HUNGRY GERALD

HG was born Nov. 9, 1929, just in time for the Great Depression. So, HG is 91, just in time for a Biden/Harris win. Very surprised to be this old. Never contemplated it. This longevity is due to the continuous loving care and attention to HG’s health issues that HG receives from BSK, HG’s glorious wife for 57 years. Without BSK, HG’s cremated ashes would be in a receptacle years ago. (It was BSK’s dedication that helped HG beat throat cancer in 1992). Birthday meal last night (after opening thoughtful and generous gifts) featured HG favorites. Rack of New Zealand lamb. Mashed potatoes. Roasted, herb stuffed tomatoes. Baby spinach sauteed in olive oil and garlic. Bottle of Sicilian Nero D’Avola. Dessert was HG’s usual: A dab of French (Clement Faugier brand) chestnut puree topped with whipped cream. Vodka before dinner, Jack Daniels after. Safe, sound and joyous on Prince Edward Island where Covid-19 is not a threat (even though the cooperating population continues to wear masks).

As the count winds down for the future of America, HG thought about The NY Times report about the section of New York City whose population is 100% for fascist Trump. That is the community of Breezy Point in Queens (Breezy Point is close to the Atlantic and the Rockaway beaches). Inhabitants are mostly active and retired New York police and firefighters (Virtually all of Irish ancestry). More than seven decades ago, young HG and HG’s hardy companions would run from Rockaway Park to Rockaway Point (That’s what Breezy Point was called yesteryear). They were confronted by a large sign: A CHRISTIAN COMMUNITY. The message was unequivocal: Jews, Stay Out !! (This was certainly in contradiction of New York Irish leaders like Mike Quill, Paul O’Dwyer, Ed Flynn, etc.).The Breezy point folks have found unlikely allies in their devotion to the vilest of American Presidents: The ultra-orthodox (mainly Hassidic) Jews of Williamsburg and other Brooklyn neighborhoods. They resent calls for wearing masks and other Covid-19 safety measures, considering them interference with their crowded synagogues and meeting halls. Not to worry. New York State is Biden territory.

Very sad. New York theaters are closed. May open in Spring of 2021 (dependent on the pandemic). There is nothing more exciting, illuminating, thrilling and stimulating than Broadway live theater. Accompanied by beloved elder sister, the late Beulah Naomi, HG began going to the theater at age eight. A venue on Broadway sold cut-rate tickets. Second balcony seats cost as little as 25 cents. That’s where HG and sister perched and exulted in theatrical magic. As HG matured, the seats got much better but the magic remained. Here are some of the best performances HG saw. Marlon Brando (of course) in “Streetcar Named Desire.” Julie Harris in “I Am A Camera” (adapted from Christopher Isherwood’s “Berlin Stories.”) James Earl Jones in “Great White Hope.” Leo G. Caroll in “Angel Street.” Ian McCellan in “Amadeus.” Leontyne Price in “Porgy and Bess.” Anthony Newley in “Stop The World, I want To Get Off.” Ethel Merman in “Annie Get Your Gun.” Eartha Kitt in “New Faces of 1952.” HG saw many other wonderful performances but these have lodged firmly in HG’s memory.

Have been browsing M.F.K. Fisher’s “With Bold Knife and Fork.” No one has written English prose with more style and wit than the late M.F.K.. Tripe is one of HG’s favorite foods (the New Mexican tripe stew, Menudo, is a significant culinary pleasure). Fisher’s chapter on tripe, “The Trouble With Tripe”, is a literary masterwork. (The “Trouble” Fisher refers to, is the fact that tripe has to be cooked in quantity and Fisher had very few friends or neighbors who wanted to share savory pots of tripe). If Fisher has a flaw, it is in the book’s recipes. Some are okay. Some are vile. Witness her recipe for clam chowder. Among other things, it contains two cans of cream of corn soup. A-a-rgh!! Recipes from Melissa Clark and David Tanis (both from NY Times) are flawless. Marcella Hazan is HG/BSK’s Italian recipe authority (Caution: She gets a bit stingy in the quantities of ingredients needed for sauces). Karen Lee is best for Chinese dishes. The blog, “The Woks of Life”, has splendid recipes. HG finds Mark Bittman erratic, some good, some bad. BSK often uses Ottam Ottolenghi’s books for Israeli/Middle East dishes. Best recipe writer ever was the late Michael Field. Great dishes resulted by following his meticulous, step-by-step guidance.

