Theme Songs

Saturday, February 15, 2025

“A cult of personality uses various techniques, including the mass media, propaganda, the arts, patriotism, and government-organized demonstrations and rallies to create a heroic image of a leader, often inviting worshipful behavior through uncritical flattery and praise.” https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_cults_of_personality

Sunday, February 16, 2025

“Live Alone and Like It” is one of many songs by Stephen Sondheim. 

https://youtu.be/yDUZgORmrSY?feature=shared

However, the economics of living alone may be quite distressing. 

https://www.renthop.com/research/renthop-singles-index-2024/

Reviewing median list prices for a studio apartment versus median income for presumptive singles posits the Holy Land at the opposite end of the 50 American cities in affordability versus Wichita, Kansas. Beyond New York’s gross disparity, there are surprises in the data. For instance, Detroit is less affordable for the prototypical single than Los Angeles, while Seattle (Microsoft and all that) is more affordable than Albuquerque, New America.

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We saw a preview of “Dakar 2000,” a new play by Rajiv Joseph. It deals with a Peace Corps volunteer in Senegal who gets involved with a seductive CIA operative. Joseph himself was in the Peace Corps and several dozen of his fellow volunteers were with him in the audience tonight. It was an interesting work, although not especially challenging.

Sunday, February 16, 2025

The current revival of “Gypsy” presents its own challenges. This fictionalized account of the emergence of Gypsy Rose Lee stars Audra McDonald as a fierce stage mother. She is Black and Lee’s real life family was white. The casting is mixed, but that made little difference to the telling of the story, to my mind. Making a success in show business is near impossible under any circumstances, adding the obstacle of race only makes it more impossible.

Since the performance effectively ends with “Rose’s Turn,” a towering number that grabs you by the throat, you have little room to criticize McDonald, but I found it. There were moments when her portrayal faltered, bombast where slyness was called for and operatic notes from this brilliantly qualified classical soprano instead of the voice of a beleaguered mother. Still, one of the greatest Broadway musicals.

There was excitement even before the show began. Doug Emhoff and Kamala Harris applauded us as we took our seats. 

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We decided to have dinner in the theater district after the matinee. An’Nam, 234 West 48th Street, an Asian fusion restaurant was packed with surprisingly well-behaved teenagers on an excursion. We shared (the two of us, not with the teenagers) a tasty, thin, flaky scallion pancake ($7). Instead of the usual soy sauce/rice wine dipping sauce, it had a peanutty satay sauce. 

I then ordered Singapore chow fun, but the kitchen produced a generous portion of beef chow fun, lacking that spicy curry kick ($15.25). It had green onions, yellow onions, carrots, squash, tomatoes, bok choy and lots of sliced beef, so I inhaled it without complaint.

Monday, February 17, 2025

Happy birthday to me,

Happy birthday to me.

Happy birthday, dear me,

Happy birthday to me.

As a special gift, America’s Loveliest Nephrologist appeared on our doorstep as a guest for the next several days.

Tuesday, February 18, 2025

Gentleman Jerry and I had lunch at Pastrami Queen, 138 West 72nd Street. Since it is Tuesday, I planned on the Tuesday special, a pastrami sandwich and a corned beef sandwich on a dinner roll, French fries, coleslaw and a pickle. However, today, under Republicans, it cost $23.95. When I last had it as recently as December 10, 2024, under Democrats, it cost only $19.95 and Ukraine was still free. Resist!

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Who watches the watchmen? New York City paid $205,631,253 in police misconduct lawsuit settlements in 2024, marking the highest annual payout in years. 

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/18/nyregion/nyc-police-misconduct-settlements.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare

Wednesday, February 19, 2025

I had a wonderful lunch today with Stony Brook Steve and his bright, articulate grandson Ari. If only the food wasn’t terrible at the Fairway 74th Street Cafe, 2131 Broadway, which is usually not the case. I thought that it would be a good choice bridging the almost 70 year gap between us. 

I ordered a “Classic Hot Chocolate” on this very cold day, expecting thick molten chocolate as offered by Jacques Torres among others ($6). Under the rich whipped cream topping, however, there was a thin liquid that might have originated in an envelope. I had more confidence in my sandwich, bacon, egg and cheese, that I had often had here before ($9). The waiter carefully explained the alternatives and we agreed on two moderately runny over-easy eggs with gooey Cheddar cheese. Instead, I was served a lump of very firm scrambled eggs and a brittle slab of cheese that might been prepared days in advance. Atypically, I raised no objections, because of the good mood generated by my companions.

