Saturday, May 6, 2023
Can’t say we weren’t warned.
Actually, we dared to enter and watch the Encores! revival of “Oliver” where, yes, I was the one booing. In a pure display of masochism, Nancy, a fallen woman, sings of her love for Bill Sikes, a thoroughly loathsome character.
In spite of what you see
I’m sure that he needs me
What you see is Bill beating Nancy and eventually killing her. Don’t give me need.
Sunday, May 7, 2023
Representative Keith Self, Republican, who represents Allen, Texas, said on CNN that critics who are calling for more than “thoughts and prayers” after Saturday’s shooting “don’t believe in almighty God, who is absolutely in control of our lives.”
No matter which side of the theological fence you find yourself, this is nonsense, if not worse. If there is an almighty God, it is failing to adequately control our lives. It needs help. If there is not an almighty God, humankind has a job to do. Thoughts and prayers are not getting the job done, but they sure distract us from the hard work to be done.
. . .
Allen, Texas is 1,550 miles from the Holy Land. Maybe we should just mind our own business. OK, 50% of working-age households in New York City do not have incomes that cover basic needs, such as housing, food, healthcare and transportation. https://
Feel better now?
Monday, May 8, 2023
I got back to Urban Hawker, 135 West 50th Street, that food court populated with Singaporean vendors. I bought Prawn Paste Chicken Fried Rice at Mr. Fried Rice ($16), a tasty chicken cutlet over a pile of fried rice. I have no idea where the prawn paste was. There was a small bowl of soup gratis, which, at first glance, appeared to be a watery broth. However, after one spoonful, a big hit of pepper kicked in, evoking a smile at the deception.
. . .
Welcome to the Sunshine State. Floridians may now carry concealed guns without a permit. Previously, gun owners needed to pass a safety course and a background check.
Tuesday, May 9, 2023
I met Johnathan the Artist at Baodega, 7 West 20th Street, for lunch. It’s a long room with exposed brick on most of its western wall and a strange assortment of lamps hanging in its back half. There are a dozen four-tops and another half dozen in a rear garden.
It offers 16 lunch specials, all but two for $15, including a spring roll and soup of the day. Those items are mostly ordinary and best skipped. The menu features two dozen dim sum, leaning on dumplings (bao, get it?), steamed or pan fried, with chicken, pork, mushroom, shrimp, crab roe fillings, ranging from $7.50 to $11.95.
We shared a large scallion pancake ($8.50), chicken soup dumplings (6 pieces $10.95), and Dan Dan noodles with roast duck ($19.95). The latter was a bit of a surprise, a quarter of a duck served separately from the spicy noodles. The slightly crispy skin of the duck was the taste highlight, covering meat that was sometimes fatty, sometimes not.
Wednesday, May 10, 2023
I consider Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan a smart cookie and not just because her parents were members of my shul.
However, when a group of her high school friends wanted to send her a
care package from the legendary Russ & Daughters, 179 East Houston
Street, one of the prospective donors reported: "She turned it down because her ethical standard is to not accept any gifts. I mean, she said no to lox and bagels!”
Forget about comparing Kagan's ethical standards to Clarence Thomas's, refusing Russ & Daughters just ain't very smart.
. . .
I had the pleasure of Terrific Tom's company for lunch at Awe Sum Dim Sum, 612 Eighth Avenue, which is consistently in line with its name. We shared BBQ pork buns (3 pieces $5.95), soup dumplings (4 pieces $7.95), baked BBQ pork buns (2 pieces $5.95), fried shrimp rolls wrapped with bacon (3 pieces $7.95), house fried egg noodles with
carrot, mushrooms and chives ($6.95).
We sat for the longest time in one of the half dozen big wooden booths, deep with high sides, designed for semi-private snuggling it seems. Naturally, you expect me to compare Awe Sum to Baodega and I find Awe Sum better across the board. Also, it is across the street from the Port Authority Bus Terminal, so you can skip town quickly, if need be.
. . .
"The man who shot and killed 8 people at an Allen, Texas, outlet mall
legally purchased the guns used in the massacre, law enforcement said on
Tuesday." https://scrippsnews.com/
This fits in with the American Festival of Mass Shootings that seems never ending. "The weapons used in all 10 of the deadliest mass shootings of the past
decade in the U.S. [as of
March 28, 2023] were purchased legally, based on an ABC News
analysis." https://abcnews.go.com/US/10-
So, you see, no crime was committed before the murders.
Friday, May 11, 2023
To end the week in Asia, madam and I ate dinner at aRoqa, 206 Ninth Avenue, the excellent Indian restaurant that has risen to the top of our list. We shared Corn Paddu ($16), round fritters made of corn meal and semolina, and Kataifi Mushrooms ($17), chopped mushrooms rolled in shredded phyllo (you'd swear it was Nabisco shredded wheat), two of the most fabulous appetizers in the world.
I had an excellent tasting chicken biryani, though a bit short on the chicken ($23). Madam had aloo gobi, potatoes, cauliflower, spices and herbs in a mildly sweet sauce ($21). Even the bread was special, onion seed naan ($6). This was our fourth visit to aRoqa, but I saw its black porcelain toilet bowl for the first time.
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