Pieces of Ate

Saturday, April 23, 2022 

Tavish McMullen, restaurant manager extraordinaire, pays careful attention to the rants of his godfather.  So, he made sure that I saw that "Apple must pay a man more than $1,000 for not including a power adapter with his new iPhone, judge rules."   https://www.insider.com/iphone-charger-apple-pay-brazilian-man-1000-not-including-adapter-2022-4

Having been treated the same way by Apple (March 19, 2022), I promise to campaign for Judge Vanderlei Caires Pinheiro to be nominated to the United States Supreme Court.  I don't care that he's from Brazil.  

Sunday, April 24, 2022

The weekend’s real estate section featured an impressive home for sale on Long Island, 9,600 sq. feet, seven bedrooms, six bathrooms, indoor pool.  However, it is located on Skunks Misery Road, which has to be a disincentive to visitors.

. . .

We saw the Lincoln Center production of “The Skin of Our Teeth” this afternoon.  I was never in a high school or college drama society or a community theater company, so my exposure to this theatrical staple was from a seat in the audience in the distant past, if at all.  

This production was more (or less) than a revival, attributing “Additional Material“ to an unindicted co-conspirator.  Sitting through it, it was obvious that the director hated the play and labored to insure that the audience shared his opinion.  

Monday, April 25, 2022

Another reason that I'm glad to be Jewish.  "A majority of white evangelical Protestants (60%) and around four in ten white Catholics (40%) and white mainline (non-evangelical) Protestants (37%) believe that the [2020] election was stolen from Trump."    https://www.prri.org/research/competing-visions-of-america-an-evolving-identity-or-a-culture-under-attack/

. . .

"A California man was arrested this week on charges that he sent messages to Merriam-Webster in which he threatened to shoot and bomb its offices because he didn’t like the company’s dictionary definitions relating to gender identity, the authorities said."  https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/22/us/merriam-webster-threats-lgbtq.html?referringSource=articleShare

They is set to appear in court later this week.

. . .

Michael Ratner and I had lunch at the East River Eatery, 404 East 64th Street, a Chinese restaurant behind its generic name.  While well-furnished, I found the premises unnecessarily dark -- exposed brick, dark brown flooring, brown painted tin ceiling, dark wood furniture.  This might keep some folks away, but an open air patio at the rear offers a bright alternative. On the other hand, the dark interior should encourage smooching.

Michael and I kept our hands to ourselves, but we shared a scallion pancake wrapped around shredded duck ($9), an excellent starter.  We ordered two lunch specials, including tea, rice and a soft drink, and traded halves -- beef with garlic sauce and shrimp with mushrooms ($13 each).  Both were good, but portions were modest for the price.  Try to get to Chinatown instead.

Tuesday, April 26, 2022

Here’s how my evening went.  Hours in the company of Gentleman Jerry — excellent; dinner at bb.q Chicken, 25 West 32nd Street — large portions of very good fried chicken; Rangers game at Madison Square Garden — painful.

Wednesday, April 27, 2022

In their never-ending devotion to the ideals that once made America great, the Republicans have uncovered the latest threat to our sovereignty — dead illegal aliens, paid by George Soros, voting over and over again on ballots shipped from China.  Mark Meadows, former White House chief of staff, could not be located in the rusting mobile home that he had not previously occupied, although claiming it as his voting address, for comment.

Thursday, April 28, 2022

Enormous is today’s magic word.  The Boyz Club gathered at Katz’s Delicatessen, 204 East Houston Street, to celebrate Spring, even as wind gusts up to 35 mph brought back Winter.

Enormous were the hand carved pastrami and corned beef sandwiches we ordered ($23.95).  I’ve never seen larger outside of cartoons.  Other deli sandwiches are thick in the middle, making them look hefty.  Katz's are thick, 2" or more, edge to edge and beyond.  And, the crowds waiting outside to get in and at the counters waiting to be served were enormous.  They might be predominantly tourists, but they are spending money here and actually getting good food.  An additional pleasure for me was Dr. Brown's diet root beer, joining the more commonly available repertoire of diet black cherry and diet cream soda, vital elixirs for keeping my boyish figure.

Friday, April 29, 2022

The arts section of Friday’s New York Times always abounds with reviews of movies, many never otherwise getting an ounce of attention beyond immediate family members.  The reviews themselves are worth reading to see how often they skirt insult.

My favorite line today is “The American characters are performed almost entirely by British or Australian actors, a choice that might be less noticeable in a film not set in Texas.“

New Math

Saturday, April 16, 2022

Did you know that Horatio Alger, whose rags-to-riches stories, full of preachy moralizing, are beloved by Republicans, was a sexual predator, expelled from the ministry for acts "too revolting to relate"?  https://www.newenglandhistoricalsociety.com/horatio-alger-hundred-year-old-secret/

 

Sunday, April 17, 2022

You may be aware of the cryptocurrency television commercial in which Larry David, in appropriate historical guise, is dismissive of a series of dramatic innovations, such as the wheel, toilets, and the lightbulb.  I know the feeling.  In 1976, I was asked to give technical advice to Jack S. Margolis, screenwriter and author ("A Child's Garden of Grass: The Official Handbook For Marijuana Users" and "Impotence Is Always Having To Say You're Sorry, and Other Questionable Insights"), who was interested in those emerging, newfangled desktop computers.