There are restaurants where, for years, HG has always ordered the same thing. After all, why fix what isn’t broken? This started in HG’s New York/New Jersey days. A favorite restaurant was El Charro (long closed), on Charles Street in Greenwich Village. HG/BSK ate there frequently. Meal (super delicious) was always the same. Grilled, sliced chorizo. Spanish fried chicken. Scallops in garlic/parsley green sauce. Bowls of saffron rice. Pitcher of sangria. No dessert (too full). In New Mexico, HG follows a similar routine. At El Parasol (in Pojoaque, near HG/BSK home) lunches once or twice a week on a bowl of chunky and funky green chile menudo topped with raw chopped onion. At Sopaipilla Factory, (also in Pojoaque) HG lunches on a cheese enchilada with chopped onion and topped with a fried egg (no rice or beans). At Saigon Cafe in Santa Fe, HG devours a huge bowl of pho with rice noodles and steamed tofu. Variety is the spice of life? Not in matters of romance: For 57 years, wife BSK has been the love of HG’s life. Not at breakfast: Fruit yogurt. Canadian maple syrup. Not for dinner dessert: French chestnut puree with whipped cream. Pre-dinner: Gin or vodka. Post dinner: Bagaco (Porttuguese marc distilled on Prince Edward Island. (When in New Mexico, HG sips bourbon). Old HG is consistent (possibly boring).

Nostalgia. There were few better breakfasts than corn muffins smeared with softened butter or good strawberry jam. Do they still exist? Decades ago, they were a regular staple in New York coffee shops and New Jersey diners. These were the real deal. Grainy. Crunchy. True corn flavor. HG thought about them when shopping with BSK on Prince Edward Island. Bought blueberry mini-muffins. Had two with coffee. Crapola !! Feh!! Mushy dough. Tasteless blueberries. Rest of the package went into the garbage bin. There are still appealing muffins in HG’s food universe. Thomas English Muffins with their butter nestling “nook and crannies” have remained tasty. Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods have good crumpets and scones. USA and Canadian croissants disappoint (That’s because the taste of Paris bakery croissants lingers in HG’s memory). Does a Bialy qualify as a muffin? Doesn’t matter. When a New York counterman shouted: “Gimme a Bialy with a shmear!!” (Bialy with cream cheese), HG knew a breakfast treat would appear in a New York Minute.

Yom Kippur, “The Day of Atonement”, will be observed this month by Jews throughout the world. Basically, the day is marked by confessing the sins of the past year (and hoping for forgiveness). The body is mortified that day (sunrise to sundown) by fasting (strictly enforced). HG’s Mom and Dad were Socialists and labor unionists. Not particularly religious. However, they emulated their ancestors by the observance of Yom Kippur and Rosh Hashanah (New Year’s). Mom was very strict about Yom Kippur fasting. The reward was a sumptuous dinner (replete with many sweets) when the fast ended. The dinner always ended with a tray of home-baked nut-and-raisin rugelach (infinitely superior to the rugelach sold in present-day bakeries and groceries). Pop accompanied the rugelach with glasses of “vishniac”, his home-brewed cherry brandy. (Little HG was allowed a few sips). One Yom Kippur, eight year old HG left the street games (no synagogue for atheist HG). Late afternoon. Famished. Tray of freshly baked rugelach in the pantry. Satanic urges. One nibble of rugelach. That’s not really breaking the fast. Hmm!! Overwhelmed by temptation, HG ate the entire tray. Mom came home. Set the table for dinner. Looked at the empty rugelach tray. Shrieked. “Gevalt!!! Call the police. A burglar stole my rugelach.” (Pantry reached the back door so Mom wasn’t illogical). HG confessed. Major league scolding (no corporal punishment in HG’s home). Pop tried hard to mask his laughter. After all, there were other sweet things on the table. Lekach (honey cake). Taiglach (nut sized balls of flour batter baked with honey and ginger). The anecdote of HG’s rugelach theft became an oft-repeated piece of family history.

