Thanksgiving

Saturday, November 18, 2023

Hamas seems to have followed the dictum of Mao Tse-Tung: “The guerrilla must move amongst the people as a fish swims in the sea.”  If you want to deal with Hamas, can you avoid collateral damage (a euphemism for killing innocent people)?   By the way, I don't believe that many of the people taking to the streets here and abroad are actually interested in curbing Hamas at all.

Sunday, November 19, 2023

According to this website, Minneapolis, Atlanta and Detroit are currently attracting the most attention in the residential rental market.  
https://www.rentcafe.com/blog/rental-market/market-snapshots/rentcafe-rental-activity-report/

The borough of Queens, my homebase for a decade, was fifth, receding from first in October.  California, which usually leads any real estate list, doesn't appear until 27th place with Riverside, immediately followed by Sacramento.  This puts them even behind the Bronx, #19.

.  .  .

Molyvos, 402 West 43rd Street, has relocated from a more elegant space on West 55th Street.  It is smaller, homier, covering two rooms.   Wine bottles line two non-adjacent walls.  Rough-cut stone covers another wall; colorful plates are hung on another.  We had dinner with Denise and Rob Teicher there tonight.

As I am finding commonplace these days, quality was high, along with the prices.  We started with three spreads,  taramasalata ("caviar" mousse, ground almonds),  tzatziki (sheep's milk yogurt, cucumber, garlic, mint, dill) and skordalia (potatoes, ground almonds, garlic) served with pita ($29).  Each of us had a different main course, lahano dolmades (cabbage stuffed with ground lamb, beef and pork $30), yemista (red peppers stuffed with rice, eggplant, zucchini, bread crumbs, manouri cheese - a byproduct of feta production $27), "Grilled Citrus Marinated Maine Sea Scallops" ($42), and moussaka (spiced ground lamb & beef. layered with potatoes, eggplant, peppers and yogurt bechamel $32), my choice.  For dessert, we were back to sharing, just some ice cream ($12) and chocolate cake ($14).

If you are interested in Molyvos, sign up for inKind and get $50 off a $150 bill, easily arrived at.  https://inkind.com/

Monday, November 20, 2023

A faithful reader suggested Mama's Too, 2750 Broadway, for pizza.  Mama's is busy, although the only seating is at five large picnic tables at the curb.  I erred with the pizza, served mostly as "squares", actually 4"x5" rectangles, $6 each.  I thought that I was hungry, but not hungry enough to eat two full thick and dense squares.  I worked my way through the good pepperoni square, but the "Upside Down" square, really the cheese buried under the tomato sauce, had cooled off by the time I got to it (or had never been that hot to begin with), tasting like leftovers.  The bottom of each square was brittle, as if it had been fried.

.  .  .

Going uptown allowed me to stop at Absolute Bagels, 2788 Broadway, to pick up half a dozen of what some consider the Holy Land's best bagels at $1.75 each.    

Tuesday, November 21, 2023

Law & Order?

"A single New York City police detective accused of trying to close murder cases by concocting false witness testimony and coercing confessions has cost taxpayers $110 million in settlements to more than a dozen people whose convictions were overturned after some had spent decades in prison."
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/20/nyregion/louis-scarcella-nypd-settlements.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=highlightShare

.  .  .

The Boyz Club gathered at Golden Unicorn, 18 East Broadway, a place where Chinese truck drivers stop for dim sum.  It has been redecorated since my last visit, July 14, 2021.  What was once blue and gold is now red and white.  There has been a disadvantageous change to the carts circling the room.  They used to each carry a sign identifying their cargo; now, if you don't recognize the item, you must trust to the language skills of the women pushing the carts.  Since our group is famously omnivorous, there was no problem.  

On the other hand, I was so distracted that I lost count of what we ate.  It seemed like a lot and I can only report that the five of us spent $130 total.

Wednesday, November 22, 2023

It has been 60 years since the assassination of John F. Kennedy, a day that I will never forget.  I asked my lunch mates yesterday where they were when they heard the news.  Ken Klein was on the Brooklyn College campus, while Michael Ratner and I were at Cornell, he a senior in the Engineering College, I a graduate student in the Government Department.  In contrast, Dan Famous Name and Naz were both three years old.  Yikes. 

.  .  .

