Food For Thought

Monday, February 22, 2021 

I wrote this letter to the New York Times yesterday. 

Metropolitan Diary is a weekend treat for so many of us, but it also seems to be routed down memory lane.  Today, February 21, 2021 for example, you publish tales occurring in 1985, "back when cell phones were a luxury," in "my first year in college," and in February 1963. 

Hasn't anything interesting happened lately?

. . . 

This is not important, but irksome nevertheless.  In an article about the forthcoming general election in Israel, a mini-series with a still undetermined number of episodes, the New York Times wrote, "Palestinian citizens of Israel form more than a fifth of the Israeli population."  When I was a wee tot, I heard that the place where Jews lived in sunshine before Miami Beach was called Palestine.  The Balfour Declaration of 1917, British policy for their newly-acquired mandate, stated: "His Majesty's Government view with favour the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people."  

In 1948, David Ben Gurion chose Israel as the name for the new state, occupying only a part of Palestine.  Until that time, the area's population consisted of Palestinian Jews, Palestinian Arabs (Muslim, Christian of many flavors, Druze) and European expatriates.  Arguably, Palestinian citizens of Israel today may be Jews or Arabs from families that have been in place 72 years or more.   

Hello, New York Times, I think that you were trying to identify Arab citizens of Israel.

. . . 

The global pandemic has brought chaos to the travel and hospitality industries, where Airbnb has played an increasing role.  Accordingly, it has faced substantial financial pressure as cancellations mount and refunds are expected.  Once, individual property owners set refund terms, but, in response to the pandemic, Airbnb established an "extenuating circumstances policy," giving full refunds to customers with some compensation to owners.    https://nyti.ms/3pHygjq

Many owners are displeased; some have sued, others moved to alternate rental platforms.  While it's near impossible to warm up to a company with a market capitalization of over $118 billion, I am not drawn either to people "owning and managing 10 properties," "who managed 50 properties," "who operates 70 Airbnb listings."  They themselves are business operators, who have chosen to navigate the peaks and valleys of our economic system, not simply kindly grannies crocheting doilies for the breakfast table when not making your bed.   

If you suspect that I have cherry-picked examples to make my point, "a software provider for short-term rental operators [reported that] just 37 percent of Airbnb’s listings were managed by people with one property as of September [2020].  Roughly half of the listings were managed by hosts with two to 20 properties, and 14 percent by hosts with 21 or more." 

Wednesday, February 24, 2021

Not quite the Shot Heard Around the World, but getting my second dose of the Moderna vaccine was sufficiently exciting for me.  I will soon be approachable, nearly to the degree that I ever was.

. . . 

 

In lieu of the missing crayon in the box or the elevator stopping short of the top floor, consider this appraisal by a waitress: "The first time I met him, I just thought his cornbread wasn’t really done in the middle." 

 

Thursday, February 25, 2021

Here is the worst story of the day, maybe the week.  https://nyti.ms/3upi1LL 

 

In brief, a Black Smith College undergraduate was found eating in a normally closed off area.  When approached by a campus security officer and a janitor, she claimed racial profiling, expressing fear that the campus cop could have been carrying a "lethal weapon." The upshot of the incident was a proliferation of apologies, widespread sensitivity training, the creation of separate but equal housing for students of color and scorn for the two employees.  While the student came from very modest circumstances, it's reasonable to place her on the high side of the class divide.  I think that even Isabel Wilkerson might today place a student at an elite institution in a caste above blue collar workers on the premises.  

 

So, I hate this story and almost everybody in it.

. . . 

 

There are far more difficult stations in life than being a bleeding-heart, Jewish liberal on Manhattan's Upper West Side.  But, there are still challenges, as conveyed by the stupid stories above and below.

 

"Should Straight Actors Play Gay Roles? A Star TV Writer Says No"   https://nyti.ms/3kleedy   Well, I, a star TV watcher, say Yes, as quickly as I would have gay actors play straight roles.  

. . . 

 

Tonight begins Purim, another celebration of a narrow Jewish escape from annihilation.  Rather than solemnity, Jewish services for Purim are raucous, fueled by noise and alcohol.  Of course, food plays a key role and therein lies the story for today, which ties into the hypersensitivity demonstrated by the Smith student and the TV writer mentioned above.  After all, you don't have to be Woody Allen to have your ears perk up when someone says "Orange Juice" a little too emphatically. 

