Is Anything Alright?

Saturday, June 18, 2022 

There’s catholic and then there’s Catholic.  A bishop has ordered a school in Massachusetts to remove Catholic from its name, because of its expressions of racial and gender inclusivity.  https://www.cnn.com/2022/06/16/us/massachusetts-middle-school-bishop-statements/index.html

Apparently, the universality of Catholicism ends at the Worcester city limits.

.  .  .

According to a profile in The New Yorker, Yoko Ono organized a series of concerts and performances in 1961 in a downtown Manhattan loft.

“At some sessions, Ono herself ‘performed’ art works.  One consisted of mounting a piece of paper on the wall, opening the refrigerator and taking out food, such as Jell-O, and throwing it against the paper.  At the end, she set the paper on fire.”  Ars gratia artis.

Sunday, June 19, 2022

You can add Antioch, Tennessee, Baltimore, Maryland and Alexandria, Virginia to the places I am least likely to move to as explained by their prominence in this survey of “fastest-emerging dog-friendly cities.”

https://www.zillowgroup.com/news/top-10-fastest-emerging-dog-friendly-cities/

I’m just not a dog person.  It seems to involve all the responsibilities of child raising without the prospect of eventually providing you with adoring grandchildren.

By coincidence, I lived in Alexandria, Virginia for a very pleasant year over 30 years ago, presumably when there were far fewer dogs.

Monday, June 20, 2022

There is a lot of gloom and doom about these days with two exceptions — the National League standings and the strength of the American dollar abroad.  The British pound is down to $1.23 and the Euro almost $1.05. So, if you have any dollars lying around, you may be able to enjoy “Europe’s Top New Restaurants,” according to Opinionated About Dining.

https://www.oadguides.com/lists/europe/top-new-restaurants/2022

Don't despair at facing the starchiness of these elite establishments.  OAD also provides a list at the other end of the economic bell curve.  https://www.oadguides.com/lists/europe/cheap-eats/2022

If you would rather stay home, here is an authoritative list of the best pizza in the good old USA.  Note where #1 is.

https://www.50toppizza.it/50-top-pizza-usa-2022-the-pizzeria-una-pizza-napoletana-in-new-york-has-been-named-the-best-pizzeria-in-the-usa/

Tuesday, June 21, 2022

In convention, the Texas Republican Party "reject[ed] the certified results of the 2020 Presidential election, and we hold that acting President Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. was not legitimately elected by the people of the United States."

https://www.cnn.com/2022/06/20/politics/texas-gop-convention-resolution/index.html

Interesting, but how are they going to handle the fact that in 2020 Texas voters also elected a U.S. Senator, 1 of 3 members of the Texas Railroad Commission, 8 of 15 members of the Texas Board of Education, all of its seats to the House of Representatives, 4 of 9 seats on the Supreme Court of Texas, 3 of 9 seats on the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, 21 of 80 seats on the Texas Appellate Courts, all of the seats of the Texas House of Representatives and 17 of 34 seats in the Texas State Senate, predominantly Republicans, as well as giving a majority to the incumbent.  Why did the demonic Soros/Venezuela/Chinese ballots/vote flipping machines/Sharpie marker/stuffed suitcase/blocked poll watcher conspiracy fail so miserably here? 

Wednesday, June 22, 2022

Normally, Times Square is not a dining destination unless you want to know what the rest of America is eating.  Fortunately, there has been a relatively recent outcropping of dim sum joints that warrant a visit to the Crossroads of the World.  Tim Ho Wan, 610 Ninth Avenue at West 43rd Street, is the best settled, part of a Hong Kong-based chain that has won praise from Michelin and me.  Less than a year old is AweSum Dim Sum, 612 Eighth Avenue near West 40th Street, bright and airy with a reliable kitchen.  Newest is Dim Sum Sam, 240 West 40th Street near Eighth Avenue, newly-opened, where I had lunch today.  After ordering at a counter in front, seating is in an open room entirely furnished in blonde wood at the end of a long narrow corridor. 

