עם ישראל חי

Monday, November 19, 2018

The weekend's real estate section had a couple of interesting items.  First, a description of a one-bedroom, one-bathroom apartment nearby claimed that "renovation made the home habitable for three small children and two large dogs."  Note that there is no mention of adults, who presumably moved out without leaving a forwarding address.
. . .

Then, there was one of my lists, this time comparing home ownership by Americans vs. Invaders.  For instance, in Miami, 26% of Invaders own their homes compared to 34% of Americans.  In Los Angeles, the numbers are 18% and 30%, New York 14% and 37%. 

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/15/realestate/immigrants-and-homeownership.html

I don't know if I could have predicted those numbers, but the low end of the table is completely nutty.  Ten cities, from Indianapolis to Pittsburgh, have nearly identical statistics.  Invaders have a rate of home ownership from 2% to 4% in cities where Americans own their homes at a rate of 57% to 68%.  Why do Invaders so consistently avoid buying homes in cities that seem so congenial to home ownership by Americans?  Maybe only the Latin American drug lords, Russian kleptocrats and run-of-the-mill Eurotrash can handle the inflated real estate prices of Miami, Los Angeles and New York, but the real estate markets in Buffalo (current median home value, $148,900), New Orleans ($193,100) or Louisville ($168,000) seem very approachable.
. . .

A feature article carries the challenging headline:"Are Jared and Ivanka Good for the Jews?"  https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/17/style/ivanka-trump-jared-kushner.html

Don't all shout out at once.
. . .

Wikipedia says that "Crime in Israel is low on a par with Norway and Germany."  According to a ranking of crime rates in cities all around the world (high ranking = high crime), Jerusalem is 159th (an eyelash separating it from New York), Haifa 191st and Tel Aviv 221st.  For comparison, 18 US cities appear in the top (worst) 100. 
https://www.numbeo.com/crime/rankings.jsp

American and Israeli supporters of the Netanyahu regime, who substantially overlap with Trump supporters in both countries, rarely cite these figures.  Rather, they posit Israel facing existential threats from hostile neighbors, notably Iran.  Of course, international inspections certify that Iran has no nuclear weapons while unofficial sources claim that Israel has 50-100 nuclear weapons.  See https://www.armscontrol.org/factsheets/Nuclearweaponswhohaswhat  or
https://web.archive.org/web/20150429192508/http://www.wisconsinproject.org/countries/israel/nuke.html

Under those circumstances, would you sleep easier in Teheran or Tel Aviv?  I don't mean to ignore the damage done or threatened by Hamas and Hezbollah, as well as the random Arab/Israeli violence that manages to capture more attention than many similar events in other parts of the world.  

However, besides lacking a factual basis, I object to resorting to the supposed existential threat to Israel for aesthetic reasons.  The 1948 War of Independence went a long way towards weakening the image of the cowering Jew, shying into the corner at the approach of evil forces.  The Six Day War should have buried it entirely.  Walking the streets of Israel, away from the ultra-Orthodox neighborhoods, you see countless uniformed men and women apparently ready, willing and able to fight for their country.  In fact, it is the contrast between those known as the Haredi (those who tremble before the word of God), who "reached one million in 2017, representing 12 percent of the population," according to The Jerusalem Post, and much of the rest of the population that poses the greater threat to Israel. 

The concessions that David Ben-Gurion made to Orthodox rabbis at the creation of the Israeli state, giving them control of marriage and related family matters in order to divert them from more political matters, or so he thought, have turned into a chokehold on significant portions of public policy.  Jews from abroad must prove impeccable ancestry to be recognized as Jews; Jews may only be married by Orthodox rabbis; non-Jewish children may be adopted by Jews only if the children are subject to a strictly Orthodox conversion; most public transport, including El Al Airlines, is shut down on the Sabbath; women are not allowed to pray at most of the Western Wall.  Haredi men, to a large extent, don't work and are exempt from military service.  

