So, Der Trumperer is going to get a big time military parade. The expensive show will be at taxpayer expense, of course. Dreams come true. Putin, Stalin, Hitler, Kim Jong, Mussolini all had many big parades with marching corps, missiles, tanks, guns, etc.. It is the signature move of any dictator worth his salt. Of course, Der Trumperer’s parade will be the best, the biggest, most watched extravaganza ever (as DT will loudly proclaim and tweet). Meanwhile, a Nazi is a Republican congressional candidate in Illinois. To paraphrase “The Producers”: “Don’t be a dummy, be a smarty, come and join the Republi-nazi party.” All of this made HG log into Youtube and listen to “Springtime for Hitler and Germany” from “The Producers.” (Google the lyrics, please). There’s a Yiddish saying: “lacht mit yashikehs”. It means laughing with tears. That’s what HG did. Was Mel Brooks prescient? Meanwhile, the stock market is “correcting” dramatically. Der Trumperer claims the plunge is a big mistake. His tax bill will put the United State in trillions of dollar in debt and his Mexican Wall madness will cost billions. Obviously, the oft times bankrupt Trumperer has never heard of the consequences of this: Inflation. Investors throughout the world seem to have gotten the inflation message.
Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt are professors of government at Harvard and authors of “How Democracies Die.” They point out that the extreme polarization of the two American parties, Republicans and Democrats, is not “A traditional conservative-liberal divide. People don’t loathe each other over taxes or health care.” In a New York Times article (Sunday, Jan. 28), the professors state “the roots of today’s polarization is racial and cultural.” Decades ago, both parties were predominantly white and worshiped a Christian God. “Advances in civil rights, immigration and the migration of Christian conservatives to the Republican Party have given rise to two fundamentally different parties: one that is ethnically diverse and increasingly secular and one that is overwhelmingly white and predominantly Christian.” America’s “once dominant” white Christians are in decline. Year by year, America becomes more multi-cultural and multi-racial. The Republican white Christians are furiously fighting back and damaging (if not destroying) the American democracy. The Mexican Wall and the immigration battle are part of their effort to block blacks, browns, Asians, muslims, Hispanics from entering the United States. In HG’s opinion, armed conflict has not begun but Americans are nonetheless engaged in a civil war. The outcome is in doubt.
The result is pleasure when HG/BSK cook together. Teamwork is flawless. Last night produced a meal of Salmon A’ L’unilateral (salmon cooked on one side in a cast iron pan), haricot verts with shallots, boiled potatoes with sour cream dusted with zaatar (middle eastern spice). Except in very good restaurants, salmon is overcooked into tastelessness. The first time HG ever tasted properly cooked salmon (reddish pink in the middle and slightly quivery) was at the Cafe Luxembourg on West 70th Street in Manhattan. After that experience, HG/BSK enjoyed proper salmon at Quatorze (closed) on 14th Street and Raoul’s in Soho. HG purchased last night’s Norwegian salmon at Trader Joe’s (splendid fish at a bargain price). Lightly oiled a decades-old cast iron pan. Turned up the heat. Cooked the salmon into the desired medium-rare state and finished with a simple sauce of melted butter, lemon juice and capers. (One of the blessings of cooking Salmon A’ L’unilateral is the delicious crisp skin filled with lush and healthy oils). Meanwhile, BSK boiled potatoes and made magical haricot verts. In Paris restaurants, haricots verts are cooked into mush while steaks are browned but raw (go figure). Trendy New York restaurants serve the vegetable almost raw. BSK steamed the slim string beans to the proper consistency and then finished them in a pan with shallots sautéed in butter. Drank pleasant Spanish red Rioja. After 54 years of marriage, teamwork with BSK remains a joy.
June 9, 1954. Army-McCarthy hearings. Sen. Joseph McCarthy had charged the U.S. Army with lax security at an Army base. Army hired Boston attorney Joseph Welch to represent t them at the hearings. The Senator charged that a young colleague of Welch’s had communist affiliations. Welch responded: “Until this moment, Senator, I never truly gauged your cruelty and recklessness.” When McCarthy continued his spurious attack, Welch said: “Have you no sense of decency?” The hearings were on national television. Welch’s comments ended McCarthy’s popularity and influence. He died at age 48. HG asks Republican Senators and members of Congress when they do not respond to Trump’s spewing of racist filth: “Have you no sense of decency?”
HG/BSK are lucky to have a warm friendship with the remarkable Anthony and Claudia C. As HG has noted before, Anthony is the brilliant manager of a mutual fund that has provided happy returns for investors. Claudia is a journalist, author and incisive radio interviewer. Though American citizens, they remain indomitably English (though Claudia comes from 100% Irish stock). Anthony scoffs, but he is an ornament of the nobility with a patrician education and connections (Oxford graduate and member of Boodles, a very selective gentlemen’s club). Claudia embodies her family’s theatrical traditions and is ebullient, eccentric, stimulating and an enemy of boredom and complacency. A. and C. are fun, generous and progressive. And, kind. For example: They are taking care of Toby, The Wonder Dog, while HG/BSK enjoy family Christmas in Rhode Island. Toby is frolicking with Boodles and Genghis, their endearing dogs. Joyous Toby. The C. log home, high on a mountain slope in Evergreen, Co., is a dream vision of a Colorado home. Huge windows in rooms of lofty ceilings provide panoramic views of mountain ranges, snow covered peaks. Sunsets are an explosion of color. Though constructed of logs, the home is not rustic. There are ancestral portraits. Many artifacts from the C.’s many years in Japan, China and Singapore. Bedrooms of regal luxury. A pool and hot tub regulated by an electronically controlled cover and heating system. Extraordinary. For their evening stay in C. paradise, Claudia prepared a sumptuous dinner. HG overindulged in after dinner sipping of a rare, flavorful single malt Scotch whisky, Laphroaig “Triple Wood.” Blissful sleep on a superb mattress. Thank you, dear friends.
