Local flavor

Still wondering how anyone would stumble on this blog - why and how? Right now I am revelling in my anonymity, but someday, I may want attention. Of course. Why else write online?

Pssst! Beulah is not my real name.

You may notice from my profile that I live in Western Mass. Western Mass rules! Why? Oh, many reasons. I'm feeling lazy, so perhaps an outline of western Massachusetts' virtues will organically unfold over time in this blog. Perhaps you would consider moving here. There's room for a few more. In fact, I need to check, but we may even be losing population slightly.

If you do move here, though, please don't buy one of those hideous, vinyl-sided new houses that are springing up on what was once gorgeous farmland. They are a knife twisting in the gut anew every time I see a crop of them, which is every day, since there are several new developments near where I live. Did I mention we're losing population? How does this equate to new houses? Someone explain this, and in the meantime, stop building them. There are many nice old houses to choose from. It's part of our local charm.

You may want to start a business. But first, please do a little research to see if your business is wanted. I know this is going to hurt, but in my town we don't need any more shops with scented candles and teddy bears saying "I wuv you." We also have plenty of pizza joints. If you are thinking of starting a Chinese restaurant, please realize we have three of them, ranging from inedible to disappointing. Unless you can offer a new twist on the concept (suggestion: delicious?), look elsewhere for inspiration.

A few years ago, someone finally heard my prayers and opened an inexpensive burrito place. But they missed an essential word: tasty. The lesson? If you are a local gringo with a passion to run a Mexican restaurant (which started as Cuban, something I never did figure out), try eating actual Mexican food a few times to get a sense of it first. Tina's frozen burritos fresh from the Dairy Mart microwave don't count.