American Jews, mostly far removed from Orthodoxy in their practice or non-practice of Judaism, and secular Israeli Jews have little patience for this type of discriminatory conduct and often resent the support (sometimes tacit, sometimes explicit) that the Netanyahu regime offers to it.  More and more, Jews in Israel and the US ask whether Israel can remain Jewish and democratic.  That's the explosion to fear.   

. . .

While there are countless joints throughout the city offering pizza slices, expect to be disappointed more often than not.  In fact, my long-standing favorite pizzeria, John's of Bleecker Street (278 Bleecker Street), has "No slices" boldly emblazoned on its awning. Pete Wells, The New York Times restaurant critic, offers some hope, recommending his choices for the best local pizza slices. 
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/15/nyregion/best-pizza-slices-nyc.html 

Tuesday, November 20, 2018

My brother is older, but I am considerably taller and wider.  I think that we only resemble each other when we open our mouths, issuing snarky comments usually from the same perspective.  Last night, however, he generously allowed me to replace him at a private dinner and a concert by the Boston Symphony Orchestra for patrons of Carnegie Hall.  It was splendid, as you might imagine.  At dinner, there was assigned seating.  I was seated, that is my brother was supposed to be seated, next to Carnegie Hall's director of development.  Did they think that this pairing would produce a new staircase, maybe a rehearsal studio, a plush velvet curtain?  I told her that I, that is my brother, would get back to her.

The wonderfully-performed program, unfamiliar to me, consisted of Mahler's Symphony No. 5 and HK Gruber's Aerial, a contemporary trumpet concerto.  Pony up some money and come along next year. 
. . .

There was no concert afterwards, but the Boyz Club enjoyed a hearty meal together at Wo Hop, 17 Mott Street, the High Temple of Chinatown Cuisine.  We had beef chow fun, duck chow fun, spareribs, chicken fried rice, shrimps in lobster sauce over shrimp fried rice, honey crispy chicken and beef with scallions.  It cost the seven of us $17 each (including a generous tip, as always).  It won't overshadow Thanksgiving, but this meal deserves its own holiday. 

Wednesday, November 21, 2018
"Washington Redskins running back Adrian Peterson, who served a one-year suspension in the NFL after he was charged with child abuse, admitted he still sometimes uses a belt to hit his son."  ESPN.com.  Meanwhile, Colin Kaepernick, former starting quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers, who took a knee during the national anthem to protest racial injustice remains unsigned since the end of the 2016 season.  In the NFL, he threw 72 touchdown passes and had 30 interceptions during the regular season. 

On the other hand, this week the forgiving Washington Redskins signed Mark Sanchez as a backup quarterback.  He is the former quarterback for the New York Jets, who also has not played since 2016.  His NFL regular season record was 86 touchdowns and 86 interceptions, not the sort of  balance that you seek in a quarterback.  Mark, however, is a standup guy, at least during the national anthem.

Thursday, November 22, 2018
America's Favorite Epidemiologist laid out America's Favorite Holiday Meal in superb fashion today, and I have 18 other witnesses.  

Friday, November 23, 2018

There is good news this week.  Shakespeare & Co. opened a bookstore and café at 2020 Broadway, within sight of Palazzo di Gotthelf, counter to the near total disappearance of retail bookstores in Manhattan, in New York, in the United States.  As I promised on May 21, 2018, when I first saw the sign of this impending venture, I went in this afternoon and purchased a café au lait for $3, as I intend to continue to do, for the sake of the literary world. 

Make Room

Monday, November 12, 2018
An article today states that "choices we make during the first hour or so of our morning often determine what the rest of the day will look like."
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/21/smarter-living/tips-better-morning-routine.html

I pondered this just before I turned over and went back to sleep, the prerogative of the retired.
. . .

I wish that I knew Louise DeSalvo, a Hunter College literature professor, whose obituary today repeated what she wrote in a memoir: "Life, I have always believed is too short to have even one bad meal."