 

While Haman, counsel to the Persian king, was trying to have all the Jews in the kingdom destroyed, the signature treat at Purim, celebrating his failure, is inexplicably named for him, Hamantaschen, Haman's pocket.  Not only are you expected to consume them, but you are encouraged to bake or buy them for friends and relatives.  In fact, we received two packages today.  

 

But, nothing is simple.  It seems that 5 years ago, Bon Appétit ran an article "5 Steps to Really Good Hamantaschen," which went unnoticed until just the other day, when a Jewish woman took belated umbrage at its Gentile authorship and suggestion of inadequate Hamantaschenhood.  

https://mobile.twitter.com/abigailcoughler/status/1359533682843934723

 

"Traditional foods do not automatically need to be updated, especially by someone who does not come from that tradition," she fulminated.  Don't you dare mess with our Hamantaschen, unless you stood on the bimah on your 13th birthday and read Torah.  Like the bakers in Tel Aviv who offer fillings of sour apple, dates with sweet red wine and cinnamon, halvah, and chocolate chip cream.    https://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/16/dining/16purim.html 

 

Can you imagine this lady rampaging through your kitchen, validating the ethnic integrity of your menu?  Is there an opening for a housemother at Smith? 

 

Friday, February 26, 2021

The bright skies and 45° temperature lured me out of the house at lunchtime and, newly vaccinated, I wanted to begin to return to my normal life.  Therefore, I went to Vanessa's Dumpling House, 452 Amsterdam Avenue, the new branch of an established downtown joint.  It's clean and bright, narrow and deep.  One wall is whitewashed brick, the other mostly mirror.  Where there is paint, it is bright orange.  There are 7 two-tops indoors, but no outside seating, although the several adjacent places have sheds in place.  

 

Service was very slow, possibly because everything was being cooked to order.  The menu centers on dumplings plus noodles and soups.  I had a Peking duck sesame pancake sandwich ($7.88), a delicious concoction -- a wedge of scallion pancake, dusted with sesame seeds, filled with Peking duck fixings.  

 

By contrast, the cold noodles with sesame peanut sauce ($6.88) were very disappointing.  The sauce coating the lukewarm noodles did not taste of sesame or peanut.  Two forkfuls were enough to dissatisfy me.  When I hit the street with the large remaining portion of noodles, I looked for the inevitable homeless person asking for a handout.  Well, maybe the word was out, because the first two guys refused the noodles.  Or maybe they were gluten-free.

. . .

The last word on food and dining comes from Syria's beloved President Bashar al-Assad, agonizing over the severe economic conditions plaguing his county.  As a remedy, he has recommended that television channels should cancel cooking shows so as not to taunt Syrians with images of unattainable food.   https://www.syriahr.com/en/206419/

Not a Word About Ted Cruz

 

Monday, February 15, 2021
Someone took the trouble to do a survey of pet names at the oldest continually operating pet cemetery in the United States, located in Hartsdale, NY, resting place of more than 80,000 buried pets.   https://nyti.ms/2Znx8Hj

Princess led overall, mostly dogs.  Tiger was favored for cats.  As with children's names, there were trends.  "[T]he most common dog names in the 1930s and 1940s were Queenie and Tippy; Lady ruled the 1960s, and Brandy rose to the top in the 1970s."

I never owned a dog, or a cat for that matter, so I never faced the need to choose a name.  What comes to my mind now are the most plebeian choices - Fido, Fluffy, Spot, or Kitty.  I just don't have the imagination that Kim Kardashian and Kanye West demonstrated in naming their children -- North, Saint, Chicago and Psalm.

. . . 

A headline over an op-ed this weekend read: "Politicians Are Actually Real People."  I demur, Only Some Politicians Are Actually Real People.

. . .

A more disturbing headline appeared the other day: "Germany sees spike in anti-Semitic crimes."  https://www.dw.com/en/germany-sees-spike-in-anti-semitic-crimes-reports/a-56537178

I believe that it's no secret that many, if not most, Jews in the diaspora remain alert to the dangers of anti-Semitism, figuratively looking over their shoulders even as they achieve success in almost all walks of life.  In Germany, as in Europe generally, the surge in immigration from Moslem countries has increased concerns about anti-Semitism.  For some, this offers an opportunity to rewrite history and current events.  The National Review implores "Don’t Blame the Surge of European Anti-Semitism on the Populists."  https://www.nationalreview.com/2019/05/anti-semitism-europe-muslim-immigrants/

The sub-head on this article claims that "Downplaying the role of Muslim immigrants distorts the truth."  Of course, here truthiness is substituted for truth.  In Germany, "Anti-Semitic crimes were reportedly up 13 percent last year [2019] to 2,032 cases, with more than 93 percent of perpetrators associated with the far right."   https://thehill.com/regulation/international/499762-anti-semitic-crime-in-germany-at-highest-level-recorded  

To be clear, the "populists" that the National Review wishes to shield are simply defined as those "opposing European unity and globalism," although it reluctantly admits that includes "the right-wing AfD in Germany, the National Front in France led by Marine Le Pen, or the conservative ruling parties in such countries as Poland and Hungary."  Other folks might call them Fascists.