More yikes: "The Rolling Stones are hitting the road next year on a tour sponsored by AARP [American Association of Retired Persons]."  

https://www.cnn.com/2023/11/21/entertainment/the-rolling-stones-tour-aarp?cid=ios_app

Thursday, November 23, 2023

America’s Favorite Epidemiologist demonstrated another formidable skill set by spending days preparing a classic Thanksgiving feast.  A big turkey, challah-based stuffing, cranberry/cherry sauce, butternut squash soup, mashed sweet potatoes with maple syrup and pecans, Aunt Judi’s meatballs, mushroom strudel and roasted Brussels sprouts.  Dessert is chocolate chip mandelbrot.  All prepared by her highly-educated hands.  What’s not to like?

.  .  .

In at least one regard, I prefer New York to London.  We begin our Christmas celebrations, sacred and profane, at Thanksgiving.  The British, with apparently nothing to give thanks for, start ginning up for God and Mammon whenever they choose.  

Friday, November 24, 2023

It's noon in New York and hostages are beginning to appear in Egypt, released from Gaza and on the way to Israel.  A day late, but initially a cause for Thanksgiving.

 

The Chosen People

Saturday, November 11, 2023 

According to Christopher Wray, Director of the FBI, “although Jews make up only about 2.4% of the US public, they account for about 60% of all religious-based hate crimes.”  

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-67281042

.  .  .

Sunday, November 12, 2023

For a bit of voyeurism, we have the most expensive zip codes in the U.S.  

https://www.realtyhop.com/blog/most-expensive-us-zip-codes-2023/

California has 61 of the 100 most expensive zip codes, while New York State trails with 18.  Only 12 states have at least one location.  Los Angeles itself has seven, the Holy Land relatively impoverished with five.

.  .  .

The Gannet newspaper chain, the nation’s largest, has appointed an exclusively Taylor Swift reporter.  

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/08/style/taylor-swift-reporter-bryan-west.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare

Let me confess that I am aware of Taylor Swift’s reputation, but I don’t know her music.  She is obviously fantastically successful; it is estimated “her tour could help add $5 billion to the worldwide economy.”  

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/taylor-swift-eras-tour-boosted-economy-tourism-federal-reserve-how-much-money-made/

That seems to merit the attention.  But, can a person identified male at birth do justice to one of the most important females in the world?  Is he right handed?  

Taylor Swift is right handed.  

https://celebanswers.com/is-taylor-swift-left-handed/

He’s also white.

Monday, November 13, 2023

Not only is “La Traviata” an opera by Giuseppe Verdi, at 101 West 68th Street, it is the pizzeria closest to the Metropolitan Opera House, beating Francesco’s Pizzeria, 186 Columbus Avenue, by a few yards.  While pizza is available at several restaurants bordering Lincoln Center, they don’t focus on pizza and they certainly don’t sell slices.  So, it was La Traviata for lunch before a visit to Dr. K, my Down-Thereologist.  You are certified as an old man once you have troubles Down There.  Dr. K was very helpful, telling me to lose 30 years.

As to the pizza, I had a bacon/pepperoni slice ($6) and a mushroom slice ($4).  They were so good, I didn’t mind the high prices.  Pizza by the slice risks drying out in the reheating.  Fortunately, the mushroom pizza was just being baked when I ordered, while the meat slice survived reheating nicely.  I’m ready for an encore.

Tuesday, November 14, 2023

New York State is about to decide that high school students “would also be given new ways to show they are proficient in skills, such as capstone projects, presentations or ‘performance-based assessments’” instead of the traditional Regents examinations.  

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/13/nyregion/regents-exams-new-york.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare

My first reaction to this story was that it is another example of the dumbing down of our society, a fear of making distinctions.  My next reaction was more personal.  Through college, I was a mediocre student, but I usually did very well on standardized tests, including the New York State Regents examinations.  Give me a #2 pencil and a little bubble to fill in and I was in my comfort zone.  It was no surprise that I tanked on the French Regents, getting a 71, because I had to write something, not rely on my guessing at multiple choice.

Wednesday, November 15, 2023

Stony Brook Steve and I joined Michael Ratner and his grandnephew David S. for lunch at Wo Hop, 17 Mott Street.  Michael believed it was time to introduce David to the finer things in life and we aided in the initiation, with egg rolls, duck chow fun, beef with scallions, honey crispy chicken and pork fried rice.  With a generous tip, as always, the bottom line was $90.  The boy has a bright future.

