Category: Memoirs

Manhattan Moments: Art, Books, Food

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FABULOUS FRICK!

Expanse of Frick courtyard

Frick, The Man & The Mansion

Many visitors to Manhattan are familiar with the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Museum of Modern Art, better known as MoMA, and also the Whitney Museum of American Art.  But not everyone knows the Frick Collection. It took us longer to discover this stately mansion and its art, but once we did, we became fans.

Henry Clay Frick was a 19th century financier and industrialist involved in the early years of the steel industry in Pennsylvania.  Andrew Carnegie was an occasional business partner, and he and Andrew Mellon became close friends.  Frick was also a serious art collector.  When in 1913, his business interests extended to New York, he built the lovely mansion at East 70th Street.  Today, the Frick is considered one of the finest collections of European art in the United States.

New Renovated Frick

Closed for almost five years for a major renovation and expansion, the Frick re-opened last month.  For the first time, the family’s second floor is open to the public.  These small rooms are now galleries showcasing more art, and a narrow corridor is lovely with walls and floor clad in pink marble.  A majestic green marble staircase was added to the building to provide a smooth flow of visitors from the upper floor down to the new shop and café level, and then on down to the main floor.

On the main level, we re-visited some favorite works.   Holbein’s paintings of Sir Thomas More on one side of the fireplace and Thomas Cromwell on the other, plus the looming Fragonard series, The Progress of Love, on the drawing room walls.  Lastly, we checked out the beautiful courtyard with its central fountain, the only area in which photos are permitted.

Frick courtyard fountain

The Frick was very crowded given the pent-up anticipation for its re-opening but is still a gem.  We look forward to returning at a quieter time.

ON THE PAGE:  COOKING BUSINESS

Be Ready When the Luck Happens by Ina Garten

Garten (nytimes.com)

I own several of Ina Garten’s cookbooks.  I’ve also recently watched her on Facebook videos preparing chicken or fish.  One might think, given her wild success, that Garten’s life was always easy-peasy and comfortable.  Not so.  Garten held a series of often boring jobs after college.  She finally found her calling when she purchased her first Barefoot Countess store in Westhampton, Long Island.  Then she opened a second store.  Needing yet another challenge some years later, Garten tried her hand at writing a cookbook and later hosted her own TV show.

Garten’s style is bracing, frank, and even effervescent.  Her childhood was a difficult one, with parents who were controlling and emotionally abusive. She easily made friends at school, but her self-esteem suffered.  Fortunately, she met and married Jeffrey whose calm approach and supportive stance enabled her to take risks and buy the first store.  Impulsive and creative, Garten made mistakes along the way, some unwise investments and trusting her staff too much.  Throughout it all, she was determined and viewed obstacles as challenges to be overcome.

At times, her statements that she and Jeffrey didn’t have the necessary resources ring hollow against the backdrop of highly placed friends ready to recommend contractors and the ease with which they purchased expensive real estate.  Nonetheless, I found this an enjoyable fast-paced account of how to create your own success.  Recommended for Garten fans and food lovers! (~JWFarrington)

DINING FIND

Bayon (Upper East Side)

Bayon interior

Bayon is a new Cambodian restaurant on E. 64th Street just off 1st Avenue.  Ten years ago, the Chief Penguin and I spent a few days in Cambodia in Siem Reap visiting Angkor Wat. We enjoyed the food there, culinarily a cross between Thai and Chinese, but had never eaten in a Cambodian restaurant in the U.S.

We were pleased and delighted with Bayon. The space is attractive with highly polished wood tables and comfortable chairs with saffron-colored seats.  The wait staff were welcoming and helpful in their suggestions.  We started with some spicy fried fish cakes and cumin lamb dumplings, the latter beautifully presented on a glass snail plate. Both appetizers were delicious.  

Lamb dumplings

We then shared the basil rice stir fry with chicken and sampled a traditional rice corn pudding with coconut milk for dessert.  

Rice corn pudding

We zipped up the stir fry with some chili sauce, and the Chief Penguin enthusiastically tucked into the pudding.  Bayon is now on our list of preferred restaurants, and we hope to return soon.

Note: All unattributed photos ©JWFarrington (some rights reserved.). Header photo is of twisted cone sculptures on Park Avenue by Alma Alan.

Carolina Comments: Reading & Eating

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RECENT READING: ADVENTURE AND SUSPENSE

ADRIFT IN THE PACIFIC

The Baileys (theguardian.com)

Maurice and Maralyn:  An Extraordinary True Story of Shipwreck, Survival and Love by Sophie Elmhirst

Maurice Bailey was a quiet Englishman, a print setter, awkward, insecure, and uncomfortable around other people.  He lived alone, wanted to escape his dowdy village, and never expected to marry.  Nine years younger, Maralyn was confident and assertive.  Maurice substituted with a friend to attend a car rally with Maralyn, and to his surprise, she enjoyed his company.  They married and then started saving and planning to build a boat to take them far away from England, as far away as New Zealand.

