Dairy Diary

Monday, November 6, 2017

The weekend had a variety of pleasures.  On Saturday, we were able to visit a dear and beautiful friend in the hospital, or in hospital as they say in the London.  Then, joined by Robina Rafferty, the soul of charity, we went to dinner at La Barca, 80-81 Lower Marsh, Lambeth, a fine Italian restaurant.  Not only did La Barca offer very good food and wine, and very attentive service, but Derek Jacobi sat down for dinner one table over.  To his credit, he did not stare at us.

On Sunday, we went to a matinee performance of The Comedy About a Bank Robbery, a wonderfully silly farce, brilliantly executed as the British are wont to do.  The delight generated by the performance was necessary after the disappointment at lunch.  As you are well aware, the London theatre (their spelling) district is immediately adjacent to their Chinatown, and you know what that means.  While I have enjoyed other restaurants there, I chose to research a new alternative and came up with the well-reputed (until now) Leong's Legend, 39 Gerrard Street.

The long, dark room, meant to resemble a traditional wooden house, was crowded, as so many other restaurants in the neighborhood seemed to be on Sunday afternoon.  We were seated and then the waitperson, obviously taking waiting very seriously, left us alone for 10 minutes.  Some vigorous waving finally got her attention and we gave her a relatively simple order: hot and sour soup for one (£3.50), steamed vegetarian dumplings (£7.50), scallion pancake (£??) and "Signature Taiwanese Oyster Omelette" (£10.50).  The soup was very good and, like Hikari's Friday night, served in a very small portion.  I guess that hot and sour soup is a rare and expensive delicacy in London, even though you get it for a buck or two in the Holy Land.  

While I've lost the price of the scallion pancake, it was quite good, though smaller than I am used to.  The dumplings presented no problem also, but it was getting that Signature that fouled things up.  Did you enjoy the oyster omelette?  What, you never got it?  Me, too.  After 45 minutes and reminders to 3 waiters, either the chicken or the oysters could not be convinced to cooperate.  On the other hand, the Signature Taiwanese Oyster Omelette appeared on the bill, which took only one glower to correct.  

Fortunately, on the way to the theatre, we passed a Pret A Manger, omnipresent in London, and I pulled a freshly-made hoisin duck salad wrap (£3.75) off the shelf, a good deal in any currency.  

  

As I said, the theatrical farce made up for the culinary farce and in a few hours we were ready for another meal.  Lord Kennington, f/k/a David Brodie, stooped to my level and, upon request, suggested Fishcotheque, 79A Waterloo Road, for fish and chips.  And a very good choice it was.  Madame had a "regular" order of cod (£10.95) and I had a "large" order of haddock (£13.95), each accompanied by a large pile of chips (French fries), closer to American crispiness than British mushiness.  

. . .

Football Scoreboard

Columbia University          6-2

New York Jets                    4-5

New York Ghosts (Giants have disappeared) 1-7

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While Fishcotheque was a fine example of its kind, today we went to the other end of the British dining spectrum, with appropriately superlative results.  We ate at Outlaw's at The Capital, 22-24 Basil Street, Knightsbridge, the Michelin-starred dining room of The Capital Hotel, an elegant establishment that I have never penetrated beyond the ground floor restaurant.  On my first trip to London in 1985, I gave myself a big treat by going to the restaurant, not yet bearing Chef Nathan Outlaw's name.  I have returned many times since for the near-bargain fixed price lunches.  Today, it was 2 courses at £29 and 3 courses at £33.  

I started with Duck Scrumpet, thereby adding a new word to my vocabulary.  It was, in fact, a croquette, served with an interesting homemade ketchup.  Madame had the Cornish Fish Soup, which had a touch of orange.  Outlaw's features fish, so I had "Hake with Roast Chicken & Mushroom Dressing and Smoked Leeks."  Allow me to explain that the "Dressing" was a pureed something, not particularly evocative of chicken or mushroom.  The hake itself was excellent, cooked just right.  My young bride enjoyed "Plaice with Tartare Sauce & Sprouting Broccoli."  Believe it or not, we skipped dessert.  Really, that should read: Believe it or not, I skipped dessert.

Service was exquisite, as usual.  What differed from past visits, however, was the casual dress of the male patrons, who were almost the only patrons.  Short sleeve polo shirts predominated.  The quartet of men at the next table gave gaudy jewelry a bad name.  

Tuesday, November 7, 2017 

Last night, we saw Ink, an excellent new play about the rise of Rupert Murdoch.  While we were unfamiliar with some details of British politics and journalism at the time (1969), the themes of "populism" and "disruption" struck very close to home.  

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British Air and El Al, the most likely candidates to offer efficient service from London to Israel, could only deliver us to Tel Aviv at 3 o'clock in the morning.  So, we flew EasyJet, a bargain airline that charged for each piece of luggage, seat selection and anything to drink, in exchange for a very convenient flight time and low fare.  They avoided putting turnstiles on the toilets, however, so, in all, a reasonable compromise.

We were in our rental apartment in a residential area of North Tel Aviv by 7:30 PM and visiting the second and third generations a few short blocks away by 8.    

