Inconsistent or Hypocritical?

Saturday, April 13, 2024 

In spite of the heroic efforts of our 10-year old star defender, the Natick Greyhounds lost to the Hollister Hens in a tight 2-1 soccer match. We recovered from this defeat at The Cottage, 190 Linden Street, Wellesley, a modern, large, airy restaurant with a name that can only be ironic.

Our two waifs had chicken fingers, which looked nice and crunchy ($12.50). Their stunning grandmother had the Beet & Citrus Bowl, a large salad of quinoa, greens, fresh citrus, walnuts, goat cheese, with lemon vinaigrette ($17). I ordered half a chicken salad sandwich and a crock of French onion soup ($19), an excellent combo. No offense, but it was better than your mother’s chicken salad, made with raisins, walnuts and diced apples, served with lettuce and tomato on thick slices of challah. 

The soup was special, too, outdoing the last two bowls of onion soup that I had in Paris last year. As I noted then, the thick glob of melted Gruyère cheese atop the soup in each case stayed within the bowl. Today, in Wellesley, Massachusetts, 5,565 kilometers from Paris, France, the cheese beautifully ran over the edge of the bowl and could be peeled off the side of the crock where it was baked on.

Sunday. April 14, 2024

Nancy Neveloff Dubler, October 24, 1941 - April 14, 2024

Monday, April 15, 2024

My marathoning days are over. In the past, I participated in the New York Marathon, the London Marathon and the Boston Marathon — as a spectator. Today is the running of the Boston Marathon, passing right through the center of the town where we are visiting our second and third generations. The weather is nice, dry, partly cloudy skies, temperature ranging from mid-50s to mid-60s, yet I am denying myself exposure to the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat. Instead, I made French toast for our bunch’s brunch and then took a prophylactic nap, because we decided to head back to New York even before all runners reached Boston.

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I live on the edge — every so often. Driving home, I took a great risk, stopping to eat at Rein’s Deli New York Style Restaurant, 435 Hartford Turnpike, Vernon, Connecticut, exit 65 on I-84. Normally, the name itself would have kept me away. What does “New York Style” connote? Brusque waiters rolling their eyes as you order? Guatemalan refugees slicing your bagels? Poor imitations of Eastern European dishes?

Rein’s, in business over 50 years, mostly avoided these pitfalls. It’s a large space, about 1/3 devoted to retail sales, cases of Dr. Brown’s sodas, quarts of matzoh ball soup, crumb cakes and jars of pickles. The menu is enormous, combining the corned beef/pastrami family of typical deli items (though non-Kosher), the lox/whitefish family of typical “appetizing” items, and the omelet/pancake/hamburger family of typical diner items. Under the circumstances, I found the Polish ham unnecessary and mildly insulting.

Here’s where I took a bigger risk, challenging them to do justice to real Jewish food. I ordered The Whaler, a double-decker sandwich of whitefish salad, lox, sable, Swiss cheese (a ringer) on toasted rye ($18.79). It was not only edible, it was good. So, if you can’t wait to get to the Holy Land, Rein’s will hold you.

Tuesday, April 16, 2024

This is the headline on a recent article in the Daily Mail, a right-wing British tabloid, that’s worth reflecting on. "When U.S. troops kill aid workers, it's 'friendly fire'. When Israel does, it's a 'war crime'. The double standards are nauseating”

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-13272407/RICHARD-LITTLEJOHN-U-S-troops-kill-aid-workers-friendly-fire-Israel-war-crime-double-standards.html

Wednesday, April 17, 2024

There should be a word for someone like me who bounces back and forth, reading the New York Times on line and on paper in no particular order. Ambiguous, ambidextrous, ambivalent, ambitious, ambivert, ambipolar? Looking on line right now, 11:38 AM, I find that five of the first nine stories deal with Israel, one of the other four deals with Ukraine and Israel and the next two deal with antisemitism. I can only contrast this with the inattention of the American, British and Canadian press to the plight of Europe’s Jews before, during and after WWII.  

