Bubbalicious

When my friend Richard Moss told me that Bill Clinton was appearing in Oakland, I jumped at the chance to get some pics. I'd still vote for Bubba if I could, although I'm supporting Obama.

Bye Bye Carl, Hello Lou

Seeing the obit for Carl Karcher (Carl's Jr.) made me think about Lou Sheldon. I remember back in the late '90s, when I first became a gay activist and was involved in battling Shedon and his Traditional Values Coalition www.traditionalvalues.org that Karcher was a big suporter of Sheldon's. At that time, Sheldon was a small-time anti-gay bigot involved in stopping the first Orange County gay pride celebration (he didn't succeed, but that's another blog). I don't know if it's still true, but back in those days, no self-respecting gay or lesbian would be caught dead eating at Carl's Jr. The boycott even went on for years after Karcher had nothing to do with the company except for being a figurehead.
Anyway, seeing Karcher's obit made me want to check in with my old nemesis Lou, so I went on his site. The only thing I found were the "TVC Comics," which once again prove that conservatives have no sense of satire, they only know how to attack.
http://www.traditionalvalues.org/comics/index.php

Gonzo Foodism

I have a new Web site: Gonzofoodism.com. The site will serve as a repository for links to Web sites and blogs that deal with eating on the edgy side. I currently have a blog up, where I'll be posting some of my "different" food writing. There's also a link to Anthony Bourdain's blog. Please forward anything you feel is worthy of inclusion.

Eating My Way Across New York

I was in New York over the holidays, unfortunately for only a few days. With only one day in Manhattan to myself, I indulged in one of my favorite pastimes: enjoying New York City's culinary pleasures. My day began with a trip down to the Lower East Side (my favorite part of town) and a trip to The Pickle Guys (www.nycpickleguys.com), where they still sell pickles out of barrels. This place is legendary and for good reason, the pickles are great (love the full sours—lots of garlic), and they pickle everything you can imagine. The place is tiny and noisy, just as it should be. I have not had good deli since I left L.A. For some reason, the Bay Area doesn't have a good deli, which is odd, considering what a culinary town San Francisco is (but that's another blog). Getting a pastrami fix when in NY was a high priority, so I walked a couple of blocks to Katz's Deli (www.katzdeli.com). This place exudes atmosphere, the odd ticket/billing set-up is interesting, and their pastrami has just the right ratio of fat to lean. After a side trip to Strand Books (www.strandbooks.com), the world's greatest used book store, and Forbidden Planet (www.fpnyc.com), a great comic book store right next door, I proceeded to my prime target. Unfortunately, the line outside of Zabar's (www.zabars.com) was a block long (it was Christmas Eve, something I didn't take into account. Fortunately, New York's best bagels, H&H (www.handhbagels.com) was right next door. Hopping on the subway, I proceeded to Times Square, with its plethora of hot dog and halal meat on a stick stands. I didn't partake, but my nephew and I had "we think it's chicken" on a stick a couple of days later, and it was great. It also lead to a discussion among the family about how everything tastes better on a stick (well, doesn't it?) I was on a search for hot chestnuts, but to my extreme disappointment, wasn't finding them. Finally, I found a stand by Rockefeller Center, now it felt like Christmas!

I finished the day with a half dozen oysters and beer at the Grand Central Oyster Bar (www.oysterbarny.com), and they were wonderful. The problem with oysters is the more I have the more I want. Everyone in my family are oyster eaters (I was fed them as a baby, really). We had heard there was an oyster bar in Manhattan that patterned itself after the legendary Swan Oyster Depot in San Francisco (a must if you're ever visiting San Francisco, I've been going there since the '70s). After some research, I found Pearl Oyster Bar (www.pearloysterbar.com), and we set out on Dec. 26, only to find it closed for the holidays. Better luck next time, and hopefully more time to eat on my next visit. The good news is that with all of this eating, as well as birthday and holiday feasts, I only gained four pounds!