Saturday, August 27, 2022
It was no surprise that Jitterbug Jon, Brooklyn-born and bred, jumped on my subway question last week, whether, in or around 1961, the D train stopped on Chambers Street. He asserted, along with Irene L., birthplace unknown, and Irwin P., son of the Bronx, that the D train stopped on Chambers Street, at Church Street, where the A train stopped. However, this map, dating from 1948, shows the D train branching off at West 4th Street, heading to the Lower East Side and Brooklyn. https://www.nycsubway.org/
Although my father had a car, I became familiar with the subway at a young age, led by the hand to go to “the City,” riding the A train, although very far from Duke Ellington’s section. When we moved to Queens, I took two trains to get to high school and a bus and three trains to get to college. I know my subways.
. . .
We met Rob and Denise for dinner at aRoqa, 206 Ninth Avenue. It was a special pleasure, because Covid-19 kept them home in Connecticut most of the time, away from their Manhattan apartment. aRoqa is an Indian restaurant, named for the gathering of Indian mekhutanim, that delighted us with some previously unfamiliar dishes. We shared everything. Corn Paddu, corn & rice fritters, coconut, kaffir lime chutney ($16); Kataifi Mushrooms, wild mushroom croquettes served with smoke yogurt (?) & pickled onion ($17); Bhatti Murgh Chops, tandoor grilled chicken chops, rum flambé, gram flour (ground chickpeas) chutney ($21); Palak Paneer, jalapeno and Indian cheese croquettes on a bed of smoked spinach purée ($21); Chicken Tikka Masala, tandoor grilled chicken in rich creamy sauce ($26); Butternut Squash ke Kofte, served in sweet corn malai (clotted cream) sauce, broccoli garnish ($23). Très formidable, as they say in Mumbai.
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As Mae West said, "Enough is never enough." After finishing our meal, we strolled down to Ample Hills Creamery, 141 Eighth Avenue, for the best ice cream in town. This time, I found out where the name came from. "I too lived -- Brooklyn, of ample hills, was mine." Walt Whitman, "Crossing Brooklyn Ferry." Feeling poetic, I had two scoops, Ooey Gooey Butter Cake, vanilla ice cream with cream cheese and St. Louis-style ooey gooey butter cake (https://
Sunday, August 28, 2022
This young woman sought the best chocolate chip cookies in the Holy Land, a laudable venture. https://youtu.be/l-nq9pkNeJ8
Our tastes don’t coincide, however. She likes bulbous, gooey cookies, not long removed from the oven. That’s why Jacques Torres does not make her list, while he stands atop mine, with his broad, flat cookies that freeze beautifully.
Monday, August 29, 2022
The ever inquisitive scientist in my household asked about a possible criminal trial of Donald Trump. I replied that he could choose a jury trial or just a judge. Of course, might a jury of his peers require Bill Clinton, George Bush and Barack Obama, Jimmy Carter excused because of age? What of finding jurors with no opinion about the case or the defendant? Could the panel consist of 12 tree stumps?
Wednesday, August 31, 2022
A group of letters to the editor in today’s New York Times is headed “What Do I Want to Do With My Life?” My reaction was “What Does My Life Want to Do With Me?”
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Like son, like father. Three weeks ago, I spent an afternoon with William Franklin Harrison, first fueling at AweSum Dim Sum, 612 Eighth Avenue, then a Mets game. Tonight, Peter Harrison, father of the future president, joined me for an early dinner at Tim Ho Wan, 610 Ninth Avenue, and on to the critical Mets/Dodgers game, the Dodgers the only team in baseball with a better record than the Mets.
Although Pop’s ingestion lagged his son’s, it wasn’t by much, 5 dishes vs. 6 dishes. We had har gow (shrimp dumplings) ($6.80 for 4 pieces); blanched Chinese broccoli with fried garlic ($8.50); baked BBQ pork buns ($7.50 for 3 pieces); sui mai (vertical shrimp and chive dumplings) ($6.80 for 4 pieces); pan-fried chicken dumplings ($6.80 for 4 pieces). While the meal was very good, the baseball game was great. The Mets won 2-1 before a full house, with this brilliant defensive play rocking the stadium.
Thursday, September 1, 2022
Crossing the moat in front of Palazzo di Gotthelf gets me right to DiDi Dumpling, 201 Amsterdam Avenue, so I gave it a second try. It doesn’t take much to explore DiDi’s full menu: four dumplings, steamed or pan fried; two noodles; three soups.
This time, I had cold sesame noodles ($5.95) and chicken potstickers (pan-fried dumplings) ($10 for 10 pieces). I came away full, but not satisfied. I liked and disliked the noodles with each succeeding bite. The potstickers were generously sized and not particularly greasy. However, unlike so many food items that taste like chicken, the ground filling didn’t.
Friday, September 2, 2022
Pamela Ricard, who teaches math at Fort Riley, Kansas Middle School, had been
suspended for violating the Geary County Schools' Diversity and
Inclusion Policy that requires educators to refer to students by their
preferred names and pronouns. She sued claiming that "Any policy that requires Ms. Ricard to refer to a student by a
gendered, non-binary, or plural pronoun (e.g., he/him, she/her,
they/them, zhe/zher, etc.) or salutation (Mr., Miss, Ms.) or other
gendered language that is different from the student's biological sex
actively violates Ms. Ricard's religious beliefs." https://www.cnn.com/2022/09/01
Ms. Ricard is a Devout Idiot.
Re: Ms. Ricard. Who is the Name-calling Bigot?
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