. . .

The New York Times this weekend examined "When Can I Be a House Guest Again?"   https://nyti.ms/3d69pmJ

Indeed, I have the urge to sleep in a bed not my own, whether provided by a friend or a hotelier.  One section of this article was particularly interesting: "Which Pandemic Habits Might Stick?"  I also considered the flip side, which pre-pandemic habits might be lost, especially behavior that red-blooded Americans were never comfortable with in the first place -- greeting an acquaintance, even a stranger, with a kiss.    

Outside of Asia and Africa, this is (was) commonplace.  Here's a summary:

• One Kiss: Colombia, Argentina, Chile, Peru, the Philippines.
• Two Kisses: Spain, Italy, Greece, Germany, Hungary, Romania, Croatia, Bosnia, and some Middle Eastern countries (though not between opposite sexes).
• Three Kisses: Belgium, Slovenia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Egypt, and Russia.
• The number varying by region in Brazil and France.

https://www.cntraveller.in/story/whats-kissing-etiquette-around-world/

Will this form of welcoming return?  It's too soon to tell, but you may want to have the ChapStick® ready, just in case.

Tuesday, February 16, 2021
My views on the Israeli-Palestinian situation are simple: The issue is very complex and probably intractable.  I would like to think that there is an answer or answers, but that is becoming more and more a fantasy.  The best that I can do is nibble at the margins of the problem.  Here's my reaction after reading yet another book, "The Moral Triangle: Germans, Israelis, Palestinians," an ethnographic study (whatever that means) of the attitudes among the three groups co-existing in Berlin.  The Germans question themselves, the Israelis and the Palestinians; the Israelis question themselves, the Germans and the Palestinians; the Palestinians question only the Germans and the Israelis.  That's it.  Not an ounce of introspection.

I don't read Hebrew or Arabic, but an English language bibliography on the Middle East would probably exceed the output on Lincoln's doctor's dog.  The authors are usually Jewish; some boast, some lament.  The opinions are diverse, contradictory, typical of any collection of Jewish ideas.  But, more often than not, there is a sense of responsibility, something I don't get from the Palestinians.  Yes, you are victims, but you have to be something more.  You cannot rely upon British Marxists or Berkeley undergraduates for your future.

Wednesday, February 17, 2021
It's Wednesday, which is a good reason to go to dinner at a Michelin two star restaurant.  We chose Gabriel Kreuther, 41 West 42nd Street, named for its Alsatian chef-owner.  We dined on the restaurant's "patio," a very substantial structure built in front of the recessed entrance to the permanent restaurant. 

 

The electric heaters coped with the 28° temperature and the staff was very attentive.  Only four of the dozen tables outside were eventually occupied, but the interior seemed to be at its capacity-controlled maximum.

I had a three-course dinner, described on the menu as foie gras and cashew praline with vanilla-raisin jam, banana liqueur gelee, and five spice cornbread; sturgeon and sauerkraut tart with mousseline, applewood smoke and Beluga caviar; Long Island duck leg confit with local polenta, pancetta and lobster mushroom ragou.  It was all remarkably good.  The smoke made a momentary appearance under a small bell jar that covered the tart, a signature dish of the chef. 

Madam, in an unnecessary display of self-control, had only Greenwalk Hatchery trout with marinated brussels sprouts, green olive-almond relish, and fennel velout.  But, with the amusing bouches before and the chocolates after the meal, itself washed down with wine, she was almost as sated as I was. 

On a historic note, it was the first time that I wore a tie since Aaron Persily's Bar Mitzvah on November 9, 2019.

. . .

 

To prepare for this luxurious experience, I Zoomed into a discussion of "Kaddish for Knishes?  The Uncertain Future of the Jewish Deli" earlier in the afternoon.  Vocabulary lesson: Kaddish - the Hebrew prayer for the dead; Knish - a baked or fried snack food consisting of a filling covered with dough, which may lead to an early death.

