Sunday, December 19, 2021
With some hesitancy, we continue to take steps back towards a normal existence. Today, we went to an afternoon performance of "Assassins," probably the most unusual subject for a Stephen Sondheim work. It's the third time I've seen it in various venues. I can't say that I "like" it, a trite comment in the face of the violence and death it portrays. But, I like it.
Afterwards, we went around the corner to Han Dynasty, 90 Third Avenue, one of its four local branches. I've been to their location at 215 West 85th Street, which physically could not differ more. Uptown occupies a bright, airy space that was once a hotel ballroom, high ceilings, Greek columns, very majestic. Downtown is a boxy space, dark floors, dark furniture, dark walls except for a vividly-colored mural of two glowering dragons on the longest wall.
Handy Nasty is known for its very spicy Sichuan cuisine and you have to regard that when you order. We shared cold sesame noodles, which had a faint taste of anise ($10.95). I would have preferred the taste of more peanut butter at that price. The main courses were more successful. I had lamb in garlic sauce with ginger, garlic, mushrooms, green peppers, red peppers and onions, a delicious dish ($26.95). Madam had fried tofu Kung Pao-style, peanuts, bell peppers, onions and chili pepper, which I sampled with great satisfaction ($23.95). Note that these prices are much higher than seen on-line, but you are supposed to be happy to be alive.
. . .
"The ‘West Side Story’ Remake We Didn’t Need" is one of the more offensive opinion pieces in a long time. https://www.nytimes.com/2021/
The author, an anthropology professor, concedes first that "I never saw the original 'West Side Story,'" before ravaging it and the new Spielberg-Kushner version. Then, his 20 column-inch essay fails to include any mention of Romeo or Juliet or "Romeo & Juliet." A sub headline not necessarily written by the author, nevertheless, captures his viewpoint: "Give us the resources to craft new stories, not updates of old ones."
Other material that probably eluded the anthropologist includes Mark Twain: "There is no such thing as a new idea. It is impossible. We simply take a lot of old ideas and put them into a sort of mental kaleidoscope." And, famously there was Isaac Newton writing in 1675: "If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants." I fear that the good professor has remained with his feet firmly planted on the ground.
Monday, December 20, 2021
John Maynard Keynes, the British economist who provided revolutionary insights into public policy, opposing fiscal conservatives, said "Anything we can actually do, we can afford." He has been right over and over again, the proof often coming not from attempts to uplift the disadvantaged, but quite the opposite.
Some notorious examples come from the sports world. "Glendale, on the other side of Phoenix, . . . [a] small city of 250,000 paid most of the $220 million it cost to build the arena, which opened in December 2003" for the Arizona Coyotes, the worst team in the National Hockey League. To lure the Oakland Raiders to move "officials in Clark County, Nev., . . . paid $750 million in construction costs for a new [football] stadium right off the Strip."
This contrasts with, "Preliminary results indicate voter disapproval of the bond issue needed to provide funding for acquisition, construction, renovation, and equipping school facilities as provided by Elko County [Nevada] School District’s capital improvement plan." (October 26, 2021)
No doubt the opposition to the Elko school bond proposal argued that they could not afford it. Would outfitting the schoolchildren with skates or shoulder pads have helped?
. . .
I practice what I preach, at least some of the time. Today, I had lunch at Pastrami Queen, 1175 Lexington Avenue, in the company of Michael Ratner. Pastrami Queen is Kosher -- no BLTs, no Reubens, no cheeseburgers -- just the way the Israelites ate crossing the Sinai Desert for 40 years. I had a corned beef/roast beef combo, a very large, expensive sandwich at $26.50. Michael had a bowl of matzo ball soup and half a corned beef sandwich for $22. We shared a large order of French fries ($8.75) and came away stuffed and true to our faith.
Tuesday, December 21, 2021
I wasn't bothered by the headline reading "The $1 Pizza Slice Becomes Inflation’s Latest Victim," because I usually order my pizza with stuff on it -- mushrooms or meatballs, for instance --
knocking me out of the $1 slice market right away. https://www.nytimes.com/2021/
The article provides an interesting sidelight on the local pizza business, though. It quotes 5 pizzeria owners, namely Mohammad Abdul, Eli Halali, Hakki Akdeniz, Abdul Batin, and Teddy Gross. I don't think that any of them regularly attend Knights of Columbus meetings. Where have you gone, Joe DiMaggio?
Wednesday, December 22, 2021
Walking through midtown Manhattan near lunchtime this chilly day, I thought that chicken soup would be part of a good meal. When I got to Joe's Home of Soup Dumplings, 7 East 48th Street, I found the near-perfect answer, 6 chicken steamed soup dumplings at $10.95. I sat on a stool at one end of the long, blonde wood counter separated from the prep area by a thick glass partition. Behind me were 16 or so tables of varying sizes, fully occupied at 1 P.M., in contrast to the typical narrow, cramped dumpling joint.
In addition to the delicious soup dumplings, I had "Shredded chicken w. Vermicelli noodles" ($8.25), very enjoyable, but with a quibble and a question. In order, the tasty peanut buttery sauce covering the ample portion of shredded chicken, cucumber slivers and noodles was a bit watery. Then, I understand vermicelli to be the equivalent of angel hair pasta, long delicate threads. This dish, however, contained chow fun, the broad flat noodle. What's up with that?
Thursday, December 23, 2021
Santa is about to give the Upper West Side a nice gift -- a branch of Venchi Chocolate & Gelato, founded in Turin, Italy over 140 years ago. I passed by this morning at the southwest corner of 69th Street and Columbus Avenue as a couple of guys were applying some cosmetic touches to an otherwise ready-to-go operation. Immediately opposite on the northwest corner is Magnolia Bakery, making this Carbohydrate Corner.
Magnolia and its fussy cupcakes gained prominence when its original downtown location served as a frequent setting for "Sex and the City." While neither the cupcakes nor the show made me a regular Magnolia customer, I can recommend their layer cakes, tall, hefty slices selling in the $6-8 range.
Friday, December 24, 2021
Cornucopia?
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