Maurice and Maralyn, a small gem, is the story of their fateful voyage.  They loved their little boat, but a collision with a whale caused it to sink.  That left them adrift in the Pacific with just a raft and a dinghy and each other.  Maurice without Maralyn’s bolstering attitude would never have survived; Maralyn was purposeful, always with a goal, but she needed him also. Awaiting rescue and watching the few passing ships not see them, they managed to forage and eat and survive.  It was a lengthy endurance test for their marriage and their lives. Recommended for readers looking for harrowing and poignant adventure!

HOT THRILLER

Seeing Red by Sandra Brown

Author Brown (wikipedia.com)

Sandra Brown is an author I had not previously read until a friend loaned me one of her books.  She’s written numerous romantic thrillers, and Seeing Red is good escapism with a bit of steamy sex tossed in. 

Texas TV broadcaster Kerra Bailey is thrilled to have finally finagled an interview with retired Major Trapper.  A local hero for his role in successfully saving people from a horrendous warehouse blast, the major has avoided the press for many years.  When he is shot in his own home after the interview and Kerra must flee for her life, she becomes entangled with the major’s estranged son John.  

John Trapper is now a private detective. He left his job working for the Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms bureau under duress after he asked too many seemingly crazy questions about that earlier blast.  Together Kerra and John become targets, while he remains obsessed with solving the old mystery of who set the blast.  Traps and lies and secrets abound as it’s unclear who can be trusted.  The plot details are not always convincing, but I still found this mostly fast paced novel a good read!

DINING OUT: JAPANESE FUSION

Zest Sushi & Small Plates

Zest interior looking out

As a treat to ourselves, we headed downtown for lunch at Zest, a relatively new restaurant on Chatham Street.  It’s on a corner in an expansive space with lots of glass and a very open feeling.  The menu is huge, and everyone should be able to find something to order, whether a lover of sushi or just curious to explore new tastes.  There are sushi rolls galore, both classic and specialty ones, along with seafood in various forms (bowls, towers, chilled), lots of oyster preparations, entrees from shaking beef to green coconut curry, and lunchtime bento boxes.

The service was friendly and very welcoming.  The Chief Penguin ordered fried calamari (we love fried calamari, and every restaurant seems to add its own twist), and theirs had a bit of heat from the Japanese spice blend, togarshi.  He followed that with Screaming “o”, a sushi roll with spicy tuna, seared tuna, and tempura shrimp.  I sampled the shrimp tempura Bento box. 

Bento box at Zest

 The box was lovely and delicious; everything was very fresh, and I got to try tidbits of spring roll, California roll, and pork dumplings along with the shrimp and a ginger salad. 

With the many menu choices, you could eat here for weeks before sampling everything!  There are also daily specials such as Two for Tuesday (specialty rolls) and Sake Sundays.  We will be back.

TEASER

Watch for more next week on a new exhibit at the North Carolina Museum of Art.

Detail, Sometimes the King is a Woman, Amy Sherald

Note: Unattributed photos including header photo, Blazing March Sunrise, ©JWFarrington (some rights reserved.)

Carolina Comments: Potpourri

JWF 1 Comment

MUSICIAL INTERLUDE

Chamber Music Raleigh

The Chief Penguin and I are new to the Chamber Music Raleigh series.  It’s held in an intimate auditorium in the North Carolina Museum of Art on Sunday afternoons.  To date, the performers have included a cello quartet (yes, 4 cellos!), a trio of female string players, and most recently, the Italian pianist Alessandro Marangoni. 

Pianist Marangoni (prestomusic.com)

Marangoni’s playing was a delight as he entertained us with a handful of pieces by Gioachino Rossini.  Most of these were unfamiliar but light, and in one case even quirky, with the pianist vocalizing the sounds of a parakeet (Les raisins: A ma petite perruche) while navigating the keys.  Marangoni was the first to record many of Rossini’s works on disc. 

For us, and for the friends with us, the highlight of the concert, however, was his rendition of several pieces by Chopin, including a nocturne, a ballade, and a polonaise.  These showcased both Chopin’s virtuosity and Marangoni’s talent.  

RECENT READING: EXPERIENCING BOTH SEXES

Cleavage: Men, Women, and the Space between Us by Jennifer Finney Boylan

Boylan & Jodi Picoult (mysteryandsuspense.com)

I have read and followed Jennifer Finney Boylan since the publication in 2003 of her groundbreaking book on transitioning entitled, She’s Not There.  For years, Boylan was a columnist for the New York Times; more recently, she co-authored an excellent novel with Jodi Picoult.  That is Mad Honey released in 2022.  

Her new book, the cleverly titled Cleavage, is a series of reflections on both parts of her life, before transition as a boy and man, and later as her current female self.  Boylan relates anecdotes about incidents with her father, her mother’s loving acceptance of her as Jennifer not Jim, and a series of adolescent friendships with guys Jim hung out with and some she knew later as a woman.  

