Love Rather Than Laughs

While it is true that a rubber chicken isn't the most necessary household appliance, when you need one in a pinch, you had better know where to buy one quickly. You can't buy a rubber chicken in New London, Conn. You can't buy a joy buzzer, you can't buy a nickle to nail to the floor, and you can't buy soap that turns people's hands black.

You can't buy garlic gum, though you can buy plenty of garlic. The pungent rose can be found all over New London. There are Italian and Hispanic populations, but New London's taste for garlic runs along more than ethnic lines. All of New London is in love with strong flavors. New Londoners eat raw cloves like grapes. New London loves garlic.

The city's signature salad, trademarked and used here without permission, is the 'Love Salad.' A Love Salad is an antipasto collection of sliced salami and cheese over iceberg lettuce. There is some kind of canola and balsamic vinagrette, but in the middle, and the most prominent ingredient, is a dollop of minced garlic out of a jar mixed throughout. You can find novelty in New London, but you won't find any gags. What you will find is a city with a meal based on Love.