There and Here

Saturday, March 5, 2022 

We spent the afternoon on Regent Street, one of London's prime retail areas, without spending a shilling.  Afterwards, we had a theater date with David and Katherine, Lord & Lady Kennington, but first we met them for dinner at Tas Authentic Anatolian Turkish Cuisine, 33 The Cut.  While it's a large, bustling restaurant, it operated efficiently, delivering very good eats.

We started with a double order of mezze, 9 dishes in all (£35).  We probably could have stopped there, but the K's are insatiable.  I followed with Pilic Shish, nicely charbroiled chunks of dark meat chicken with a side of couscous (£16.25).  The house white wine was refreshing and quite reasonable at £19.95 a bottle. 

We proceeded to The Old Vic for a revival of Caryl Churchill's 2002 play about cloning, "A Number."  Lord K agreed with me that the plot's complexities are best understood when awake. 

Sunday, March 6, 2022

Acting in a style to which we are thoroughly unaccustomed, we went to Brown's Hotel, 33 Albemarle Street, for a Champagne tea.  Brown's seems to be London's oldest hotel, founded in 1837, and is considered the quintessential setting for afternoon tea, scones, clotted cream and all that.  This exercise in extravagance was a birthday gift from the Left Coast delegation, America's Loveliest Nephrologist and the Oakland Heartthrob, for which I am very grateful.

. . .

Man cannot live on sandwiches without crusts alone, so, after a respectable interlude and a nap, we went to dinner at Harry's Dolce Vita, 27-31 Basil Street, down the block from our hotel.  While proximity was the initial attraction for us, the quality of the food and the service would draw us back from afar.  

I had Harry's Seafood Spaghetti, loaded with prawns, mussels, squid, clams and some unadvertised lobster meat in a sauce made with tomatoes, rather than just a tomato sauce (£22.75).  As I dug into it, madam was enjoying Spigola Grigliata, grilled sea bass (£24.95).  Bravo Harry.

Monday, March 7, 2022

We had our last outing with Lord & Lady K today, the British Museum's new exhibit on Stonehenge, a very hot ticket right now.  What surprised me most was the vast number of similar structures throughout the British Isles and Western Europe and the continuing mystery surrounding their creation.  On the other hand, it is remarkable how much is known or, at least, deducible about events 7,500 years ago using contemporary scientific tools.

. . .

The Upper West Side's Power Couple proceeded to a convenient branch of Boots, London's answer to Walgreens, to take Covid-19 rapid antigen tests in order to get on a plane tomorrow.  On the streets of Manhattan, pop-up booths offering free testing abound.  Here, generally, an appointment to an established facility is needed, costing at least £30.

Actually, Boots and Walgreens answer the same question: What are the two major retail chains owned by Walgreens Boots Alliance?

Results -- Good to go.

. . .

For dinner, we went to Layalina, 3 Beauchamp Place, a Lebanese restaurant.  In fact, in Knightsbridge, the neighborhood of our hotel, the man in the street is likely an Arab, although the woman in the Rolls Royce is probably a Russian.  Speaking of ostentatious displays of wealth, there's no place like London, to quote a line from "Sweeney Todd" (https://genius.com/Stephen-sondheim-no-place-like-london-lyrics).  I've seen more Roll-Royces, Bentleys, Ferraris and Maseratis here in one week than in one year in the Holy Land.

We shared the dip sampler, generous scoops of hummus, moutabal a/k/a babaganoush and mouhamarah (walnuts, red bell peppers, pomegranate molasses) (£9).  I had spice-roasted breast of duck, with sour cherries, yogurt, freekah (wheat groats) and roasted pumpkin (£28).  It was a good duck, but not a great duck. 

Madam chose two small plates -- cheese rolls, crisp pastry with halloumi (a mixture of goat's and sheep's milk), feta, kashkaval (a Balkan yellow cheese) and roasted capsicum sauce (£6.50) and grilled aubergines with goat yogurt, Aleppo chili oil and coriander (£6.50).  Our waiter, who emigrated from Lebanon 15 years ago and yearned to move on to Canada, was very friendly and informative.  

Tuesday, March 8, 2022

We departed on a bright sunny day, although the temperature remained in the 40s, as it has been all week.  Virgin Atlantic accepted our patronage and our money, something that American Airlines was only half able to accomplish.  Our return to New York was as free from drama as our departure was fraught with it. 

Wednesday, March 9, 2022

Looking back on the wonderful week that we spent in England, I realize that it may disqualify me from attendance at Bernie Sanders' Annual Rosa Luxemburg Birthday Celebration.  We stayed in a hotel where every room had its own toilet; we had Champagne tea at an institution dating back to Victorian times; we sat for two hours before boarding our flight home in the American Express Centurion Lounge at Heathrow Airport, accessible only to Platinum Card holders.  Is it sufficient to claim that I gave up privation for Lent? 

. . .

Of course, America's Favorite Epidemiologist was interested in the public health posture of the English compared to us, but the calendar tricked us.  The day before we left, the UK lifted almost all pandemic-related constraints and mandates, while the Holy Land lifted most the day before we returned.

Nevertheless, we wore our masks everywhere in London except when walking outside or eating.  By a rough estimate, about 10% of those around us usually did the same, although, when we took the Piccadilly Line to Heathrow Airport in a burst of egalitarian behavior, a majority of our fellow passengers wore masks, something that they would still be required to do on board their flights.  Also, as a generalization, a person wearing a mask was more likely a person of color.  

