B.C. [Before California]

Saturday, July 5, 2025

This is an erudite article on the origins of pizza.  

https://www.gethistories.com/p/a-history-of-pizza?utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web

This advertisement from May 9, 1903 provides evidence that the pioneer of New York pizza was Filippo Milone, forgotten by history. 

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Bad news, good news. Shakespeare & Company, a small local chain of bookstores, named after the iconic enterprise on Paris’s Left Bank, closed its last location, 2020 Broadway, barely one  block from Palazzo di Gotthelf. It was a neat operation with a too comfortable cafe. People never left. On the other hand, it has quickly been replaced by a branch of Strand Bookstore, the Everest of bookstores. 

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I don’t support Zohran Mamdani, but how he identified himself on a college application is the worst reason to oppose his candidacy for New York mayor. I would not want some assertions that I made as a 17-year old to emerge now. “Of course, I’ll respect you in the morning.” 

By the way, he is the son of a Columbia University professor and a graduate of the Bronx High School of Science (one of the best in the country), yet he couldn’t get into Columbia in spite of possibly exaggerating his minority status. Unaffirmative action?

I think that Mamdani’s inexperience impresses/depresses me more than his foreign policy views. However, I am appalled by his refusal to distance himself from the evil slogan “Globalize the Intifada”. It’s not merely a call to struggle for justice. It has been wrapped around such incidents as:

• On March 11, 2004, 193 people are killed and nearly 2,000 are injured when 10 bombs explode on four trains in three Madrid-area train stations during a busy morning rush hour.
• A series of coordinated suicide bombings in London that targeted public transport during the morning rush hour, on July 7, 2005, resulting in 52 deaths and over 770 injuries. 
• Attacks by ten gunmen from November 26 to 29, 2008, across multiple locations in Mumbai, including hotels, a train station, and a Jewish center, resulting in at least 174 deaths and over 300 injuries. 
• Attacks in Paris on November 13, 2015 by gunmen and suicide bombers against a concert hall, a major stadium, restaurants and bars, almost simultaneously, leaving 130 people dead and hundreds wounded.

Chanting it on the green lawns of college campuses does not sanitize it.

Sunday, July 6, 2025

“As Floods Hit, Key Roles Were Vacant at Weather Service Offices in Texas.” New York Times headline. But look how much money we saved.

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While New York City home prices appreciated 49% in the period 2014-2024, the median sale prices of 24 neighborhoods recorded gains as high as 288%.

https://www.propertyshark.com/Real-Estate-Reports/2025/06/03/double-in-a-decade-nyc-neighborhood-price-growth/

Leading the pack was Two Bridges, a new name for a carved out section of the Lower East Side. One Manhattan Square, an 800-foot luxury condominium tower, drove this dramatic increase. It sits across from the East River, at the bottom end of Pike Slip, an extension of First Avenue. A Pathmark supermarket perched there until Hurricane Sandy in 2012 flooded the entire premises, destroying its usefulness. 

When I was single, I lived on East 46th Street between First and Second Avenues, an area weak on grocery stores. Periodically, I would take the M15 bus downtown to the Pathmark carrying two empty shopping bags. When they were full, I checked out and took the bus back uptown. On weekends, I would often go to Zabar’s on my bicycle, filling only one medium-sized bag. 

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I was faced with a bit of a dilemma at dinner tonight. We were joined by the lovely couple David and Julie, who, among other outstanding character traits, read this blog thoroughly. David, one of about a dozen Davids of my acquaintanceship, lamented the lack of a distinguishing nickname, such as Gentleman Jerry or Stony Brook Steve. I therefore anoint the accordion-playing, Hebrew-chanting, technology master David as Delightful David. 

Dinner at Dagon, 2454 Broadway, was easily labeled a success. We did our usual at Dagon, concentrate on mezze and bread. We shared everything: Japanese eggplant confit, roasted garlic, tomato jam, buttermilk, shabazi (blend of cilantro leaves, green chili, garlic, and lemon) breadcrumbs; spicy feta; tzatziki; marinated beets; tomato & pepper matbucha (North African condiment) dip; green tahina; flatbread ($51 for the platter). Plus Kubaneh, Yemeni pull-apart bread with za'atar and feta ($16); Israeli salad, cucumber, tomato, red onion, parsley, mint, tahini, green schug (spicy  herb garlic pepper sauce) ($18) and chicken liver mousse with date syrup ($12). Special mention of a delicious dessert: Silan -- shredded halva, caramel rice crisps, pistachio, almonds, tahini mousse, vanilla sponge, date syrup, vanilla ice cream ($14). 