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If you spend more than a minute on the Internet, an unsolicited advertisement for something or other pops up. It may be for a familiar product or service based on your actual behavior or an algorithmic prediction. I was amused to be offered a wide variety of exotic fruits from Good Hill Farms, located in Fallbrook, California, near San Diego. 

https://shop.goodhillfarms.com/pages/about

They have mangosteens, custard apples, Asian white guava, Chico sapotes (“Rich brown exterior with cinnamon-sugar flesh”) and the like with prices around $30-40 a pound. My angle comes from the name on the door. 

My original wife took my last name when we were married in California where its pronunciation seemed to present a challenge to the natives. After we separated, she replaced Gotthelf with Goodhill rather than resuming her family name and kept it for the next 30 plus years. I wasn’t bothered by this since I understood the frustration of hearing my name garbled. I did volunteer the comment, however, purely as a compliment, that Goodhills would have been more anatomically correct.

Thursday, February 20, 2025

O Canada!

Recovery Room

Sunday, February 9, 2025 

My five-day term as a flu-bearing threat ends today. I can re-emerge into the real world of truth, beauty and justice, rested and alert. One destination that I will avoid, however, is New Orleans and attendance at the Super Bowl even though ticket prices declined to a minimum of $2,425 on StubHub this morning, probably half of what they were a day or two ago.

I like visiting NOLA in spite of the gaudiness. My father’s family has very strong roots there and it is certainly a town for eating. The Super Bowl, though, is a vapid event, akin to one of those festivals held on some expanse of arid desert. I like watching football, but without the alcoholic frenzy and reminders that you are supposed to be having a good time for all the money that you are spending.

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Recently, I told you about the blue pants that magically appeared hanging on our front doorknob a year after being sent to the dry cleaners. Now, I have a companion tale. Our friend Shep S. called me this morning to tell me that he dropped a letter with our doorman. In fact, it was a bill from our insurance company, addressed accurately to my wife and me, yet delivered to Shep at his lovely brownstone on West 104th Street. Regard that Palazzo di Gotthelf does not sit on a numbered street and is, in fact, 35 blocks from Shep’s home, in a different Zip code. While, off hand, I don’t know anyone else living on West 104th Street, I am amazed that this piece of mail wound up in the hands of someone who actually knew us.

Monday, February 10, 2025

I am less aghast than others at the suggestion that the United States take over Gaza, viewed as “a big real estate site” by our visionary president. I am less aghast, because my aghast tank is running low. “Trump says Palestinians would not have a right to return to Gaza under his redevelopment plan.” 

https://www.cnn.com/2025/02/10/politics/trump-palestinians-no-right-return-gaza?cid=ios_app

The likely sticking point of where to put the displaced Gazans is easily resolved. A natural destination in a warm climate with a long seacoast is Palm Beach, Florida. Headquarters for this new administrative entity would be Mar-a-Lago, of course.

One person who should be aghast at this proposal, but isn’t, is Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, again raising the question of whose side is he on. Return of the hostages is a near unanimous theme of Jews everywhere. Introducing this bizarre proposal while the delicate hostage negotiations continue and the lives of the remaining hostages are at risk approaches cruelty.

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Phoshime, 165 East 33rd Street, is kind of ugly. It’s shaped like a dumbbell, two spaces at the ends joined by a narrow corridor, all done in a random variety of colors and textures. The menu marries Vietnamese and Japanese food, not really married, but living side by side companionably.

I started with an excellent scallion pancake, flaky, not brittle ($7). Then, I had a sliced beef bánh mi, the classic Vietnamese hero sandwich with cucumber, pickled shredded carrots, cilantro, pickled jalapeño on a crispy 8” baguette ($13). The menu also claims that it contains spicy chili mayo, but it could not compete with the overpowering vinegary taste of the carrots. Since I was in the neighborhood for a medical appointment, I’m sure to return.

Tuesday, February 11, 2025

Dig, 100 West 67th Street, operates about 15 restaurants in the metropolitan area. This is the first that I tried, at lunch with Jeffrey Heller, human rights advocate. He has recently added a one-day-a-week gig as a guide on Ellis Island to his busy life. He is proud of his immigrant ancestry and labors in various ways to open and preserve the opportunity for others.

It is a plain space, about one-third devoted to ordering and food preparation. Beside a ledge against the front window with four stools, we sat at one of the four two-tops for eating in. Much of the traffic was takeout for people at Lincoln Center, Juilliard, ABC Television and other enterprises immediately adjacent.