Tuesday, November 13, 2018

The first Stanley Feingold Lecture Series was held today at CCNY, attended by about 3 dozen of his former students now 70 to 80 years old, along with numerous current students and faculty.  Stanley, who died last year, embodied the role of teacher more than anyone that I have ever known, although unlikely to be portrayed by Robin Williams in a film.  We kiddingly said that his motto was "The student was always wrong."  That, however, only caused us to think harder, focus better and aim for greater clarity in expressing ourselves. 

Sam Roberts of The New York Times moderated the discussion between Edward F. Cox, chair of the New York State Republican Party, and Elizabeth Holtzman, former Congresswoman and District Attorney from Brooklyn.  The two found little common ground except for vague agreement about getting out the vote and more/better (unfunded) infrastructure.  Holtzman had the easier time, with an audience mostly of pinkos on Social Security.  Cox chose to defend the resident egomaniac in the White House, a soul-wrenching burden.
. . .

The Tattooist of Auschwitz is a novel based on the life of Lali Sokolov, a Slovakian Jew, imprisoned at Auschwitz, who tattooed numbers on the arms of newly-arrived prisoners, those who were to be kept alive for at least a few days.  That was how he met Gita Furman in 1942, whom he married after they survived WWII.

A novice Australian writer interviewed Sokolov extensively and wrote the novel, which has been translated into 17 languages, sold about a half million copies in the United States, and is #1 on The New York Times paperback fiction list.
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/08/books/tattooist-of-auschwitz-heather-morris-facts.html

While the novel seems to parallel the experiences of Sokolov and his wife, some readers have challenged the historical accuracy of the professedly fictional account.  The most interesting discrepancy, to my mind, regards the number on Furman's arm, which she eventually had surgically removed.  She said that it was 4562; the book states that it was 34902.  Historical records establish that only four-digit numbers were applied to women prisoners in 1942.  One might say "Why bother?" applied in either direction.  Why bother changing the number, if so many other details cleave to reality?  Then again, why bother making a fuss about changing the number?  Well, that's where I come in.  As someone who questioned Arthur Miller backstage about the color of the NYPD uniform shirt worn by a character in his play The Price, I know from attention to detail.  See January 25, 2016.
   

Wednesday, November 14, 2018

An article about restaurants claims that "Los Angeles is the most exciting food city in America." https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/08/dining/sydney-los-angeles-restaurants.html
 

I'm trying to square that with my memories of the years in exile in Los Angeles, "a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away."  It wasn't all bleak.  Langer's Delicatessen-Restaurant, 704 South Alvarado Street, served an immortal pastrami sandwich on rye bread.  El Cholo, 1121 South Western Avenue, offered Mexican food of superb quality, with margaritas of sufficient potency that led a small group of us to fly to Las Vegas in the middle of the night because it seemed like a good idea.

Lawry's-The Prime Rib Restaurant, 100 North La Cienega Boulevard, made a show of tossing your salad at tableside in a big bowl using its own bottled dressing and then wheeling up a silver-plated trolley holding the beef to be carved to your order.  It was kitsch, but it was delicious.  As popular as Lawry's was (maybe still is), a different class of people dined at Chasen's, 9039 Beverley Boulevard, closed since 1995.  It named booths for many of its famous and loyal customers, including Ronald Reagan, Alfred Hitchcock, Frank Sinatra, Jimmy Stewart and Groucho Marx.  The night that I dined there, Mae West came sweeping into the room with her honor guard of muscled young men.  How could you expect me to remember what I ate?

On the other hand, back then in the 1970s, Asian food was mostly irrelevant.  There was a Chinatown and a Japantown, easily ignored.  Koreans were beginning to be a presence in retail, but not restaurants.  Vietnamese were still in Vietnam.  I recall one (and only one) good Indian joint immediately adjoining UCLA.

As seriously as a Muslim headed to Mecca, therefore, I made frequent pilgrimages to San Francisco to feed body and soul, mostly body.  Still, it's possible that today Los Angeles is an exciting food city.  I'm just not going to leave New York to find out.