Tuesday, July 8, 2025

Even while the increasingly futile hunt for victims of the Texas floods continues, interest has shifted to identifying the few existing Democratic politicians in Texas who might be blamed for the tragedy.

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You may or may not be a reader of the New York Times. In either case, you can measure your own taste in movies against the general readership.  

Readers Choose Their Top Movies of the 21st Century - The New York Times

Wednesday, July 9, 2025

Somebody somewhere is apparently using artificial intelligence to create a Marco Rubio clone.
https://www.cnn.com/2025/07/08/politics/marco-rubio-artificial-intelligence-impersonation 

This construct has communicated with public officials domestic and foreign. I don't understand why the person behind this caper took the trouble to duplicate Marco Rubio when the original is so inconsequential as to be mistaken for wallpaper at public gatherings.

ALERT

Normally, I would ramble on through the rest of the week, but we flew to California Thursday morning and I decided to break here and continue later. 

Words of Wisdom

Saturday, June 28, 2025

Iza ana amir wa-inta amir — min rah yisuq el-hamir?

If I’m a prince and you’re a prince, who’ll drive the donkeys?

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I’ve made an important discovery, an excellent store-bought babka.

 

 

The pretzel element is in the twisting; it is not brittle and salty. It is more chocolatey than Breads Bakery’s, the best that I have had before. I bought it at Morton Williams Fresh Marketplace, 2015 Broadway, where at $16.99 it is $4 more expensive than at ShopRite.

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I was stymied as to the right wedding gift for Jeff and Lauren. There seemed to be no obvious gap in their possessions. Fortunately, Kim suggested that we go in together and get something special. I’m letting her do the shopping.

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In Trump v. CASA, Inc., the United States Supreme Court just held that federal courts may not give universal injunctions, in this instance to maintain birthright citizenship. The majority took a seemingly technical approach, ignoring the policy implications. 

 

Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson saw through this. “Perhaps the degradation of our rule-of-law regime would happen anyway. But this court’s complicity in the creation of a culture of disdain for lower courts, their rulings and the law (as they interpret it) will surely hasten the downfall of our governing institutions, enabling our collective demise.”

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We met intrepid fellow travelers Jill & Steve for dinner at Moonstone Modern Asian Cuisine & Bar, 14 Northern Boulevard, Great Neck. It is a large, bright space, comfortably furnished with no ethnic touches except for the menu and the waiters. The large menu combines Chinese and Japanese elements, although we stuck to the former.

We all shared scallion pancakes ($16) and sesame cold noodles ($19). They were good, the noodles very good and obviously expensive as were all the other dishes. Steve and I, the carnivores, shared Mango Chicken with Honey Walnuts ($31) and Crispy Beef ($34), a generous portion of thick strands of beef. Service was slow, a virtue in this case since we don’t see these friends often enough. There was also ample parking.

Sunday, June 29, 2025

זה הזמן לבצע צ'ק אין לטיסתך

The message from El Al Israel Airines came in early this morning and far exceeded the bounds of my Hebrew school education at the Sutter Avenue Synagogue far back in the 20th Century. However, I deduced that we were being welcomed aboard a useless flight, locked in by Booking.com, supposedly returning the Upper West Side’s Power Couple from Tel Aviv although we had gotten no further than Great Neck last night. I will not repeat my rant at this time.

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An obituary appears today for John Robbins, “Author of Groundbreaking Diet Book.” It wasn’t my obvious need for such guidance that connected me to him, however attenuated. It was a family matter. He was the son of a co-founder of Baskin-Robbins. 

Sometime in early 1964, when I was a graduate student at Cornell University, my dear friend Andy asked me to join him at the ΑΕΦ sorority house, an eminent collection of young Jewish women. Among the attractions was Marsha Robbins, he said, something to do with ice cream. While the original stores began in the mid-1940s, Baskin-Robbins was formed in 1953. In 1964, however, it was still concentrated in the West and unknown to my gluttonous palate. “Who’s this Robbins?” I said dismissively; the Baskin was silent. I never met Marsha Robbins, who 

subsequently transferred to Stanford University after her freshman year. The 31 flavors never included me.

