Baby Face

Saturday, January 10, 2026

In case you didn’t make it to shul this morning or any morning, here is a concise statement of basic Jewish teachings of universal value.

https://share.google/XnS1KkBYkS3Sfqadq

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We had lunch at the home of America’s Loveliest Nephrologist and the Oakland Heartthrob and then went with them to see “An Evening With David Sedaris” at the Berkeley Repertory Theatre. He read a half dozen or more of his recent essays in his droll fashion. I didn't realize that he was recording an audiobook at first, accounting for several annoying starts and stops. The audience was very appreciative nevertheless and much straighter than I expected it to be.

Before the show, we ate at Jupiter, 2181 Shattuck Avenue, Berkeley, which looks like a cross between a hunting lodge and a fraternity house. It serves excellent pizza. I had the Odysseus, “A garlic sauce base topped with fontina, asiago, and our house mushroom mix with cremini, portabella, and white mushrooms,” 9” pie for $19. 

Sunday, January 11, 2026

Hessy Levinsons Taft as an infant appeared on the cover of a Nazi magazine in Germany promoting her as the ideal Aryan baby, a distinction complicated by the fact that she was Jewish.

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/09/world/europe/hessy-levinsons-taft-dead.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share

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Jacobi Meyers, Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver, born 1996 vs. Jacoby & Meyers, personal injury law firm, formed 1972.

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Equal justice under law, Part 2 

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/11/us/politics/trumps-appeals-court-judges.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share

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While President Trump had warned that the United States would intercede if the Iranian government killed peaceful protesters, he apparently has been distracted by the need to kill peaceful protestors here at home.

Monday, January 12, 2026

Newlyweds Jeanne (CCNY ‘63) and Martin spent the day showing us a different California, not the sprawl of greater Los Angeles or the variety of Bay Area hip. We drove through Marin County to the Pacific Coast, stopping in Stinson Beach and Point Reyes. Part of the drive had the death-defying character of Italy’s Amalfi Coast, turn your head and see a sheer drop of hundreds of feet. We kept our whimpering in the back seat to a minimum.

We had lunch at Parkside, 43 Arenal (not Arsenal) Avenue, Stinson Beach, which encompasses a bakery, a cafe and a snack bar. I had fish and chips, befitting the oceanfront location. There were two pieces of beer-battered cod and a large portion of French fries, not the traditional British chips, but I’m not complaining. However, at $32, it was pricey.

Tuesday, January 13, 2026

The Silence of the Lambs

Where are our progressives when the Iranian government kills its citizens? Is it okay that only Muslims kill Muslims? Must the Ayatollah Ali Khamenei be Jewish to rouse indignation?

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Nephrologist, Heartthrob, Epidemiologist and I went to dinner tonight at Popoca Cucina & Bar, 906 Washington Street, Oakland. Popoca “serves progressive Salvadoran food” and does it very well. It occupies two rooms, the second a covered patio. The main room, holding about 20 two-tops in various configurations, has a large, exposed brick wall, keeping the noise level high.

The menu was unique in my experience. We shared Nabos Asados, grilled Riverdog Farm turnips, brown butter, cream, lime, relajo (Salvadoran spice blend), panela (mild cheese) ($16); Pupusa de Hongos, oyster mushrooms, queso (cheese), lemon, burnt butter ($9); Pupusa de Loroco, loroco (an edible flower), perejil (parsley), queso ($8). Pupusa is the national dish of El Salvador, a thick, corn or rice flour tortilla. I then had Pollo en Chicha, chicken glazed in fermented pineapple sauce, prunes, olives, radish, potatoes ($36). A bottle of Bohemia Beer from Mexico went well with this ($6).

Wednesday, January 14, 2026

Madam and I drove to Tiburon, a lovely, upscale town on San Francisco Bay. We were invited to lunch at the home of Annie and Dick R. (Cornell ‘67) and what a home it is.  It’s the kind of home where you say, “I wonder who lives there?” Its style and dimensions are impressive and it has a spectacular view from its hilltop location.

Dick trained as an engineer and has been a very successful business strategist and entrepreneur. He also proved to be a very talented chef, much to my delight. He served the best guacamole that I have ever tasted and steamed mussels in a vegetable broth. Ice cream for dessert can't hurt.

Thursday, January 15, 2026

Collective bargaining vs. Collective guilt

Today's paper:

"N.Y.C. Bakery Workers Demand Owners Stop Supporting ‘Israeli Occupation’

Workers at the popular New York City chain Breads Bakery, who are trying to unionize, included the demand in a list alongside higher wages and special overtime pay"

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I was left alone for lunch, so I walked across the street from our hotel to The Public Market, 5959 Shellmound Street, Emeryville, a food court housing 18 vendors with some empty slots. Paradita Eatery offers “Modern Peruvian Street Food.” I bought Lomo Salgado, absolutely the messiest sandwich that I have ever eaten, containing stir fried beef tenderloin, tomatoes, onions, pisco-soy reduction, topped with fries and chile rocoto (Peruvian pepper) aioli ($18). It was fabulous. Fortunately, there was a bathroom right next to the booth. 

With more or less clean hands, I went to Mr. Dewie’s Cashew Creamery for an ice cream surrogate made with cashew milk. I had two scoops, chocolate cookie crumble and chocolate orange chip ($9.50). They were very chocolatey and just about tasted like the real thing, and, if it were, I would expect to pay a couple of dollars less.

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Our Fab Four went to dinner at Belotti Ristorante e Bottega, 5403 College Avenue, Oakland, an intimate place that has drawn favorable mention from Michelin.

Its focus is pasta, an interesting variety of sizes and shapes. I had Bilogi Al Sugo D’Anatra, bilogi (thick, spaghetti-like) pasta, duck sauce, orange zest, Grana Padano cheese (hard, granular cow’s-milk cheese) ($19.95). It was very good, distinctive from the typical red sauce dish.

Friday, January 16, 2026

We had lunch with Margarita K. (Stuyvesant ‘07, Harvard ‘11) who has a very successful career in finance out here. I first met her as a four-year old, new to America, in 1993. 

We ate at Il Parco, 215 Lincoln Boulevard, a cafe on the grounds of the Presidio, once a formidable military base, dating back to 1776. Now, it’s a park with beautiful views of the Golden Gate Bridge and San Francisco Bay. Il Parco is a grab-and-go joint with a variety of seating outdoors. Clear skies, mild temperatures made for a delightful experience.

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For dinner, madam and I sought an Indian restaurant, not terribly common around here. More uncommon even was an Indian restaurant with a parking space. We wound up at Marigold Indian Eats, 4868 Telegraph Avenue, Oakland, a very modest place with four two-tops and two two-tops. It was devoid of decoration and it must have been the owner or his wife serving as waiter.

I had rogan josh, eight small cubes of lamb in a thick red sauce ($20.99). The spiciness was balanced nicely by basmati rice and Diet Coke.