One of the antisemitism stories is about the testimony of the president of Columbia University on Capitol Hill. It had this interesting little tidbit about a student demonstrator punished by eviction from university housing. “He is still fighting his eviction, which would mean finding housing that would accept his emotional support rabbit.”

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/16/nyregion/columbia-university-congress-antisemitism-hearing.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare

I understand that Che Guevara, an Argentinian, settled in Cuba because it welcomed him and his pet tortoise.

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We went to see a new production of “Uncle Vanya” at Lincoln Center tonight. I was delighted that the initial appearance on stage of Steve Carrell, the famous comedic actor, did not evoke applause, even less warranted than the now automatic standing ovation at the end of the evening. We were unwilling to hang around for the second act of this ill-conceived venture, so we were spared witnessing an undeserved standing O.

 

Friday, April 19, 2024

eater.com is a very reliable website for restaurant reviews and recommendations. It started locally and now covers about two dozen American locations. I turned to it today to find a new hamburger joint, aware that Passover next week would limit my dining options. I was surprised that Schnipper’s, 620 Eighth Avenue, was one of the top choices. I had seen and avoided it many times; it sits opposite the first stop of the M104 bus, a transportation favorite.

I had been put off by a superficial reaction to the name which I took to be a cutesy attempt to sound old-fashioned. Instead, Schnipper’s seems to be a small, local family-run chain owned and operated by the Schnippers. I trusted eater.com and persuaded Terrific Tom to join me in exploring the possibilities.

It’s a big, high-ceilinged room, with 60 or so seats at blonde wood tables. The space is entirely glass-enclosed, floor to ceiling, making for a very bright setting. You order at a front counter and get a buzzer which directs a server to your table when the food is ready.

Hamburgers were my target and I chose  the Classic Burger Special, a 5 oz. hamburger, special cheese blend, caramelized onions, thick-cut applewood smoked bacon, baby arugula, and Schnipper sauce with an order of French fries and a refillable fountain drink ($20). Coke Zero was on tap along with Diet Coke, an extra treat for me. In all, a good deal. I forgot to ask for a fried egg on top for $1.50 more. Does anyone else remember the Bo Burger at Obie's Diner in downtown Ithaca?

Lift Every Voice and Sing

Saturday, April 6, 2024

If you happen to be roaming around Halifax, Nova Scotia, you might wind up in the suburban community of Porters Lake. Then, watch out for this bit of local geography. 

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Matt Katz is a talented reporter and author.  He is the son of our neighbors Roberta and Richard Katz, actually from Roberta’s first marriage then adopted by Richard when Matt was very young. As an adult, Matt sought more information about his birth father who had disappeared from his life. 

“Inconceivable Truth” is his wonderful podcast about the search. We have listened to the first two episodes, increasingly fascinated with his findings. Try it.  https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/inconceivable-truth/id1737812524 

Sunday, April 7, 2024

It is rare for a grandparent to ignore the accomplishments of grandchildren. Today, we had the opportunity to qvell at a performance by 16-year old Boaz at Carnegie Hall. He is a member of HaZamir: The International Jewish Teen Choir, consisting of 250 kids, but he still stood out not only in his grandparents’ eyes, but as the tallest kid on stage. Look in the center of the back row. 

Before the performance, much of the family met for lunch at Wagamama, 100 West 55th Street, two blocks from Carnegie Hall. We first encountered this international pan-Asian chain in London and later followed it to Boston and Manhattan. 

I had the very good Grilled Duck Ramen, “crispy duck leg, rich vegetable broth, cilantro + ponzu sauce, bok choy, chilies, scallions, half a tea-stained egg” and noodles, of course ($25).

We were still early, so we sat in a plaza in front of the restaurant, enjoying rare sunshine. I was fortunate to fall into conversation with a charming young man on the bench next to me. Dr. A. Abomelha, from Saudi Arabia, is doing a residency in orthodontics in Florida and taking a well-deserved break here. 