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This evening I attended a memorial service on Zoom for my friend Larry Storrs. I learned that he served as a bishop in his stake (congregation) of the Latter Day Saints a/k/a the Mormons, a disfavored term. A bishop has a fixed term, combining the functions of the rabbi and the president of the shul. We never addressed spiritual matters, an area that I religiously avoid. We focussed on politics instead, where Larry sounded more like a New York Jew than a Utah Mormon.

Monday, June 30, 2025

My problems with Booking.com drew me to the National Customer Rage Survey.

https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/historic-national-customer-rage-survey-record-level-of-product-and-service-problems-incite-surly-customers-to-yell-more-and-seek-revenge-for-their-hassles-301765053.html

I think all of us qualify at one time or another.

Tuesday, July 1, 2025

David Goldfarb passed away 15 months ago. Stony Brook Steve still calls him the Chairman. A group of six met for lunch at Pastrami Queen, 138 West 72nd Street, to celebrate David’s 96th birthday. He was an authoritative source on wine, apples, cheese, tomatoes, fish, herbs, orchids and several historical periods. Our learned group in aggregate could only approximate the breadth of his knowledge. Recognizing our limits, we concentrated on the food.

Since it was Tuesday, I ordered the Tuesday special, pastrami and corned beef each on a dinner roll with French fries, coleslaw and a pickle ($22.50). A fitting tribute to a great friend.

Wednesday, July 2, 2025

It was by the narrowest margin, but the United States Senate really showed those poor slobs who’s in charge. Now, it’s the turn of the House of Representatives.

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Among the many ugly things happening in Washington these days, the attack on science forebodes long lasting consequences. In the absence of inquiry and investigation, we may know less about accomplishing good things and avoiding bad things. Fortunately, one valuable study has just been completed — What’s cool. https://www.apa.org/pubs/journals/releases/xge-xge0001799.pdf

“From San Francisco to Santiago, Sydney to Seoul, people want to be cool.” We are talking Miles Davis cool. The study doesn’t provide a path as much as identifying a goal. “Cool people are largely perceived to be extroverted, hedonistic, powerful, adventurous, open and autonomous.” A good lesson was provided by Oscar Brown, Jr. in 1961.  https://youtu.be/z4yEyDjclo4?feature=shared

Thursday, July 3, 2025

In its campaign to Make America Grovel Again, the administration is pushing a bill that, among other things, would cut healthcare spending by a trillion dollars or more, disregarding the fact that healthcare is the leading employer in 38 states, employing about 13% of the national workforce.

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2025/07/03/business/economy/healthcare-jobs.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare

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My brother’s daughter and grandchildren, normally far afield, are in the vicinity. Therefore, we all gathered for lunch at LouCás, 9 Lincoln Highway, Edison, New Jersey, a very nice Italian restaurant that resembles, in my mind, a country club dining room, although I have rarely if ever been in one. The long lunch menu was augmented by many specials which the waiter recited without a hitch. Everything that followed was very good.

We ordered two plates of Fried Shoe String Zucchini, sprinkled with fresh grated Romano cheese ($12). The portion was so large that one plate would have been enough for the eight of us, although I made sure that none remained. I also had some shared fried calamari in a chunky mango sauce, a daily special not on the menu. 

 

My main course was "Maryland Lump Crabmeat Broiled and Glazed with a Chardonny [sic] Buerre Blanc Sauce" ($19). The issue was quantity not quality. The portion should have been larger or the price lower. On the other hand, the chocolate-covered Peanut Butter Bomb, the size of a baseball, was well worth the $9. With so many people at the table, I couldn't keep up with all food. I did observe eggplant rollatini filled with a blend of ricotta and parmesan cheese served with pasta ($15) a couple of times, broiled shrimp stuffed with Crabmeat Imperial Stuffing ($19) a couple of times, grouper special ($?), and a crab cake special ($?). LouCás, to its credit, has a BYOB policy, which keeps a hearty meal within economic boundaries.