Cooking is not done to order, but rather assembled to order from serving pieces being frequently replenished by the kitchen. I had an excellent marinara pesto chicken sandwich, “crispy baked chicken thigh, farm greens, pesto, garlic aioli, and tomato ragu, served on a soft potato bun” ($14). It was accompanied by a very generous portion of macaroni and cheese that was totally tasteless. I couldn’t go past two bites. 

Wednesday, February 12, 2025

Congratulations to Donald Trump for being named chairman of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and center fielder for the Washington Nationals.

Thursday, February 13,2025

A drop of integrity in a sea of cowardice. 

“Acting US attorney in New York quits after being told to drop Eric Adams case”

https://www.cnn.com/2025/02/13/politics/danielle-sassoon-eric-adams-us-attorney?cid=ios_app

Friday, February 14, 2025

How fortunate I was to awaken next to America’s Favorite Epidemiologist this Valentine’s Day. As I turned to her, her tender arms extended to me with an offering of cough medicine to deal with the tail end of last week’s flu. Additionally, she had a plump dark chocolate confection to keep me focused later in the day.

My celebration of this Day of Love continued at lunch at Dumpling Story, 250 Grand Street, with five other underutilized gentlemen. It's very conveniently located, sitting right above a subway station. For some reason, a large faux tree dominates the front of the restaurant. The remainder of the premises is neatly fitted with blonde and wicker furniture.

Computer tablets on each table are the ordering medium and they worked very logically and efficiently. We had scallion pancakes ($8.95), chicken soup dumplings ($11.95, 6 pieces), lychee shrimp balls ($9.95, 6 pieces, outstanding), Shanghai style scallion noodles ($8.95, the only disappointment), "Shredded Beef With How [Hot?] Peppers Fired Udon" ($14.95), mushroom & seafood dumplings ($10.95, 4 pieces), salted crispy chicken ($8.95, popcorn chicken) and scallion pancake with beef ($12.95, two orders). That was a lunch.

R.I.P. Uncle Sam

Saturday, February 1, 2025 

The Washington Post, CBS, NYU Langone, Meta, Lowe’s, the Los Angeles Times, and Target, among other thought-to-be powerful enterprises, have executed deep bows in the direction of the White House, demonstrating to our children and grandchildren that being a schoolyard bully is really a good thing.

Sunday, February 2, 2025

As Israeli hostages continue to be exchanged for imprisoned Palestinians, although at a slow pace, we can look forward to a long and difficult rebuilding process in Gaza. I can only imagine that the human and material resources needed will be vast, possibly exhausting what is available. 

Much criticism and animus has been directed at Israel for the extent of the damage wreaked. Objectively, if there could be such, Israeli response to October 7th may seem overbroad and heavy handed. However, what did Hamas and its enablers expect? Would its attack, which not only inflicted heavy losses of life, but severe injury to the pride and reputation of the Israeli military, evoke only a modest reaction? Maybe the very success of the Hamas endeavor guaranteed a vigorous, brutal retaliation. I think that only those north and west of the Mediterranean were surprised by what ensued.

Monday, February 3, 2025

Terrific Tom and I caught up with the Year of the Snake on a pilgrimage to Wo Hop, 17 Mott Street. We had been away too long, I realized, even as we both struggled with the steep stairs that took us below ground.

As usual, Wo Hop was busy, its 11 tables filling and emptying with regularity. We had a comfortable booth, with enough room for our waistlines to expand. We ate egg rolls ($8.50), boneless spareribs ($13.95) and Singapore chow fun ($12.25). The large portions kept us from ordering more, even as enticing dishes passed by on the way to other tables. Of course, we could have left food over in order to get other items, but not making a clean plate seemed dishonorable. That’s why we usually have five or six guys when we attack Wo Hop.

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The Defense Intelligence Agency is the intelligence gathering arm of the United States Department of Defense. Last week, it paused all activities and events related to:

• Martin Luther King, Jr. Birthday 
• Black History Month 
• Women’s History Month 
• Holocaust Day/Days of Remembrance 
• Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month 
• Pride
• Juneteenth
• Women’s Equality Day 
• National Hispanic Heritage Month 
• National Disability Employment Awareness Month 
• National American Indian Heritage Month

https://x.com/kenklippenstein/status/1884623315911823747/photo/1

Observances have reportedly been added for January 22nd, April 9th and December 20th, Donald Trump’s wedding days.