 

Jack lived in the Hollywood Hills and I was in the midst of my exile on the Left Coast, with more than seven years’ experience designing and programming business computers below the mainframe level.  My successful installations included a perfume importer, a video tape production company, a medical clinic, a book publisher, and a men’s slacks manufacturer.

 

At that time, desktop computers were mostly in the hands of hobbyists, often built from kits.  The Apple II, TRS-80 and Commodore Pet were introduced in 1977, a year after I did my research for Jack.  The first retail computer store in the world seemed to be Computer Power & Light, Inc., founded in 1976 in Santa Monica.  It sold Altair and Heath microcomputer kits, components and assembled devices.

 

After hanging out in the store and talking to its staff, I reported to Jack that the future of desktop computing was very limited.  I had experienced the support demands of businesses with their in-house systems.  I imagined that providing the handholding and troubleshooting required once computers appeared in ordinary households would exceed the population of our continent.  Stay away, I told Jack and took that advice for myself.  I showed them.

 

Monday, April 18, 2022

I came across this compilation of thoughts on whether authors should write about what they know, avoiding things outside their experience.  

https://lithub.com/should-you-write-what-you-know-31-authors-weigh-in/

 

There is no agreement, but I align with Kazuo Ishiguro, author of "The Remains of the Day."  "'Write about what you know' is . . . the reverse of firing the imagination and potential of writers.”  Today, reaching beyond your experience or your identity is often treated as more than a critical issue, but as a moral offense.  For instance, "A White Author’s Book About Black Feminism Was Pulled After a Social Media Outcry."  https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/15/arts/jennifer-buck-bad-and-boujee-book-pulled.html?referringSource=articleShare

 

From what I can glean from this article, the book may have had serious deficiencies, but the author's identity itself was dispositive.  Wouldn’t it have been sufficient to examine the book, once published, on its (de)merits?  Must authors prequalify by matching their identity to their subject?

 

These days you can be left or right to be wrong about censorship.  In 2020, “after complaints from students and parents that the depictions of racism and language in these works — particularly the use of the N-word — caused harm to Black students,” the Burbank (California) Unified School District removed five classic novels from mandatory reading lists in the city’s classrooms: “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” by Mark Twain; “Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry” by Mildred D. Taylor; “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee; and “The Cay” by Theodore Taylor and “Of Mice and Men” by John Steinbeck." 

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/18/opinion/school-book-bans-students.html?referringSource=highlightShare

 

Of course, whatever California can do, Florida can do better.  “The Florida Department of Education announced Friday [April 15, 2022] that it has rejected more than 50 math textbooks because they included nation-destroying concepts like ‘Critical Race Theory’ and ‘Social Emotional Learning.’”  https://autos.yahoo.com/autos/im-going-florida-gov-ron-202433001.html

The Sunshine State didn't pussy-foot.  "It is unfortunate that several publishers, especially at the elementary school grade levels, have ignored this clear communication and have attempted to slip rebranded instructional materials based on Common Core Standards into Florida’s classrooms, while others have included prohibited and divisive concepts such as the tenants [sic] of CRT or other unsolicited strategies of indoctrination – despite FDOE’s prior notification."   https://www.fldoe.org/newsroom/latest-news/florida-rejects-publishers-attempts-to-indoctrinate-students.stml

 

The criticism of students' reading material from all sides typically asserts the need to protect students from feeling bad.  For instance, a Republican-sponsored bill in Connecticut "would prohibit public schools from teaching 'divisive concepts' and content that makes 'any individual feel discomfort, guilt, anguish or any other form of psychological distress on account of the individual’s race or sex.'”   https://www.courant.com/news/connecticut/hc-news-critical-race-theory-20210612-xrvywkxwejczrmzisfouxnb74m-story.html

All I can say is that if I could have been spared feeling bad growing up, it would have added years to my childhood.

Wednesday, April 20, 2022

Clue 46 Down - More than right

. . .

I am not able personally to verify this list of the Holy Land’s best hamburgers, but it was delicious reading it.  https://www.theinfatuation.com/new-york/guides/best-burger-nyc

. . .

Diet Coke is my beverage of choice with hamburgers, but that might be explained by this finding.  "Here we report that when rats were allowed to choose mutually-exclusively between water sweetened with saccharin -- an intense calorie-free sweetener -- and intravenous cocaine -- a highly addictive and harmful substance -- the large majority of animals (94%) preferred the sweet taste of saccharin."

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17668074/

 

Friday, April 22, 2022

The Forward, the leading Yiddish language newspaper in the United States, began publication 125 years ago today.  Mazel tov!

Speaking of The Forward, I enjoyed this article about the Utah Jazz of the National Basketball Association using "Have Nagila" as its victory song.   https://forward.com/fast-forward/500315/why-do-the-utah-jazz-in-the-mormon-capital-play-hava-nagila-after-wins/?utm_source=Iterable&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=campaign_4117339

It is estimated that Jews make up 0.2% of Utah’s population.  https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jewish-population-in-the-united-states-by-state

Inevitably, the reporter was able to locate someone sufficiently lacking a sense of irony to object to this alleged cultural appropriation.  What is ignored is the real cultural appropriation, the very name of the team, the Utah Jazz.  Utah has high mountains, polite people, but it is the unjazziest place in the Western Hemisphere.  With apologies to Stan Getz, Gerry Mulligan and Benny Goodman, among others, jazz is properly associated with African Americans, who make up 1.5% of the state's population.  The name came with the team relocating from New Orleans, where it fit like a glove, and, if I were the King, it would have stayed there.