Friday, November 16, 2018

My dear friend David Lee McMullen takes his own walk down memory lane as a young newspaperman in Florida.  http://www.journaloffloridastudies.org/files/vol0107/MCMULLEN_Star%20Banner.pdf

. . .

I told Stony Brook Steve that I wanted an "experience" at lunch and he agreed to accompany me to Columbus Circle, where two new interesting joints had just opened.  Both were the ventures of David Chang, who earned and has maintained two Michelin stars at his first local operation.  Both places are on the third floor of the Time-Warner Center, back-to-back.  Momofuku Noodle Bar opened yesterday and we thought that the aftermath of the season's first snowstorm would keep people away, for a day or two at least.  Not true and, as board-certified grumpy old men, we were unwilling to wait the 30+ minutes proposed to sit down.  

Open a few weeks longer, Chang's Bāng Bar specializes in spit-roasted chicken or pork served on Korean flatbread at $5.79, not a misprint compared to the $255 fixed price lunch or dinner at his flagship restaurant on the Lower East Side, steps from the Bowery.  (Former New Yorkers will probably imagine a rim shot with that last phrase, "steps from the Bowery."  Once, you could have bought half that block for $255.)  

In any case, Bāng Bar has no seats; only a couple of nearby standup tables are available to rest your elbows upon.  Unfortunately, several people, who, unlike us belonged somewhere else, were occupying the space, leaving us no alternative but to retreat to Bouchon Bakery & Café, down the corridor, an informal establishment of Michelin three-star chef Thomas Keller.  Under those circumstances, I can't complain and, inspired by General Douglas MacArthur, "I shall return."

True Blue

Monday, November 5, 2018

There are frequent unresolved inter-urban and intra-urban disputes about bagels.  No such controversy surrounds bialys, which, if given the proper attention, would receive the acceptance and admiration that they deserve.  Bialys signal the nearby presence of Jews, as scat signals the presence of a wild animal, although the presence of Jews does not insure the presence of bialys.     

Most of you don't have to be tutored on bialys, but for the unfortunate few who have been denied the pleasure, cf. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/30/magazine/letter-of-recommendation-bialys.html

. . .

Shu Jiao Fu Zhou may sound at first like haiku, the delicate Japanese poetic form.  However, it is a Chinese restaurant at the corner of Eldridge Street and Broome Street, a microclimate that still hasn't been thoroughly gentrified, retaining an aura of crumminess that helps explain your grandparents' eagerness to depart.  In this regard, the corner location, with windows on each side, only serves to bring the crumminess indoors to a dingy interior.  18 chairs are crowded up to ledges around the perimeter, with one round table seating 6.  

Decor aside, Shu Jiao Fu Zhou is a reasonable choice if you are hungry, if the outside temperature is cool to cold, and if you don't have or don't want to spend much money.  The menu is simple, a few dumplings, a few soups, a few noodles, all reaching 3 digits only if you go to the right of decimal.  I had 10 boiled pork and chive dumplings ($3.50!) and rice noodles with peanut butter sauce ($2.50).  It was a lot to eat and requires manual dexterity by having to handle the slick noodles with only chopsticks and a plastic spoon.  

. . .

Today's paper has an interesting article on political ideology and philanthropy.  https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/03/your-money/republicans-democrats-charity-philanthropy.html

It is based on an academic study examining how political differences affect charitable giving, comparing voting returns with census data, county-by-county.  Both major sides of our political divide can derive satisfaction from the findings consistent with their ideological posture.  Republicans living among Republicans make higher charitable contributions than Democrats living among Democrats, but Democrats' combined income tax payments and charitable contributions exceeds Republicans'.  One unwelcome finding is that charitable contributions and tax collections decline as an area becomes more politically competitive.  It seems that a concern for the common good, whether expressed through private or pubic channels, weakens when the common good is not so common.