Tuesday, February 4, 2025

Caring Ken Klein joined my young bride and me on a shopping trip to Northern New Jersey. We started at ShopRite, 40 Nathaniel Place, Englewood, a conventional, but enormous, supermarket. Hundreds of dollars later, we headed to Grand & Essex Market, 89 New Bridge Road, Bergenfield, a very large, very Kosher supermarket. Besides cans and cartons of grocery products, it sells a large assortment of food items prepared on the premises. That’s what attracts me, the matzoh ball soup, the potato kugel, the chopped liver. It’s as if my mother were back in the kitchen.

Wednesday, February 5, 2025

Maybe the Stars and Stripes should be made of Spandex to easily accommodate the addition of Canada, Greenland and Gaza.

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This promised to be a busy day. Physical therapy at 9:40; urologist at 12:45; Rangers game at 7, with free food and drinks in the hour before. However, I was feeling a little peaked, actually a whole lot exhausted. So, my wife summoned the Emergency Medical Service to get me out of bed and carted off to Mount Sinai West/Roosevelt Hospital, 1000 Tenth Avenue. 

 

More than seven hours mostly waiting, watching a very large contingent of hospital staff scurrying around doing important things, but not for me. Finally, a diagnosis -- flu. I'll be contagious for five days, which precludes hosting Michael German, former FBI agent, at a synagogue event, discussing his new book "Policing White Supremacy." It contains 67 pages of footnotes, mostly identifying examples of local, state and federal law enforcement doing little to prevent or punish the illegal conduct of white supremacists or far-right militants, even participating in some cases. Also, we will have to skip a performance of "Urinetown" as part of the Encores! series. 

 

On the other hand, the fatigue and malaise diverts my attention from the dismantling of the United States government now occurring in Washington. I'm leaving it to those of you still alert to keep track of the chaos. 

Friday, February 7, 2025

The front page display of the New York Times on my phone this evening has these key words in the headlines describing administration actions, Broadside, Cut, Dismiss, Upend, Attack, Cuts, Targeting, Flips. It makes you want to stay in bed.

The Chosen People

Saturday, January 25, 2025

I was shocked to read this in an article in The New Yorker profiling the current British Foreign Secretary: “In 1997, the U.K.’s G.D.P. was greater than China’s and India’s combined. Now, together, their economies are seven times larger.” [Punctuation slightly altered.]

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Did you hear the one about the guy who joined the Navy and went out to sea for years and came back to visit the old neighborhood and went into the dry cleaners and jokingly asked about the pants that he left off before enlisting and the man behind the counter said, “Next Tuesday”?

Well, when we came home from shul today, hanging on the doorknob of the entrance to Palazzo di Gotthelf was the pair of blue pants that were never returned to me from the dry cleaners a year ago.

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12 years ago, I wrote about David Chan, a Los Angeles lawyer, who claimed to have eaten in 6,297 Chinese restaurants throughout the United States, as well as abroad, in his lifetime. http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-chinese-eater-20130422-dto,0,6902048.htmlstory

Back then (April 23, 2013), I had documented 250 of my weekday lunches in Chinatown over three plus years. Because of our different foci, I bore David no ill will. Now, he has popped up again, upping his tally to “nearly 8,000 Chinese restaurants.”

https://getpocket.com/explore/item/what-i-learned-eating-at-8-000-chinese-restaurants?utm_source=firefox-newtab-en-us

Again, I respect his accomplishment and his digestive tract.

Sunday, January 26, 2025

“At the top 15 business schools, the share of students in 2024 who sought and accepted a job offer within three months of graduating, a standard measure of career outcomes, fell by six percentage points, to 84%.”

https://www.economist.com/business/2025/01/14/why-elite-mba-graduates-are-struggling-to-find-jobs

If we are patient, they may all go away.

Monday, January 27, 2025

“Jews were the target of the majority of hate crimes in New York City last year, according to statistics reported Monday [January 6th] by the NYPD."

https://www.jta.org/2025/01/06/ny/jews-were-targeted-by-the-majority-of-hate-crimes-in-nyc-last-year-nypd-says

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The Upper West Side’s Power Couple is planning a short vacation with a tour group in mid-March. The center of activity will be Albuquerque, New America.

Tuesday, January 28, 2025

We went to a panel discussion on antisemitism at CUNY (City University of New York). I am a graduate of CCNY, its flagship institution. Way back then, about 60% of the collective student body was Jewish, today the estimate is 10% and many of them feel besieged. 