He is enthusiastic about the progress his country has made into modernity, especially for his female relatives. He has a sister who is a lawyer, exercising privileges denied to women not long ago. He deduced that I was Jewish, but we stayed away from geopolitics.

The concert was a smashing success, greeted boisterously by the audience. What else would you expect from the parents, stepparents, grandparents, aunts, uncles and siblings of hundreds of Jewish kids?

Monday, April 8, 2024

It might not amount to binge watching, but we watched eight episodes of “Ripley” on Netflix from its release on Thursday through tonight. It’s an adaptation of “The Talented Mr. Ripley,” a novel by the insistently antisemitic and extremely skillful Patricia Highsmith.

Watch it. The story is not only marvelously nasty, the photography is brilliant. The settings are beautiful — the Amalfi Coast, Rome, Palermo and Venice — all done in razor-sharp black and white.

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Speaking of Black and white, to test discriminatory employment practices, 97 of the country’s largest companies were sent 80,000 phony résumés for 10,000 jobs from 2019 to 2021. The faux applicants were similarly qualified, but were given names to suggest that they were white or Black, and male or female. On average, employers contacted the presumed white applicants 9.5 percent more often than the presumed Black applicants, although there were significant industry differences.

https://www.nber.org/system/files/working_papers/w32313/w32313.pdf

Chief Justice John Roberts, from his lofty perch, has the solution; “the way to stop discrimination on the basis of race is to stop discriminating on the basis of race.” 

PICS v. Seattle School District No. 1, 551 U.S. 701 (2007). 

Hop to it.

Tuesday, April 9, 2024

I waited months for the opening of DiDi’s Dumplings, 201 Amsterdam Avenue, directly across the moat from Palazzo di Gotthelf. I was an early customer on August 15, 2002 and returned a couple of weeks later to confirm my disappointment. The menu was very limited and not particularly well executed. It closed early last year, but quietly EA Dumpling has taken over the premises.

It’s a tiny place, basically a takeout joint with three small tables and six chairs for in-house dining. I had spicy wontons (6 pieces $7.95) and curry chicken potstickers (6 pieces $7.95). Other available dishes were soup dumplings, noodle soups and boiled dumplings. If EA is to avoid DiDi’s fate, the menu has to grow.

While the counterman’s English is far better than my Mandarin, I suggest using the touchscreen ordering mechanism to avoid confusion.

Thursday, April 11, 2024

John McWhorter, a linguist at Columbia University, today riffs on a subject that also annoys me — standing ovations. Unless the theater burns down, every live performance seems to get a standing ovation when the curtain falls these days. 

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/11/opinion/broadway-standing-ovations.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare

He writes: “Now the standing ovation is simply a sign of approval.” I’ll go further, more often it is simply a sign of survival. Worse is the standing ovation that Stephen Colbert gets every night as soon as he sets foot on the stage of his television show and he is not the only one. I understand “Happy to see you,” but orgasmic frenzy cannot be, should not be, an everyday occurrence. Save it for the real thing.

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The Upper West Side’s Power Couple drove up to Eastern Massachusetts this afternoon for a long weekend of babysitting. The odds favor the babies 3 to 2.

Friday, April 12, 2024

“Cornel West and running mate Melina Abdullah refuse to condemn Hamas’ actions in first joint TV interview” 

https://www.cnn.com/2024/04/12/politics/cornel-west-melina-abdullah-hamas?cid=ios_app

Well, that opens two seats at our Seder table.

As Long As You Have Your Health

Saturday, March 30, 2024 

"MAKE THE ACA, or OBAMACARE, AS IT IS KNOWN, MUCH BETTER, STRONGER, AND FAR LESS EXPENSIVE."

Written by:

• DSA (Democratic Socialists of America)
• DJT (Donald J. Trump)
  

Answer below.

Sunday, March 31, 2024 

Happy birthday law professor David. 

