Very Old Stories

I recently went through a lot of old discs (only five of 50 survived), and found some of my essays and articles when I first started writing. They sure have a different feel and tone from what I do now. I suppose the difference then was that I was writing for pure enjoyment.
Here are two from 1993 and 1994:

2/13/93
We spent the day in San Juan Capistrano. As we were getting ready to leave we came across a VFW rally. There was a politician speaking, we believe it was Ron Packard. He said that he was introducing a bill that would make the ban on gays in the military permanent. The crowd applauded. I felt like a nigger.

STONEWALL: THE JUDY CONNECTION OR HOW I LOST MY VIRGINITY
I remember it clearly. I was thirteen years old that summer. My boy scout troop was camping out at the entrance to Anaheim Bay in Huntington Beach. The car radio was set to a news station and the announcer said that Judy Garland was dead.
For some reason, this news affected me, but I didn't know why. I didn't really care that much about Judy Garland. My only memories about her from that period were that she was in The Wizard Of OZ. Suddenly she was dead and for reasons unknown to me, I felt the loss.
I don't remember hearing anything about the riots in New York just after Judy's funeral. Riots were becoming fairly common in the late 1960's. I don't think it was even reported in The Los Angeles Times. I certainly didn't know the riots could possibly be connected to Judy Garlands death. I wouldn't know that until many years later. I also had no idea how those riots would affect the rest of my life.
What I do remember from that summer was losing my virginity to another member of my scout troop. For years I told people I lost my virginity to a woman when I was sixteen. At the time what we had done in the summer of '69 seemed like no big deal. As my mother said years later, "lots of boys do that sort of thing at that age," which is true, but they don't spend the next seven years obsessing over it, hoping it would happen again.
To paraphrase Theodore White: one never realizes history when one is experiencing it. It's odd looking back on that summer, how it all fits together: Judy Garland's death, the stonewall riots and a hot summer day in my best friends bedroom.

Latest Articles

I've been writing for J. Weekly, the Jewish newspaper for the Bay Area lately. Here's a link to my articles: http://www.google.com/search?q=amster&domains=www.jewishsf.com&sitesearch=www.jewishsf.com

A New Low

While watching my current favorite cartoon (next to Robot Chicken and The Venture Bros.), Code Monkeys on G4, I saw a commercial for what has to be the new low in TV programming: Hurl. Of course, I recorded an episode (I even watched an episode of Cavemen just to see how bad it was) after I heard the description: contestants eat massive quantities of food, are put through stomach-churning gyrations, and the last one to puke wins. It looks like it was shot in the Broadway Tunnel in Los Angeles. Can they come up with anything worse? I'm sure they will. I don't need to see it again.

Let My People Eat!

One of my great laments since moving to the Bay Area is the dearth of anything resembling a decent deli. There are few things I miss about Los Angeles, but one of them is Canter's, which I virtually used to live at. The last good deli I went to was Katz's in Manhattan in December, and I have had a serious Jones for some juicy pastrami ever since. I've asked every Jew I know around here if there is good deli to be found in the Bay Area and they all respond "no." I've always found this odd, since San Francisco is known as foodie central. I have been advised to stay away from David's on Geary, as most consider it an overpriced joke. On a recommendation, I went to Saul's in Berkeley once, and found it woefully lacking. Others have told me about Moishe's Pipick in San Francisco, but I've heard mixed reports.
One place mentioned to try was Miller's East Coast Deli on Polk Street, and I am pleased to report that this picky deli maven is happy with the results. While not extraordinary by New York or Los Angeles standards, the food was far better deli fare than anywhere else I've found. Their menu is large and chock full of the standards like pastrami, corned beef, lox, whitefish, kugel, cabbage rolls, kishka and kasha varnishkas. I couldn't decide between pastrami and corned beef (the eternal struggle), so I went for "The Chief": pastrami, corned beef, russian dressing, and cole slaw served on rye. This generous sandwich was just right, with lots of steaming meat, wet cole slaw and the bread just the right thickness and slightly hard texture. I was a happy man. They also scored points for having Dr. Brown's Cel Ray, my favorite deli drink. Yes, it really tastes like celery, and it's refreshing accompaniment for corned beef or pastrami. Next time, I'm trying the matzo ball soup, which looked good and perhaps a Reuben (they have seven different varieties).Then again, maybe the fish platter, a feast for two for just $18.99. Overall, their prices are reasonable, with most basic sandwiches running $7.49 for 6 oz of meat and $9.49 for 9 oz. Another feather in their cap at Miller's: the serve H & H Bagels from New York, considered my many to be the best. Every time I visit Manhattan, I bring back a dozen, and brought one home with me for my next morning breakfast.
While not the perfect deli experience (no crabby waitresses), Miller's is pretty darn good, and by Bay Area standards for a deli, great. You'll be seeing me there lots!

Miller's East Coast Deli
1725 Polk St. (between Clay and Washington)
San Francisco
(415) 563-3542
www.millersdelisf.com

Work at last!

It's been a long six months, but I finally have a job!

Editing vs. Sausages

You know there's something wrong with the world when you can make more money frying sausages and putting them on toothpicks than you can being a newspaper editor.
As I was perusing the job boards tonight, I came across an ad for an editor's position for a tri-weekly newspaper. The salary offered was $25,000-$30,000—an insulting amount. Then, while checking the retail jobs (yes, I'm thinking of going back into retail), there was a job advertised for a "sausage demonstrator," which paid $15 per hour (plus mileage allowance). That equals $31,200 per year!

Yes, you can earn more by frying up sausages, slicing them, putting them on toothpicks, and distributing coupons than if you "have experience in Quark, front-page layout, AP style and be ready to lend a hand in writing stories" and can produce a three-times-a-week community newspaper. The message: we value sausage slicers more than wordsmiths.

New Outlet

Be sure to check out my new food columns at www.novometro.com