. . .

 

Answer = OBTUSE

Comings and Goings

Saturday, April 9, 2022

Clue 31 Across - Huffing and puffing, e.g.

. . .

 

While the Trump Organization is the official business of the ex-president, Amazon is aiming to be his actual incarnation.  “Amazon objected on Friday to a landmark union election at its Staten Island fulfillment center, saying an upstart union’s unorthodox tactics there crossed legal lines, according to a copy of its filing to the National Labor Relations Board obtained by The New York Times.”

Amazon, which regularly conducts anti-union training programs during working hours whenever a union vote is pending, doesn’t believe that it can be allowed to lose.  https://newlaborforum.cuny.edu/2021/11/15/crushing-unions-by-any-means-necessary-how-amazons-blistering-anti-union-campaign-won-in-bessemer-alabama/

 

It’s Amazon, a winner!

 

Sunday, April 10, 2022

I have been thinking about Johann Wolfgang von Goethe and the New York Rangers.  Goethe (1749-1832) is best known for his play Faust, based on a classical German legend.  Faust, a restless intellectual, makes a pact with the Devil, promising to exchange a life in Hell for a transcendent moment on Earth, not believing that he could experience such a moment.  Until Faust succumbs, if he ever should, he is imbued with magic powers.  

 

As I learned in my college German class, Faust would be doomed if he ever utters "Verweile doch, du bist so schön," asking time to stand still so that he might appreciate its beauty.  Denying the inexorable movement of time would be fatal to Faust.  However, I always looked at it the other way.  Every moment is important and the desire to rush forward, skipping valuable time, unrecoverable time, is a rejection of life.  As we age, every fraction of time becomes more precious.

 

That's my philosophical stance, but then there is the New York Rangers, the professional ice hockey team.  Hockey, like basketball, but unlike baseball, is governed by the clock.  Ordinarily, there are 60 minutes in a game.  This year, after 73 games, the Rangers have won 21 by one goal, the narrowest margin.  This means that, as the games neared an end, the Rangers were leading by one goal, a thin thread.  

 

I admit that, at those moments, I wished time to fly, the remaining time to disappear, so that the victory might be immediately secured.  Apparently, the Devil was distracted, because my soul remains under my control.  

. . .

 

Maybe we should all be rich, like Akshata Murty.  She is happily married to Rishi Sunak, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, one of the most powerful positions in the British government.  She is also the daughter of one of India’s richest businessmen and, coincidentally, she claims non-domiciled status in Britain, saving her millions of pounds a year in taxes.  It’s like the joke about the dog, “Because he can.”

. . .

 

"How Much Apartment Space Does $1,500 Get You in America’s 100 Largest Cities"  

https://www.rentcafe.com/blog/apartmentliving/rental-space-for-1500/

 

Room for those books, electronics, tchotchkes or visiting relatives always seems hard to come by in a Holy Land residence.  But, if Wichita, Kansas is the answer, let's not ask the question.

 

Monday, April 11, 2022

Andrew Solomon has written a long and painful article on childhood suicide.  The agony and frustration of family and friends confronting tragedy is palpable, but unresolved.

http://andrewsolomon.com/articles/the-mystifying-rise-of-child-suicide/

 

Tuesday, April 12, 2022

Art Spar, the poet laureate of West End Synagogue, accompanied me to the Rangers game tonight.  

           Nevertheless,

           All I can say

           Is that I hope

           That we can play another day.

Wednesday, April 13, 2022

Madam and I went out to dinner, a relatively rare occurrence during the week, but nearly the last step as we approach the turbulent Red Sea.   Appropriately enough, we went to Miznon North, 129 West 72nd Street, an Israeli restaurant.  

Not only is the chef named Victor Gothelf, but, as a result of my frequent visits since it opened, I seemed to know more about the menu than the servers.  Actually, it wasn’t the menu that I discussed with them, but what wasn’t on the menu, notably the fabulous schnitzel that comes and goes erratically.

What we ate was very good or better.  We shared the beetroot carpaccio ($13) and a small, freshly-baked focaccia ($6).  My young bride had “7 Ricotta Clouds,” gnocchi in a butter and cheese sauce ($23), while I had lamb kebab, four 2” long cylinders of ground lamb, broiled just right, with a light tomatoey-olive oil sauce ($27).  As good as everything tasted, portions were very small considering the prices or maybe I haven’t been to Israel lately.

Thursday, April 14, 2022

Our escape from Egypt began today by driving to Natick, Massachusetts, a well-established portal to the Sinai Desert.

                                . . .

Since I retired from the court system, I haven't been crawling the downtown streets with any frequency.  Therefore, it was an unwelcome surprise to learn that Forlini's Restaurant, 93 Baxter Street, has closed.  https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/08/style/forlinis-closing.html?referringSource=articleShare

It was a reliable source of Italian food like my mama would have made if she were Italian.  Because of its proximity to the criminal courts, it looked like the real life cast of "Law & Order" at lunchtime.  In fact, the second week of this literary adventure included a judge’s retirement party at Forlini's (January 14, 2016).  Not only was it a free lunch, Robert Johnson, then Bronx District Attorney, sat opposite me.  Because he had to rush off, he agreed to order a cannoli for dessert so I could have two.  They were excellent.