Tuesday, November 6, 2018
I don't know much about Canada, but I know what I like.  Paul Hecht, our favorite male thespian, helps us in this regard by forwarding current Canadian crime statistics.   https://www.macleans.ca/canadas-most-dangerous-places-2019/?fbclid=IwAR2NTKzvKPEHSv9Lgr1SvjCLcq7rDVGMiLHGBP7wcJitszMwBD-VgSTtfmM 

Cities can be sorted by over a dozen types of crimes.  Cities in Western Canada, in the provinces of British Columbia, Alberta, Manitoba and Saskatchewan, lead in almost all the criminal rankings -- violent crimes, homicides, robbery.  These provinces have a total population of 11.6 million, while Ontario has 14.2 million people and Québec has 8.4 million (all 2017 figures), but account for the majority of mayhem.  The notable exception to this geographic dysmorphia is sexual assault, where 5 of the "top" 10 locations are in Ontario Province.  However, your neighborhood epidemiologist might point out that the apparently rough and ready atmosphere of Western Canada might dampen the reporting of sexual assault.

Another surprise was the absence of Québec cities from anywhere near the top of any list, with the exception of cannabis trafficking, there appearing in the first spot (Mirabel/Saint-Colomban) and the tenth spot (Montréal).  I say that I am surprised, because Québec's Francophone posture puts it at odds with the rest of Anglophone Canada and might well arouse anti-social or hostile conduct.

Hockey fights are not recorded separately.

Wednesday,  November 7, 2018

The voting is over; the ballots counted; the results are in.  You can consider what they mean to you as you plan how to spend future days and nights.  I mean the 2019 Michelin Guide to New York City restaurants.
https://guide.michelin.com/us/new-york/news-and-views/michelin-guide-new-york-city-2019-results/news

My score (accumulated over time) is zero for 5 three-star joints, two for 15 two-star joints and five for 55 one-star joints.  Please don't hesitate to offer your assistance to improve my performance ratings.  Credit cards accepted.

By the way, Michelin isn't all hoity-toity.  It just published a list of better-than-average local fried chicken meals and if you are going to ignore cholesterol, there is no better way to do it than with fried chicken.  https://guide.michelin.com/us/new-york/dining-out/best-fried-chicken-nyc/news

. . .

Did protecting preexisting conditions necessarily mean keeping Ted Cruz in office?

. . .

Fortunately, Michael Ratner gets hungry just about the same time as I do.  So, today, we went to the oddly named and very crowded House Special, 171 Hester Street, for lunch.  We were the only round eyes among the 30 or so patrons, which was encouraging. 

We ordered a healthy amount and variety of food, as has been our tendency lately.  We had the House Chicken ($16), half of a plump, juicy, crispy-skinned roasted chicken cooked with fried shallots, garlic and soy sauce.  Mark this down; eat this chicken.  The other dishes were very good, as well.  We had jumbo shrimps in lobster sauce ($20) and the exhaustively-named "Double Egg w. Fried Scallop Shavings & Mixed Seafood Fried Rice" ($15), which managed to also include bacon, Chinese broccoli and raisins.  I think that we are obliged to return soon.

Thursday,  November 8, 2018

A letter to the editor instructs us that "[u]ntil the left . . . comes up with something other than bashing Mr. Trump and trying to obstruct everything the Republicans try to do for our country, it will remain out of touch with the American people."  Yeah, we lefties were so out of touch that, this week, "Republicans had 41.5 percent of all votes cast in Senate races, and Democrats 56.9 percent.  The GOP received more than 33.5 million votes to the Democrats more than 46 million."  https://www.newsweek.com/democrats-won-popular-vote-2018-midterms-1207230  As in the 2000 and 2016 presidential elections, the system chose the winners and losers, not the American people. 

Friday, November 9, 2018
David Brooks, a conservative faux intellectual that The New York Times keeps around as a political shabbos goy, has a column today on "What the Working Class Is Trying to Say."  However, I believe that Brooks never gets closer to a blue collar than the shirt department of Brooks Brothers (no relation).

Is That A Word?

