The space which once housed the iconic Middle Eastern restaurant, Abu's, 1978 N. Farwell Ave., will soon become a new Thai eatery called Jow Nai Foquet.

Recently, Aomjai Nueakaew applied for a Class B Tavern license which would permit the establishment, unlike Abu's, to serve alcohol. It would be nice to sit in a window seat and enjoy a glass of wine while watching the Farwell Avenue bustle, but I will always miss Abu's rosewater lemonade.

Stay tuned to OnMilwaukee.com for more information when it becomes available.

 

OnMilwaukee.com has a bunch of articles that are a part of a series called "Shift Switch," which involves the writers taking a "shift" at a job that is very different from our usual editorial gig and then writing about the experience.

Over the years, I was a soda jerk inside a root beer barrel at Summerfest (claustrophobics, steer clear), worked with David Seebach as a magician's assistant (he sawed me in half and levitated me) and a diaper washer at a now-defunct cloth diaper company (one of the more disgusting activities I have ever done).

Now, I am looking to write another segment in the series, but first, I need to find a place where I can take a "shift" at a unique job. Do you have an interesting company or job that would allow an OnMilwaukee.com writer to give it a whirl for a few hours? If so, e-mail me.

On Sunday, OnMilwaukee.com hosted a bookswap in Bay View's Humboldt Park. The event was really successful, thanks to the hard work of the OnMilwaukee.com Intern Team, the generosity of Boswell Book Company and the gorgeous weather.

I scored a couple of interesting books, including an Augusten Burroughs' collection and a Power Puff Girls' pop-up book (I'm a big fan of the three-dimensional read). My kids loved the event, too. They got a book about penguins, a Star Wars graphic novel and they played their first game of cornhole.

Anyone who swapped two books got to take a book from the hundreds available, and they also received a raffle ticket for the chance to win an e-Reader. At 4 p.m. on Sunday, the winner was chosen, but OnMilwaukee.com has yet to hear from this person.

Is it you?

The winning number is 2012929.

Early last evening, I took my kids to Indian Summer on the Summerfest grounds. This is becoming an annual tradition for us, and one that always leads to interesting and important conversation.

Indian Summer is one of the most family-friendly festivals in the city. It is affordable (kids are always free), it's colorful, filled with drum music, features spaces like teepees and wigwams that kids and adults can climb into and has limited consumption of alcoholic beverages. (There is no drinking on the North End of the grounds in observance of Native Americans' original, alcohol-free, culture. Alcoholism has been a major issue on reservations and among city-living Native Americans.)

Plus, the Skyglider is only $4 for a round trip ride. I have said "no" to this repeatedly to my kids because, during Summerfest for example, it's $6 each way to ride. I finally said "yes" to a bird's eye view of the festival grounds and, arguably, the sound and color of Indian Summer is even more amazing from the sky.

Best of all, we were able to have a natural conversation about Native American history. I was amazed that one of my sons asked if Christopher Colombus discovered America, and I was able to set the record straight. (I'm a direct person, you may want to say it more eloquently, but I opted for "It was stolen from them.")

During the Pow Wow, my sons asked me if Native Americans always dress in traditional Native clothing. "Do they go to their jobs like that?" he asked.

I was able to explain to him about honoring tradition and celebration. And then, we were able to really take part in the afore-mentioned celebration. I was surprised that everyone in the audience -- hundreds of people, maybe more -- were invited to participate at the end of the Pow Wow.

"Mom! I'm in a Pow Wow!" my kids screamed out.

For our family, Native American culture is a way to easily talk about my son's heritage, too. He is of Mayan descent and although he is …