Thursday, March 10, 2022

Wordle is big.  We saw people on the underground playing it alongside us.  Someone has taken the trouble to measure the worldwide participation.  https://word.tips/wordle-wizards/

 

Here are the supposed results:

• Canberra, Australia is the global city with the best Wordle average: 3.58 guesses.
• Sweden is the world’s best country at Wordle, with an average of 3.72.
• The US is ranked #18 in the world for Wordle, with a national average of 3.92.
• The American state with the best Wordle average is North Dakota (3.65).
• The US city with the best Wordle scores is St. Paul, Minnesota, with an average of 3.51.
  

In case you doubt these conclusions, what are you going to do about it?

. . .

Another set of numbers that interested me is the census of billionaires conducted by Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/billionaires/ 

There are (or were at a certain moment) 724 billionaires in the United States; California has the most at 189, New York is second with 126.  I checked the list as I often scan the obituaries to see if I made an appearance.

Un-American Airlines

Monday, February 28, 2022

I am going to tell you why the National Football League is so popular, as demonstrated by its new broadcasting deal, "valued at more than $100 billion . . . [with] Amazon, CBS, ESPN/ABC, Fox and NBC."  https://www.cnn.com/2021/03/18/media/nfl-tv-deals-amazon-cbs-nbc-espn-fox/index.html

The left seeks "a place (as on a college campus) intended to be free of bias, conflict, criticism, or potentially threatening actions, ideas, or conversations" (https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/safe%20space), while the right passes legislation to ensure that "[a] person should not be instructed that he or she must feel guilt, anguish, or other forms of psychological distress for actions, in which he or she played no part, committed in the past by other members of the same race or sex” (https://www.nbcmiami.com/news/local/florida-house-oks-bill-limiting-discussions-on-race/2699208/). 

Both sides are attempting to deny us conflict, thumping, bashing -- verbal and/or physical.  Meanwhile, NFL games draw crowds of 60,000 to 80,000 in person and are watched by an average of 17.1 million people.  https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2022/01/12/with-an-average-audience-of-17-1-million-nfl-has-highest-regular-season-ratings-since-2015/     

Eliminating conflict and confrontation, feeding students pap, does not seem to satisfy some of our primal urges.

. . .

Rent or buy?  That's a question that many of us have faced and many others strive to face.  A recent survey shows that, with the rarest exception, renting is cheaper than buying family-sized residential property in much of the world. 

https://www.comparethemarket.com.au/home-contents-insurance/features/renting-vs-buying-2021/

Monday, February 28, 2022

In what's becoming a habit, I had lunch at Pastrami Queen, 138 West 72nd Street, for the third Monday in a row.  Stony Brook Steve was my companion today.  I had the lunchtime special, matzoh ball soup and half a roast beef sandwich ($18.95), an excellent combination. 

The bowl of hot soup was loaded with two golf-ball sized matzoh balls, lukshen (egg noodles), shredded chicken and carrots.  The roast beef was as rare as Kosher roast beef can get (only slightly), generously heaped on rye bread.  Steve had two Hebrew National hot dogs and a portion of potato salad ($10.95).  

Another successful foray into Kosher Delicatessenland.

Tuesday, March 1, 2022

In the immortal words of one of the 20th century's leading philosophers, Roseanne Roseannadanna, "It's always something!"  The Upper West Side's Power Couple was up bright and early, ready to be picked up at 5 AM for our 8:05 AM flight to London on British Airlines, booked by American Airlines.  

At that time in the morning, the roads were relatively empty, but we didn't expect the airline terminal to be empty as well.  Four British Airlines employees sat at elevated desks, talking to each other with no other passengers in sight.  Of course, they had no knowledge of a flight to London any sooner than 12 hours hence.  They informed us that the flight that we booked had been canceled in December, information that American Airlines never shared with us.  They could only suggest that we go to American Airlines (one terminal over), who had been holding our money for over two years.  

American's personnel were mostly unhelpful, contending that a telephone call to a number that I abandoned in 2003 was the sufficient and sole notice of their change in plans, ignoring their use of my long-standing e-mail address in a variety of other messages about the flight as booked, including two dated yesterday.  They canceled the now non-existent transaction as we hurried off to Virgin Atlantic, four terminals back, to try to catch their 8:20 non-stop to London. 

The Virgin folk, who do not deserve any cheap jokes from me, worked very hard to get us on their flight at a reasonable price.  We were seated comfortably, with a few minutes to spare, in time to encounter a 185-minute delay, because of a fueling problem. 

We landed in London at 10:45 PM local time (2245), 2 hours and 45 minutes later than anticipated.  That, too, produced a problem.  The car service that I reserved last week, and whom I kept informed of the change of airlines and the receding arrival time during the long day, was not at Heathrow and, following the lead of American Airlines, canceled the trip.  Regular taxicabs were available, fortunately, and it was indeed a small fortune to deliver us to the quiet elegance of The Capitol Hotel near midnight.

Wednesday, March 2, 2022

Oh, did I mention that they threw a transit strike on our behalf?  Total stoppages are alternating with slowdowns on public transport.  Otherwise, mild temperatures and rain opened our visit.  Short errands and a long nap fit quite nicely during the day.  The good times began to roll at dinner at ROVI, 59 Wells Street, one of Yotam Ottolenghi's popular restaurants.  We were joined by David and Katherine, Lord and Lady Kennington, and Robina Rafferty, their great friend and now ours, as well.

While we were delighted to have such wonderful company at dinner, the food upheld its end of the bargain.  We shared two of what the menu called "Nibbles," trout crudo, with Meyer lemon and winter radish (£10.50), and parsnip & pecorino croquettes, with smoked garlic aioli and pickled walnuts (£9).  As different as these dishes were, they were each excellent in design and execution.  By coincidence, all of us chose the same main course, "Jerusalem Mixed Grill," either centered on mushrooms (£22) or chicken, including hearts and liver (£24), prepared with Baharat onions and served with pickles, pita and tahini.  