   

Friday, April 15, 2022

In case you know Slim Gaillard only from “Flat Foot Floogie,” give a listen (thanks to Thespian Emeritus Paul Hecht).

https://youtu.be/ntUNRiC5-z0?list=RDntUNRiC5-z0

                           . . .

Answer = GERUNDS 

Money Talks

Sunday, April 3, 2022 

Joe Biden traveled to Europe and especially Poland recently to underline his policy on the Russian invasion of Ukraine.  While his proximity to the conflict produced some drama, he missed an opportunity to show his empathy for the many displaced Ukrainians in Polish border towns.  He could have taken the trouble to throw pierogies into the crowd.

. . .

I have just learned of a survey on loneliness in the United States, particularly where are people the most and the least lonely.  Which states actually placed where seemed completely random, as the surveyors note.  Florida -- second most lonely, in spite of all the golf courses; Alaska -- second least lonely, in spite of all the bears.  https://aginginplace.org/loneliest-states/

It makes for interesting, but fuzzy, reading.

. . .

There is some more information about people that I have just come across.  People who grow up in predictable, gridlike cities like Chicago or New York seem to struggle to navigate as easily as those who come from more rural areas or more intricate cities.  In other words, growing up with a sense of order and reason ill-prepares you for the modern world.  https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-022-04486-7

Monday, April 4, 2022

My cousin Michael Goldenberg is a suburban New Jersey resident and, therefore, more likely to navigate the modern world than I am.  His (dis)location also means that he will put up with almost anything for good Kosher delicatessen, even if he has to put up with me again.  Friday, we went together to Ben's Kosher Delicatessen Restaurant, 209 West 38th Street, for dinner.  Today, with his lovely wife Gerri, we had lunch at Pastrami Queen, 138 West 72nd Street.  We were lured by the Monday Special, pastrami on rye with a can of Dr. Brown's soda for $16.95, more than $5 less than the rest of the week, a deal that I have enjoyed several times. 

However, today, a certain literalism crept in.  Previously, a corned beef sandwich was considered the functional equivalent of a pastrami sandwich, but not today.  Pastrami, a discount; corned beef, retail.  We coped.

Tuesday, April 5, 2022

Tonight, madam and I had dinner at Casa Vallarta, 45 Belmont Street, Northborough, Massachusetts, for the second time in almost exactly two months.  That could only mean one thing, our automotive saga was reaching a conclusion, since the restaurant sits across the highway from Lexus of Northborough, an institution similar to Chase Bank only in receiving our funds, but never dispensing them. 

I had Fajitas Tres Tiro ($22.99), translated as three shots of fajitas, although the portion sizes came closer to cannonades.  One large plate was loaded with rice, beans, sour cream, guacamole, shredded cheese and chopped tomatoes sitting next to another large plate loaded with grilled beef, chicken and shrimp, cooked with onions and peppers.  A smaller plate of corn tortillas was provided to roll your own.  Rolling was how I got out of there.  My young bride had spinach enchiladas ($16.99) and, ignoring the accompanying starch, remained nimble.

Wednesday, April 6, 2022

We drove home in our new 2022 Lexus UX 250H, leaving behind our 2016 Lexus ES 300H and a lot of money.  This acquisition is putting me to the test, like getting a puppy dog or having a baby, neither of which have I ever done successfully.

I purchased an Apple iPhone two weeks ago after two decades of Samsung usage; I started the installation of the Verizon FIOS TV One system on Monday, which remains incomplete; I took ownership yesterday of my third Lexus automobile in 14 years, each the same, but different.  At this point, this 20th Century guy is having trouble keeping up with 21st Century ingenuity. 

Thursday, April 7, 2022

A friend, formerly a Chicago and New York resident, sent me this article reporting on the cost of living around the world.    https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/chicago-among-top-10-most-expensive-places-across-the-world-ranking-above-new-york-city-list/2800786/?_osource=db_npd_nbc_wmaq_eml_shr

The local television station seemed to be taking perverse pride that Chicago was allegedly a more expensive place to live than New York, a conclusion that I doubted.  This sort of stuff intrigues me, so I went to the underlying source, https://www.budgetdirect.com.au/interactives/costofliving/.   

 

The survey allows for city-to-comparisons and I was more interested in New York vs. London, where we had visited one month ago and found only theater tickets and bus rides cheaper.  The survey, by contrast, consistently found London cheaper than New York, something that contradicted our immediate experience.  For what it’s worth, this survey ain’t worth it.

. . .

My skepticism about Chicago's place in the ranks of trust fund babies was buoyed by another survey of US cities, how long would $1 million last in retirement. 

https://apple.news/A_Jp5gqYyRG6P9WwDu5_Wcw

 

Not surprisingly, insolvency would come soonest around Silicon Valley and the Holy Land.  Chicago, rather than being notably expensive, placed 18th between Atlanta and Minneapolis.  

I'm not suggesting that living in a setting most fitting for plutocrats is a desirable goal.  But, in case you intend to abandon your concern for the good and welfare of your fellow citizens and pursue greed and avarice, you should know where to hang your hat.

 

A "Nice" Whitefish

Sunday, March 27, 2022 

I’m not a particularly sentimental guy, but I was moved by the news that Kim Kardashian’s boyfriend got a tattoo to celebrate her success on a part of the California bar examination.     https://apple.news/AyQhhz_srS36gYDI0oxw5fQ

While it has been 20 years since I passed the New York State bar examination, I hope that my girlfriend considers commensurate, if belated, recognition of my accomplishment.