The discussion by the food editor of The Forward, the English language version of the classic Yiddish newspaper, the owner of a Jewish (but not Kosher) deli in West Bloomfield, Michigan, and the author of "Save the Deli: In Search of Perfect Pastrami, Crusty Rye, and the Heart of Jewish Delicatessen", was mildly interesting, but I was annoyed by its failure to delineate the Kosher delicatessen from the Jewish delicatessen, from the dairy restaurant, from the appetizing store.  A serious person would not mention blintzes and pastrami in the same breath.

Thursday, February 18, 2021

If you want anti-Semitism, I'll give you anti-Semitism.  "Jews, open your eyes, why rush?  The gentiles can get vaccinated first."  This Covid-19 advice appears on posters pasted up by ultra-Orthodox Jews on the walls of their own neighborhoods in Jerusalem, neighborhoods with an infection rate well more than twice their share of the population.  https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/02/17/world/middleeast/israel-orthodox-jews-haredim.html

Precautions are fruitless, according to some, because the virus was a punishment from God, retribution for the Jews’ failure to obey religious rules.  The Haggadah, the story of the Exodus told each year at Passover, says "In each and every generation they rise up against us to destroy us."  This time, the enemy is within.

Race to the Bottom

 

February 8, 2021

New York holds its election for mayor every four years, one year after the U.S. presidential election.  No other major office, Senator, Representative or Governor, is on the ballot at the same time.  I am not sure whether this isolation is intended to attract or deflect attention. 

With the notable exceptions of Giuliani and Bloomberg, the Democratic candidate usually has a clear path to victory, making the Democratic primary, in June this year, the real contest.  There will be no incumbent, so it's a wide open race, attracting more candidates than would be allowed together in a medium-sized church or synagogue under current capacity constraints.

A leading candidate is Eric Adams, Brooklyn Borough President, formerly a high ranking officer in the New York Police Department.  One year ago, Adams, already looking ahead to this year's election, railed against latter day gentrifiers, intruding on "the people that was [sic] here and made New York City what it is.”  He used the phrase "Go back to Iowa."  https://nypost.com/2020/01/20/brooklyn-borough-president-eric-adams-tells-new-new-yorkers-go-back-to-iowa/

I have one cherished friend living in Iowa and normally, in regard to Adams' comments, I would say "Nothing personal."  However, it's not Adams that he has to fear, it's Kim Reynolds, the Republican Governor of Iowa.  At the start of this weekend, Covid Kim, as she has been affectionately dubbed, lifted almost all restrictions in place to curb the spread of the coronavirus. 

https://www.thegazette.com/subject/news/health/iowa-covid-restrictions-lifted-mask-mandate-gatherings-gov-kim-reynolds-20210205 

No masks, no social distancing, no limits on occupancy or public gatherings.  This is consistent with the state's proud motto: "Our liberties we prize and our rights we will maintain."  They might consider appending: "Our health we ignore and our numbers we will decrease."

. . .

If you are not set on relocating to Iowa, you can examine other residential rental markets in the midst of this pandemic.  https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/04/realestate/how-the-pandemic-blew-up-rents.html

It's no surprise that some of the richest markets, such as San Francisco, New York and Seattle, cooled off, experiencing the largest percentage decline.  However, some of the places with the highest increases, such as Gilbert, Arizona, Chesapeake, Virginia, and North Las Vegas, started with relatively high rents.  Go figure.

. . .

While you are sitting around waiting for your rent to go down, contemplating how to make some easy money, I suggest that you connect to The Ponzi Scheme Blog.       http://theponzibook.blogspot.com/2021/01/january-2021-ponzi-scheme-roundup.html?m=1

Not unlike you, I thought that this form of substituting dreams for mathematics had ended with the incarceration of Bernie Madoff.  Tain't so, it seems.  In many cases, the amounts involved are large, many millions of dollars.  This isn't getting grandma to part with her Social Security check.  People of means are being victimized, people whom we might characterize as successful.  Successful maybe, but smart?

Tuesday, February 9, 2021

If your motto is "Give me liberty and give me death," but just don't wish to move to Iowa, examine the mask requirements across the country to pick out another particularly perilous place.

https://ballotpedia.org/State-level_mask_requirements_in_response_to_the_coronavirus_(COVID-19)_pandemic,_2020-2021#Map_of_mask_orders

. . .