Friday, July 4, 2025

Wise Rabbi Jonah Rank writes: "Because the Hebrew language originated several millennia ago and arose in a land far from where many Jews had settled in their Diasporic homes—Jews regularly read sacred books filled with words that even those who speak Hebrew fluently struggle to understand." With that in mind, consider the Second Amendment to the Constitution. "A well-regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed."

Unlike the ancient Hebrews, we are removed from the Founding Fathers by only 236 years and 94 miles via the New Jersey Turnpike. Yet, we struggle to make sense of their words. In fact, for 217 years the Second Amendment was considered as only addressing a collective right to bear arms, that is to field a militia. In 2008, however, in a 5-4 decision written by Antonin Scalia the United States Supreme Court held that it protected an individual's right to bear arms from most forms of government regulation. Sanity in gun control is now as unachievable as fairness in our tax code.

Make America America Again

Saturday, June 21, 2025

I report in real time more or less. If it happens on Tuesday, I usually write it on Tuesday. Last night was an exception, too much to write about when we got home late.

The Supper Club went to the Film Forum, 206 Houston Street, to see the premiere of “Familiar Touch,” a film written and directed by Sarah Friedland, first cousin once removed of Administrative Jerry, a Supper Club member. It wasn’t just the familial relationship that brought us downtown, however. When Sarah was making the film, she recorded the Supper Club chattering to serve as background for some scenes and we got a screen credit.

Kathleen Chalfant does a great job as an 86-year old woman, suffering dementia, who is placed in an assisted living facility by her son. The place, a real institution, appears comfortable and well-run. Yet, the woman has trouble adjusting. For instance, she marches into the kitchen and tries to take over meal preparation. 

If you know what Spring Chicken means, the Supper Club ranges from Fall Chickens to Winter Chickens. So, for us watching “Familiar Touch” brought to mind the Leonard Cohen lyric, “I’ve seen the future, brother, it is murder.”

After the film, we joined Eva and Jerry at dinner and I must apologize to Danny Macaroons. Last week, I chastised him for only opening his new pizzeria for dinner. “Hey, Danny, I want pizza for lunch.” And tonight I had a great pizza for dinner at Briciola Pizza Bar, 14 Bedford Street. After a good Caesar salad (needing more anchovies) that I shared with Jerry, I had the Salsiccia Pepperoni Coppola pizza, crumbled Italian sausage, pepperoni, Spanish onion and Fior di Latte (mozzarella made exclusively with cow’s milk), one of the 15 12” personal pizzas costing only $12. At that price, it was a ridiculous bargain. I was so euphoric that I drank an IPA instead of Diet Coke.

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Nothing to be proud of. “The Brooklyn 2025 Pride festivities will not include an interfaith service this year after at least one group allegedly pulled out due to the hosting synagogue’s ‘public alignment with pro-Israel political positions.’”

https://www.jta.org/2025/06/10/united-states/brooklyn-pride-interfaith-service-cancelled-allegedly-over-synagogues-public-alignment-with-pro-israel-positions 

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My country ‘tis of thee. “The measure passed by the House last month and on track to be considered in the Senate next week would cover part of the cost of extending and expanding large tax cuts by cutting social safety net programs including Medicaid and nutrition programs, including SNAP, formerly known as food stamps.”

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/21/us/politics/senate-snap-food-stamps.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare

Sunday, June 22, 2025

Speaks for itself. “Trump Judge Gave Jew-Hating Neo-Nazi Coveted Academic Prize”
https://www.thedailybeast.com/trump-judge-gave-jew-hating-neo-nazi-coveted-academic-prize/

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In addressing the nation last night, Our Leader said that he and Bibi “worked as a team like perhaps no team has ever worked before.” Abbott and Costello, Beavis and Butt-head, Joseph McCarthy and Roy Cohn?

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Kebab Aur Sharab, 247 West 72nd Street, is a very good Indian restaurant very close by, only open for dinner. It was busy and noisy and expensive. The space may be described as having colonial era decor with filigreed wood and peacocks. The menu has 10 sections, but, except for beverages and breads, the distinctions are not obvious. Some dishes are familiar, such as Kashmiri Tandoori Chicken ($32), others not, Mushroom Galouti, “Smoky Mushroom Paté, blend of aromatic spices, Sheermal" (saffron-flavored traditional flatbread) ($24).