Monday, October 29, 2018

When the American nation-state was being founded, 1776-1789, Great Britain was the only national system known to the founders as having progressed beyond a hereditary ruler, surrounded by or sometimes surmounted by his inner circle.  Great Britain had a parliament and parliamentary leadership that, at times, at least tried to balance or check the monarchy.  Since then, most political systems that have emerged throughout the world distinguish between the head of state and the head of government, even though the balance of power may be disproportionate.  

  

Generally, over time, power has moved from the head of state to the head of government, as in Great Britain, the Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark, Cambodia, Norway, and Thailand.  In some cases, the shift of power has been dramatic, from the Emperor to the Prime Minister in post-war Japan and from the Prime Minister to the President in France moving from the Fourth Republic to the Fifth Republic, counter to the overall trend.  

In creating the American system of government, described by the Constitution, the founders were evidently wary of monarchal power in one set of hands, but did not separate the roles of head of state and head of government.  These days, our president's head of government functions are substantially codified and understood -- sign bills into law, appoint ambassadors, commander-in-chief of the armed forces.  However, as head of state, the president usually relies on custom and common sense -- pardoning a turkey at Thanksgiving, welcoming a winning sports team to the White House, visiting disaster sites.

Our current president relishes the role of head of government, going further than many predecessors in intruding on the political process.  However, he shrinks from acting as head of state on difficult occasions.  His reading of prepared statements of concern, comfort or consolation usually sound forced and they do not share the vocabulary or emotional tenor of his ab lib comments.  When he leaves his script, he is most likely to provoke, accuse and/or denigrate others, to the delight of his immediate audience, while the general public may be awaiting reassurance and encouragement in the face of challenging or disturbing circumstances. 

Whatever their politics or yours, George W. Bush at Ground Zero (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x7OCgMPX2mE) or Barack Obama at Charleston, South Carolina (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x9IGyidtfGI) said the right thing at the right time.  As different as the setting, the man and the mood, neither president superimposed his own ego on the event.  He was our head of state and he seemed to recognize that he was speaking to and for all Americans at the time.

. . .

Size matters.  American homes have apparently been getting larger on a pretty consistent basis, the newer the house the more likely that it is bigger than those older nearby.  https://www.lendingtree.com/home/mortgage/cities-with-the-biggest-houses-in-america/

This web site compiles the cities with the biggest and the smallest average houses.  The South and Texas specifically have the biggest average houses, primarily because of their more recent population growth fostering new construction.  Conversely, the Midwest, with a stable and even declining population, has the oldest and smallest housing stock.  

The average new American house is now 2,412 square feet.  This is twice as much space as I have ever inhabited in my entire life, not that I would mind an extra few yards of books shelves, but I won’t move to Houston to get it.

Tuesday, October 30, 2018

I’m sorry, but I was unable to find a reproducible picture of the winning board in the World Scrabble Championship, just completed in London.  So, my photograph of a picture in the newspaper will have to suffice.  

The winner is quire remarkable, the fourth time he has triumphed, also winning the French Scrabble competition twice by memorizing the French Scrabble dictionary, since he does not speak French.  https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/29/world/europe/scrabble-champion-nigel-richards.html

But, back to the board, the source of some agitation for the recreational Scrabble player, such as Grandpa Alan.  The official Scrabble rules say, "When playing an English version of the game, foreign words are not allowed to be placed on the board."  Notice the presence of aji, gae, zo, li, and nortenos, though.  Respectively, they mean a spicy sauce common to Andes cuisine, go in Scottish, a Tibetan breed of cattle, a Chinese unit of measure, and northerners in Spanish (requiring a ~ over the second n).  What they ain't is English.  It's a groyser shanda that these words determined the championship.

Wednesday, October 31, 2018 

Tim Ho Wan has the reputation of operating the cheapest Michelin-starred restaurant in the world.  Since beginning in Hong Kong, he has opened 45 dim sum restaurants in Asia, Australia and North America.  I have gone to his first American joint at 85 Fourth Avenue several times, always starting with a line in front of me, but always pleased with the end result.  Today, Tom Terrific and I went to the newest THW, open just two days at 610 Ninth Avenue. 