I had good company in Terrific Tom and Johannes Groschupf, a novelist visiting from Berlin.  Johannes is a successful author of mystery and young adult books, with an absorbing interest in New York and New York things.  That included Chinese food.  He started with a bowl of spicy BBQ pork noodle soup ($11.95) and then he joined us in sharing a scallion pancake (not recommended) ($6.25); shrimp dumplings ($6.95 for 4 pieces); "Crispy Roast Pork Buns" ($7.25 for 3 not crispy pieces); "Crispy Shrimp Roll" ($6.25 for 3 pieces); spicy mushroom dumplings ($6.25 for 3 pieces); roast duck spring rolls ($6.25 for 3 pieces); black peppercorn chicken puffs ($7.25 for 3 pieces). 

In addition to dim sum, Sam serves BBQ chicken, duck and pork in various forms.  Overall, it rates as Good, AweSum as Better and THW as Best.

 

Friday, June 24, 2022

Some folks will attempt to rationalize the overturning of Roe v. Wade, 410 U.S. 113 (1973), today by citing other examples of jettisoning precedents, most typically Brown v. Board of

Education, 347 U.S. 483 (1954), overturning Plessy v. Ferguson, 163 U.S. 537 (1896).  It ain't the same, bud.  Plessy institutionalized harm to citizens of the United States.  Mississippi, Texas and other states poised to effectively eliminate abortion in the absence of Roe will be imposing harm on its citizens, denying them medical choices and control over their own bodies.  

And, don't get me started on guns.

Breaks of the Game

Saturday, June 1, 2022 

In the words of Chester A. Riley, “What a revolting development this is.”  Grandson Boaz’s middle school graduation went off swimmingly yesterday.  He was one of a small group of remarkably thoughtful teenagers who are leaving the warm and friendly environment of the eighth grade for the intimidating world of HIGH SCHOOL.

Today, Boaz joined his Natick Cyclone teammates for a playoff game in his youth soccer league and, in a hard collision with an opponent, fractured his clavicle.  This unfortunate event turns some of his forthcoming plans inside out.  His class is taking a camping trip to Vermont on Monday, which he may have to miss.  Of greater consequence to his grandparents, the July 2nd departure on our trip to Iceland with him may be aborted (with apologies to the United States Supreme Court).

He was seen at an urgent care facility and a thorough workup may not occur until next week.  Wisely, America’s Favorite Epidemiologist had taken out trip insurance, because of public health concerns.  We await further developments.

. . .



Remember the hysterical claims that the Holy Land was suffering massive defections, typically emanating from people who never were and never would be real New Yorkers.  In fact, the latest data show that the rush is on to squeeze back into inadequate space at exorbitant prices.

https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/2022-manhattan-real-estate-moving-data/

. . .

Once you get here, you are going to have to eat something.  TimeOut New York has updated its list of the best restaurants and a few are actually affordable.

https://www.timeout.com/newyork/restaurants/100-best-new-york-restaurants

Tuesday, June 14, 2022

It may not be one of the 100 best local restaurants, but 456 New Shanghai Restaurant, 69 Mott Street, made New York magazine’s best 1,000 list.  https://nymag.com/listings/restaurant/456-shanghai-cuisine/

The seven of us sat at one of its several round tables for a hearty and satisfying lunch today.  We shared soup dumplings, scallion pancake (the only dud), cold sesame noodles, spicy chicken with orange flavor, spicy shredded beef, jumbo shrimp in lobster sauce, pork fried rice and chicken fried rice, paying $18 each.  The main topic of conversation was "Gender or Sex: Which is Which?"

. . .

I admit that I am disturbed by much of the thinking that passes for American public opinion.  However, in 1964, Richard Hofstadter published his essay "The Paranoid Style in American Politics," that began "American politics has often been an arena for angry minds" and gave evidence of this back to colonial days.  https://harpers.org/archive/1964/11/the-paranoid-style-in-american-politics/

I never thought that we were alone in this regard and am well aware of many more bizarre and dangerous ideas throughout the world.  It was the British, though, that I considered a rock of rationality, that is, until I read a recent study that shows "a disconcertingly high number of adults in England do not agree with the scientific and governmental consensus on the coronavirus pandemic."  https://www.ox.ac.uk/news/2020-05-22-conspiracy-beliefs-reduces-following-government-coronavirus-guidance

More than just expressing pseudo-scientific skepticism, almost 20% of "2,500 adults, representative of the English population for age, gender, region, and income," agree with each of these two disparate statements:

• "Jews have created the virus to collapse the economy for financial gain."
• "Muslims are spreading the virus as an attack on Western values."