I had Nawabi Lamb Seekh, minced lamb, ginger, garlic, coriander roots and aromatic spices, shaped into two 7” kebabs ($29). They tasted very good, but needed a third piece to justify the price. I didn’t go hungry, however because my regular beautiful dinner companion ordered Lasooni Sabzi Palak, “Spinach Pureé, Confit Garlic, Aromatic Blend of Chili Rogan” (fortunately not related to Joe Rogan) ($28). It was delicious and the large portion allowed me to dig in.

I couldn’t help but do some calculations in my head. If Kebab Aur Sharab weren’t almost around the corner and we took a taxi, the evening would have cost pretty much the same.

Monday, June 23, 2025

Happy Birthday, Lord K.

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I have no objection to regime change in Tehran if only we can have regime change in Washington. 

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The obituary for the founder of FedEx observes that “thanks to the corporate tax cuts that Mr. Trump signed into law in 2017 — cuts that FedEx had lobbied for — the company's tax bills plunged to zero, from $1.5 billion.” 

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/22/obituaries/fred-smith-billionaire-founder-of-fedex-is-dead-at-80.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare

Anybody see $1.5 billion lying around?

Tuesday, June 24, 2025

The B-2 is the most expensive airplane ever made, $2.2 billion each. 

https://finbold.com/heres-how-much-a-b-2-stealth-bomber-costs/

It was an amazing accomplishment for two of them to fly for 37 hours from Missouri to drop 30,000 pound bombs in Iran. Sunday night, we heard the President proudly announce that "Iran’s key nuclear enrichment facilities have been completely and totally obliterated." Even people outside the MAGA orbit were taking a victory lap and breathing a sigh of relief for removal of an existential threat to Israel and other neighboring countries. 

Whoa, Nellie! It seems like Trump’s first word is never the last word. CNN.com says, “Early US intel assessment suggests strikes on Iran did not destroy  nuclear sites, sources say.” 

https://www.cnn.com/2025/06/24/politics/intel-assessment-us-strikes-iran-nuclear-sites 

The New York Times says, “Strike Set Back Iran’s Nuclear Program by Only a Few Months, U.S. Report Says.”  

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/24/us/politics/iran-nuclear-sites.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare

Where is Kellyanne Conway now that we need her? But, maybe we don’t need her with Pete Hegseth on the job. Earlier today, he said “Based on everything we have seen — and I’ve seen it all — our bombing campaign obliterated Iran’s ability to create nuclear weapons.” Calls to his ophthalmologist went unanswered.

Wednesday, June 25, 2025

Male bovine excrement! I yelled into the telephone this morning when a strange voice from a strange number told me that my (non-existent) loan application file had just landed on his desk. I await the development of an app that allows me to reach through my smartyphone and throttle the caller.

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The result of yesterday’s New York City Democratic Mayoral Primary was as big a surprise as the 2016 Presidential election. While there are obvious differences between the two winning candidates, I perceive significant similarities — inexperience and questionable ideas wrapped in glitz. Regarding the current crop of "progressive" Democrats generally: When are they going to start beating Republicans?

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Speaking of New York mayors, you can't keep a good man down. Rudy Giuliani is returning to public service as a member of the Department of Homeland Security's Advisory Council.   

https://www.cnn.com/2025/06/24/politics/trump-appoints-members-dhs-advisory-council?cid=ios_app

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The Secretary of Education expressed her concern for “the indignity of unfair and unsafe competitions” when trans athletes are involved and who would know more about unfair and unsafe competitions than Linda McMahon, co-founder, president and CEO of World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/amp/rcna215022

Thursday, June 26, 2025

I am a person of inconsistent morality. I do not advocate a total ban on capital punishment, although I prefer that the state rarely if ever execute a criminal. Yesterday, Mississippi executed Richard Gerald Jordan, a 79-year-old man who was sentenced to death in 1976 for killing and kidnapping a bank loan officer’s wife in what was described as a violent ransom scheme.

A 49-year interval between conviction and execution seems crazy to me. Whose interest is served at that point in executing a 79-year old man for the acts of a 28-year old man? Shakespeare had it right in “Macbeth.” 

 

“If it were done when ’tis done, then ’twere well

It were done quickly.”