Friday, November 17, 2023

Jews don't need enemies, although so many volunteer for the opportunity.  We have a basic divide between the observant and the non-observant.  Within each segment we have denominational differences.  Apart from this, we are separated on an ethno-national basis, Ashkenazi vs. Sephardi, roughly European vs. Middle Eastern/North African (MENA) Jews.  Ashkenaz is the Hebrew word for Germany; Sepharad is the Hebrew word for Spain.  Yes, Spain is in Europe, but after the expulsion from Iberia in 1492, Jews who were not killed or converted moved into Mediterranean lands, joining Jewish populations with ancient roots.  Sephardi has become the catchall term for those Jews.  American Jews are Ashkenazi on the whole; Israel was 15% Sephardi at its founding, now 55%.  However, American Jews remain largely ignorant of the Sephardi, past and present.

This was the point of a talk by Henry Green, Professor of Religious Studies at the University of Miami, tonight at West End Synagogue.  American Jews still live in the shadow of the Holocaust.  The majority of Israeli Jews were insulated from it, but they (their ancestors) faced their own turmoil.  In 1948, when Israel was founded, there were 850,000 to one million MENA Jews.  Today, 15,000 is a good guesstimate.  https://sephardicu.com/history/jewish-population-in-10-islamic-countries/

 

Not unlike the exodus of Arabs once the state of Israel was established, Jews were pushed and pulled out of lands they had populated for centuries.  The resulting animus towards Arabs is a critical driver in Israeli politics today.  Meanwhile, Bibi Netanyahu's governing coalitions have been built around Sephardi political groups in opposition to European manners and mores. 

Room Service

Saturday, November 4, 2023 

Moving at a reasonable pace, we managed to get out of our hotel room by noon and stroll down to Belgravia, the poshest neighborhood in London.  The wait to get into Ottolenghi Chelsea, 261 Pavilion Road, one of this Israeli chef’s seven very successful local restaurants, was moderate, although the 30 seats were never empty for more than a moment.  

The lunch menu was very interesting, even if we really wanted breakfast.  Respecting the rules of the menu, I ordered "Herby mushroom, rice and cheddar fritters with rose harissa and herb yoghurt" and two side salads, "Roasted beetroot with plum dressing, gorgonzola and hazelnut" and "Roasted squash with green tahini, chestnuts, confit herbs and pumpkin brittle" (£23.50). Afterwards, comparing notes with my exotic traveling companion, we agreed that the food was more to be admired than enjoyed.

In order to balance my diet, I went to EL&N, 42 Hans Crescent, part of an international cafe chain, for dessert and struck it rich with Bogtrotter’s Chocolate Cake, a delicious creation (£8).  This rich layer cake is somehow labeled with "a disparaging term for a person of Irish birth or ancestry."

.  .  .

We had another lovely evening with Lady and Lord Kennington, starting with dinner at The Ivy Tower Bridge, Tower Bridge Road.  The Ivy in Soho was the hot spot where the rich and famous wined and dined for over 100 years.  Then, in a bold move, the company opened 60 additional restaurants in the last 10 years.  Somehow, they’ve thrived.  

We certainly enjoyed our meal tonight.  I had a brilliant steak tartare, with cornichons, shallots, capers and egg yolk, with fries (their term) (£25.95).

.  .  .

The Bridge Theatre is right next door to The Ivy and is hosting a new production of the quintessential American musical comedy "Guys & Dolls."  It has been one of London's biggest hits for months and the Lady and Lord were happily seeing it for the third time.  While it was a little sexier than other versions that I have seen, including the wonderfully idiosyncratically cast movie with Marlon Brando and Frank Sinatra, the main point of departure was the staging.  Part of the audience stood surrounding the performers in a roughly pentagonal space, with portions of the floor rising and falling scene to scene.   We sat, but the enthusiasm of the crowd was infectious.

Sunday, November 5, 2023

Typical British understatement:

 

.  .  .

 

It took three passes until we got reservations at Harry’s Dolce Vita, 27-31 Basil Street, just down the block from our hotel and across the street from Harrods.  This convenient location alone might account for its popularity, but the excellent food would draw crowds even to a Rudy Giuliani press conference site.

The fried calamari was the best that I ever had (£10.95) and the veal Parmesan was superb (£29.50).

.  .  .

What do these numbers have in common?