Déjà vu all over again?  "Asserting her belief that President Donald Trump has learned a 'pretty big lesson' by being impeached, Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, announced Tuesday [February 4, 2020] that she will vote to acquit the commander-in-chief."  https://www.salon.com/2020/02/05/susan-collins-trump-was-wrong-but-he-learned-a-big-lesson-trump-no-i-didnt/

"Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) suggested that former President Donald Trump deserves a second chance for rhetoric that allegedly led to the Capitol insurrection, reasoning that 'everyone makes mistakes' on . . . an appearance on Fox News hours before Trump’s second impeachment trial began [on February 9, 2021]."  https://theconservativeinvestordaily.com/2021/02/09/gop-senator-mike-lee-suggests-trump-deserves-second-chance-everyone-makes-mistakes/

Wednesday, February 10, 2021

Some of the boychiks decided to have lunch today, outdoors of course.  These days, you don't spend time worrying about cuisine or discovering a new spot.  It's all about the heating system in the newly-built sidewalk structures scattered about.

We chose Tacumbi, 377 Amsterdam Avenue, part of a local chain of Mexican restaurants, with a limited but authentic menu.  It also has good heaters over a line of about ten tables.  However, with the temperature at 32°, most of the tables remained empty.  Nevertheless, Terrific Tom, Stony Brook Steve and I remained comfortable through a leisurely lunch.  Not perfectly comfortable, mind you, since the steel folding chairs were much more effective in chilling our bottoms than our bottoms were in warming the chairs. 

Steve and I had burritas (feminine?), flour tortillas with rice, beans, cabbage, spicy escabeche (vinegary sauce) and salsa; his containing beer-battered Atlantic haddock, mine thinly-sliced sirloin steak ($12.95).  Tom had a quesadilla, a flour tortilla with thinly-sliced al pastor (spit grilled) Berkshire pork, melted Oaxacan cheese, topped with slightly spicy dried chile salsa, cilantro and onion ($7.95).  Enjoyment prevailed.

Thursday, February 11, 2021

The New York Times reports today that there has been an upsurge in prophecy among evangelical Christians.  https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/11/us/christian-prophets-predictions.html

There is controversy around "an evangelical radio host and commentator, who believes in prophecy but has called for greater accountability when prophecies prove false."  I can hear Bob Newhart explaining to a congregation why the Anti-Christ failed to  make a timely appearance. 

. . .

An obituary today recounted a meeting at CBS headquarters in Manhattan in 1969 attended by the two creators of the Mary Tyler Moore Show before they hit it big.  Dismissing their proposal, a network executive told them there were four things American audiences “won't tolerate” -- New Yorkers, Jews, divorced people and men with mustaches.  I had all four going for me, but never at the same time.  Guess the duration for the condition:

• One year.
• 23 years.
• All but 12 years.
• Forever.
  

Friday, February 12, 2021

If moving to Iowa isn't bold enough for you, consider Tanzania.  "By April, 2020, Tanzania stopped releasing official COVID-19 statistics."  https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(21)00362-7/fulltext?dgcid=raven_jbs_etoc_email

 

Now, it declares itself to be free of coronavirus.  Accordingly, last week, the health ministry announced that the country "has no plans in place to accept COVID-19 vaccines."   Instead,  the health officials drank a herbal concoction including ginger, garlic, and lemons, and inhaled steam from herbs, promoting them as natural means of killing the virus.  What have you got, Iowa?

. . . 

 

Today should be a festive occasion, the start of the Chinese New Year, the Year of the Ox.  Just imagine 1,300,000,000 people yelling Gung Hay Fat Choy (שנה אזרחית טובה) at the same moment, which is the case in China's one and only time zone stretching over 3,250 miles east to west determined by Chairman Mao's whim.

But, this is not a happy occasion.  I have not set foot in Chinatown throughout the entire Year of the Rat, which ended yesterday.  I lament all the fun that I could have had with chow fun; how high I could gone with lo mein; how far I could have rolled with an egg roll; how much I could have won with won tons; and, don't even ask about moo goo gai pan.

 

On the other hand, Stony Brook Steve sent me this mood brightener:  "Growing up in San Francisco, Rabbi Jacqueline Mates-Muchin and her siblings went to Hebrew school to learn about Jewish traditions, and to Chinese school and summer camps in the city’s Chinatown. The senior rabbi at Temple Sinai in Oakland rarely experienced the feelings of doubt that she has helped many young Jews of Color overcome. In fact, the first Chinese-American rabbi never thought she couldn’t be a rabbi because of her dual identities."

. . .

 

Finally, I am cheered by this excerpt from a new movie's review: "The cringeworthy drama 'Music' introduces its central character in a song and dance sequence so gasp-inducingly crass, the scene almost demands that the movie be shown in theaters. At least then, audiences would be able to exercise the right to walk out."