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The Washington Post presents fascinating data which is worth navigating around its paywall to see — the changing demography of every county in the United States. The pluses and minuses of Hispanics, Non-Hispanic Whites, Asians and Blacks since 2020. 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2025/06/26/baby-boom-aging-population-immigration/

While U.S. children outnumber older adults, older adults’ share of the population is growing. It concludes that “[i]mmigration is driving U.S. population growth and helping offset a broader demographic shift as the baby boom generation ages, according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau.” America For Fewer Americans may be the new chant heard in Washington.

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Time Out New York offers a valuable service in trying to identify the “11 Best Ice Cream Shops in NYC.” https://www.timeout.com/newyork/restaurants/best-ice-cream-shops-in-nyc

I’m neutral on the subject, because of my uncritical acceptance of all ice cream, although I adored the original Ample Hills Creamery (and have not tried the resurrected version). The problem with this list is mechanical not gustatorial. A lot of stuff intervenes on my screen as I go down the list, frustrating my search for truth.

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Gentleman Jerry and I bought lunch from a food truck today, but not an ordinary food truck. Chef Kwame Onwuachi, who presides over the highly rated, highly expensive restaurant Tatiana, has stationed a food truck on the plaza at Lincoln Center selling delicious curry chicken patty sandwiches on coco bread (Jamaican bread made with coconut water and yeast) with green aioli, jerk barbecue sauce and ginger cabbage slaw ($19.50). They are sloppy, spicy and taste great.

With the heatwave over (Monday  96°, Tuesday 100°, Wednesday 96°), at least temporarily, we ate outdoors on the triangle in the middle of Broadway opposite Lincoln Center. Caveat -- The food truck, called Patty Palace, only offers flavored seltzer at $5 a can. We sought street vendors for Diet Coke instead.

 

Friday, June 27, 2025

I'm going to offer a poor excuse for not commenting on today's and other recent terrible U.S. Supreme Court decisions. I've run out of space.

Sense and Sensibility

Saturday, June 14, 2025

“Antisemitism is a light sleeper.” Conor Cruise O’Brien, Irish writer and politician.

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Aiming to make chicken salad, we have begun looking into bringing the family together in Israel for Passover 2026. I was stunned (well almost) by the other worldwide Passover destinations offered to wandering Jews. Mexico, Bahamas, Spain, France, Italy, Greece, Thailand, Vietnam, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Turkey, Panama, Costa Rica, Tunisia, Monaco, Canada, South Africa, Albania, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Georgia, Montenegro, Portugal, Romania, Switzerland, United Kingdom, Japan and Dominican Republic. Are there even enough Jews to go around?

Sunday, June 15, 2025

“Such horrific violence will not be tolerated in the United States of America” said the President of the United States. You know the guy who wants to “knock the crap out of them,” “just shoot them,” “punch him in the face,” see hecklers “carried out on a stretcher” and promised “If I don’t get elected . . . it’s going to be a bloodbath for  the country.”

https://www.usnews.com/news/national-news/articles/2024-11-04/the-people-and-groups-trump-has-threatened-with-violence

Monday, June 16, 2025

Bon voyage, American Airlines Flight 142 from New York to London, purchased from Booking.com, designated as “British Airways Operated by American Airlines,” with two empty seats which I have been unable to cancel in spite of repeated calls to each of the named parties. In fact, two of the three, American Airlines and British Airways, agree that flying to London is pointless since we are unable to proceed to Israel on our “multi-city” (JFK-LHR-TLV-JFK) trip. However, Booking.com demurs, insisting that their choice to record the transaction as three separate trips locks me into the initial New York to London segment inflexibly. 

Incidentally, Booking.com has refused my offer for it to retain $996, the assigned value of the New York to London segment, and apply to a round trip to London at a future date.

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I tried not to take it all out on Stony Brook Steve when we met for lunch at the brand new Shanghai Dumplings Fusion, 158 West 72nd Street, formerly the site of Seven Hills Mediterranean Grill, a pretty good Turkish restaurant, which succumbed to Covid.

No trace of Asia Minor remains after the move to Asia Major. A sign out front announces a “soft opening” and the scene and the waiter seemed a bit tentative. However, the food was good, the portions generally medium sized and the prices a bit high.