Wednesday, November 8, 2017

It was announced this morning that Anthony Scaramucci will visit Israel on November 19th.  His host, the CEO of the Orthodox Jewish Chamber of Commerce, said, "Our excitement to partner with Anthony Scaramucci in this quest knows no bounds."  The good news is that we will have left by then.  

. . .

Here is an attempt to understand why so many mass shooting take place in the US as opposed to other countries. 

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/07/world/americas/mass-shootings-us-international.html?action=click&contentCollection=U.S.&module=RelatedCoverage&region=Marginalia&pgtype=article

In summary, the answer seems to be, because they can.

. . .

This article introduces me to khachapuri and I want it.   https://www.tastingtable.com/dine/national/khachapuri-cheese-bread?utm_medium=email&utm_source=TT&utm_campaign=Daily&utm_content=Editorial

Thursday, November 9, 2017

On Tuesday, we left London and flew to Tel Aviv.  In London, the British pound (£ or GBP) was worth about $1.30 (USD).  Shopping was pretty easy.  Pretend that the number of pounds is the number of dollars.  Cappuccino at Pret A Manger (as reasonably-priced place as you will find in London) £2.35, not bad.  That delicious hoisin duck salad wrap £3.75, a real bargain.

In Tel Aviv, 1 USD is worth about 3.5 shekels (NIS for New Israeli Shekels, no symbol), or 1 NIS equals 28-and-a-half cents ($.285).  So, I go into a supermarket and pick up a container of milk that's either a quart or a liter, priced at 10.90 NIS.  I think that may be a lot, even by New York standards, but I have to stand in the aisle for a few moments doing the calculation.  Then, I look at the box of Special K that will be the center of my breakfast for the next few days -- 29.90 NIS, over $8.50, twice the conventional New York price.  

Prices probably reflect the cost of importing merchandise and the tax regime.  No doubt military spending is an important component of Israel's budget.  As of 2015, Israel was third in the list of per capita military spending at $1,882, just ahead of the US at $1,859.  The United Kingdom was eighth at $1,066 (appropriately).  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_military_expenditure_per_capita

However, when viewed as a percentage of its national economy, the burden of Israel's military weighs heavily.  According to the CIA's reporting, not entirely current, Israel's defense spending was fifth in the world at 5.69% of gross domestic product (GDP).  The US was ninth at 4.35% and the UK 28th at 2.49%.  https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/resources/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2034rank.html#od

I've never had a feel for macroeconomics, so I can only observe that Israel has an expensive army and breakfast cereal, while the UK has the Queen, and Queens, New York has the Mets.  Living in Israel also offers the privilege of being admitted to all the local country clubs.  

. . .

Not only am I challenged by the local currency at the supermarket, but I can't even seem to get that expensive quart or liter of milk right.

When I poured from the container on the left into my coffee (and that's another story how the Israelis flock to cafés for high quality coffee, while serving mostly instant at home), I got what Little Miss Muffet got, curds and whey; not what I was expecting.  Yes, it was laban, a fermented milk product, close to yoghurt, not named for Jacob's father-in-law.  It might have been obvious to any local school child, even without the benefit of going to Stuyvesant High School, CCNY, Cornell University or Cardozo Law School.  With this information, I am obliged to set the record straight about the price of milk.  My liter of laban was 10.90 NIS.  Had I reached for milk, it would have cost 5.60 NIS, that is $1.60, a reasonable price, with or without a great air force.

. . .

While New York prices compare favorably with London and Tel Aviv, an e-mail from Jon Silverberg reports on one example of wretched excess back home.  In the golden oldie days, Jon and I often ate at Hwa Yuan, 42 East Broadway, until we saw a very big rat run across the room.  After the owner died, probably before the rat, the restaurant closed in 1992.  Now, the family has renovated the bank building that took over the location and reopened Hwa Yuan as a fancy three-story operation.  Jon, impatient for my return, went to lunch there alone yesterday.  Orange Flavored Beef cost $28, twice as much as anything comparable in Chinatown.  I'm not rushing home for that.     

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Friday, November 10, 2017

Even if the only English-language television here seems to be episodes of 30 Rock, uninterrupted by commercials, we are not out of touch with events in the Land of the Free and Home of the Brave, although the 5,676 miles separating us has a palliative effect.  I think that future generations will cherish the wisdom of Jim Ziegler, Alabama State Auditor, commenting on the Washington Post report of Republican senatorial candidate Roy S. Moore's conduct with a 14-year old, when he was a 32-year old assistant district attorney.  Moore allegedly "took off her shirt and pants and removed his clothes.  He touched her over her bra and underpants, she says, and guided her hand to touch him over his underwear."  https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/woman-says-roy-moore-initiated-sexual-encounter-when-she-was-14-he-was-32/2017/11/09/1f495878-c293-11e7-afe9-4f60b5a6c4a0_story.html?utm_term=.f14193843e7e


Ziegler (a Jewish name?) said, according to the New York Times, that the girl's age was “the only part that is concerning.”  Had the girl been 16 at the time and not 14, he added, “it would have been perfectly acceptable.”  Burying suspicions about his ethnicity, Ziegler went right to the top.  "[T]ake Joseph and Mary.  Mary was a teenager and Joseph was an adult carpenter.  They became parents of Jesus.”    http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/alabama-state-auditor-defends-roy-moore-against-sexual-allegations-invokes-mary-and-joseph/article/2640217