We ended by passing around three superb desserts, but, by then, my food and wine intake dulled my powers of observation.  

Thursday, March. 3, 2022

The transit strike essentially shut down the London Underground, but we crossed the city by bus to take an express train to Manchester, neither the London buses nor the intercity railroads involved in the labor dispute.  After a comfortable train ride of just over two hours, incorporating some nap time, we met David Mervin, my friend from graduate school days, whom we had last seen at his 50th wedding anniversary party in 2014. 

He treated us to lunch at The Ivy Spinningfields, The Pavilion, Byron Street, a relatively new branch of a London institution.  It is spread over three floors, each beautifully and distinctively decorated, so beautiful that I feared for the quality of the food.  Not to worry.  The menu combined traditional British dishes (I had fish and chips and sticky toffee pudding for dessert) with imaginative creations (my young bride had baked miso aubergine with cracked durum wheat, cauliflower, red pepper, raisins, almonds, coconut yogurt and rocket).  They would have elevated a basement location.  I omitted prices, since we were guests.  However, they appeared reasonable when my eyes strayed over to the right hand side of the menu.

After lunch, we went to the Manchester Jewish Museum, which combines a brand new exhibition space with a carefully restored 18th century synagogue, once in the center of a large Jewish neighborhood.  As happened in New York's Lower East Side and London's East End, the Jews moved up and out, replaced by newer immigrants.  The number of Jews has grown in the general area, we were told, but they are increasingly Orthodox, with typical large families.  Judged by the number of synagogues, Manchester is a far more Jewish city than London.

Friday, March 4, 2022

On my first trip to London in 1985, I wandered around Chinatown and dropped into Canton Kitchen, 11 Newport Place, for a late meal.  While I was not documenting meals back then, I had a favorable enough opinion of Canton Kitchen that I returned a few times over the years.  Today, as Lord K and I walked through Chinatown, I herded him into Canton Kitchen for lunch.

Addressing the pandemic, it had a tent-like structure fronting the premises, a much rarer sight in London than in New York.  We first shared a mixed dim sum platter, 9 pieces for £10.50, ordinary at best.  But, the Aromatic Crispy Duck a/k/a Peking duck was brilliant, as the British say when really excited (£21.50 for 1/2 duck).  It came with 10 pancakes, spring onions (scallions), cucumber slivers and hoisin sauce to roll your own blintz/burrito.  The duck was as fat-free as any that I have ever encountered, just meat and crispy skin -- an exceptional delight.

                               . . .

Friday night, at the end of an exciting week, some excitement coming as a complete surprise, we chose to have a traditional dinner.  We went to Madhu's Brasserie on the fifth floor of Harvey Nichols, a very fashionable department store, 175 Knightsbridge, where a handful of restaurants surround a big, airy retail space offering wine, liquor, chocolates and such.  I had a delicious lamb biryani (£19.50).  Of course, there are traditions and there are traditions.

Meal Time and Again

Saturday, February 19, 2022

In response to my visit to Chama Mama, 373 Amsterdam Avenue, last week, Mark Dilman, a wonderful friend born in Tbilisi, Georgia, wrote: "Not only Georgian cuisine is unique.  The language is too. 'Mama' in the restaurant name actually means 'father' unlike many other languages where it means 'mother'."  Now, you know.

. . .

DraftKings is a sports betting website, one of several aggressively moving into the newly-opened New York market.  It's really a computerized bookie operation, stripped of any Damon Runyonesque charm.  It reported a loss of $326 million in the fourth quarter of 2021.  That's remarkable.  The odds are always with the House and, yet, the House managed to lose a ton of money.  Go figure.

Sunday, February 20, 2022

P.J. O'Rourke, author and satirist, died last week.  The New York Times described him as once, possibly, "the only funny Republican alive."   https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/16/books/pj-orourke-books-essays.html

His obituary repeated this insightful quotation. “The weirder you’re going to behave, the more normal you should look.  It works in reverse, too.  When I see a kid with three or four rings in his nose, I know there is absolutely nothing extraordinary about that person.”

. . .

Condé Nast Traveler took a big risk by trying to identify "25 Best Places for Pizza in New York City."  https://www.cntraveler.com/gallery/best-places-for-pizza-in-new-york-city 

"Mom, who's your favorite kid?"  It just doesn't work.  I know and like a few places on the list and there are none that I have reason to exclude.  But, I don't know how they got to 25 without including a few of my favorites:

• ︎&pizza, 15 West 28th Street and other locations in Manhattan and northern New Jersey
• ︎Zero Otto Nove, 2357 Arthur Avenue, Bronx 
  
• Arturo's Coal Oven Pizza, 106 West Houston Street
  

I would not dare to rank their efforts, no more than I respond to requests for the best Chinese restaurant, which is not the same question as my

favorite Chinese restaurant.  Unlike bagel making, which is a scientific process, susceptible to measure, pizza making is an art, beyond measure.

Monday, February 21, 2022

The stars were perfectly aligned.  Dr. Roger expressed an interest in Pastrami Queen, 138 West 72nd Street; my brother gave me a PQ gift certificate; and it's a Monday lunchtime, when PQ offers a pastrami sandwich for $16.99, including a can of Dr. Brown's, a savings of over $5.  

Dr. Roger and I dove in, sharing an order of French fries as well ($8).  I am sure that we returned to the outside world as better human beings.

. . .

