Shauna Eats Sunnyside

OK Ups The Ante

The Store Formerly Known as OK Food (currently Sunnyside Market, *yawn*) (on 43rd Ave b/w 42nd and 43rd Sts) is our go-to overpriced bodega-cum-Asian market, where the cashiers are sassy and the scratch-offs are plentiful. OK’s undergone some structural reorganization in the past year or so, morphing from straightforward convenience store into stinky fish market into mildy stank Asian grocery, and now, they seem to be getting all gourmet on that shit…

Exhibit A: They now carry fruit-flavored Vita Coco coconut waters. For those unaware, coconut water is the new Gatorade. The all-natural sports drink alternative, in fact. And I have to confess, I’m a huge fan… They possess an abundance of electrolytes in the form of potassium, in many cases zero added sugar, and are touted to not only replenish the body’s post-workout nutritional depletions, but are also said to relieve symptoms of PMS. Genius!! Although I will say that the consumerism involved in shelling out übercash for friggin coconut water does kinda chafe me sometimes. But in this case, the pros outweigh the cons… $1.50 (or 2 for $3) small cartons, $5-ish for the mondo box.

Exhibit B: OK has officially tugged at my heartstrings. I am ADDICTED to Garden of Eatin’ organic yellow corn tortilla chips (far right). Almost unhealthily so. No salsa, guacamole, or cheese dip could ever stand a chance next to the chip that ends all chips. I eat mine straight up, salt-and-crunchy. B knows that returning home with a bag of these babies is viable grounds for pouncing. Forget the flowers, jewelry, or heart-shaped balloons. Give me tortilla chips and I’m yours forever. That is, after I inhale the entire bag in one sitting, then lick my fingers incessantly through an hourlong episode of Bourdain. It’s a trade-off, really.

Exhibit C: BORRR-BAH. The name is just fun to say. Try it out loud, in an authoritative, Eastern European accent. Unfortunately for creativity’s sake, Borba’s actually made in Wisconsin. Bummer. But I’ve been fascinated by the colorful display near the front door of OK advertising zero-calorie Skin Balance Water in flavors like Passion Fruit, Guanábana (first sampled in Puerto Ricoooooooo!), Lychee, and Pomegranate. Drinkable skin care?! Sounds kinda disgusting, to me. And the bottles resemble shampoo. But B argued that, to maintain journalistic integrity, I should pay the price ($3.29!) and suck that shit down.

For the record, I went with the Guanábana “Firming” water, “Designed to promote skin’s natural Smoothness, Elasticity, & Nourishment”… disturbing, no? I dig the teal color … Guess that would be Blue No. 1 on the ingredients list. There are also wee bits of dark blue floaters within, though not obnoxiously noticeable like the mutant blobs regularly present in these fuckers (which OK, er, Sunnyside Market, also hocks).

Truthfully, Borba just tastes like watered down tropical punch Kool-Aid…nothing remotely “Guanábana” about it, just mildly fruity in an almost gelatinous sorta way, with a rather nasty after-sip gutteral sting. Hmm. And did my skin get instantaneously tauter than pantyhose over a bank robber’s cheeks? Perhaps not to the naked eye… really, no difference at all post-consumption, except for the burning aftertaste and a slightly oily film on my lips. But maybe if I keep downing these bastards I’ll achieve the elasticity I’ve always dreamed of…

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Sunnyside Market (The Store Formerly Known as OK Food)
42-08 43rd Avenue (b/w 42nd and 43rd sts)
Sunnyside, NY 11104 
718-937-1774