Vayikra, this week's Torah portion, deals extensively with animal sacrifice, very much a part of Hebrew custom in the old days. It made me wonder why all the attention to this practice; why did the ancients even bother with it at all?
I think that at an early stage humankind realized that there were forces beyond its control, lightning, earthquakes, volcanoes. In many societies, this coalesced into a view of a transcendent force intervening in human affairs, putting humankind at its mercy. Even way back then, human ego was probably well developed and someone decided to exercise control over animals to compensate for the fearful lack of control over his/her own destiny. Animal sacrifice offered the fleeting pretense of mastery of the surrounding world.
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In 1992, historian and political scientist Francis Fukuyama published "The End of History and the Last Man," a work that drew a lot of attention. He argued that the fall of the Soviet Union heralded the worldwide spread of liberal democracies and free-market capitalism. Western values and lifestyle were the end point of humanity's sociocultural evolution. This was very encouraging to many, but someone forgot to give Vladimir Putin a copy and Fukuyama would soon back away from his thesis.
Now, I understand how Fukuyama felt prior to publication. I think that I may have found the best cookie in the world, which will allow me to rest. This is Fortnum & Mason's "Chocolossus Biscuit," 16 cookies, weighing 600 grams, in a decorative tin cylinder at £18.95. Fortnum & Mason is Zabar's with a British accent.
. . .
Thanks to Stony Brook Steve for submitting this story. https://patch.com/new-york/
I'm so pleased that I don't have to go far for a $1,000 sushi meal.
Sunday, March 13, 2022
An interview with Karen Jay Fowler, a novelist, in the New York Times Book Review has this Q&A:
Has a book ever brought you closer to another person, or come between you?
As a young woman I dated a man who told me I should read “Dune.” Also “The Left Hand of Darkness.” If I hadn’t loved those books, I probably wouldn’t have married him.
I had the opposite experience. I read "Dune" at the urging of a woman with whom I was madly in love, until I read "Dune."
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Since returning from London, we have not ventured very far from Palazzo di Gotthelf, so my cousin Michael, who lives 16 miles away, gave me this shocking news. Jacques Torres has closed his store at 285 Amsterdam Avenue, that reliable source of chocolates, hot chocolate, ice cream and my favorite chocolate chip cookies (now second overall to F&M's fabulous creation).
He is not entirely out of business, but the nearest cookie is at Grand Central Station, which is, after all, closer than London.
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The national environmental nonprofit Sierra Club has canceled its scheduled trips to Israel in response to pressure from progressive and anti-Zionist groups. Fortunately, their trip to China on October 9-22 is still open.
. . .
If you would rather search for a new home rather than travel to China, here is where the vacancies are.
https://www.lendingtree.com/
To summarize: Vermont, Maine and Alaska are the states with the highest vacancy rates, although seasonality may affect this. Oregon, Washington and Connecticut are the states with the lowest vacancy rates and there is no ready explanation for this.
Monday, March 14, 2022
Stony Brook Steve and I had lunch at Jin Ramen, 462 Amsterdam Avenue. Although it had a shack in the curb lane and four two-tops on the sidewalk, we ate at one of the ten two-tops inside. The menu is relatively large, with many rice dishes and noodles in and out of soup.
I had Japanese Beef Curry Dry Ramen, which was actually fairly wet ($16). It's described as thinly sliced beef brisket sauteed with onions, garnished with benishoga (pickled ginger), white scallions, shredded nori (seaweed) and sesame seeds over ramen noodles. It was very filling and very good. It was also fun ignoring a fork and attacking it with chopsticks.
Steve ordered Tuna Yukke Don, cubed tuna sashimi, shredded egg, avocado, cucumber, and kaiware (radish seeds) in a sweet sesame sauce, topped with a poached egg, sprinkled with togarashi (a mixture of sesame seeds, chili peppers, orange peel and other spices [might be good on a bagel]) over rice ($19). He, too, pronounced himself satisfied and full.
Tuesday, March 15, 2022
12 days ago, we had lunch with David Mervin in Manchester, England. Tonight, I had dinner with his son John at Turntable Chicken Jazz, 20 West 33rd Street, possibly the best name for a restaurant anywhere. This is a Korean joint, with an emphasis on chicken, no surprise. In spite of the name, I saw lots of reel-to-reel tape recorders mounted on the walls, but no turntables. Whatever the source of the background music, it was loud, but most of the young crowd shouted over it.
We shared a large combo, five drumsticks and 10 wings, some (very) spicy, some not ($31.95), and very good French fries ($8.50). You'll eat well, but not quietly.
. . .
Our evening wasn't over. John and I proceeded to Madison Square to watch the Rangers win in overtime, thanks to Adam Fox, the Jewish hockey player from Long Island, born on February 17th, don't you know.
Wednesday, March 16, 2022
The Sierra Club has changed its mind and restored trips to Israel, along with other nasty places. https://www.timesofisrael.com/
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All my lunches are special, but today was extra special. I had lunch with Ilana Marcus a judge of the New York City Civil Court. We worked as fellow clerks during the last years of my employment in the court system and I quickly came to admire her personal and professional strengths. Even then, we hit Chinatown together on occasion, a demonstration of her sound judgment.
We met at Hop Lee, 16 Mott Street, a classic Chinatown joint. Only the bottom of its two levels was open, furnished with half a dozen booths and a couple of large round tables. It has a very large menu, too large perhaps because there was no Peking duck or snails in black bean sauce, our initial requests. Instead, we ordered two lunch specials, chicken with bitter melon and scrambled eggs with shrimp, full-size portions at $6.75. We added Singapore chow fun ($8.95), loaded with eggs, green onions, yellow onions, pork, shrimp and bamboo shoots, but too sparing of the curry powder. With tea and rice, we still ate very well for $15 a person. Given Ilana's position, I could neither treat nor be treated.
Thursday, March 17, 2022
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ReplyDeletecookies to a type1 diabetic.
Chocolossus Biscuit sounds positively sinful!
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