No doubt that many of you share my obsessions -- the latest being Wordle, the devilishly simple word game.   https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/23/arts/wordle-strategies.html

One of its attractions is the universal release of one game each day.  However, that is also a source of great frustration, the equivalent of eating only one potato chip.  Inevitably, someone has beaten the system and released a version outside the purview of the New York Times, owner of the original version.  WordleGame.org is more than an alternative, it allows multiple games each day, different languages and different word lengths.  

Tuesday, February 22, 2022

I cannot fault the lovely and talented Joan E. for giving me my birthday gift a few days late.  She lives in New Jersey and it was perishable, unsuited for the mail.  Today, her work brought her into the neighborhood and she delivered six pieces of deep-fried gefilte fish, a rare treat from Dovid's Fresh Fish Market, 736 Chestnut Avenue, Teaneck, New Jersey.  They were always a highlight of Aunt Judi's Passover seders, where I only learned after several years that they did not originate in her kitchen, otherwise an abundant source of excellent Kosher food.

Established lunch plans, described below, will defer my gratification until dinner, undoubtedly heightening my pleasure.

. . .

Toby McMullen took time from his increasingly successful career performing, writing and producing comedy shows to meet me for lunch at Xi'an Famous Foods, 96 Eighth Avenue, a new branch of this peripatetic chain, opening and closing locations at a fast pace.  I've eaten at 5 other XFFs, only one still open now.  While this one was long and narrow, it seemed to have more floor space than the others that I visited.  It had three tables, large enough to hold six medium-sized people, and a long, narrow ledge running about 15 feet on one wall. 

We each had a Spicy Cumin Lamb Burger, a signature dish ($6.75), and shared 6 Spicy & Sour Spinach Dumplings ($10.25) and stir-fried Liang-Pi a/k/a "Cold Skin Noodles" ($9.75).  In all cases, we chose "Regular Spicy," which is more than regular spicy.  The result -- Toby found another reason to be happy living in the Holy Land.

Thursday, February 24, 2022

Gentleman Jerry had a great evening.  He ate dinner at Ben's Kosher Delicatessen, 209 West 38th Street; he saw the Rangers win 4-1; he spent 4 hours in my company.  Actually, I got the better of the deal, having quality time with another CCNY graduate.

Ben's is a convenient jumping off place for Madison Square Garden.  It not only has good food, it is also occupied by other overgrown adolescents in team gear on game night.  Jerry had a pastrami sandwich ($15.49), while I had a corned beef/chopped liver combo ($21.99), fueling us for an exciting evening of hockey.  

Friday, February 25, 2022

Michael Ratner did me a great favor today, the details of which must remain secret during our lifetimes.  I can tell you about lunch, however, which we enjoyed at Thai Diva Cuisine, 45-53 46th Street, Woodside, Queens, a hole in the wall in a busy commercial area heavily populated by Latin American restaurants.  We were the only customers sitting at one of the six small tables, although bicycles deliverers were coming in and out.  

We started by dividing a very large bowl of "Tom Yum Noodle Soup," rice noodles with shrimp, bean sprouts and mushrooms in a spicy, slightly sour tomato-infused broth ($14).  We then each had a lunch special ($11), which came with a small salad and two skinny deep-fried wontons, both better than afterthoughts.  I had drunken noodles with beef -- broad noodles, shrimp paste, yellow onions, tomatoes, basil, Chinese broccoli and egg.  Michael had Pad See-Ew with shrimp -- broad noodles, black soy sauce, Chinese broccoli and egg.  Mission accomplished all the way around. 

Oy, That's Old

Saturday, February 12, 2022

Chama Mama, 373 Amsterdam Avenue, has no more than a poetic association with Wagamama, where we dined last night.  Chama Mama is a Georgian restaurant, that is Josef Stalin Georgia, not Ray Charles Georgia.  We were joined there tonight by Mr. & Mrs. Stony Brook Steve, who just returned from an extended Caribbean vacation and had the tans to prove it.  We ate at one of the 10 tables on the sidewalk in a canvas and plastic structure.

Georgian cuisine is unique; I can't think of anything similar.  We started with "Taste of Georgia," little scoops of eggplant with walnuts, beets with walnuts, chickpeas with walnuts, Ekala (wild greens) with walnuts, eggplant salad, spinach with walnuts ($24).  Then, we shared Megruli Khachapuri, a spongy cheese pizza, a must-have ($22).  After that, each of us went our separate way.

I had Skmeruli, "Oven roasted whole Cornish hen slow cooked in garlic creamy sauce" ($24), for instance.  Mrs. SBS had Megruli Karsho With Chicken, "Chicken in walnut sauce with saffron, garlic and Georgian spices, served with grilled grits" ($22).  Highest marks from both of us.

They like walnuts.

Sunday, February 13, 2022

I follow the news about New York residential real estate with mixed emotions, although our position in Palazzo di Gotthelf insulates us from normal market conditions.  Increased demand for local housing serves as an affirmation of our choices and adds new personalities to the people pool.  Yet, after the short-term retreat of prices caused by the pandemic, the have-nots and the have-less are facing renewed pressure in finding decent housing.  This report demonstrates that real estate prices are returning to or exceeding pre-Covid-19 levels.

https://www.millersamuel.com/reports/miller-samuel-new-york-city-market-brief-4q-2021-2-year-comparison/

. . .

Other housing choices have apparently been significantly altered by the pandemic.  "Homebuyer interest in relocating to a new part of the country rose with the onset of the pandemic and has remained elevated for nearly two years."   https://www.redfin.com/news/q4-2021-housing-migration-trends/

In a trend that has been applauded by the manufacturers of deodorants and antiperspirants, "Homebuyers are flocking to relatively affordable areas including Miami, Phoenix and Las Vegas."

. . .