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"Indigenous leaders of New Zealand, Tahiti and the Cook Islands signed a historic treaty that recognizes whales as legal persons in a move conservationists believe will apply pressure to national governments to offer greater protections for the large mammals."  https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/rest-of-world/in-bid-to-protect-whales-polynesian-indigenous-groups-give-them-personhood/articleshow/108888400.cms

The Alabama State Legislature quickly responded by giving whale embryos the right to vote.

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Ordinary conversations about taxes usually center on federal income taxes, one schedule across the board. Wide variety is found at the state level, however, where a variety of taxes may be imposed, income, property, sales, excise. Here is a ranking of states by the aggregate tax rate on its citizens. 

https://www.mentalfloss.com/posts/us-states-with-lowest-and-highest-tax-rates

Alaska at the top (or bottom according to your perspective) is no surprise. There's not much there to tax and oil revenue supports many public programs. Delaware, in second place, is home to myriad corporations taking advantage of its business-friendly legal system. While the highly-placed western states are relatively empty and aggressively individualistic, the rest seem to fall into place with the anomalous exception of Mississippi in 39th place. It has the lowest median income of all 50 states, yet imposes a relatively high tax burden, leaving their woeful citizenry even worse off. 

https://worldpopulationreview.com/state-rankings/median-household-income-by-state

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Russ & Daughters, 179 East Houston Street, has been around for 110 years and has been recognized as a preeminent supplier of life-sustaining elements, such as lox, whitefish and herring, for much of that time. Ten years ago, it opened a cafe around the corner and down the block at 127 Orchard Street, once the Ho Chi Minh Trail of Jewish bargain hunting, open on Sunday when more genteel venues were closed.  

While I have shopped at the retail location for more than half a century, I ate at the cafe for the first time today. The menu is rife with the foods I grew up with, the caviar a notable exception, some gussied up and given punning names, such as Yum Kippered, a plate of kippered salmon, cream cheese, bagel or bialy, tomato, onion, and capers ($22), my young bride's choice. I had Lower Sunny Side, two fried eggs, two big slices of Gaspe nova and two thick potato latkes ($23).  

The menu includes beer, wine and liquor, and significantly five different egg creams or, more accurately, an original recipe egg cream ($6) and four somewhat attenuated variants. With some reluctance, I skipped them and ordered a cold brewed iced coffee, delicious in its own right ($6). 

When we walked in around 2:30 PM, the joint was jumping, but emptied as the 3:30 PM closing time approached. Weekdays, closing is at 2:30 PM. Historical footnote -- In 1968, I dated a daughter of a Daughter. It didn't last or else today I would be sitting atop an empire of lox, whitefish and pickled herring.

.  .  .

The streets were quite empty compared to Russ & Daughters, possibly because it was Easter Sunday. One other Lower East Side institution was busy, though, Economy Candy, 108 Rivington Street, established in 1937. It claims to be the oldest candy shop in the Holy Land and I have never seen an establishment with more wrapped candy of every sort. 

Presented with the opportunity, we bought several packages of Passover-compliant candy.

Monday, April 1, 2024

Madison Square Garden beckoned, the last Ranger game of the regular season for me. I will be conducting a Novena for playoff tickets. Sam Fuchs, Navy veteran, was my companion this evening. We met first at bb.q Chicken, 25 West 32nd Street, a first rate chicken joint. I hadn't noticed until today that they have many, many California locations and others scattered throughout the land, so you can have sticky fingers right alongside me.  https://bbqchicken.com/locations/

We ate heartily to prepare for an evening on the ice. I had Jamaican Rice Bowl, fried chicken chunks, jerk sauce and scrambled eggs over rice ($9.95), good tasting and obviously filling. In fact, we should have stuck with the chicken. It didn’t disappoint; the Broadway Blueshirts did, however.