Wednesday, June 15, 2022

I was graced by a visit from cousin Jerry Latter -- his paternal grandfather Samuel Latter and my paternal grandmother Yetta Latter, were brother and sister, born in Zuromin, Poland in the 1870s.  He came to fill in some gaps in his prodigious genealogical research into the descendants of Marx Lato and Marian Laia Ryzowy, who married in 1857.  Lato became Latter apparently when some family members  migrated to Great Britain around the turn of the 20th century. 

Bringing his own scanner and laptop, Jerry added pictures from my brother's Bar Mitzvah in 1949 and mine in 1955, as well as some varied Gotthelf family photos we supplied, to his vast collection.  As a small reward for his great efforts, I brought in bagels and whitefish salad from Zucker's Bagels & Smoked Fish, 273 Columbus Avenue.

Thursday, June 16, 2022

I have just come across an example of cultural appropriation that may not rival sushi at Oberlin College ("culturally appropriative sustenance system") (https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2015/12/21/oberlin-college-sushi-disrespectful-to-japanese/) or calling a paleface Chief Executive Officer, but still offends my ethnic sensibilities. 

The Maven Law Group of Denver, Colorado, is representing Lauren Boebert, Colorado Republican, in a potential defamation suit.  https://www.yahoo.com/news/rep-lauren-boebert-refutes-disgusting-232404242.html?fr=yhssrp_catchall

Boebert, as you may know, makes Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene sound like the Voice of Reason.  But that's not my point.  There isn't a Member of the Tribe to be discerned among the Maven Law Group lawyers.  https://www.mavenlawgroup.com/professionals

Admittedly, not all Jews are mavens, but at least some mavens should be Jews.  For example, Yan Goldshteyn is identified as the "Principal attorney" of the Maven Law Firm of Beverly Hills, California, obviously not to be confused with the Maven Law Group of Denver, Colorado.  

Friday, June 17, 2022

Medical Report

Boaz is doing fine, his right arm in a sling.  He had to miss the class trip, but will only have to forgo horseback riding on our forthcoming trip to Iceland, joining me back at the corral.

 . . .

 

Texas Senator John Cornyn, the lead Republican negotiator on prospective gun reform legislation, spoke these inspiring words to a gathering in Houston earlier today: 

"Democrats pushed for an assault weapons ban, I said no. They tried to get a new three-week mandatory waiting period for all gun purchases, I said no. Universal background checks, magazine bans, licensing requirements, the list goes on and on and on. And I said no, no, 1,000 times no."

https://www.cnn.com/2022/06/17/politics/john-cornyn-booed-by-republicans/index.html

. . .

 

It is America's Favorite Epidemiologist's birthday and we celebrated with dinner at Boulud Sud, 20 West 64th Street, "Chef Daniel Boulud’s vibrant celebration of the sun and the sea."  We actually sat in the shade and away from the shoreline, but enjoyed ourselves, nevertheless.  I ate most of the taramasalata, whipped smoked cod roe, served with homemade dill potato chips ($23).  The birthday girl had "Shabazi [blend of  green chiles, parsley and coriander] Spiced" Mediterranean sea bass, with tahina, bulgur wheat and green garbanzos ($38).  I had Moroccan chicken tagine, with turnips, preserved lemon and couscous ($38).  Nothing was cheap, but everything was very good, including the service, and the complimentary chocolate dessert was excellent.  In all, a good choice for a special occasion, although I wish that more of the male guests were wearing long pants.

Pie In the Sky?