We shared sesame cold noodles which could have had more of that cheap peanut butter flavor that I like ($10.95). Steve had a scallion pancake ($9.95) and a large plate of sweet and sour eggplant ($17.95). I had chicken soup dumplings, five pieces for $11.95, better than average because the wrappers were not gummy. I also had a scallion pancake with sliced braised beef ($9.95).

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Speaking of Chinese food, there has been a monumental development in one of Chinatown’s culinary monuments. Wo Hop, 17 Mott Street downstairs, has expanded to street level. 

https://ny.eater.com/restaurant-openings/399302/wo-hop-new-opening-storefront-expansion

When I was at Wo Hop just ten days ago, I saw no evidence of such a radical innovation. Of course, we will soon test out the new operation. Whether being above ground in clean, bright and airy surroundings actually is an improvement has to be determined. By the way, do not confuse Wo Hop City, 15 Mott Street at street level, with either the original Wo Hop or its new extension. 

Tuesday, June 17, 2025

Today is my beautiful wife’s birthday. However, international strife, domestic chaos and our own travel problems have denied her the pleasure of fully enjoying the occasion. I hope that coming days bring her the delight and pleasure that she so richly deserves.

Wednesday, June 18, 2025

Not all of you pay as much attention to the National Hockey League as it merits. I will, therefore, inform you that last night a team from Sunrise, Florida beat a team from Edmonton, Alberta for the Stanley Cup, the cherished championship trophy. Significantly,  no Canadian team has won the Stanley Cup since 1993. Might that incentivize the 51st State Campaign?

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Terrific Tom joined Stony Brook Steve and me for lunch at the cafe at Fairway Market, 2131 Broadway. Our entrance reminded me of this memorable scene.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=5BAXBPHBHsE

Thursday, June 19, 2025

If you read some columns, the problem in the United States is not the extra-constitutional exercise of power by the president, but the perceived sclerosis of the Democratic Party. Today, discussing the need for fresh blood in New York politics in opposition to Andrew Cuomo and national politics generally, we read: “For the last decade, a group of uninspiring politicians have stomped out competition and held on to power.”

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/19/opinion/andrew-cuomo-zohran-mamdani-democrats.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare

The author continues, “Mr. Cuomo is winning big among Black voters and white moderates.” So, let us turn away from our core constituency and reach for something new and shiny.

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The temperature is in the high 80s and the humidity was not far behind. I really wanted Chinese food which I had not had for 72 hours, so I took the short walk to Simply Noodles, 267 Amsterdam Avenue, which could be called Mostly Noodles. The small place, 10 two-tops, was full once I sat down. It is easily overlooked as you head somewhere up Amsterdam, but it deserves your attention.

I ordered Spicy Scallion Oil Rice Noodles with chicken, chopped peanuts, sesame seeds and half a medium-boiled, tea-stained egg, a very satisfying dish ($16). I emerged to run into the leading edge of a rainstorm, the first of three in the next four hours. Trader Joe’s was across the street and I only got wet enough to feel relief from the heat. 

Friday, June 20, 2025

I got a note from Danny Macaroons reminding me that, in addition to the second location of his Super Nice Coffee and Bakery, he has opened Super Nice Pizza, 975 Amsterdam Avenue, actually a bistro with pizza. I have a complaint though; so far, it is open only for dinner. Hey, Danny, I want pizza for lunch.

.  .  .

I hope that my friend Burt remembers our introductory German classes at CCNY as fondly as I do. They were just about the only “A”s that I got outside the Government Department. Professor Kahn was a tall, elegant man with silver hair. He must have been Viennese. 

I particularly recall the exercises in writing sentences, demonstrating our command of grammar and vocabulary. Believe it or not, I was a bit full of myself in those days and took pleasure in composing absurd sentences, technically correct, but even beyond the bounds of Monty Python. “The girl ate the sky on Wednesday without salt.” 

And so we come to Donald Trump. Lawrence O’Donnell, the left-liberal commentator, goes on at great length about “the stupidest man in the Situation Room.”

https://youtu.be/nyev-HWo04s?si=7TWnhsq9qh8fnZKt

O’Donnell looks at some Trump utterances as examples of his (un)intelligence. That’s wrong. What Trump does is what I was doing in German classes, making sounds that fit the rules of language without attempting to make sense, maybe even trying to avoid making sense. “His third dog painted the swimming pool with green chicken fat.”