One last piece of real estate news intrigued me this weekend.  The New York Times featured a stunning house in Mexico City.   https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/09/realestate/mexico-city-real-estate.html

While the 4,300 sq. ft., four bedroom house has many attractive features, I think it must have been designed for a gastroenterologist.  It has 10 bathrooms!

Monday, February 14, 2022

On this sub-freezing day, I was attracted to Pastrami Queen, 138 West 72nd Street, by one of its subspecialties.  For $18.75, you get soup and half a sandwich and matzoh ball soup called out to me.  While I enjoyed the half corned beef sandwich, I was delighted by the heaping bowl of soup, crowded with two medium-large matzoh balls, shredded chicken, noodles (lukshen) and diced carrots.  And served hot, really hot, not customary in many restaurants.

By the way, this was my first meal inside this branch of Pastrami Queen.  It is uncluttered with eight booths and two small two-tops.  All the seating is black wood or black faux leather.  The tabletops are gray Formica or the like, banded in chrome.  A total of four people were seated at three of the other booths while I was there.  The soup and sandwich deal is offered every day, but a good reason to go on Mondays especially is a whole pastrami sandwich and a can of Dr. Brown's for $16.95, a savings of over $5. 

Tuesday, February 15, 2022

The Anti-Defamation League identified 29 murders last year committed by "domestic extremists."  "Most of the murders (26 of 29) were committed by right-wing extremists, which is usually the case.  However, two killings were committed by Black nationalists and one by an Islamist extremist—the latter being the first such killing since 2018."

https://www.adl.org/murder-and-extremism-2021

. . .

So far, no objection has been raised at the casting of Claire Foy, the actress who played Queen Elizabeth in Netflix’s “The Crown,” as Sheryl Sandberg, Facebook's COO, unlike the froofraw over Helen Mirren as Golda Meir.  Arguably, Sandberg wields far more power than Meir could ever have imagined.  Of course, we still have Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman. 

. . .

"A jury returned a verdict against Sarah Palin in her libel suit against The New York Times on Tuesday, finding that there was insufficient evidence to prove the newspaper had defamed her in a 2017 editorial that erroneously linked her political rhetoric to a mass shooting."  How is it possible to defame Sarah Palin?

Wednesday, February 16, 2022

To give proper obeisance to the Year of the Water Tiger, the Boyz Club met at Wo Hop, 17 Mott Street, the Sanctum Sanctorum of Chinatown.  The weather warmed up sufficiently to draw six more fellow fressers.  We sat in a sidewalk hut and the fresh air stimulated our appetite, as if any stimulation was necessary.

We had soup (one egg drop, all others hot and sour) with those fabulous crispy, fried noodles; spare ribs; shrimp fried rice; pork fried rice; honey crispy chicken; eggplant in garlic sauce; "Szechuan Orange Flavored [too chewy] Beef"; Singapore chow fun.  It cost us each $20.  As always, the conversation was worth much more.

Thursday, February 17, 2022

I became terribly old today.  When Law Professor David asked me what my anticipated reaction to the number was, I responded "Surprised."  My father and three of my grandparents never lived this long, most of them missing by more than a decade.  You would not keep wine or cheese even a Lexus around this long.  

The day was substantially brightened by the arrival of a box full of our beautiful, talented daughter-in-law's craftsmanship.  Clearly, we will be able to continue the celebration for the next several days. 

I received several other notable expressions of good wishes, including a gift certificate for Pastrami Queen from my brother.  Additionally, the Oakland Heartthrob tried to get me a ride on the Zamboni during intermission of a Ranger game at Madison Square Garden, but, surprisingly, I was over the age limit.

Another memory of this day will be tonight's exciting performance of "Company," the gender bending version that we first saw in London in October 2019.  That night, Katrina Lenk, the lead actor (actress? actrix?), was ill and replaced by an understudy, so we may have seen the Original Revised version tonight.  In any case, my Leading Lady was the same at both performances. 

Friday, February 18, 2022

For the first lunch of the rest of my life, I had the pleasure of Stony Brook Steve's company at the euphonious Sherry Herring, 221 West 72nd Street.  Sherry made news when it opened last Fall without any herring for a couple of months, another supply chain victim.  By the way, "supply chain," a term that was as unfamiliar to us as Wordle was one year ago, has become a convenient excuse for all sorts of things.  "Honey, I couldn't take out the garbage because of a supply chain issue."

 

Sherry is an open white cube.  There are only two too narrow ledges with stools for indoor eating.  Preparation goes on in the middle of the room.  It is Kosher and closed on Saturday.  The menu is quite simple at present, basically eight sandwiches with herring, salmon or tuna smoked or cured.  I had a smoked tuna sandwich, with mayonnaise, squeezed lemon, white onion, scallion, cucumber, cherry tomato and chili on a fresh, crunchy 11" baguette.  I drank a bottle of Galvanina Blood Orange soda.  I have omitted prices, since I was Steve's guest for lunch.  

 

Sherry is narrow in focus, but what it does, it does well.

Legal Limit

Saturday, February 5, 2022

Lunch today was at one of my favorite places, Legal Sea Foods, 50-60 Worcester Road, Framingham, Massachusetts.  Actually, I don't favor this particular location over the several others in the greater Boston area (the suburban New York location closed more than a decade ago), it just has been more convenient in recent years and quality control seems to be consistent across the enterprise.

Legal was founded in 1950 and was well-reputed by the time I first visited on a business trip in the mid 1980s.  I sat at the counter at the very busy, downtown Copley Place dining room and, even now, remember most of the meal vividly.  I started with smoked blue fish pâté, a delicious signature dish that inexplicably seems to have recently disappeared from the menu.  I honestly do not recall the main course from that evening, although I bet that it was fried, not broiled.