And, so it goes on. Another slaughter by a deranged Caucasian American male. Armed with an army assault rifle Guess what? Der Trumperer offers prayers. We’ve had a slaughter of children in Connecticut. A slaughter at a church in Charleston. A slaughter at a Las Vegas concert. And, today, a slaughter at a little church in Texas. The number of dead continues to grow. The Republican response: Prayers. Hey, why not? Doesn’t cost a dime. Prayers, Mother, apple pie are good things. But, in the land of The Free, Brave and Armed nothing is more worshipped than guns and their apologist, the NRA, is a generous dispenser of campaign funds and possibly more important, a voter bloc that will follow anyone they endorse. So, let the murder continue. Be lucky, my friends.
Catalonia (Catalunya) is in the news. HG hopes the issue of Catalonian independence can be settled peacefully. HG/BSK have had joyous times in Barcelona, the wondrous Catalan city. Renowned architecture (Gaudi, etc.). Colorful walks (Las Ramblas). The best public food market. Beaches. Tapas and every type of good food. BSK paid an homage to Barcelona last night with a rousing cod dish. BSK stewed cod with last of season tomatoes, potatoes, onions, garlic (lots), oregano, parsley, blazing pimenton, tomato paste, olive oil, white wine. HG/BSK raised glasses of red wine and toasted Picasso, Miro and other Catalans. May peace prevail.
Yes, it’a nice Willie Nelson song. But, long distance auto travel is not a delight. Toby, The Wonder Dog, is a pleasant traveler, only demanding many cuddles. BSK does all of the driving. Does not trust HG behind the wheel. Silly BSK. First leg of journey from PEI to New Mexico was to Augusta, Maine and the Senator Hotel. Mediocre seafood meal. Not a credit to Maine. Then, a few days with family Riva in Riverside, RI. Daughter Lesley R. welcomed HG/BSK with chicken shawarma and muhammara, an extraordinary Armenian condiment (pepper and walnut), that lifted the dish to the skies. Midday meal was at Hemenway’s, the very good, Providence seafood restaurant. Oysters, clams, shrimp, lobster, Rhode Island clam chowder and sub-par fried calamari with hot peppers (What happened?). Dessert was a creme brûlée that rivaled anything in Paris. Once HG/BSK hit the midwest, horrors began: Nasty pizza in western Pennsylvania. Ludicrous parody of Chinese food in Illinois. Japanese (are you kidding me?) takeout in Oklahoma. HG did not follow Saul Sternberg’s advice: “If you want to eat well in the midwest, eat breakfast three times a day,” Next time, HG/BSK will concentrate their dining on reliable Waffle House.
SJ has long had thousands of Facebook followers for his brilliant “SadChairs” instagram account and blog. In various forums he has written penetrating political and cultural insights plus, SJ is noted expert in everything about reggae music, reggae events, vintage records, Jamaica, etc. The consummate New Yorker/Brooklynite has moved (with family) to Tokyo. SJ has an affinity for big cities so it is no surprise that SJ is falling in love with Tokyo. SJ is reporting on Tokyo’s food, culture, regional distinctiveness in SJ’s just launched blog, OishiGevalt.com. If you ever plan on visiting Tokyo, Oishi Gevalt is essential reading. The blog will also bring pleasure to all who are interested in food and brilliant, evocative writing. OG surpasses HG. Makes HG proud. HG is also pleased that SJ continues to edit and illustrate hungrygerald.com. And, happily, SJ is discovering many gloomy chairs in Tokyo.
Examining HG’s archives, HG notes that HG’s followers respond, with passionate nostalgia, to HG’s memories of long closed New York restaurants. Number one in the nostalgia parade is Christ Cella, the great steak house on E. 44th street. Scores of readers have sent in comments recalling romantic dinners there, happy meals with fathers and family members who worked there. Yes, CC didn’t do fancy frills. Superb products treated simply and with respect. Number two: Luchow’s, the outstanding German restaurant on E. 14th Street. Gorgeous antique decor. Oompah music. Succulent food. Wonderful beer. Number three: Gage & Tollner, the venerable seafood (and mutton chop restaurant) on Fulton Avenue, downtown Brooklyn. Sautéed clam bellies. Shad and shad roe with bacon. Dignified African-American waiters. Surprisingly, few HG fans recall two Upper West Side restaurants frequented by HG: Famous Dairy on W/. 72nd Street and Gitlitz delicatessen on Broadway and W. 79th. Nobody seems to remember the splendid Chinese restaurants clustered around Broadway and W. 96th Street. Most were on the west side of Broadway, but on the east side an eatery introduced fiery Szechauan fare to New York.
