18 The Queens Courier • april 10, 2014 for breaking news visit www.queenscourier.com Global lime shortage squeezes local bars, restaurants By Sophia Rosenbaum [email protected] Brother, can you spare a lime? Frequent customers at El Rey Del Taco truck may be confused when they open the Styrofoam container with their tacos to find a wedge of lemon, instead of lime, in their trays. Limes are too expensive for the taco truck to afford right now, as a global lime shortage is affecting restaurants and bars throughout Queens. Most of the limes used in the U.S. come from Mexico, where heavy rains and an infectious tree disease affecting the lime crop have forced lime prices to quadruple over the past few months. “Unfortunately, Mexico received some heavy rains that destroyed a large amount of the lime crop, so with limited supplies, we are seeing lime prices skyrocket,” said Lindsey Pope, a spokeswoman for the Texas Department of Agriculture. At local supermarkets like Key Food and Trade Fair, three limes cost $3. Three months ago, customers could buy a dozen limes for the same price. In the past few months, prices for 10-pound cases of limes have gone from about $30 to about $120. While the taco truck can get away with replacing limes with lemons, some businesses are not afforded that option. “We do a lot of custom cocktails, so not using fresh juice just isn’t an option for us,” said Vincent Vee, the beer and event manager at Station House in Forest Hills. Vee said it’s common for prices of fresh fruit to fluctuate, especially when natural disasters like droughts affect Mexico, but that this lime shortage has been especially long. “The prices are staying up a little longer than normal this time,” he said. “We’re hoping they come down soon.” Like other restaurants and bars, Station House is limiting its lime garnishes and ensuring that its employees use the limes in the most efficient way possible. Limes are an integral part of many Mexican dishes. Fresh lime juice makes up a third of most traditional margarita recipes. Mojave, a Mexican restaurant in Astoria, is trying to limit its use of limes to the bare minimum. “We’re just trying to compensate,” said Maya Stephanov, a bartender at Mojave in Astoria, only puts limes in drinks that require it due to the shortage. Maya Stephanov, a bartender at Mojave. Stephanov said that limes are a staple at almost every bar in the city, as a THE COURIER/Sophia Rosenbaum slice of lime is often paired with vodka cranberries, gin and tonics and other specialty drinks. Maspeth celebrates Pope John Paul II with street co-naming Photo courtesy of the Office of Councilwoman Elizabeth Crowley BY LIAM LA GUERE [email protected]/@liamlaguerre A portion of 56th road, where Holy Cross Roman Catholic Church in Maspeth resides, was co-named Pope John Paul II Way in a ceremony on April 6. As a cardinal in 1969, the pope visited Holy Cross for a couple of days, using his birth name Father Karol Józef Wojtyla. The co-naming is the brainchild of the Polish American Congress and the Jewish Historical Society of Queens, and was sponsored by Councilwoman Elizabeth Crowley. “Pope John Paul II’s long ministry connected people from every nation and helped make the world a more peaceful place,” said Crowley, who represents Maspeth. “Pope John Paul II touched the lives of billions, and now all Queens residents will be reminded of his legacy for generations to come.” WORLD’S FAIR ANNIVERSARY On April 22, 1964, President Lyndon Johnson kicked off the World’s Fair in Flushing Meadows Corona Park, calling it “the most promising of our hopes.” The Cold War, the Space Age and the Atomic Age were the main planetary concerns at the moment, and the fair had the theme “Peace through Achievement.” “It gathers together, from 80 countries, the achievements of industry, the wealth of nations, the creations of man,” Johnson said. “This fair shows us what man at his most creative and constructive is capable of doing.” Over the next six months in 1964 (and over the same time period in 1965), more than 51 million people attended the fair, enjoying everything from the Wisconsin Pavilion and its huge piece of cheese to the Belgian Pavilion and its up-and-coming waffles, to the Ford Pavilion and its brand-new Mustang. One of the architectural sensations of the fair was the NYS Pavilion. Designed by celebrated modernist Philip Johnson, this sprawling structure featured a brightly colored fiberglass roof, observation towers, a Texas-sized Texaco road map and a terrazzo floor. Unfortunately, the NYS Pavilion fell into disrepair in the 1970s and is currently off-limits to the general population. However, this will change for three hours on April 22, 2014 (the exact 50th anniversary), when the NYS Pavilion Paint Project Crew, NYC Parks and Borough President Melinda Katz will participate in an “open gate” event. From 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., individuals will be able to enter this remnant and take photos of the interior portion, where the Tent of Tomorrow once stood. Plus, the Project Crew will discussthe structure’s past, present and future. The event is free, and hard hats will be provided. (Meet at NYS Pavilion’s north entrance, near Queens Theatre.) This article was written by Queens Tourism Council director Rob MacKay. The Queens Courier and QTC will publish a series of articles about World’s Fair-related commemorations taking place in the borough over the next six months. More information is at www.itsinqueens.com/worldsfair. Photo courtesy of People for the New York State Pavilion Facebook page
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