The meal ended with an unforgettable treat -- Fig Newton ice cream.  Over the decades ever since, I enter a Legal Sea Foods with the same question on my lips: Do you have Fig Newton ice cream?  The answer is inevitably No and was again today, although I was far from hungry when I finished my dessert-less meal.

I started with a bowl of New England clam chowder, hot, loaded with chopped clams, not bulked up with potatoes ($10).  First rate.  Then, I had a crab roll, a 10" toasted hot dog roll, loaded with crab meat, accompanied by excellent French fries and very good coleslaw ($28).  Almost more than I could handle.  Frankly, I'm glad they didn't have Fig Newton ice cream. 

Madam had fish tacos, which came with a large side order of fried plantains ($17).  She expressed no curiosity about Fig Newton ice cream. 

Sunday, February 6, 2022

Our car remains in the shop and we will not even get an estimate until sometime Monday.  We have extended our hotel stay for at least one day.  For your information, I recommend not breaking down, far from home, late on a Friday afternoon. 

. . .

Todd Gitlin died yesterday.

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/05/us/todd-gitlin-dead.html

I did not know him personally, although we shared at least one very close friend.  We were of the same mind on other subjects, as well.  "[H]e said the left had become distracted by identity politics, multiculturalism and political correctness when it should have been focused on issues like economic justice."

Monday, February 7, 2022

This morning, Japanese automotive engineers, near and far, remain bewildered by the silver Lexus that refuses to move an inch.  When someone at the dealership actually answered the telephone, sputtering confusion is all that we heard.  Accordingly, we continue to unwind and rewind our near-term plans. 

. . .

Aha!  We received a telephone call at 2 o'clock with the news.  Are you sitting down?  Repairing our previously rock-solid Lexus will cost more than the combined cost of my first two automobiles, a Volkswagen and a BMW, let's forget WWII here.  We are having it fixed and plan immediately to replace it.  

We retreated to the home of the second and third generations for overnight shelter.  They offered us a friends and family rate.

Tuesday, February 8, 2022

One good thing.  Our beautiful daughter-in-law, AB Harvard University, JD Columbia University Law School, has not wasted her education.  She baked chocolate chip scones for breakfast.

. . .

Well, we showed them.  You can't leave the Upper West Side's Power Couple stranded on the side of the Massachusetts Turnpike for 35 minutes in an icy rain.  No, siree.  We marched right into Lexus of Northborough and told them loud and clear that we are buying a new 2022 Lexus, trading in our disabled 2016 model.  

. . .

If, in fact, you find yourself at Lexus of Northborough at mealtime, cross over the road to Casa Vallarta Mexican Restaurant, 45 Belmont Street (Rte. 9), Northborough, directly opposite.  It is a large establishment, decorated with colorful tiles, carved wood and bright paint.  The extensive menu had good prices for the good food that was served.

After munching on the complementary tortilla chips, salsa and refried beans, I had 2 seafood enchiladas, which were stuffed with crabmeat, scallops, shrimp and (just) fish (in increasing volume), accompanied by refried beans, rice, lettuce and chopped tomatoes, avocado slices and sour cream ($12.99).  Madam had 2 spinach and cheese enchiladas, also with a large portion of rice and beans ($11).  It felt good having a hearty meal after swinging a big deal.

Wednesday, February 9, 2022

Clue 57 Down - Preschool group?

. . .

Today is National Bagels and Lox Day, as you are assuredly aware.  

https://nationaldaycalendar.com/national-bagel-and-lox-day-february-9/ 

Of course, this is not to be confused with National Bagel Day, January 15th.  https://nationaldaycalendar.com/national-bagel-day-january-15/

On the other hand, there is a serious ethnic conflict today, because it is also National Pizza Day.      https://nationaldaycalendar.com/national-pizza-day-february-9/

Ever the diplomat, I enjoyed a spicy fried chicken sandwich at Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen, 3411 Jerome Avenue, the Bronx, for lunch ($3.99).  The appropriately crispy chicken did not reach beyond the edges of its toasted bun, but it was more than 1" thick throughout.  

Thursday, February 10, 2022

According to a new report, campus anti-Semitism is most prevalent in the Northeast, which is not surprising given the density of Jewish college students in the region.  https://img1.wsimg.com/blobby/go/81021b32-edd7-440a-a283-d265611ffe8a/Final%20Data%20ReportA4_04.pdf

 

I found the report a bit overwrought, too inclined to mix the geopolitics of the Middle East with domestic Jew-hatred.  On the other hand, I cannot ignore the widespread, gratuitous antagonism to all things Israeli and Jewish.  An example is the fact that "administrators at more than a dozen Dutch universities are instructing their staff to list their interactions with Israeli and Jewish organizations."  https://www.jta.org/2022/02/10/global/dutch-universities-order-staff-to-reveal-their-ties-to-jewish-and-israeli-groups#.YgZjv2qloEw.mailto   

China, Russia, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Myanmar?  Why waste time harassing them? 

 

Friday, February 11, 2022

We went to see "Prayer for the French Republic," a new play by Joshua Harmon about a Jewish family in Paris in 2016-2017 with flashbacks to 1944-46.  Reacting to the violence besetting French Jews and the hostile rhetoric from right and left, they agonize over whether to stay or go.  While preachy at times, it echoes the questions that diaspora Jews continue to ask themselves.

. . .

 

Before the show, we ate at Wagamama, 100 West 55th Street, one of three local branches of this very successful British chain.  Wagamama is one of the rare places for cheap eats in London, where it has over three dozen locations.  Here, it's not so easy to keep it cheap.  

