Michigan btw. they serve it all over the country now. Rule of thumb-don't order the salt and vinegar popcorn. The concept seems perfect...till u feel like you have a pepper mill lodged up your nose.

We took the MARTA to Ebenezer Church. Not just Atlanta but for the whole tour, I have to say this short visit was by far the most chilling and powerful experience thus far...There wasnt any sign indicating the site where you get off the train, which I thought was odd. The only notice was a few blocks up. on a small pole in the ground that says Ebenezer Church, showing an arrow to the left.  We'd have missed it if it werent for the homeless guy who brought us up the the street where you turn. You look up at the light up sign and walk in. Something you really cant grok till you're in there, sitting in the pew of Dr Kings old Baptist Church where he preached. this was powerful. and chilling. Not even for what it stood for but a ghostliness and sturdiness about it all. and also very bright and clean Its also where many of the Civil Rights meetings, rallies, etc would take place. An old recording plays on repeat of Dr King's echo as to give you the full experience. We found out [from the blind security guard in his park ranger khaki's] that they only opened it a few weeks ago after a three year renovation to bring the church back to its original structure...back when MLK was co-pastor with his dad in the 60's. Also some damn good research for 'Hair'.

Dr Kings birthplace

The light that came through the stained glass was so bright. There was a picture behind the pulpit-one of those glow up screens of a forest with a river slinking off into the distance -like those light up pictures you see in Chinese takeout places in New York City. Its the first thing that catches your eye walking in because at first glance it doesnt look like its supposed to be there. Then again, you take another look and it oddly fits in. much like other parts of the church like the lobby displaying pics of Dr King Jr. and the gift shop. It was interesting trying to imagine being here in 1968, taking in one of MLK's sermons and a message, a truth that went way past these church walls. Knowing that you were one of the few people in a congregation to say you watched these guys lecture must be a pretty cool feeling. The original stained glass that lined the walls was a major part of the renovation. Like Washington on the dollar bill with their head and chest as though stamped into history, they were pics of MLK, MLK senior and the grandfather King on top. I was still wondering what that blind park ranger would have done if I decided, quietly of course, to go dance on the pulpit.

I heard about Decatur from a New York Times article I read on Atlanta. After the MLK experience we were craving some southern food but Paschalls, where MLK and other civil rights leaders would gather and eat on Sundays, was clear on the other side of town but we needed to eat. what else is new? So Lee and Julian and I headed out to Decatur, nestled into the west side of the city. If Berkeley and Mayberry had a love child, Decatur would be the end result. It has that old town charm with the civil war monument standing in front of the old courthouse and the cobble stoned streets and then one hipster restaurant after another. also something I dont ususally see... on the main drag of town at least 5 old dry cleaners or filling stations were renovated and converted into restaurants and galleries. Seems like a step in the right direction if you ask me. We stopped into Leons http://leonsfullservice.com/ right outside the Marta stop for some bocce ball and a sazarac, my new favorite drink...and then continued onto Cakes & Ale http://www.cakesandalerestaurant.com/ but like a lot of restaurants at 3 in the afternoon, dinner service doesnt begin till 5. So We got advice from some of the townies and headed to Watershed, the Indigo Girls spot, one of these old filling stations turned restaurants. The vibe was a little too lesbian beachy for me and it was right on the line of being either hipster casual or fine dining. Couldnt tell. But the food was on point. the beet and pistachio salad, the smoked pork belly bahn-mi and the fried oyster sandwich were all slamming good southern food and made up for depression I felt for Arnold Schwartzeneggar. Poor guy. That womans not even cute!!

the flaky buttery flying biscuit

ps-for breakfast in Atlanta, the flying biscuit is your ticket. be prepared to wait for at least a  half hour tho most days. Its well worth the wait...http://www.flyingbiscuit.com/