Saturday, June 4, 2022

I was about to write that Jay Stanley, whom I have known since his boyhood, is wise beyond his years, forgetting briefly that I am not the only one who has aged in the interim.  I thought of this when I read "Communities Should Have a Say in Whether They Want Drones," his recent piece in the Wall Street Journal.  

https://www.wsj.com/articles/communities-should-have-a-say-in-whether-they-want-drones-faa-flight-delivery-package-cameras-record-11654272652?reflink=share_mobilewebshare

Jay wrote that "Walmart recently said it plans to introduce drone deliveries to 34 sites across six states by year-end, reaching up to four million households.  Each drone can move 10 pounds of merchandise, remotely controlled by FAA-certified pilots."  I might find this tolerable if the shipments were limited to prescription medicine, diapers, baby formula, personal hygiene products and certain cookies.  However, will those in charge be able to resist urgent requests for beer, cigarettes and Twinkies?

. . .

The Holy Land had near perfect weather today, temperature, humidity, clear skies just as you would dial it up.  We took advantage of this by going to dinner outside with Gentleman Jerry and Gentlewoman Melanie at The Thonglor, 789 Ninth Avenue.  It's a new Thai restaurant, small, nine two-tops crowded into a narrow space, named for a trendy neighborhood in Bangkok.  For reasons of health and safety, we took two tables out onto the sidewalk, providing a bit more space to staff (two people scurrying around) and patrons occupying all the other available seats.

Not only was the restaurant crowded, but the sidewalks saw a constant parade of people celebrating graduations, the start of Pride Month, or "I am in New York and my parents aren't."  It made you almost forget what the rest of the world is like right now.  

We shared an order of vegetable dumplings ($7 for six pieces), very light, with near-translucent wrappers; Thonglor spring rolls, “mixed vegetables wrapped into a crispy spring roll pastry served with plum sauce” ($6 for three pieces), done just right.  We then branched out.  I had Pad Thai Noodle Bacon ($16), a large portion of rice noodles stir-fried with egg, bacon, bean sprouts, scallions and chopped peanuts.  Another interesting dish on the table was Pra Raam Chicken, sautéed chicken with peanut sauce and steamed broccoli served with jasmine rice ($15.95).

We all felt almost satisfied enough to skip going next door to Holey Cream, 791 Ninth Avenue, but not quite.  It advertises a stunning array of choices, with at least 24 flavors of ice cream and frozen yogurt on display.    https://m.yelp.com/menu/holey-cream-new-york?adjust_creative=apple&utm_campaign=action_link_view_menu&utm_medium=feed_v2&utm_source=apple   

The basic scoop is $5.75, more than a pint of Ben & Jerry’s in many stores, but less than most local competitive scoopers.  I had a delicious cup of cinnamon bun ice cream, “Cinnamon ice cream with sweet cinnamon swirls and cinnamon sugar dough bites.”

  

Sunday, June 5, 2022

"With home prices at record highs and inventory at record lows, nearly two-thirds of non-homeowners (64%) say [that] an affordability factor is holding them back from owning a home, according to a new Bankrate.com report."  https://www.bankrate.com/pdfs/pr/20220330-march-fsp.pdf

Those factors include low income, high prices, high down payment, bad credit, too much debt, low inventory.  While younger folk seem to be daunted by high prices, older folk don't seem to have the financial resources to pursue homeownership and that's a sad story.

. . .

There is no typo in Holey Scream, the joint that we visited last night.  Besides excellent ice cream, at least based on one sampling, it offers donuts, elaborately decorated donuts, what we would call in Brooklyn ungepatchket.  Which reminds me that Danny Macaroons has expanded his empire to Super Nice Coffee and Bakery, 198 West 108th Street, a branch of the original at 156 East 117th Street.  While Danny is famous appropriately for his macaroons, he, too, sells donuts and other pastries.  The new shop is around the corner from Absolute Bagels, 2799 Broadway, allowing you to get the finest in carbohydrates in one sojourn.

Monday, June 6, 2022

I returned to the Halal cart in front of the Apple Store on Broadway at West 67th Street, for the first time in over two years.  I had my usual -- grilled chicken/mystery meat combo over rice with pita, lots of white sauce, a little red sauce ($8).  I don't know what flavor Arab the man in the cart is, but we have been practicing peaceful coexistence for many years and he welcomed me back with a larger than average serving.

The atrium at 1991 Broadway, right next door, serves as my dining room.  It has a dozen tables and comfortable chairs.  While a homeless person or two may be in attendance and a cluster of middle-schoolers appear at 3 PM on school days, the space is generally clean, calm and convenient.