253

249

374

243

224

They are the room numbers that we have occupied since we checked into The Capital on Tuesday night.   Mind you, it is a lovely boutique hotel, with very attentive service, in an elegant neighborhood.  

Tonight, we were moved because, when we returned from dinner, we saw a very wet patch on the wall surrounding a light switch.  With a choice of electrocuting one of us or short circuiting the entire building, management ushered into the latest space.  There are two days to go.

Monday, November 6, 2023

The crowning event of our week in London was dinner hosted by Lady and Lord Kennington, including their fast friends Robina Rafferty and Colin and Fleur Brennan.  The evening consisted of excellent food, sparkling conversation and warm feelings.  We thank those wonderful people for adding so much to our experience.

.  .  .

We think of Americans as a very social people.  Didn't we invent slumber parties?  A new survey belies this idea, finding us more isolated than other countries.  

https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2020/03/10/older-people-are-more-likely-to-live-alone-in-the-u-s-than-elsewhere-in-the-world/

 

"In the U.S., 27% of adults ages 60 and older live alone, compared with 16% of adults in the 130 countries and territories studied."  

Tuesday, November 7, 2023

Great silver bird takes us back to the Land of the Free and the Home of the Indicted.  We return equipped with a 600 gram (well over 1 pound) tin of Fortnum & Mason’s Chocolussous Biscuits that we purchased and champagne truffles from hotel management as a peace offering.

Wednesday, November 8, 2023

We fell asleep early and arose early to victories by the national Democrats and the New York Rangers.  Almost glad to be back.

.  .  .

On the other hand, making sure not to call a spade a spade: "A group of 300 U.C. faculty members, including many at UC Berkeley, wrote a letter condemning the university system's use of the word 'terrorism' to describe Hamas' attacks on Israel."

https://buffalonews.com/college-campuses-convulsed-in-protest-during-mideast-war/article_d5c00fcb-c0bd-5a59-93c9-51b21b4e15a2.html

Thursday, November 9, 2023

I reminded myself to be on my best behavior in order to attend a local meeting of the Stanford Law School Alumni Association, featuring a talk by Nate Persily on "The Challenge of Artificial Intelligence for American Democracy and Elections."  His presentation was so thoroughly professional that you almost forgot how threatening it was.

Friday, November 10, 2023

I ate at home the rest of the week, but the publication of the latest Michelin Guide may encourage me to get out more.  https://www.opentable.com/blog/nyc-michelin-stars-2023/

King Charlesland

Saturday, October 28, 2023

Intrepid fellow travelers Jill and Steve came into Manhattan to join us for dinner at Obao Noodles & BBQ, 647 Ninth Avenue, with a menu that combines Vietnamese and Thai cuisines.  The other 70 or so diners were in an elevated mood, either on their way to a nearby Broadway show or displaying the Halloween costumes that they donned for dinner.  It was quite noisy, but, at our age, imperfect hearing is to be anticipated and occasionally a blessing.

The food was very good, with two caveats.  Portions were small and the spare ribs with honey tamarind glaze that Steve and I shared were excessively fatty ($12).  I did not return them, which I should have, maybe because the honey tamarind glaze was very tasty.  Fortunately, the roasted duck noodles were so good that I resumed my normal, jolly demeanor ($20).  

After dinner, we went one block over to a nearby branch of Amorino Gelato, 721 Eighth Avenue.  They have three shops in Manhattan, among over 200 worldwide.  I've been to locations in Paris and London, all in the name of science, of course.   The "Classic" cup served as the perfect cap to the evening, two scoops for $7.10, blood orange and tiramisu.    

Sunday, October 29, 2023

Maybe it's time to give it up.  Today's paper recounts how Ye, f/k/a Kanye West, built a business empire while espousing rank antisemitism and how "a surge of antisemitism and anti-Israeli sentiment is proliferating across the Chinese internet and state media."   https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/28/world/asia/china-israel-hamas-antisemitism.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare

I seem to be playing for the wrong team.  Can I be traded or just move as a free agent?  Who wants me?  Does anyone need me?  Could I be comfortable in a controversy-free environment?  Are pigs flying yet?

.  .  .

If my conversion requires relocation, the real estate news isn't good. I'd have to "Earn $115,000 to Afford the Typical U.S. Home."  https://www.redfin.com/news/homebuyer-income-afford-home-record-high/   

Of course, the typical U.S. home is in areas where Jews don't live, such as Akron, Ohio, El Paso, Texas and Little Rock, Arkansas.  But wouldn't that be part of my plan?  If I wanted to still hang out with Jews for old time's sake, I'd have to stay in the Holy Land or move to the Bay Area or Southern California.  

