Saturday, December 17, 2022
What the L?
Maybe it was too much eggnog, but I misfired in sending out the blog to many of you today. While the correct link was https://alanatlunch.
. . .
Unpublished letter to The New Yorker:
It’s clear that Eustace Tilley has never been suspected of being rooted in the Old Testament. However, as a nearly century-old New Yorker, you might imagine that he has learned to distinguish some basic local ethnic folkways. In particular, I cite his comment in the December 19, 2022 issue about “Katz’s, believed to be the oldest continuously operating deli in the country . . . [and] it’s competitor, Russ & Daughters.”
These two formidable institutions do not compete. Aside from an occasional pickle, there are no common food items, in accord with my tribe’s adherence, more or less, to the biblical injunction against mixing dairy and meat products. Russ & Daughters, an appetizing store in our Americanized lingo, deals in the former, while Katz’s focuses extravagantly on the latter.
For further clarification, I suggest that you consult with your brilliant contributor, Calvin Trillin.
Sunday, December 18, 2022
This website attempts to answer the question: Is homeownership affordable or possible for the average American family?
The answer appears resoundingly to be No. “[H]omeowners in 75 cities [of the 100 largest] across the country spend more than 30% of their income on the cost of owning a home." Some of the numbers are staggering. In Miami, 85.67% of income reputedly goes to homeownership; Los Angeles, 83.06%; New York, 78.97%. This has to pressure the rental market and/or encourage relocation, unhealthy factors for maintaining a vibrant city.
. . .
As most of the world knows, the World Cup was decided today in a match between Argentina and France. I leaned toward Argentina because of family ties, but I would have chosen France at the dining table. My lasting memory of the game was its very opening. It was scheduled for 10 A.M. EST and it began exactly on time, to the second. Remember, this was Argentina and France, not Germany and Switzerland. Style and flair, yes; precision, no.
. . .
Paul Hecht, Thespian Emeritus, sends this wonderful holiday greeting, best appreciated by straphangers near and far.
Monday, December 19, 2022
On January
11th at 6:30, the New-York Historical Society is presenting a program
on “Social Media and Dangerous Speech.” The speakers will be Nadine
Strossen, former president of the ACLU, and Olivier Sylvain, professor of law at Fordham University, also associated with the ACLU.
I
heard Strossen speak about free speech a few years ago. Her view, the
classical liberal view that is usually my default position, opposes
censorship. The more speech, the better. The answer to bad speech is
good speech, the intellectual equivalent of the National Rifle Association's position that the
way to stop a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun. Of course,
the NRA is mostly dead wrong in this regard and I'm afraid that the
ACLU is also proving wrong in the face of the omnipresence and
increasing omnipotence of social media. That makes me wrong, too, but I
haven't found another answer yet. Any ideas?
Tuesday, December 20, 2022
To send off the old year in style, whether it deserved it or not, the Boyz Club turned out en masse in Chinatown. That meant specifically Wo Hop, 17 Mott Street, the Dalai Lama of Chinatown Chinese restaurants.
Eight of us ate well for $23 each:
Soup - 6 hot and sour, 2 egg drop
Crispy fried noodles
Egg rolls
Honey crispy chicken
Moo shu chicken with pancakes
Duck chow fun
Beef lo mein
Orange beef
Mushroom fried rice
Shrimp fried rice
Wo Hop's portions are so big that we had trouble making all gone, another of its virtues.
Wednesday, December 21, 2022
As Eric Adams approaches his first year as mayor of the Holy Land, the New York Times reports “Some New Yorkers have questioned whether the mayor has moved quickly enough to solve the city’s most intractable problems, like homelessness and a lack of affordable housing." Intractable does not mean eternal, but it sure comes close in this case. And, let’s fault the mayor for letting 11 months go by without solving the city’s most intractable problems.
Friday, December 23, 2022
It almost feels good to be old-fashioned sick again. For two days, I've had a big head cold, making my nose and throat playing fields of discomfort. Yet, I've tested negative for Covid-19 as recently as this morning. So, I'm just plain sick, a sort of success these days.
Get tested for RSV. It responds quickly to anti virals. Unfortunately, I know from experience.
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