Monday, September 20, 2021
The weekend's real estate section had two interesting items. First, "The Best (and Worst) Metro Areas for Electric Cars." https://www.nytimes.com/2021/09/16/realestate/best-places-electric-cars.html
Availability of public charging stations was an important factor in the ratings and the Left Coast has a big lead in that. I don't know which came first -- acceptance or infrastructure -- but the prevalence of Teslas was apparent on our June trips to Northern California. Here, the debate is only beginning on who should bear the cost of installing charging stations in residential complexes, especially since electric vehicles are still the exception.
Secondly, describing the hunt for attractive housing in the Holy Land, the newspaper reported the following: "With a budget of up to $500,000 . . . the couple couldn't quite afford what they wanted in the neighborhoods they knew and liked, Harlem and Bed-Stuy." This is provocative news; "bad neighborhoods" have become highly desirable destinations. On the other hand, those folks who once had little choice of location, now face dramatic, possibly unbearable, increases in their housing costs as the stigma of their surroundings has disappeared.
. . .
Tonight is the first night of Sukkot, a seven-day Jewish holiday celebrating the fruit harvest and commemorating the exile in Sinai. Accordingly, Jews erect and occupy temporary shelters (Sukkahs) for the week, akin to the makeshift quarters inhabited during the long desert trek. Right now, it is hard to distinguish some Jewish neighborhoods from popular restaurant areas covered with the rough accommodations erected in response to Covid-19 protocols.
Significantly, it was the first time in two years that I had the pleasure of enjoying and reporting on Aunt Judi's cuisine. We missed two Passovers and last year's Sukkot, occasions when she usually demonstrates the latest and greatest in Kosher cooking. So, we were delighted to accept the invitation to spend an evening in the Sukkah proudly constructed by Uncle Stu and eat portobello mushrooms covered by veal ragù, rolled and stuffed chicken breast, barbecued beef ribs, roasted cauliflower, carrot muffins and cole slaw. Dessert followed, chocolate chocolate chip cookies and lemon meringue pudding. As always, a fine assortment of wine came from Stu's collection -- all Kosher, food and beverages. This certainly helps keep me on board.
Tuesday, September 21, 2021
I have the advantage of having America's Favorite Epidemiologist under my roof, studying and analyzing the course of the Covid-19 pandemic. Lacking that, other sources are available to you, including the pop star Nicki Minaj, who offered this insight on the worldwide vaccination efforts. "My cousin in Trinidad won’t get the vaccine cuz his friend got it & became impotent. His testicles became swollen. His friend was weeks away from getting married, now the girl called off the wedding." Proceed accordingly.
. . .
At Terrific Tom's suggestion, the Boyz Club emerged from Chinatown and found its way to Ariana Afghan Kebab, 787 Ninth Avenue. It is owned by Mr. Wali, who left Afghanistan in 1992, worked in odd jobs until landing at Ariana, which he was eventually able to buy, becoming a U.S. citizen along the way. However, he was only able to get the rest of his family here last month.
The seven of us ate outside in what we regarded as an Afghan Sukkah. We shared spinach and chicken samosas and each had his own main course. I had 4 baby lamb chops, marinated, spiced, served with basmati rice and salad. Good food, good bargain ($23).
Wednesday, September 22, 2021
We were back in a real Sukkah for lunch, guests of Butch and Toby in Englewood, New Jersey. We were joined by several people, including Jill and Steve, with whom we last traveled together to India in January 2020, a very long time ago.
The main courses were roasted salmon and roasted tilapia, served on platters of potatoes, peppers and onions cooked with them. The highlights of the meal were the beginning and the end, mushroom caps stuffed with faux sausage and cheese (Kosher all the way) and chocolate-covered blueberries, homemade by another guest.
Thursday, September 23, 2021
I drove up to the Northampton-Amherst area today for a mini reunion. While I have seen Dean Alfange, retired from UMass, twice this year already, it was only the third time in over 50 years that we had the company of Lyell Henry from Iowa and Wayne Shannon from Ohio. These three were of the "senior class" of Cornell University's Government Department's graduate students. All went on to long teaching careers, while I, true to my Hebraic heritage, wandered the employment desert for almost 40 years.
To prepare myself, I stopped for lunch on the way at Nardelli's Grinder Shoppe, 540 Plank Road, Waterbury, Connecticut, one of several in the state. I have to deny the ugly rumor that I took this trip just to have a roast beef sandwich with all the fixings, a bag of pickle-flavored potato chips and Nardelli's private label diet root beer. It's just not true -- entirely. In fact, there were no pickle-flavored potato chips, so I had Old Bay® Seasoned potato chips instead.
. . .
The reminiscences came hot and heavy among the four of us, although given the level of "maturity" that we have achieved, never did all chime in "I remember that." Barbara Alfange joined the four of us for dinner, pizza, which to accommodate the variety of personalities at the table, seemed to have a different topping every square inch. The evening ended with Wayne, who plays piano professionally, entertaining us with songs written no later than 1940, almost too progressive for Dean's taste.
Friday, September 24, 2021
We four old men met for breakfast at the Whately Diner, 372 State Road, Whately, Massachusetts. It served its breakfast items in such large portions that I was satisfied with just one blueberry pancake.
. . .
I learned that Lyell, a student of the underexplored corners of American history, is working on a book about Pedestrianism, the sport of long distance walking, popular from the Civil War to the start of WWI. While it gave rise to race walking, Pedestrianism was notable for the sheer distance covered rather than the time taken, which is how the American version eventually overshadowed its British origins. https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20210723-the-strange-19th-century-sport-that-was-cooler-than-football
According to Lyell, New York to San Francisco was a typical course, although the popularity of Pedestrianism led to indoor contests at Madison Square Garden. One of the superstars of the sport was Frank Hart, a Black man, esteemed and abused for his accomplishments. https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/frank-hart-pedestrianism
. . .
One the way home, I met up with Marge C., retired plastic surgeon, active wonderful person. We skipped lunch and went directly to Holy Cow Ice Cream Shop, 51 Church Hill Road, Newtown, Connecticut. Holy
Cow makes its own ice cream. I had one scoop of Caramel Apple Nut,
apple ice cream with peanuts and caramel swirl, and one scoop of
Chocolate Peanut Butter Chip, chocolate ice cream with chocolate chips
and a peanut butter swirl. What's not to like?
Note that we were very close to the site of the Sandy Hook Massacre, where 26 people, including 20 children between six and seven years old, were murdered by one person with an assault rifle. Thoughts and prayers were profuse nationally after this tragedy. Connecticut, New York and Maryland enacted some gun control measures as a result; ten other states loosened gun control measures. https://nymag.com/
The federal government did nothing.
love to read about your wonderful food excursions and your many friends keep on truckin
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