Tuesday, June 7, 2022

This analysis claims that almost 4 billion robocalls were placed in May.  https://robocallindex.com/history/time

Why did I receive most of them?

. . .

"A new study found death rates are improving faster in Democratic counties than Republican ones." 

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/health/2022/06/07/republican-democratic-counties-study-shows-widening-death-rate-gap/7530296001/

“White Americans who live in Democratic areas are much more likely to have great improvements in health compared to white people who live in Republican counties.”  However, people of color were consistently less healthy regardless of location.  Will someone notify Fox News of the new Replacement Theory -- healthy white Democrats are replacing sickly white Republicans? 

. . .

On the other hand, some presumably white Democrats are showing signs of mental illness.  "The San Francisco Unified School District will no longer use the word 'chief' in job titles because of concerns from Native Americans."  https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/education/2022/05/27/san-francisco-school-district-bans-chief-titles/9959030002/   

Wednesday, June 8, 2022

Hurray!  A European Union mandate set to begin in 2026 will require all new smartphones, tablets and laptops to use a common charger.    

Thursday, June 9, 2022

The Upper West Side’s Power Couple hit the road to spend the weekend celebrating grandson Boaz’s graduation from middle school.  Instead of immediately heading due east to the Boston suburbs, we headed north to visit Barbara and Dean Alfange in their small town above Amherst, Massachusetts.

Dean retired as a distinguished professor of American government at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, which, by coincidence, happens to be the nominal target of a pernicious inhuman rights group.  “The Mapping Project says UMass Amherst supports ‘ethnic cleansing and colonization of Palestine…through its campus Hillel, pro-Israel course listings, statements from administration, and by hosting Israel-linked weapons manufacturers at its career fairs.’”   https://www.jta.org/2022/06/08/united-states/boston-jews-say-a-pro-palestinian-groups-map-of-local-zionist-leaders-and-powerhouse-ngos-leads-to-antisemitism

In other words, Israel is toxic and Jews are too and we can’t tell the difference, but so what?

Oh, there you go, Grandpa Alan being the touchy Jew.  Well, it’s not just Boston “progressives” on the prowl.  Some Republican politicians can’t restrain their enthusiasm for Adolf Hitler.  

https://forward.com/fast-forward/505225/buffalo-republican-endorse-hitler-uvalde-gun-control-racist/

https://forward.com/fast-forward/490502/tennessee-republican-niceley-bill-criminalize-homeless-hitler/

There’s a lot to look forward to.

Cruz Control

Saturday, May 28, 2022

“Children, keep on finger painting while I go outside and shoot the bad man.”

. . .

Sunday, May 29, 2022

Gen Z are people born between 1997 and 2012.  (What does that make us?)  The older among them are settling down, a term that I have always been uncomfortable with.  In any case, here is an analysis of home mortgage offers to them in the nation’s 50 largest metropolitan areas in 2021.   

https://www.lendingtree.com/home/mortgage/the-most-popular-us-cities-for-gen-z-homebuyers-ranked/

These young people (babies?) are seeking homes inland, Salt Lake City, Louisville and Oklahoma City the most favored destinations.  They are least likely to be looking on the coasts generally, where property values are higher and still climbing  steeply.  For those of us on the Upper West Side this means that our hallways will probably continue to smell more of garlic than marijuana.

. . .

How not to win friends and influence people: "Thousands of Israeli nationalists, some of them chanting 'Death to Arabs,' paraded through the heart of the main Palestinian thoroughfare in Jerusalem’s Old City on Sunday, in a show of force that risked setting off a new wave of violence in the tense city."  https://www.politico.com/news/2022/05/29/israel-jerusalem-march-death-arabs-00035862  

Monday, May 30, 2022

Usually, I am wary of fusion restaurants, because they are likely to be mishandling several cuisines.  We partially tested this proposition tonight at Spice Symphony, 150 East 50th Street, in the company of Eva and Jerry P.  It serves the food of India and China, countries that share a 2,100 mile long border, not always peacefully.  No hostility was evident in or about the kitchen, although we all stayed on the Indian side of the divide with success.