Not unlike the woeful performance of the hoity-toity university presidents before Congress last Fall, CUNY’s Chancellor embarrassed himself in an appearance before the New York City Council investigating antisemitism. Jews on campus seem to be viewed as unworthy of regard or protection. As Jews, they are being held responsible for many of the sins of Western civilization, although, for centuries, they were kept on its margins, if not under its heel.

Wednesday, January 29, 2025

David Chan’s formidable record of eating at nearly 8,000 Chinese restaurants was probably satisfying on the whole. On the other hand, I have just learned of an exploit that hovers between the inane and the insane. A man visited 42 London museums in under 12 hours. https://www.cnn.com/2025/01/29/travel/guinness-world-record-museums-intl-scli-gbr?cid=ios_app

Other than surprise at the number of London museums, I find no reason to take notice of this event. I have my own approach to visiting museums, near and far. Concentrate on the gift shops. The artworks are likely to be around for a long time, but hot items in the gift shop may not be replenished.

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Dedicated multiculturalists, Gentleman Jerry and I welcomed the Year of the Snake, the Chinese New Year, at Westland Roe, 174 West 72nd Street, a new Irishish pub. The name is a tribute to Westland Row, a street in Dublin. The large space was empty at lunchtime except for one man eating at the bar and the service was prompt and attentive. The menu had no surprises, although the "Smalls/Shares" were more diverse than the main courses.  I ordered the fish and chips ($22), the portion of chips tastier and more generous than the fish. We were abstentious, although the bar had a large selection of beers and ales.

Thursday, January 30, 2025

Noted without comment. "Last Tuesday—on his second day in office—Trump fired the entire membership of the Aviation Security Advisory Committee as part of his demolition of the Department of Homeland Security." https://open.substack.com/pub/borowitzreport/p/trump-enlists-in-the-gop-war-on-air?r=5ig23&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=email

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The Utah Hockey Club is the newest member of the National Hockey League, actually a reincarnation of the Arizona Coyotes. It is in its first year of play and bears a purely generic team name. Ownership has announced a contest for popular choice of the team's name; the choices: Utah Mammoth, Utah Wasatch (later replaced by the Utah Outlaws) or Utah Hockey Club. None of them grabs me, but I am really interested in the singularity of the names.

I root for the Mets, the Rangers and the Giants; I root against the Braves, the Islanders and the Cowboys. That was the natural order of the universe (excluding professional soccer in Latin America and Europe, who have their own universe). Then, the National Basketball Association introduced the Miami Heat, the Orlando Magic, the Utah Jazz (an insult to common sense) and the Oklahoma City Thunder. And, there appears to be no turning back. The Women's National Basketball Association has burdened us with, among others, the Atlanta Dream, the Chicago Sky and the Indiana Fever, while the recently-formed Professional Women's Hockey League contains, among others, the Minnesota Frost, the Boston Fleet and the Ottawa Charge. These names are basically uncheerable.  

 

Friday, January 31, 2025

We have had the pleasure of the company of #1 Grandson Boaz overnight. Today, we all had lunch at Abaita, 145 East 49th Street, a Kosher, dairy, Italian restaurant. Kosher cuisine, according to Jewish dietary rules, is basically divided between meat and dairy foods, separated in preparation and serving. This is rooted in the biblical injunction "You shall not boil a kid in its mother's milk," repeated three times in the Bible (Exodus 23:19, Exodus 34:26 and Deuteronomy 14:21), an emphasis connoting importance, but otherwise unexplained. This simple statement has given rise to an industry of interpretation and prohibitions. Along the way, the rabbis came up with a neutral category, pareve or parve, such as fruits and vegetables, allowed with either category. An Italian restaurant featuring fish, pasta, vegetables, cheese and grains, eschewing meat, may, therefore, be perfectly Kosher.  

 

Abaita, home in Hebrew, is relatively small, crowded at lunchtime. It is unique; the small number of Manhattan Kosher restaurants almost all serve meat, steakhouses or delicatessens. It has an open kitchen, bordered by a counter with ten stools, with a wood-fired pizza oven. Service was earnest, but occasionally rusty. The quality of the food was high as were the prices. I had four cigar-shaped cod croquettes, nicely fried with tasty little dabs of cumin aioli on the side ($23), followed by risotto ($29) in a too small portion. The customers, many showing signs of their observance, were content.