A nice night out

Last night introverte and I made it back to Chattanooga for the first time in a long while. Chattanooga, you may recall, is an upscale kosher Persian restaurant in Great Neck NY (two blocks from the LIRR station, if this tempts any of my Manhattan readers :-)

The gondi was a little less melt-in-your-mouth than it has been in the past, but the Moroccan cigars were nice and spicy, the complimentary stew over crispy rice was great, the combination platter (kabobs of chicken, steak, and spicy ground chicken) with shirin pollo (sweet rice with orange rind and berries) was awesome. [Every once in a while, I think this blog channels the spirit of stellavision] Dessert was ok -- the chocolate "muse" (i.e., mousse) cake was decadent, but I was so stuffed I couldn't finish my half of the slice; the coffee was too bitter. But they comped us the coffee (and the upgrade from plain rice to shirin pollo) so who am I to complain?

And it was nice to have a quiet, relaxed two-hour dinner with my wife, in a restaurant that outstrips anything available to us back home. And with free babysitting. :-)

A nice night out

Last night introverte and I made it back to Chattanooga for the first time in a long while. Chattanooga, you may recall, is an upscale kosher Persian restaurant in Great Neck NY (two blocks from the LIRR station, if this tempts any of my Manhattan readers :-)

The gondi was a little less melt-in-your-mouth than it has been in the past, but the Moroccan cigars were nice and spicy, the complimentary stew over crispy rice was great, the combination platter (kabobs of chicken, steak, and spicy ground chicken) with shirin pollo (sweet rice with orange rind and berries) was awesome. [Every once in a while, I think this blog channels the spirit of stellavision] Dessert was ok -- the chocolate "muse" (i.e., mousse) cake was decadent, but I was so stuffed I couldn't finish my half of the slice; the coffee was too bitter. But they comped us the coffee (and the upgrade from plain rice to shirin pollo) so who am I to complain?

And it was nice to have a quiet, relaxed two-hour dinner with my wife, in a restaurant that outstrips anything available to us back home. And with free babysitting. :-)

Rashi had a question...

In yesterday's Torah reading, Lavan has chased after Ya'akov and his family. Among other things, Lavan charges Ya'akov with stealing his idols, and Ya'akov rashly responds, "Whomever you find with your gods, that one shall not live." And the verse concludes: "For Jacob did not know that Rachel had stolen them." As Lavan searches, Rachel excuses herself from standing in her father's presence, claiming "the way of women is upon me" when, in fact, she had hidden the idols in her saddlebags and was sitting on them.

Rashi's comment on "that one shall not live" is "And because of this curse, Rachel died on the journey." ( Which satisfies on a visceral level but doesn't seem to withstand scrutiny... )

Rashi had a question...

In yesterday's Torah reading, Lavan has chased after Ya'akov and his family. Among other things, Lavan charges Ya'akov with stealing his idols, and Ya'akov rashly responds, "Whomever you find with your gods, that one shall not live." And the verse concludes: "For Jacob did not know that Rachel had stolen them." As Lavan searches, Rachel excuses herself from standing in her father's presence, claiming "the way of women is upon me" when, in fact, she had hidden the idols in her saddlebags and was sitting on them.

Rashi's comment on "that one shall not live" is "And because of this curse, Rachel died on the journey." ( Which satisfies on a visceral level but doesn't seem to withstand scrutiny... )