COnfessions of a MAD Antique Dealer

Many years ago, when I was in high school, Aunt Marge lived upstairs from Judy and SEYMOUR.....and even then Seymour was an antiquated name..Judy was my friend, and her brother Seymour was different than any people that I knew in his looks, behavior, speech pattern and attitude. He was into antiques, which was something I knew nothing about, didn't care about, and actually had a distaste for old and smelly furniture...that reminded me of Victorian funeral parlors.

When I visited JUDY, Aunt Margie , who lived upstairs, always seemed to make an entrance...she was a very kind sweet lady, with always something nice to say to everyone..  I think she had a new  baby then...who is now 56...and I was maybe 16 or  17  at that time. That same Aunt MArgie, eventually became the only honest mayor of PASSAIC NJ and served several terms....the city had a hard time handling honesty, and eventually she stopped running... SHe was in the store today...looking like the same aunt Marge, except with grey hair. Same style, few wrinkles.. I commented on how she forgot to get older.. I asked her you must be what 67 or 68 by now...she laughed and said...I was in my thirties when you were 16....no MAURY I am 85.....she dresses like a young woman as well..she seems fit, her voice is young and crisp.  Had I been wearing a wig...it would hav eflipped. JOHN, too, took a step backwards and gave a long "wow' which is very demonstrative for him.

MArgie is 85 and has a booth in an antique center....She is now a dealer...and just loves the beauty she finds in antiques....as I do. I am not in it for just the money (what money??I lost over 22K last year) She refuses to get old......My Aunt IRMA opened up an antique doll shop when she was 88 in SAN FRANCISCO.....her bother DAVID closed his antique store when he was 96 in the same city and MRS HABERNICKEL from Ridgewood, the founder of HABBAND PANTS......lives in is over 100 years old and she still goes toto the beauty parlour every week and still collects dolls.

One DAY  Seymour.....was on the bus to NYC...and I got on....on my way to walk around Greenwich Village..as young people did in that day.... He was cordial, and I hadn't seen him since I entered college at least 3 years before...He asked what I was doing...and I said ..nothing really, just gong to hang out.....then he asked me to join him to visit an antique show at the Coliseum in NYC.....I thought,,WTF, I never went to one, why not and its free.  ALl I can remember that I was bedazzled by all the wonderful things I saw....and in those days, they were REAL ANTIQUES not 1940's crap...that you see today.....there is one thing that I remember, The image is indelible in my brain...it was a Signed Tiffany Floor lamp....WISTERIA PATTERN on a bronze base...and I remember the price $5000. My parents house at that time was maybe 18 to 20,000...and MAURY LUBMAN, a kid in college, home for the summer, had the audacity to even think that "this someday will be worth a million dollars". And it did come to pass, that that lamp.today woul d be worth that. I remember wishing that I had the money to buy it..I had the foresight, but not the coinage. OH WELL! But, it was the background for later in the antique world.

Back to Broccoli rabe...OMG....I just finished a bowl of one of the most delicious things I have ever eaten....and how simple. I cooked the broccoli like last night.ANd drained it. I added humus..... a can of chick peas drained, about 1/3 equal amount of sesame paste, some toasted sesame seeds, a few sprinkle of dried cilantro, salt and MEXICAN Chipolete salsa(sauce) you can use Tabasco too. Tonight I forgot the onions... I put it in the food processor it was thick, and slowly thinned it out....Then I added a few large tablespoon full to the drained broccoli.....It was incredible......If I ever open a restaurant this will be a staple on the menu.