Tuesday, April 2, 2024

I lured Michael Ratner over to the West Side by promoting the Twin Tuesday Special at Pastrami Queen, 138 West 72nd Street. That’s two sandwiches on dinner rolls, pastrami and corned beef with an order of French fries, pickles and coleslaw for $19.95. Your Dr. Brown’s is à la carte.

Wednesday, April 3, 2024

Overall, I can't challenge the New York Times current list of 100 best local  restaurants, although a few of my favorites are missing.

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2024/dining/best-nyc-restaurants.html?smid=nytcore-android-share 

If they ask you to pay, try this approach.

https://secretnyc.co/new-york-times-top-nyc-restaurants/

The value of the list is its catholicity, covering a broad array of cuisines, neighborhoods, price levels, and formality, and is good reading for that point alone. I'll try to get to more of them and report accordingly.

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Last week, I unnecessarily informed you that Finland is the happiest country in the world. Today, I will waste your time with the happiest cities in the good old USA.

https://dailypassport.com/happiest-us-cities/

Fremont, California repeats, just as Finland did. This medium-size city is in the ambit of Silicon Valley. It has the lowest divorce rate among the 180 or so largest cities in the country and leads in “emotional and physical well-being” according to its emotionally and physically fit residents.

On the flip side, another survey comes up with the worst cities based on census data. 

https://worldpopulationreview.com/us-city-rankings/worst-cities-in-the-us

Half of the top (bottom) ten are in the Rust Belt and New Jersey takes two places.

Thursday, April 4, 2024

According to Forbes Magazine, “[t]here are now more billionaires than ever: 2,781 in all, 141 more than last year and 26 more than the record set in 2021. They’re richer than ever, worth $14.2 trillion in aggregate, up by $2 trillion from 2023.”

https://www.forbes.com/billionaires/

How’s by you?

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I went for a post post-op visit today at the Hospital for Special Surgery. The very insightful Dr. Beatty found me fit as a fiddle, an out-of-tune fiddle that is.

Friday, April 5, 2024

“A preliminary 4.7 magnitude earthquake rattled buildings across parts of the Northeast Friday morning, according to data from the US Geological Survey, with reports of temblors being felt from Philadelphia to New York City.”

https://www.cnn.com/2024/04/05/us/earthquake-nye-nj-northeast?cid=ios_app

I felt my building bounce as I sat on the couch reading the newspaper and thought “Could it be?” Shortly after I moved to the Left Coast, I was sitting in the toilet at my office when I felt a temblor. “It must be the subway,” I thought. “Wait a minute. This is Los Angeles. There’s no IRT here.”

<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>> 

 

Answer: https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/112163485572377413

Lost and Found

Saturday, March 23, 2024

Are you happy yet? It seems that if you are in Finland the answer is "I'm still happy." 

https://worldhappiness.report/ed/2024/happiness-and-age-summary/

Cold weather is a happiness incubator according to this survey, placing Finland, Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Iceland in the top 10. Uncle Sam has taken a tumble to 23rd place, although my ossified generation is apparently much more content than youth busy seeking the next trend to follow mindlessly.

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I am reading “None Is Too Many: Canada and the Jews of Europe 1933-1948.” The title comes from a reputed quote by a Canadian official regarding changes in immigration policy in light of Hitler’s increasing oppression of the Jews in the 1930s. The book argues convincingly that Canada did even less than other Western countries in ignoring the shameful plight of European Jews. Or were they just incipient genocidal colonialist racists?

Sunday, March 24, 2024

Last week, I cited some six-figure local parking spaces. By contrast, this weekend's real estate section looks at properties in Los Angeles. One location is faulted because "there was barely room outside for three vehicles," while another is credited with "parking for three cars."

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2024/03/21/realestate/21hunt-zero.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare

Note that the source story involves a young couple with a 3-1/2 year old child, but that's Los Angeles. When I was in exile there, I noted that standard equipment for newlyweds was two cars, a motorcycle and a recreational vehicle. Reserving a spot for junior when he gets his learner's permit in 12 years seems prudent.