Many decades ago when living in Montclair, NJ, HG/BSK would travel to Manhattan for Chinese cooking classes with Karen Lee. HG/BSK were part of an interesting group that gathered in Lee’s small Upper West Side apartment and learned how to chop, shred, stir fry, etc. We then ate our creations. They included chicken, pork, spare rib and noodle dishes. Simple and delicious. Some of the people in HG/BSK’s group were author and fashionable wit, Stephanie Pierson; actor Peter Boyle (“Young Frankenstein”, “Taxi Driver”, etc.); actress Verna Bloom. Much laughter. A favorite dish was Pon Pon Chicken, a staple of HG/BSK’s cuisine then and now. Pon Pon is composed of poached, shredded chicken in a lush, spicy sauce of peanut butter, soy sauce, sesame oil, Szechuan preserved vegetables, garlic, chili oil and other ingredients. It is served over room temperature linguine. As HG has noted, HG/BSK and BSK’s sister, Noel M., and her husband, Yossi M., alternate hosting Sunday dinners at their homes. Sunday (Sept. 6) at the HG/BSK oceanfront home on Prince Edward Island, the main dish was Pon Pon chicken. The group was joined by beautiful neighbor Leslie F. All expressed delight with the Pon Pon. Last night (Sept. 13) dinner was at N. & Y.’s Ocean Mist Farm. Very good local goat cheese and crackers. Sweet corn on the cob. Stuffed peppers in a roasted tomato sauce. Mixed salad. Ice cream with fruit sauce for dessert. Much wine, white and red. Tasty food. Good company. Happy time. And, HG received a gift from Noel M.: A jar of her strawberry/rhubarb jam, the best jam ever. HG puts a spoonful on HG’s breakfast bowl of yogurt. Delicious way to start the day.

Lundy’s, located on Emmons Avenue in the Brooklyn neighborhood of Sheepshead Bay, had a long run: 1935-1977 (the effort to revive it in the 90’s failed). It seated almost 2,000 diners. Despite the vast size, it served consistently perfect food with efficient, swift service (by long tenured African-American waiters similar to those at Gage & Tollner, another Brooklyn landmark). In HG’s opinion, this was the best seafood restaurant in the world. It was affordable. In the late 1940’s and early 1950’s, a glass of beer was 15 cents and a dry Martini was 45 cents. The “Shore Dinner” was vast: raw clams (or shrimp); oysters on the half shell; steamers; half a broiled lobster and half a roast chicken; French fries; cole slaw; lots of hot, buttered biscuits; pie (huckleberry was the best); coffee. HG would share one shore dinner with HG’s Brooklyn girlfriend. In the immediate post-World War Two years, the shore dinner cost $5.00. HG usually ate more modestly at Lundy’s. Five bucks was a splurge, so economic-minded HG often patronized the restaurant’s raw clam bar. One dozen little necks and one dozen cherry stones accompanied by warm, light-as-a-feather biscuits, dripping with melted butter. Icy Ballantine’s Ale. Nice snack and it cost in the neighborhood of two dollars. Lundy’s was founded by Irving Lundy and despite the financial success of the restaurant, the family was marked by tragedy. Early deaths from accidents, disease, and robbery-related murders.

Chock Full O’ Nuts, the fast-food chain (at one time with 80 stores in New York) served excellent coffee and a signature sandwich of cream cheese and chopped nuts on dark raisin bread. During HG’s busy New York/New Jersey public relations career, it was a favorite stop for a quick lunch or afternoon snack (very superior whole wheat donuts among other menu items). Very efficient. Very clean (“Untouched by Human Hands” was its motto). Surly, grumpy African-American women were the servers and they used tongs to deliver the food. Jackie Robinson, after his retirement from baseball, was hired as personnel and general manager. He did his best to make the service friendlier. Chock Full was founded by William Black starting with theatrical district nut shops in the 1920’s. When the Great Depression hit, Black converted them into sandwich shops, selling the nutted cheese sandwich and a cup of coffee for five cents. Chock Full coffee was very good. When Gault Millau, French food critics, visited New York, they enjoyed the coffee and added that it was an effective laxative. Canned Chock Full was distributed in supermarkets. The singing commercial (by Black’s wife, Page Morton)–“Chock Full O’Nuts, that heavenly coffee, better coffee a Rockefeller’s money can’t buy”–was omnipresent on radio. The food chain closed down in the 1970’s. The coffee brand was sold to the Zanetti coffee conglomerate. The stores were revived in 2010 as Chock Full O’Nuts Cafes (there are now six, two in Brooklyn, two in New Jersey and two in upstate New York). The nutted cheese sandwich costs $4.95. A frankfurter, the same.