 

I started with Korean Barbecue Beef + Red Onion bao, 2 for $8.  The delicious tangy filling was folded into a spongy oval wrapper.  Then, I had duck donburi, shredded duck in a teriyaki sauce over sticky rice, shredded carrots, scallions, topped with a fried egg ($17.50).  It was very good, but needed a bit more duck.  Madam enjoyed fried tofu pad Thai ($14).

. . .

Let's end this rocky week with a trip down Memory Lane.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HWNkIsLEny4&authuser=0

. . .

 

Answer = ROE

 

Plus ça Change

Saturday, January 29, 2022

Thinking about the defacing of public displays honoring Jackie Robinson and other significant Black Americans, which I referenced last week, it is easy to resort to popular punditry -- the presumptively white vandals reacting to their economic, social and cultural marginalization.  But, recall the photographs of white mobs around schoolhouse doors in the early stages of integration after Brown v. Board of Education, 347 US 483 (1954).  Young and old, male and female are snarling with rage at the sight of a Black child. 

60-70 years ago, those people were in charge.  The government, the news media, the entertainment industry, business large and small were almost solidly, often exclusively, white.  One might argue that the white mob's irrational hatred led to its loss of control of the levers of power, rather than a prescient reaction to 21st Century America.  I believe that an understanding of today's white nationalists and their evangelical Christian and Republican political enablers should be rooted in sociopathy, not sociology.

. . .

On a trip to Trader Joe's, 2073 Broadway, I saw this interesting product display. 

 

DIY heroin?

Sunday, January 30, 2922

Sarah Palin is infected with Covid-19.  At a conservative conference last month in Phoenix, Ms. Palin told the crowd, “It’ll be over my dead body that I’ll have to get a shot.”  Are you listening, God?

. . .

Being homebound for the last 22 months has given people plenty of ideas, especially about making their living space more comfortable.  A new study finds that home improvement is the leading reason for refinancing across the USA.   https://www.lendingtree.com/home/mortgage/reasons-for-home-equity-study/

Looking at each major metropolitan market, it is interesting to note that Las Vegas leads the country in using the funds for debt consolidation, but they'll make it back at the table.

Monday, January 31, 2022

Showtime started a four-part series on Bill Cosby last night, basically asking  "What did we know and when did we know it?"  

In August 1979, in an effort to keep our failing marriage afloat, my Original Wife and I went to Las Vegas for the weekend with two other couples.  We stayed at the Las Vegas Hilton and two vivid memories remain with me after all this time.  First, the temperature never went below 100° outside the entire time, day and night, which probably indicated the Deity's interest in maximizing casino revenue. 

Second, we went to the Hilton's Saturday night show starring Bill Cosby.  It was the funniest performance that I ever saw in any form.  Tears of laughter rolled down my chubby cheeks for minutes on end.  In his classic fashion, Cosby's humor was no more than PG.  His routine was brilliantly fashioned and timed perfectly.  Alas.

Tuesday, February 1, 2022

New York State, along with almost all others, is redrawing congressional districts after the 2020 census.  My district, currently the New York 10th, is and is likely to remain the most Jewish in the United States.      https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/31/nyregion/nyc-congressional-district-nadler.html

What surprised me to learn from this article is that Jerry Nadler, my Congressman, a Stuyvesant High School graduate, who does his own shopping at Fairway Market, 2131 Broadway, is the only Jewish representative from the Holy Land.  In fact, only one local representative may be considered "pure white," Carolyn Maloney, Democrat, a Presbyterian from a district directly across town from ours.  You might give honorable mention to Nicole Malliotakis, a Greek Orthodox Republican from Staten Island, with a Cuban mother.  Eight others identify as Black or Hispanic and one as "Afro-Latino."

. . .

Choose: 

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis - “Nobody should lose their job due to heavy-handed Covid mandates.”

New York Guru Alan Gotthelf - "Nobody should lose their life due to heavy-handed political posturing."

Wednesday, February 2, 2022

I'm with Whoopi.  Calling Jews a race is limiting, whatever the meaning of race.  We are an ethnic group as defined by the Encyclopaedia Britannica: "A social group or category of the population that, in a larger society, is set apart and bound together by common ties of race, language, nationality, or culture."  We might be called a religion, but where do the irreligious fit in?

. . .

With most of my co-conspirators unavailable, I set off to celebrate the Year of the Water Tiger by myself.  There are 5 elements (metal, water, wood, fire, and earth) that are a subset of the 12 Chinese Zodiac signs (Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, and Pig), thus the Water Tiger.

I took the subway to Yumpling, 49-11 Vernon Boulevard, Long Island City, one-half block from the #7 train, at the first stop in Queens.  This is an interesting neighborhood, old storefronts in the shadow of new glossy, glassy apartment buildings.  You were probably here once when you got lost looking for the Queensboro Bridge.

Yumpling opened last year, facing more of a challenge than the usual startup.  However, it had already been operating a food truck for four years by then.  The interior is airy and bright, about half the floor space taken by the open kitchen and prep area.  A large map of Taiwan is painted on the wall.  There are six butcher block two-tops against a long wooden bench with six fire-engine red metal chairs on the outside and a wooden counter by the front window with five fire-engine red metal stools.  Not many other people sat and ate, but there was a very active takeout and delivery business.

Yumpling has a simple menu, dumplings, rice bowls, a few random items.  I had the fried chicken sandwich; two thick, juicy pieces of crispy fried chicken overlapped on a potato roll with basil aioli ($11).  Shoestring fries were really shoestring, about 1/8" thick ($3.50).  Both were very good.  To drink, I reached for a can of HeySong brand sarsaparilla ($2.25), made in Taiwan.  The young woman at the cash register showed surprise and asked if I knew what I was drinking.  I thought she might then ask if I knew who was Gabby Hayes. 