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Last week, we also looked at people staying in their residence for the long haul. Of course, wear and tear will have to be addressed as well as boredom with your surroundings, especially the longer one stays put. In that case, it's interesting to compare home improvement costs. 

https://www.frontdoor.com/blog/the-most-and-least-expensive-u.s.-cities-for-home-remodeling

The Chicago and New York metropolitan areas take eight of the top 10 most expensive slots, with San Francisco and San Jose rounding out the group. By contrast, the Sun Belt, with non-union labor and milder temperatures allowing work to continue throughout the year, is the cheapest location for home improvement, Texas and Florida holding three slots each.  

Monday, March 25, 2024

In 1996, I collected over $11,000 from an account that I never knew existed. Every state has a missing financial property office and, while some folks search on their own behalf, professionals troll through the data looking to connect with the unknowing (like me). 

I just looked at missingmoney.com, which covers the entire country. I came up empty, but found a handful of small accounts that belong to a deceased relative. Look for yourself. More interesting was the sheer number of Gotthelfs who seem to have lost track of their finances. There are 232 entries under that last name, involving about 90 different people. Who are these people?

Tuesday, March 26, 2024

For years I have raved about deep-fried gefilte fish, a variant on an emblematic Eastern European Jewish dish roughly akin to quenelles on a French menu. Can anyone explain why a fish dish came to be associated with a predominantly landlocked people?

In any case, I first enjoyed deep-fried gefilte fish at Aunt Judi’s bountiful table and credited her with its creation. She corrected me and directed me to Dovid’s Fresh Fish Market, 736 Chestnut Avenue, Englewood as the source. Now, Cindy Wilkinson McMullen, a latter day Scarlett O’Hara, has another reference, a recipe published in 2018 that seems to be exactly right.   https://www.lucywaverman.com/recipes/2018/7/26/fried-gefilte-fish

I’ll come over after you have tried it a few times.

Wednesday, March 27, 2024

There were six of us at lunch today at Green Garden Village, 216 Grand Street, a shlumpy-looking place that produces some very good food. We had Fried Crispy Oysters ($21), Garlic Aromatic Crispy Chicken ($17), Singapore Rice Noodle ($14), Rack of Lamb (six lamb chops) ($28), Sauteed Beef with Scallion ($17) and all are worth your attention.

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If you can’t move to Finland, you might consider these “best” places to reside closer to home.  https://www.niche.com/places-to-live/search/best-places-to-live/

Best is determined by rating public schools, nightlife, crime and diversity among other components in a community. It’s a varied collection of locations all across the country, neighborhoods mainly, not large urban areas. I happen to know one family living just outside Colonial Village, Arlington, Virginia, the #1 location. They have been there about two decades, raised three great children. What more do you want? 

Thursday, March 28, 2024

“A Republican state representative in Michigan, Rep. Matt Maddock, claimed on social media on Wednesday night that he had photo evidence of ‘illegal invaders’ arriving at Detroit Metro Airport.”

https://www.cnn.com/2024/03/28/politics/fact-check-matt-maddock-invaders-gonzaga-madness-detroit?cid=ios_app

Wow! Thank you, Representative Maddox to alerting the public to the dangerous invasion of the Gonzaga University basketball team on the way to their NCAA Tournament game.

Friday, March 29, 2024

I went gift shopping at Philip Williams Posters, 127 Chambers Street, a/k/a Poster Museum because of its enormous inventory of posters of every category, travel, art, political, entertainment, commercial. The store is an entire city block deep with lots of tables piled with material. 

 

Fortunately, the inventory is computerized, able to indicate availability, although not necessarily location in the cavernous space. Of course, what I sought was unavailable, even though not particularly esoteric. Excuse me for being coy, because it is intended as a surprise house warming gift. 

The store is worth a visit, if only to browse if not to shop. If you’re a tourist, it’s only a few blocks north of the 9/11 site and 3/4 mile from Chinatown.