. . .

I was surprised by the results of a national survey of the length of homeownership.    https://www.redfin.com/news/2021-homeowner-tenure/

When I lived in Los Angeles, admittedly a lifetime ago, people changed residences almost as frequently as spouses.  Also, I imagined that New Yorkers and Northeasterners generally were the most settled; Mother Ruth Gotthelf lived 57 years in the same apartment.  But, the survey shows otherwise.  California, earthquakes and mudslides aside, seems to be the model of stability.

Monday, March 28, 2022

“An ABC News analysis of federal data found that on average, the death rates in states that voted for Trump were more than 38% higher than in states that voted for Biden, post widespread vaccine availability.”

Tuesday, March 29, 2002

As the Boyz Club approached the House of Joy, 28 Pell Street, some might have expected something more than a good Chinese meal.  The premises, once Delight 28 Restaurant (February 4, 2010), has been thoroughly renovated inside and out.  It’s a large, bright, open space devoted to dim sum.

In spite of my conscientious attempts at record keeping, I lost track of the plates flying off the wagons circling the floor.  I remember one was a vegetable and there were 14 in all.  The five of us paid $20 each. 

Wednesday, March 30, 2022

Normal has become another N-word.  It postulates a condition or situation that is unavailable to some people for a variety of reasons and, therefore, is considered unfair or worse in many contexts.  Yet, I am reluctant to let it go.  I am no clinician, so I have a hard time replacing “normal” in my vocabulary.

For instance, a 40-year-old man, his 41-year-old wife, her twin sister, and the couple’s 8-year-old daughter died last week by jumping out of a building in what Swiss police called a "collective suicide."  A teenage son survived the jump, but is in a coma. 

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/3/29/french-family-leapt-off-balcony-one-by-one-switzerland-policereferringSource=articleShare

That ain’t normal.

Then, there’s Lara Logan, once a major league foreign correspondent for the CBS network, now with Fox, opining on a podcast: 

"Does anyone know who employed Darwin, where Darwinism comes from?  Look it up: The Rothschilds. It goes back to 10 Downing Street. The same people who employed Darwin, and his theory of evolution and so on and so on. I’m not saying that none of that is true. I’m just saying Darwin was hired by someone to come up with a theory — based on evidence, right?"

http://a.msn.com/01/en-us/AAVBqFH?ocid=se

She ain’t normal, either.

. . .

Once upon a time, a lout like me approaching The Chick Shop, 805 Third Avenue Atrium, would be spouting adolescent humor.  Sorry, there will be no ribald suggestions now about what one might pick up at this Israeli-oriented stand.  Instead, I ordered a pita stuffed with five falafels, tomatoes, cucumber, cabbage, pickles, tahini and hummus ($10.50) and ate it in the large, open space on the building’s lower level.

I tried to enjoy my lunch, but the atmosphere was funereal.  805 Third has 525,000 square feet of office space on 31 floors, but the Atrium was empty at lunchtime as very few people patronized The Chick Shop or the other food vendors on the premises.  No one seemed to be at work or, at least, not at their normal (there we go) place of employment.  I have a feeling that other nearby office buildings were similarly underpopulated as evidenced by the light pedestrian traffic throughout the area.

Friday, April 1, 2022

I had the pleasure of having lunch with Paul Bergman, recently retired criminal defense attorney.  I never needed his services professionally, but I was always glad that he was there if I needed him. Over the years, my behavior veered to the frivolous, the undisciplined, even the reckless, but, fortunately, never to the criminal.

Today, we met at Green Garden Village, 216 Grand Street, a grungy provider of very good food.  We shared a generous bowl of wonton soup ($6.50), loaded with eight excellent wontons.  We continued by sharing two lunch specials, "Shrimp with Peanut with Spicy Sauce" and short ribs and eggplant with garlic sauce, both $8.  These were full-sized dishes, marked down for lunchtime.  The sauces were very pungent and tasty, but the shrimp were undersized and were outnumbered by the peanuts.  We ended with a very large portion of Singapore ho fun ($14), which seemed to successfully combine everything loose on the kitchen counter dusted with curry powder.  Had you been with us, there would have been enough food for you as well. 

. . .

As if one good meal wasn't enough for me today, I had dinner at Ben's Kosher Delicatessen Restaurant, 209 West 38th Street, with my cousin Michael Goldenberg.  But, the evening started and ended on wrong notes.  When I entered the subway at West 72nd Street, I found a total standstill.  The nearly-indecipherable messages coming over the public address system mentioned a fire and a cessation of service on the 1, 2 and 3 lines, the precise path I would take to the neighborhood of Ben's and Madison Square Garden.  As a longtime student of the Holy Land's transportation system, I was less befuddled than most of the hundreds of people climbing the stairs back to the street.  I hoofed over to Columbus Avenue and caught an M7 bus, leaving me one block from Ben's.  I was only 20 minutes late.   

 

I had a corned beef/tongue combo on rye bread, French fries and a Dr. Brown's diet black cherry.  Since I was Michael's guest, I did not record the cost, but offered abundant thanks.  Dinner was a prelude to the Rangers/Islanders game at Madison Square Garden, which proved a bigger disappointment than the failed subway system.  Let's leave it at that.

. . .