We were not the only ones with this idea.  People were waiting in the street for a text on their smartyphone announcing that a table was ready.  Tom had arrived early to provide for this contingency and, just as I approached him, he got the welcoming message.  Lunch was well worth waiting for, even if I didn't have to wait.

We ordered from a checklist on a small clipboard, referring to the color pictures of dishes on the placemats.  We shared congee with pork and preserved egg ($4), deep fried spring rolls with egg white and shrimp ($5.75, 3 pieces), deep fried dumplings with pork and dried shrimp ($4.75, 3 pieces), baked BBQ pork buns ($5.25, 3 pieces) and pan fried noodles ($5.75).  Everything was well prepared, generously portioned, fairly priced and very good tasting. 

Tom had not been to THW downtown and lunch today was a special treat for him, because he lives across the street from the new location.  I may never be able to lure him to Chinatown again.

. . .

I returned home to "attend" a webinar on synagogue security with 1,300 other people.  The most interesting information provided was also the most disheartening.  Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh had worked with local law enforcement to develop an active shooter plan, promoted it and conducted walkthroughs.  Additionally, the police were on the scene of the massacre within 2 minutes of being notified.  The result: 11 congregants dead, 4 police officers and other congregants wounded.  I conclude that an AR-15 in civilian hands can never be a legal weapon. 

Thursday, November 1, 2018

Manhattan's Lower East Side used to be thick with Jews.  After WWII, they were gone and replaced mostly by Puerto Ricans.  Then, the Chinese came and the Puerto Ricans left the Lower East Side.  Now, the grandchildren of earlier inhabitants, accompanied by their friends with MFAs from expensive educational institutions, are occupying much of the space. 

There are no Kosher delicatessens on the Lower East Side anymore and the stores where Bar Mitzvah boys bought their prayer shawls and their parents bought silver Sabbath candlesticks are long gone.  Yet, throughout most of the century, with the Bowery as the dividing line, Little Italy stayed intact, holding onto its population.  The boundaries of Little Italy, once approximately Bowery to Centre Street, Canal Street to Kenmare Street, however, have now been breached.  The major reason: "The number of immigrants from mainland China in the United States nearly doubled from 299,000 in 1980 to 536,000 in 1990, and again to 989,000 in 2000, reaching 2.1 million in 2016."  https://www.migrationpolicy.org/article/chinese-immigrants-united-states/

Many of these Chinese headed to New York and were drawn to Lower Manhattan, first swelling the existing Chinatown, then changing the complexion of the Lower East Side and most recently pushing back the long-standing borders of Little Italy.  Italian restaurants, bakeries and souvenir shops are still in business, but in a more concentrated area around the intersection of Mulberry Street and Grand Street. 

Four years ago, I went to Beijing Pop Kabob Restaurant, 122 Mulberry Street.  It was newly opened, replacing an old line Italian restaurant, in a stretch of old line Italian restaurants.  Today, accompanied by Michael Ratner, I went to Tiny Shanghai, which now sits at 122 Mulberry Street.  Surprisingly, the rest of the block remains ethnically intact, although a new apartment building is under construction immediately south of Tiny Shanghai, probably the first new residence in the vicinity since Chiang Kai-shek left the mainland.

Regardless of the surroundings, Michael and I enjoyed soup dumplings ($5.75, 6 pieces), sliced beef wrapped in scallion pancake ($6.75), shrimp lo mein ($9.50) and beef lo mein ($9.50).  The beef blintz/burrito was especially delicious.  Scallion threads and cucumber slivers were wrapped up with the beef in a delicately fried scallion pancake.  Besides its unique position on Mulberry Street, Tiny Shanghai bears an ironic name.  Its 2017 population was 24.18 million, which leads me to believe that there is nothing tiny about Shanghai.