In all, lunch was very good, though hardly Chinese or even vaguely Asian, but neither am I. 

Friday, February 4, 2022

The Upper West Side's Power Couple left for Massachusetts this morning in order to participate in the celebration of grandson Boaz's birthday, the first in this month's collection of distinguished individuals, presidents, athletes and miscellaneous superstars, adolescent and superannuated.  However, before hitting the road, we took took rapid Covid-19 tests and found that neither of us resembled Sarah Palin.

The drama began once we left Palazzo  di Gotthelf.  The icy rain all along the route slowed us down a bit, but otherwise the first 150 miles passed uneventfully.  Then, suddenly, our very rock solid motor vehicle decided that it had gone far enough and stopped moving on the Massachusetts Turnpike, fortunately with just enough oomph to pull onto the shoulder of the road.  

There we sat, reading error messages on the dashboard, frantically looking at the owner's manual, hoping that a remedy would come leaping out.  No leaping, so we called the state police, then the Lexus hotline (which proved to be lukewarm), then the state police again who dispatched a tow truck to haul us to the nearest dealer.  Meanwhile, in that 35-minute interval, trucks, buses and automobiles came speeding by in the icy rain, through the fog, just inches from my left ear. 

The car is now in the tender clutches of Lexus of Northborough, awaiting examination by the light of day.  Remarkably, they moved our luggage into a low-mileage SUV and gave us its complimentary use for the weekend.  Maybe the world is not coming to an end.

Praise the Lord and Skip the Vaccination

 Saturday, January 22, 2022

35 Across - Words read with feeling

Sunday, January 23, 2022

Here is "2022's Best & Worst States to Raise a Family."

https://wallethub.com/edu/best-states-to-raise-a-family/31065

If I tell you that, based on 51 measures affecting the quality of family life, Massachusetts and Mississippi are at opposite ends of the survey, want to guess which is where?

Monday, January 24, 2022

In November, Kelly Canon, a Texas Republican Party official, wrote in Facebook, "No jabby-jabby for me!  Praise GOD!”  She died of Covid-based pneumonia on January 10th.

https://www.thedailybeast.com/conservative-activist-kelly-canon-dies-of-covid-complications-after-attending-anti-vaccine-symposium 

Tuesday, January 25, 2022

Not unlike the students in Lake Wobegon, Minnesota, I am certain that my readers are all above average and scrupulous, as well.  Therefore, I want an honest response to the question (which stumped me, by the way): What is Stellantis?  Let's have a show of hands.  Aha!  You are as behind the times as I am.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stellantis

Wednesday, January 26, 2022

Ken K., who survived the witches brew of an education from the Yeshiva of Flatbush, Brooklyn College and Yale Law School, accompanied me on a visit to a semi-incapicitated friend.  We not only brought some cheer into his confined circumstances, but we got free Covid testing before we were even allowed onto the premises.  We were positively Negative.

Thursday, January 27, 2022

Today is the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz by the Red Army in 1945.  While well more than 1 million people had passed through, mostly Jews, mostly killed, 7,000 prisoners were found alive in the camp.  One lingering memory of my visit in 2005 was the size of the camp.  Just about everything that could be burned to the ground in that 60-year interval had been, but the brick foundations of the barracks remained and extended in all directions.

Of course, there is a huge inventory of far more terrible Nazi-related memories and, tragically, a desire by some to turn history into current events.  In many instances, the past is not even relegated to the past.  The Forward reports today that the number of "statues, monuments and other public showcasing of Nazis and their collaborators around the world" now totals "1,455 in 25 countries, including the United States and five Western European nations."  https://forward.com/news/481224/the-many-monuments-that-still-honor-fascists-nazis-and-murderers-of-jews/?utm_source=Iterable&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=campaign_3596269

Clearly, the American South is not the only place that pays homage to traitors, losers and criminals, although Werner von Braun, Nazi rocket scientist ("he aimed for the stars and hit London") remains celebrated in Huntsville, Alabama even after its most prominent Confederate monument was removed.  https://www.wsfa.com/2020/10/23/madison-county-confederate-monument-removed-early-friday-morning/

 

Some folks are not just satisfied honoring traitors, losers and criminals, they take the trouble to dishonor genuine heroes, such as Jackie Robinson.  https://one2seek.com/a-marker-honoring-jackie-robinson-was-defaced-m-l-b-helped-replace-it-23760.html

 

And, it was far from the first time.  

• https://www.healthtowealth.net/a-marker-honoring-jackie-robinson-was-defaced-m-l-b-helped-replace-it/
•  https://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/brooklyn/jackie-robinson-statue-defaced-swastikas-brooklyn-article-1.1420102 
  

. . .

From a political point of view, I applaud the decision of Stephen Breyer to retire from the United States Supreme Court.  But, what's so old about 83?

Friday, January 28, 2022

When I read about the death of Olavo de Carvalho, a self-styled political pundit from Brazil, I was struck by his contention that Pepsi-Cola is flavored with aborted fetuses (is there a Portuguese word for meshuggenah?).  https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/26/world/americas/olavo-de-carvalho-dead.html

 

However, I learned that he wasn't alone in discovering the secret ingredients in some of our favorite foods.  https://www.genuinechristianitynow.com/2019/10/07/aborted-babies-in-pepsi-kraft-and-nestle-shocking-report/

 

By the way, Senhor de Carvalho, who derided Covid-19 as “moronavirus,” died from it.  Praise GOD.

. . .

Answer = BRAILLE