New Yuck City
I actually love New York. Lived here for years, and it was the first place that ever felt like home. (Michigan, where I grew up, never did.) I'm in New York now with Gregg. We went to Elaine's for a drink the other night with Elmore's editor and her novelist husband, who recognized a retired mob hit man standing next to me at the bar, and chatted him up.
I love living in L.A. now, but there's a John Callahan cartoon that reminds me of a big difference: In New York, a guy says "Fuck you!" and he means "Have a nice day." In L.A., a guy says "Have a nice day" and he means "Fuck you!"
In that spirit, here's a little footage of Yucko The Clown on the streets of New York:
P.S. We went to a fantastic Alsatian restaurant last night, Café d'Alsace. In case you go there and want to know what to eat, I had the bone marrow appetizer, La Moelle (Lena, when we're in NYC at the same time, we have to go there and eat this). Then fricassee of filet mignon with wild mushrooms, pearl onions, carrots, and mashed potatoes. And then tart au chocolat. Everything was amazing.
Oh yeah, and then I'm reminded of things I don't like about New York -- New Yorkers like the guy sitting next to us, who asked, like a woman on some crazy diet, if he could have the fricassee of filet mignon without the fricassee. Idiot. It's cooked that way. And have a look around you: It's a nice French restaurant, not Burger King.
I think it should be legal to bludgeon clowns. On the streets, at kids birthday partys, McDonalds, wherever.
eric at March 9, 2007 7:38 AM
Amy, the food sounds great. I love eating bone marrow --especially in lamb chops. It makes me feel like Jeffrey Dahmer.
Eric, I loved your comment. Clowns are so bludgeonable.
Lena at March 9, 2007 7:45 AM
I know. And I don't know about bludgeoning, but there should also be some serious punishment for 1. people who try to order the food without the way it is cooked, and 2. 45-year-old women carrying Hello Kitty.
Amy Alkon at March 9, 2007 8:03 AM
Fricassee Filet Mignon? Good Gawd woman, it's a steak! Couldn't you just melt some crumbled Gorgonzola on top, and be happy?
Casca at March 9, 2007 8:04 AM
Fricassee is meat stewed in soup stock and wine, and in this case, it was sliced filet mignon (rare) stewed in red wine sauce with these vegetables. It was one of the specials. I often try to order the chef's special at a restaurant like this -- and I really scored. P.S. It was between the fricassee and the sirloin steak frites, but it was a 12 oz steak, and I typically take home at least half of a normal size steak, and we're staying at a hotel and have no refrigerator.
Amy Alkon at March 9, 2007 8:37 AM
45-year-old women carrying Hello Kitty.
Heh. Or Tokidoki. http://shop.nordstrom.com/S/2926597/0~2376779~2374605~6008709?mediumthumbnail=Y&origin=category&searchtype=&pbo=6008709&P=1
deja pseu at March 9, 2007 9:19 AM
I think the fricassee sounds delicious, but it strikes me as somewhat sinful to do that to filet mignon.
justin case at March 9, 2007 9:58 AM
That struck me, too, but I ordered it rare (per usual) and it was delicate, delicious, and fabulous, among other things. Pre-morselized, too.
Amy Alkon at March 9, 2007 10:04 AM
I still can't see the word "fricassee" without hearing it in Daffy Duck's voice.
deja pseu at March 9, 2007 10:43 AM
I can't hear "Ride of the Valkyries" without thinking "Kill d'wabbit, kill d'wabbit."
Crid at March 9, 2007 10:55 AM
Damn...my stomach actually started growling at Amy's description.
André-Tascha at March 9, 2007 11:00 AM
I can't hear "Ride of the Valkyries" without thinking "Kill d'wabbit, kill d'wabbit."
I wonder how many people like myself learned to appreciate Wagner via Fudd vs. Bugs.
justin case at March 9, 2007 12:32 PM
I offer a different topic from food or clowns: Amy, you said you love New York and L. A. but didn't like Michigan.
Comments like yours make me doubt what people say to those who are unhappy with the place where they find themselves--something like "If you're unhappy here, you'd be unhappy anywhere. You can't run away from yourself."
Not my experience. Some places definitely make me happier than others. I liked the Ozarks, where I was born, and western Wisconsin, where I live now, but I was unhappy living in L. A. and dislike visiting New York and Houston. New Orleans and Minneapolis/St. Paul are tolerable if I don't have to drive in them. Seems probable to me that one reason we ought to travel around a lot is to have a chance at finding "our" place.
Axman at March 9, 2007 1:07 PM
Comments like yours make me doubt what people say to those who are unhappy with the place where they find themselves--something like "If you're unhappy here, you'd be unhappy anywhere.
Not true. I was unhappy, in large part, because of the bland suburban-ness of the area I grew up -- visually, culturally, and in who lives there. I've been very, very happy in New York, Los Angeles, and Paris, and I could live in any of those cities and be pretty damn happy most of the time.
What's made me happy these past few days? Well, the food, for one. We've been eating a combination of gourmet food and hot dogs from Papaya, with mustard, catsup, sauerkraut and onions. Love both!
Amy Alkon at March 9, 2007 3:44 PM
Leave a comment