Tags: Street Photography, New York City

Empellón Al Pastor

Al Pastor is a type of taco made with spit-grilled pork. The cooking method is based on the lamb shawarma brought by Lebanese immigrants to Mexico. Still, it features a flavour palate that uses traditional Mexican marinade adobada.

Al Pastor is a type of taco made with spit-grilled pork. The cooking method is based on the lamb shawarma brought Lebanese immigrants to Mexico. Still, it features a flavour palate that uses traditional Mexican marinade adobada.

Alex Stupak is the Chef and Co-Owner of the Empellón restaurant group in New York City. Mr Stupak was born in Massachusetts and is a scholar of the avant-garde and molecular gastronomy movements. He has no Latinx or Hispanic background. Once I learned more about the Empellón restaurant group, I realised just how much of the Latin culture of Loisaida had been co-opted by the capitalist.

In my opinion, this restaurant represents gentrification combined with cultural appropriation.

The Pass

That moment, a split second as the cigarette hovers between them, held in the fingers before moving to the other, has so much weight.

Street photography is still a struggle for me. It’s easier to find exciting happenings to photograph, and I was overwhelmed with choice. New York City is almost the opposite of downtown Princeton where street photography is nearly impossible. In Princeton, people assume you are photographing a building or storefront. They actively try to step out of the frame. In New York City, very few people care that a camera is pointed in their direction.

I was attracted to the bold signage painted on the building. Still, I remembered we were here for street photography, not architecture. I noticed these two men talking and sharing a cigarette on the entrance stairs to Fun City Tatoo. I thought of the trust needed for sharing a cigarette with someone. Everything that was avoided during the global pandemic. Touching hands. Standing too close. Sharing something your mouths touched.

That moment, a split second as the cigarette hovers between them, held in the fingers, has so much weight.

With a few clicks of the shutter, I captured the moment the man in shorts held his arm out. Decisive moment?