Tuesday, October 31, 2023 The Upper West Side’s Power Couple left for London today.  The trip was uneventful except for the New York City cab driver who insisted on taking a route to the airport perpendicular to the correct one. We took a day flight which got us into our hotel in time for a proper night’s sleep, except it took going into three rooms and leaving two at The Capital, a very elegant hotel in Knightsbridge, to get comfortable.  Knightsbridge, by the way, is Beverly Hills with Arabs instead of Jews. Wednesday, November 1, 2023 The food at Granger & Co., 237 Pavilion Road, was good.  Hot smoked Chalkstream trout, two poached eggs, two lettuces, avocado, cherry tomatoes and sourdough toast (£21.50).  However, what started as a late breakfast stretched into a late lunch, because, while Granger’s upstairs room has high ceilings and glass walls making for a very bright setting, it is one floor removed from the food preparation, a long distance to traverse, it seems.  An advantage to the drawn out meal was missing two windy rainstorms outside. .  .  . Relocated into our fourth room at The Capital and the skies having cleared, we took a stroll to the Victoria and Albert Museum, Cromwell Road.  There, I admired their marvelous collection of objets de gift shop. .  .  . Before dinner tonight, I counted four Bentleys and five Rolls-Royces in the immediate area of our hotel.  Just saying. .  .  . Dinner was at Al Bashra, 58 Knightsbridge, making my contribution to peace at this Lebanese/Egyptian restaurant.  The decor was  provided by very big screen soccer games.  Fortunately, the staff were not entirely distracted and were able to serve fine food.   We started with a mixed mezza platter, hummus, falafel, kibbe, stuffed grape leaf, moutabal (charred eggplant, tahini, lemon and garlic, easily mistaken for babaganoush) and tabbouleh (finely chopped parsley, tomatoes, onion, bulgur wheat, lemon juice and olive oil) with fresh pita (£15.95).  I had a hefty lamb shank as my main, with a big pile of delicious rice (£21.50). Thursday, November 2, 2023 The new revue devoted entirely to the music of Stephen Sondheim is entitled “Old Friends” and we were delighted to see it tonight with our old friends Lady and Lord Kennington.  The show was marvelous.  All the numbers were familiar to me as a Sondheim obsessive, but hearing them again so well performed by a cast of 15 headed by Bernadette Peters and Lea Solanga was thrilling.  Yes, I am gushing. .  .  . Before the show, we four ate at Old Compton Brasserie, 36-38 Old Compton Street, a very large, very busy joint in the theatre district.  I enjoyed a big plate of fish and chips, although it should have been called fish and fries, since the potatoes were rectangular and crispy, American style, not the large, mushy wedges the British call chips (£16.50).  That’s merely an observation, not a complaint. Friday, November 3, 2023 The headline today reads: “A Hamas official promises more attacks against Israel similar to those of Oct. 7.”  I guess he didn’t get the memo that said make sure that Israel gets all the blame. .  .  . Lord Kennington met me for lunch and we went to Din Tai Fung, 5-6 Henrietta Street, a branch of a very successful Taiwanese operation, winner of a Michelin star.  It occupies two levels, with countless tables, tasteful contemporary decorations.  The food held its own: Dan Dan noodles £11.50, Original Shanghainese Drunken Chicken £8, Crispy Golden Prawn Pancake £12, chicken xiao long bao (soup dumplings) 10 pieces £16, shredded pork & egg fried rice £14.50.  It's a very high quality joint in all regards. .  .  . We ended the retired-from-work week appropriately at Friday night services at Westminster Synagogue, Rutland Gardens, a necessary gesture in these difficult times. There were about 40 people in attendance, a youth event adding to attendance.  Kamila Kopřivová, a young woman rabbi from the Czech Republic, was very charming, although she didn't look old enough to drive. .  .  .

Finding a dinner table at the last minute wasn't easy.  We settled for Pasta Evangelists, one of the many food counters in Harrods, the world-famous department store a half block from our hotel.  I had pappardelle with beef ragú, a large portion at a large price (£36); Madame's baked halibut with tagliolini (ribbon pasta similar to linguini) and fresh lemon pesto (£48!).  The food was good, but we paid for the real estate.