There is news that Russ & Daughters, 19 East Houston Street, the preeminent purveyor of what Jews strangely call "appetizing," may be the subject of a television series. 

https://www.jta.org/2022/03/31/ny/a-scripted-tv-series-about-russ-daughters-may-be-coming-soon

 

Calvin Trillin, the greatest writer in the English language since William Shakespeare, "describ[ed] the typical Russ & Daughters customer: a sweet, elderly, Jewish lady who comes in once a week looking for a 'nice' whitefish.  'One whitefish coming up,' says the affable counterman . . . 'I said a "nice" whitefish,' shoots back the lady."

https://www.thedailymeal.com/much-ado-about-noshing

 

In 1968, I dated a daughter of one of Russ's daughters.  She was quite lovely, an art teacher in the public school system.  I wonder who will play me on television?

I _ _ I _ or _ _ I I _ or _ _ _ I I

Saturday, March 19, 2022 

I defected.  I purchased an Apple iPhone.  It’s red and it’s a bargain.  It replaces a black Samsung phone.  Red will reduce the occasions when I can’t find it on the black marble kitchen counter and other dark places.  A bargain needs no explanation.

Not only did I defect to Apple, I surrendered on Wordle this morning, the unofficial one at WordleGame.org.   

Please send me the answer; I lost the link.

. . .

How not to spend 1 hour and 32 minutes according to a New York Times movie review

If you can remain awake until the final moments of “Windfall,” then yes, something exciting actually happens. But that’s a very long wait in Charlie McDowell’s oppressive Netflix drama, a gabby hostage movie with a single, covetable location and three unappealing characters.

. . .

It only took me a few hours to encounter Apple’s rapaciousness.  Packed with my new phone was this cord, presumably for recharging the battery. 

Notice that it has a middle and two ends, but no beginning.  Unless you can generate electricity in your sweaty palm, there is no connection to a power source.  I returned to the phone store to point out this seeming oversight and was informed that instead this was Apple’s 20-20 vision, not a case of myopia.   Use the plug provided with your other Apple product purchases (don’t we all have a closet full of them?) or spend 20 bucks more.  

Monday, March 21, 2022

Dim sum is normally a social occasion, originating in China, where no-need-to-be-working class men sat in the tea house all day nibbling away.  Today, in the absence of the usual suspects, I went alone to Dim Sum Palace, 28 West 56 street, for lunch.  It is one of three related joints around the Holy Land.  It has a full bar, four four-tops in a shed on the curb lane, six tables of varying sizes at street level and additional seating upstairs.  

It offers 44 dim sum items and two assortments, colorfully illustrated on a placemat, which is also the order form.  Items range from $4.95 to $9.95.  There is a complete conventional menu with 32 lunch specials ($13.95 or $14.95), including choice of rice and soup, not such a special deal.  I also raised my graying eyebrows at the cost of a pot of tea, $8 for any of six choices.  

I had seafood peashoot dumplings (3 pieces for $5.95), shredded roast duck dumplings (3 pieces for $5.95) and crispy garlic spare ribs (18 chunks for $7.95).  The dumplings were undistinguished, their wrappers so gummy that it was hard to get them out of the wicker serving baskets.  The spare ribs, lightly breaded (pankoed?), deep fried and loaded with garlic, were a treat.  

Unless you want a martini with your dim sum, I am not enthusiastic about Dim Sum Palace.  However, West 56th Street between Fifth Avenue and Sixth Avenue may replace East 53rd Street between Second Avenue and Third Avenue as the best place to be hungry in Manhattan.  I did not do a complete inventory, but I saw Indian, Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Middle Eastern, Italian and Cuban restaurants, along with some pubs, Starbucks, Benihana and a sandwich shop.  Only a dessert place seems to be missing, a serious omission. 

Tuesday, March 22, 2022

Two Wheels, 426 Amsterdam Avenue, is a small place with a small menu of Vietnamese food.  The interior is equally simple, two long unadorned white walls bracket the narrow space.  There is no picture of Ho Chi Minh, the man or the city.  Six small tables topped with blond wood are permanently fixed to the floor.  Service was efficient and friendly.  

I had the very good Signature Bánh Mì, marinated steak with pickled daikon radish, carrot, mayo, cucumber, cilantro and jalapeño on a fresh 9" baguette ($13.75).  No, I don't know what the name of the restaurant means.



Wednesday, March 23, 2022

One friend often asks “Why have Jews won so many Nobel Prizes?” and answers his own question with reference to our gene pool.  I think that this is a widely held belief among us, but not frequently expressed aloud.  It is the secular version of the controversial biblical concept of chosenness.  

I found a very satisfying, non-chauvinistic answer in “Genius & Anxiety -- How the Jews Changed the World, 1847-1947” by Norman Lebrecht, an examination of the lives and work of Marx, Disraeli, Heine, Felix Mendelssohn, Freud, Proust, Einstein and Kafka, among others.  This list contains some well-known apostates, but, as Lebrecht demonstrates, Judaism stayed with them.

If Jews happen to excel in any particular area, it is generally a consequence of culture and experience rather than DNA.  Jews learned from adversity to think differently from others, and, maybe, harder.  The composer Gustav Mahler was fond of saying: "A Jew is like a man with a short arm.  He has to swim harder to reach the shore."  Anxiety acts on them like an Egyptian taskmaster in the book of Exodus.  It goads them to acts of genius.

Of course, anxiety may be an inherited trait, although not an exclusively Jewish one.

. . .

