Feeding Frenzy

Saturday, December 16, 2023

The tragic murder of three Israeli hostages in Gaza by the IDF shows how chaotic the situation has become.  Freeing the hostages has to be Israel’s priority.  The destruction of Hamas is warranted, but doesn’t require the unfocussed violence that has emerged in the fighting.  

In the past, Israel has gone to great lengths to recover living and dead captives.  It is impossible to imagine that the ground and air offensive has made the surviving hostages safer, regardless of its effectiveness in weakening Hamas militarily, even while boosting it politically in Gaza and the West Bank.

I am not calling for a cease fire in isolation, but rather for an intense campaign through Egyptian, Gulf Arab, European and American channels to save Jewish lives.

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Grandnephew Benjamin and his girlfriend Monica are visiting from California where he works remotely for a Washington political action group.  Appropriately, we made a date for dinner in Chinatown.  I aimed for Shanghai 21, 21 Mott Street, long a favorite of mine.  I have especially enjoyed its soup buns, scallion pancakes and cold sesame noodles and I thought that they would be the basis of a good meal.  However, this unnaturally warm night brought out huge crowds and Shanghai 21 was promising a one-hour wait.  Of course, Wo Hop was only a few doors away, but their crowd waiting to get in was even longer, unlike any I’ve ever experienced there.

I directed us instead to Wok Wok, Southeast Asian Cuisine, 11 Mott Street, a Malaysian restaurant, another favorite.  We were seated immediately, but it too was soon full.  Possibly for the first time ever, I will admit to ordering almost too much food.  We had satay beef (5 skewers, $9.99); veggie spring rolls (5 pieces, $7.59); popcorn chicken ($7.59); Hainan cold, poached chicken (half, $17.99); Pad See Ew (stir fired broad noodles, $13.99); egg fried rice ($12.99).  Note that prices carry a 4% burden for credit card use.  It was all very good and worth it.  

Sunday, December 17, 2023

A new survey found that "Single Women Spend 124% More of Their Income on Rent Than Men in Major Cities in the U.S.”  https://www.renthop.com/research/singles-index/

The survey reviewed median rent for studio apartments, the most likely target for single renters, versus median income by location.  Sadly, the Holy Land was effectively No-Man’s or No-Woman’s Land, with rent calculated as 71% of income, which has to mean that no one lives here.  On the other hand, Wichita, Minneapolis and Colorado Springs allegedly offer the best buys.  In conclusion, marry a rich person.  

Monday, December 18, 2023

Stony Brook Steve joined me on a revisit to Caridad 72, 130 West 72nd Street, the newly opened successor to Caridad 78, one of the flagship Cuban Chinese restaurants.  Two weeks ago, I found their fried chicken more fried than chicken.  Today, I went for a classic, clichéd Chinese-American dish, shrimp egg foo young, accompanied by a pile of yellow rice ($18) and I found Caridad 72’s sweet spot.

Thursday, December 21, 2023

Hello, Winter and Happy Birthday to Ima Irit.

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The Upper West Side's Power Couple left for Eastern Massachusetts to spend the weekend with the second and third generations.  It was an uneventful trip, with a quick stop at the Blue Colony Diner, 60 Church Hill Road, Exit 10 off I-84, an archetypical diner, with an eight pound laminated menu.  I had an excellent bowl of lemon chicken orzo soup, just right for a winter day ($4.95).

We caught up with our mob at the Time Out Market, 401 Park Drive, Boston, a big, well-organized food court with 15 vendors.  Most customers scan a QR code pasted on their table, order on their phone and have the food delivered to their numbered table, spared even the exercise of lifting and carrying a tray.  Old-fashioned me walked up to the counter at Cusser’s Roast Beef & Seafood and ordered a sandwich of rare roast beef with extra meat piled high, naked on an onion roll ($17).  Along with it, I had an order of onion rings, really strings, seasoned with mustard and cayenne pepper.  Delicious and not at all greasy.

Friday, December 22, 2023

Through the good offices of Law Professor David, I was invited to have lunch in Boston’s Chinatown at Empire Garden Restaurant, 690 Washington Street.  The premises were very imposing, resembling what I imagine the central Shanghai railway station looked like in 1928.  The gathering was hosted by Seth Gitell, a former journalist now in the public sector.  The guests, 15 in total, were drawn from government, academe, journalism and those of us on their margins.

Empire Garden features dim sum during the day, carts and all.  I counted 8 or 9 dishes, three plates each to reach this big crowd.  Da-yay-nu, it would suffice, as we say at Passover.  However, this is an annual affair and Seth was making up for lost time.  He also ordered General Gau's chicken (clearly a relative of General Tso), orange beef, bok choy with garlic, beef chow fun, chicken lo mein, Chinese broccoli with garlic, moo shu chicken, moo shu beef and chicken fried rice.  I didn't see the bottom line, but I know that we exceeded $500.  Wait till next year.

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BULLETIN -- One of my 15 lunchmates tested positive for COVID late this evening.  How retro!