It's a fairly large restaurant, almost 30 tables in a cool, modern setting that could envelop any cuisine.  It was about 2/3 full on what should have been a quiet evening.  

We shared most of the dishes, but I leaned much more heavily into the chicken than the vegetables.  We had samosas ($10 for 4 pieces); tandoori Achari mushrooms, pickled mushrooms cooked in the tandoori oven ($10 for 4 pieces); Tellicherri pepper chicken cooked with freshly crushed black pepper, fennel, dry coconut and sun dried chili ($23); Aloo Gobi, potatoes, cauliflower, spices and herbs ($20); Chana Masala, chickpeas, onions, tomatoes, spices and herbs ($20); Baghare Baingan, eggplant in curry sauce ($20); plus naan and rice and wine.  Everything was very good, the mushrooms and the BB curry sauce superb.

Tuesday, May 31, 2022

As all of you Australians know, Bourke Street Bakery is a growing Sydney-based chain.  There are now three open in the Holy Land; I ate at their new 313 Amsterdam Avenue location, a hole in the wall, the only seating outside at four small café tables.  From the Internet, it appears that the other local locations are larger and more differentiated.  

This site offers an interesting array of baked goods, a few sandwiches, coffee drinks and a down-home specialty, Australian meat pie ($8), my choice for lunch.  A light lunch, actually, because it was hardly 4" in diameter, about 1" deep, although the brisket filling was very good.  Skip the dressing, Australian ketchup which overpowered the meat.  Also, note that there is no Diet Coke, but you can enjoy blood orange Galvanina Organic Fru.It, sparkling beverage with pulp from Italy.  

Wednesday, June 1, 2022

Maybe they heard us.  The first two pages of today's New York Times sports section are completely devoted to the New York Mets and the New York Rangers before moving on to a tennis match in France.  This doesn't necessarily foretell a return to printing team standings in the major sports, however.  At dinner last night, Jerry P. noted that the elimination of team standings was preceded by the elimination of television listings.  Possibly, the New York Times is taking a stand against fine print, in general, and is likely to jettison the weather report next.

. . .

A daily double.  Michael Ratner and I went to Citi Field today to see the Mets play the Nationals, my second visit of the season.  After the preordained Mets victory, we went to Flushing's Chinatown, barely one mile from the stadium.

From a long list of possibilities, we went to DaXi Sichuan Cuisine, 136-20 Roosevelt Avenue, which has been reviewed favorably by Michelin.  It is a large, well-decorated place, with a very high chamfered ceiling, sitting on the second floor of a sleek mall.  It could easily be mistaken for the comfortable lobby of a good hotel.  

The menu is fully illustrated.  Among the highlights were Sauteed Bullfrog in Chili Sauce, Marinated Pig Mouth, Soft Tofu Pudding with Salty Egg Yolk and Spam, and Pig Blood & Chili Sauce.  We reluctantly skipped those and started with cold noodles in a rice wine sauce, a somewhat mild treat ($10.99).  Then, we had Stir Fried Shrimps & Spareribs in Dry Pot (sic) ($32.99) and Sichuan Style Spicy Chicken ($23.99), not only the most expensive Chinese dishes that I have ever ordered, Peking duck aside, but the spicy hottest dishes I have eaten in this century.  The very large size of the portions was a mixed blessing.  I can only sum up that this was an experience.  

 

Thursday, June 2, 2022

The Scripps National Spelling Bee concluded tonight.  Words in the final rounds included scyllarian, pyrrolidone, Otukian and Senijextee in case you were feeling smart.

Friday, June 3, 2022

William Franklin Harrison is 21 years old now, less than two decades away from running for President of the United States.  As I first commented in 2014, William Franklin Harrison is the right name for the President of the United States.

Today, we did not talk politics over lunch at Don Antonio, 309 West 50th Street, although the Iowa caucuses are only 14 years away.  The Don is known for his  Neapolitan-style pizza cooked in a wood-fired oven, producing a thin crust with a blistered edge.  We each had the 10" Margherita with sausage and mushrooms, tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella, basil, crumbled sausage, assorted mushrooms and extra virgin olive oil ($22).  Bellissimo.