I went to the second of three Tipsy Shanghais, 594 Third Avenue, for lunch.  It's a small joint, but very attractively decorated.  Six two-tops sit alongside a built-in, glass-fronted China (!) cabinet.  Opposite are six four-tops separated by filigreed red screens.  When I walked in, I was the only customer, but there were 10 more by the time I left.  

I started with Steamed Xiaolongbao, soup buns ($6.95 for four pieces).  They were very good, as you might expect from a Shanghai staple, and, as long as they were that good, they should have been bigger and/or more numerous.  I continued with sweet and sour ribs ($15.95), hoping they were not conventional.  They were not.  Although the 15 small chunks (smaller than the pieces at Dim Sum Palace on Monday) were on the wrong side of the bone to meat ratio, their rich, dark sauce (soy sauce, rice wine, vinegar and spices) was a treat.  

Thursday, March 24, 2022

Another stanza of Mammas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys.

Employees in New York City’s securities industry got extra payouts averaging $257,500 in 2021, up 20 percent from their previous peak a year earlier, according to an estimate by Thomas P. DiNapoli, the state comptroller.

. . .

It’s worth noting that the United States Senators expressing the most intense opposition to Ketanji Brown Jackson’s nomination to the United States Supreme Court are from Confederate states.  Will they ever accept defeat or maybe they never lost?

. . .

Time Out New York presents an “interactive map rank[ing] over 200 of NYC's best bagels,” based on the prodigious research of Mike Varley.    https://www.timeout.com/newyork/news/this-interactive-map-ranks-over-200-of-nycs-best-bagels-031822.

Varley spent over one year going in and out of bagel shops, always purchasing an everything with scallion cream cheese, an excellent baseline, in my opinion.  However, his thoroughness was not thorough enough.  Omitted are the last four bagels that I have eaten just within the last two weeks: Fairway, Orwasher’s, Zabar’s and Zucker’s, all within a short stroll from Palazzo di Gotthelf.  Back to the pavement, Mike.

Friday, March 25, 2022

New York City Mayor Eric Adams removed the Covid-19 vaccine mandate for professional athletes, proving that it is better to be reckless, stubborn and rich rather than just reckless and stubborn.

. . .

 

Terrific Tom and I had lunch at Don Antonio, 309 West 50th Street, a place that takes pizza seriously.  It uses a wood-fired oven imported from Italy and traces its roots back to Naples, the reputed birthplace of pizza.  It has about 20 two-tops and a full bar serving food and drinks to another dozen customers.  Tom and I agreed that the product was superior, chewy, not doughy, with blistered edges.  My 12" pie was topped with sausage and mushrooms ($18) and Tom's with prosciutto and mushrooms ($19).  Tom and pizza made a very good ending to my week.                       

Cookie Heaven

Saturday, March 12, 2022
Vayikra, this week's Torah portion, deals extensively with animal sacrifice, very much a part of Hebrew custom in the old days.  It made me wonder why all the attention to this practice; why did the ancients even bother with it at all?  

 

I think that at an early stage humankind realized that there were forces beyond its control, lightning, earthquakes, volcanoes.  In many societies, this coalesced into a view of a transcendent force intervening in human affairs, putting humankind at its mercy.  Even way back then, human ego was probably well developed and someone decided to exercise control over animals to compensate for the fearful lack of control over his/her own destiny.  Animal sacrifice offered the fleeting pretense of mastery of the surrounding world.

. . .

 

In 1992, historian and political scientist Francis Fukuyama published "The End of History and the Last Man," a work that drew a lot of attention.  He argued that the fall of the Soviet Union heralded the worldwide spread of liberal democracies and free-market capitalism.  Western values and lifestyle were the end point of humanity's sociocultural evolution.  This was very encouraging to many, but someone forgot to give Vladimir Putin a copy and Fukuyama would soon back away from his thesis.    

 

Now, I understand how Fukuyama felt prior to publication.  I think that I may have found the best cookie in the world, which will allow me to rest.  This is Fortnum & Mason's "Chocolossus Biscuit," 16 cookies, weighing 600 grams, in a decorative tin cylinder at £18.95.  Fortnum & Mason is Zabar's with a British accent.

You have to pardon them for the silly name given the brilliant execution.  Deceptively simple, but richly satisfying, it is a dense chocolate macadamia nut cookie covered in thick dark chocolate.  The generosity of Robina Rafferty opened this world of delight to me.  I'll be forever grateful.

. . .

 

Thanks to Stony Brook Steve for submitting this story.    https://patch.com/new-york/upper-west-side-nyc/upper-west-side-sushi-bar-raises-its-prices-over-1-000-meal

 

I'm so pleased that I don't have to go far for a $1,000 sushi meal.

 

Sunday, March 13, 2022

An interview with Karen Jay Fowler, a novelist, in the New York Times Book Review has this Q&A:

 

Has a book ever brought you closer to another person, or come between you?

 

As a young woman I dated a man who told me I should read “Dune.” Also “The Left Hand of Darkness.” If I hadn’t loved those books, I probably wouldn’t have married him.

 

I had the opposite experience.  I read "Dune" at the urging of a woman with whom I was madly in love, until I read "Dune."

. . .

 

Since returning from London, we have not ventured very far from Palazzo di Gotthelf, so my cousin Michael, who lives 16 miles away, gave me this shocking news.  Jacques Torres has closed his store at 285 Amsterdam Avenue, that reliable source of chocolates, hot chocolate, ice cream and my favorite chocolate chip cookies (now second overall to F&M's fabulous creation).

