'NYC At Its Best': Subway Riders Treated to Free, Spontaneous Thanksgiving Feast On Train Subway riders were in for a treat this week when they boarded the Bedford Ave L Train.
By Emily Rella
Opinions expressed by BIZ Experiences contributors are their own.
It's the season for giving and helping those in need, and if you're a subway goer in New York City, you might just be treated to an entire Thanksgiving meal on the way to your destination.
One witness, Jada Yuan, who is a reporter at The Washington Post, took to the platform to share videos of what became an entire Thanksgiving feast on a Brooklyn-bound L Train this week, complete with an entire table, sides, and, of course, a turkey.
"There was a stalled train at Bedford and the conductor had us all get off. I was in a different car and when I stepped onto the platform there were all these happy, laughing people scarfing down mac and cheese," she wrote alongside the video of happy train riders helping themselves to plate fulls. "These folks from Bea's Kitchen in East New York kept on serving. And then I saw the empty train take off with them on it!"
In a follow-up video, Yuan confirmed that the meal was in fact provided by Chef Bea from Bea's Kitchen in East New York and noted that this was not the first time that this stunt had been pulled, as a group of friends led by comedian Jodell Lewis went viral in 2019 for setting up a "Friendsgiving" on Bedford Ave L Train.
@nyshotz NYC Thanksgiving ? #nyc #fyp #subway #thanksgiving ♬ original sound - DrewTor
"It was amazing to provide a classic New York City moment," Lewis' collaborator, Cristopher Dupree told the New York Times after the first iteration of the Thanksgiving subway feast. "Nothing else can compare to being able to eat Thanksgiving with random strangers on a New York City train. That's what people come to our city for."
The two men alongside Brandi Baxter, who runs Chef Bea's Kitchen, said then (pre-Covid) that they plan to throw the event every year.
Yuan's posts from this year have garnered a slew of heartwarming comments from New Yorkers and Thanksgiving celebrators near and far, showing their love for the occasion which truly exemplifies the spirit of the city that was hit so hard amid the COVID-pandemic — to be able to spend in-person time with strangers at all seems to be reason enough to celebrate.
"Excellent," one user wrote. "NYC at its best."
"How fun," another chimed in. "Next time- stay on that train!"
Yuan told viewers that people were raving about the Mac and cheese, though she didn't get to try any herself before the doors closed.
"It was pure comedy," she said.
Not a bad way to start off the Holiday season.