She also riffs on how she was treated differently as a female, as for example, no longer being seen as an authority figure in the classroom. Unusual as it might seem, Boylan and her wife Deedie remain happily married to each other.  They have two adult children, and Boylan recounts her angst and mixed feelings when their younger son came out to them and transitioned to female.  

Boylan was a professor at Colby College for 25 years and then became a writer-in-residence at Barnard.  She has given many lectures over the years, both in and out of the classroom, so quotes from literature and philosophy are numerous.  She has also written several other personal works (none of which I’ve read), and some material here feels cobbled together and occasionally like it doesn’t quite fit its chapter’s theme.  

Overall, however, Boylan writes with warmth, wit, wisdom, and graphic candor coupled with an overarching love for her family and friends.  She states that when she transitioned 25 years ago, she was mostly greeted with acceptance and felt comfortable.  Would that the national mood today were the same!  Recommended for readers wanting to know more about living in two genders.  (~JWFarrington)

LOCAL FARE

Dinner at Saap

I have written before about Saap, Cary’s Laotian restaurant, but it’s worth mentioning again.  Located on Walker Street behind the Cary Downtown Park, it offers a flavorful menu of both familiar and new Asian cuisine.  The space is bright with large windows and a hardwood floor, and you can dine here at lunch or dinner.  

Spring rolls (carolinas.eater.com)

This week the Chief Penguin and I started our dinner with an order of their delicious crispy spring rolls followed by pad lao, a noodle dish with tiger shrimp, for him and the red chicken curry with jasmine rice for me.  My curry was excellent with just the right amount of heat.  The portion was generous, and I brought some home for the next day’s lunch.  We dined on the early side and the noise level was minimal; as it filled up, it became what many would consider too lively.  Highly recommended!

Note: Header photo detail of Sunflower No. 3 by Jeff Dale ©JWFarrington (some rights reserved.)

Carolina Comments: Race & Grief

JWF 1 Comment

This week’s post includes a play about race that is compelling and uncomfortable and a beautiful memoir on delayed grief. The drama is the Pulitzer Prize winner, Fairview, and the book is Memorial Days.

CHALLENGING THEATER 

Fairview (Justice Theater Project)

The Justice Theater Project, a small drama company, presents plays about social issues at Umstead United Methodist Church in Raleigh.  Sets and lighting are simple, and the theater space is small with a limited number of seats.  Last year, the Chief Penguin and I went to see their production of Cabaret.

Set in the present day in an unspecified location, Fairview is about a middle-class Black family.  Beverly and her husband Dayton and their teenage daughter Keisha are preparing a special dinner to celebrate Beverly’s mother’s birthday.  Jasmine, Beverly’s sister, is an early-arriving guest.  These four banter and bicker back and forth over the preparations.  Later, Beverly’s brother Tyrone and Keisha’s friend Erica erupt on the scene joining them and Mama, the grandmother.  

The first act is short but could have been shorter.  The second act is long, and half of it is dominated by a radio discussion about race and which race one might choose to be.  From a reasonably ordinary domestic scene, the play then transforms into a confrontation between all the characters now onstage and then the audience.  It is challenging and uncomfortable to watch and thought-provoking.  

Playwright Drury (theintervalny.com)

Written by Jackie Sibblies Drury, Fairview won the 2019 Pulitzer Prize for Drama.  Those of us who attended together were a bit discombobulated by the end.  We thought it could have been a tighter production and that the radio voice went on too long.  Still, it was a worthwhile experience.

DOCUMENTING GRIEF

Memorial Days by Geraldine Brooks

Brooks (vineyardgazette.com)

My first acquaintance with Geraldine Brooks was reading her nonfiction book, Nine Parts of Desire, which focused on Muslim women in the Middle East, and was published in 1994.  Before she was a novelist, Brooks was a foreign correspondent living and working abroad for the Wall Street Journal. That book was a fascinating account which I really enjoyed.

Only later when I read her early novel about the bubonic plague. Year of Wonders, did I connect back and realize that Geraldine Brooks was the author of both titles.  Since then, I’ve read and relished almost every one of her historical novels including March (2005), Caleb’s Crossing (2011), and the most recent one, Horse (2022).

Brooks was married to fellow writer and journalist, Tony Horowitz, author of Spying on the South.  His sudden death on Memorial Day 2019, while far away on a book tour, was a searing event.  Being in the middle of writing Horse, Brooks did not take time to grieve.  Memorial Days is her interleaved account of the day of Tony’s death and those following and her prolonged stay three years later on an island off her native Australia.  

Being alone, isolated in nature, she granted herself a pause from work and her usual routine.  She walked the beach, swam, grieved, and reflected: on their happy marriage, on the joys of their parallel careers, on her sadness, and on how her life would have been different had she not met Tony, but lived her entire life in Australia.  It’s a beautiful and poignant memoir, straightforward and almost understated in its approach.  Highly recommended for Brooks’ fans! (~JWFarrington)

Note: Header image is Pledge Allegiance: Memorial to John R. Lewis by Jo-Ann Morgan.