Short Takes
October 31, 2010
These Are the Days
Thanks to the Internet, I can honestly say something that sounds crazy — I’ve never met some of my best friends. So I was skittish about accepting Christopher Hirsheimer’s invitation to a surprise lunch for her business partner, Melissa Hamilton. I “know” Chrisopher and Melissa because I was an early fan of their Canal House cookbook series; now that they’re up to #5, “admiration” has morphed into “awe.” And they like me a bit too.
In that situation, if you were slated to meet, wouldn’t you think: “Downhill from here.” But it was a group lunch, with me as some kind of surprise guest — and did I say that it was being held at Prune, the Lower East Side restaurant launched by Gabrielle Hamilton, Melissa’s sister? Prune is small, idiosyncratic, beloved. I’d never been. Well, why not experience two novelties at once?
If you have read Hamilton and Hirsheimer’s books, you know they like cocktails, smart talk, fresh ideas. In “real” life, that’s just who they are. And attractive in the way that real women are attractive. So I was, by turns, stunned, relieved and thrilled to have two hours with them.And then there was the meal. The main course was a smallish piece of chicken, a carrot, a turnip and a parsnip, served in an inch of clear broth. The foodie next to me: “Gabrielle is the most audacious cook in New York.” Ok, we’d had a drink, but she had a point — this was as elegantly simple as the glorious dinners that A.J. Liebling describes in Between Meals.The next day was the Jon Stewart/Stephen Colbert rally for sanity/fear in Washington. I watched it with one eye for 2 hours; it was so boring it didn’t demand my full attention. But it caught fire at the end, and Stewart’s summation of the event struck me as generous and smart and sincere — I think “decent” is the word. And he certainly misted the eyes in this household. If you were otherwise engaged, here you go:I’ve been listening a lot to the Dylan demos from wayback 1962-1964. If you’re of a certain age, you can’t help flashing back to old times, old causes, old friends. That lunch, that rally — I thought of “Bob Dylan’s Dream.” Know it? Here’s the Judy Collins version:But nostalgia’s a trap. Only now matters. “I feel strangely good,” Stewart said. Me too. Thanks, Christopher. Thanks, Melissa. Thanks, Gabrielle. Here’s to seconds for us all.October 24, 2010
Buckyballs are creative fun — and help the planet
On three Mondays — November 1, 8 and 15 — Buckyballs will donate 100% profits from Buckyballs online sales to The Buckminster Fuller Challenge! (It’s an annual $100,000 prize awarded to solve humanity’s most pressing problems.) What are Buckyballs? Where do you buy them? Click here.
October 17, 2010
‘The Social Network’ — have you seen it?
If not, why not? If yes, you know: It’s probably the smartest, most thrilling — certainly, the most provocative — movie you’ll see this year. Enjoyable? Merely delicious.
October 16, 2010
Arvo Pärt: ‘It is enough when a single note is beautifully played.’
On November 13, I’m going to Lincoln Center for the American premiere of Arvo Pärt’s “Stabat Mater.” (For tickets, click here.) The New York Times is all over the Estonian composer, with a big piece in the Times Magazine. But if you’re a longtime reader of this site, you’ve had the cheat sheet on Pärt for years.