 

He is not entirely out of business, but the nearest cookie is at Grand Central Station, which is, after all, closer than London.  

. . .

 

The national environmental nonprofit Sierra Club has canceled its scheduled trips to Israel in response to pressure from progressive and anti-Zionist groups.  Fortunately, their trip to China on October 9-22 is still open.

. . .

If you would rather search for a new home rather than travel to China, here is where the vacancies are.

https://www.lendingtree.com/home/mortgage/vacancy-rates-study/

To summarize: Vermont, Maine and Alaska are the states with the highest vacancy rates, although seasonality may affect this.   Oregon, Washington and Connecticut are the states with the lowest vacancy rates and there is no ready explanation for this.

Monday, March 14, 2022

Stony Brook Steve and I had lunch at Jin Ramen, 462 Amsterdam Avenue.  Although it had a shack in the curb lane and four two-tops on the sidewalk, we ate at one of the ten two-tops inside.  The menu is relatively large, with many rice dishes and noodles in and out of soup.

I had Japanese Beef Curry Dry Ramen, which was actually fairly wet ($16).  It's described as thinly sliced beef brisket sauteed with onions, garnished with benishoga (pickled ginger), white scallions, shredded nori (seaweed) and sesame seeds over ramen noodles.  It was very filling and very good.  It was also fun ignoring a fork and attacking it with chopsticks.

Steve ordered Tuna Yukke Don, cubed tuna sashimi, shredded egg, avocado, cucumber, and kaiware (radish seeds) in a sweet sesame sauce, topped with a poached egg, sprinkled with togarashi (a mixture of sesame seeds, chili peppers, orange peel and other spices [might be good on a bagel]) over rice ($19).  He, too, pronounced himself satisfied and full.

Tuesday, March 15, 2022

12 days ago, we had lunch with David Mervin in Manchester, England.  Tonight, I had dinner with his son John at Turntable Chicken Jazz, 20 West 33rd Street, possibly the best name for a restaurant anywhere.  This is a Korean joint, with an emphasis on chicken, no surprise.  In spite of the name, I saw lots of reel-to-reel tape recorders mounted on the walls, but no turntables.  Whatever the source of the background music, it was loud, but most of the young crowd shouted over it. 

We shared a large combo, five drumsticks and 10 wings, some (very) spicy, some not ($31.95), and very good French fries ($8.50).  You'll eat well, but not quietly.

. . .

Our evening wasn't over.  John and I proceeded to Madison Square to watch the Rangers win in overtime, thanks to Adam Fox, the Jewish hockey player from Long Island, born on February 17th, don't you know.

Wednesday, March 16, 2022

The Sierra Club has changed its mind and restored trips to Israel, along with other nasty places.    https://www.timesofisrael.com/sierra-club-reinstates-israel-trips-after-outcry-over-decision-to-nix-visits/

. . .

All my lunches are special, but today was extra special.  I had lunch with Ilana Marcus a judge of the New York City Civil Court.  We worked as fellow clerks during the last years of my employment in the court system and I quickly came to admire her personal and professional strengths.  Even then, we hit Chinatown together on occasion, a demonstration of her sound judgment.

We met at Hop Lee, 16 Mott Street, a classic Chinatown joint.  Only the bottom of its two levels was open, furnished with half a dozen booths and a couple of large round tables.  It has a very large menu, too large perhaps because there was no Peking duck or snails in black bean sauce, our initial requests.  Instead, we ordered two lunch specials, chicken with bitter melon and scrambled eggs with shrimp, full-size portions at $6.75.  We added Singapore chow fun ($8.95), loaded with eggs, green onions, yellow onions, pork, shrimp and bamboo shoots, but too sparing of the curry powder.  With tea and rice, we still ate very well for $15 a person.  Given Ilana's position, I could neither treat nor be treated.

Thursday, March 17, 2022

Here is a fascinating survey of American public opinion.  It demonstrates amazing gaps between perception and reality.  At the top of the list is the estimate that Jews constitute 30% of the population.  From your mouth to God's ears.

https://today.yougov.com/topics/politics/articles-reports/2022/03/15/americans-misestimate-small-subgroups-population 

Friday, March 18, 2022

The temperature approached 70 at lunchtime today, which made my meal with Nancy Heller even more pleasant.  Previously, I've enjoyed lunches with Jeffrey Heller, her husband, a dedicated human rights warrior who raises money and awareness on cross-country bicycle rides, but now I had time with the power behind the wheels.

We met at Miriam Restaurant, 300 Amsterdam Avenue, the second location for the Israeli chef-owner.  Miriam's menu is predictably Israeli, unlike the more experimental Israeli menu at Miznon North around the corner on West 72nd Street.  Miriam has red shakshuka, green shakshuka, chicken schnitzel, chicken shawarma, lamb shawarma and salads based on chopped tomatoes and cucumbers.  

I had lamb shawarma, braised lamb, yellow rice, chickpeas, roasted green chili and seared tomatoes, served with a fresh pita and tahini ($25). It was good, but the conversation was better.  Nancy has fascinating tales about her German Jewish ancestors; her mother's family left in 1933 and her father's in 1937.  Of course, that led to a discussion of would American Jewish families leave?  Specifically, would we leave?  We skipped dessert.