Soup

Melody Henry, grumbled that Mayor Bloomberg “doesn’t want anyone to have fun. You can’t have a giant soda, You can’t have a vibrator.

Yesterday’s “Million Hoodie” rally at Union Square Park got a lot of media attention, as it should, with even conservative media outlets estimating there were at least several hundred protesters in attendance. But CBS 2 reporter Sean Hennessy is a newscaster, not a mathematician, dammit, and he counted “a few dozen.” For this, he was heckled (perhaps by this master debater?) and heckled again, until he revised his count up to “a few dozen, maybe a hundred.” But the hecklers weren’t having it, and in this rather amusing video, the angry bystanders ultimately reduce Hennessy into admitting, “You’re right. We lie. That’s what we do.”

22 Mar 2012

Takeout story: Behind bulletproof glass and out on a bike for a chinese restaurant in Mott Haven

You go to that drawer full of menus with dragons or pandas or bamboo on them, and the random Chinese characters, and the obligatory promise of fast and free delivery. And in 25 minutes or so a Chinese man on a bike will come to your door and you’ll maybe drop him a xie xie with your tip and he’ll give you a bye bye and he’s gone. End of story.

But there’s a different version of that story that goes on in many parts of this city. And that version is about money, class, race, and education. And in that version people are robbed, assaulted and killed, and people live in fear, constantly on guard and under threat over Chinese food.

8 Mar 2012

gotemcoach:

On February 3rd, the New York Knicks lost to the Boston Celtics. Third-string point guard Jeremy Lin played just over six and a half minutes. He missed all three of his shots and turned the ball over once to boot.

The next day, Jeremy Lin scored 25 points, dished out 7 assists, and had 4 rebounds in 35 minutes. Ever since, basketball fans have been inundated with Jeremy Lin news, Jeremy Lin back story, and worst of all, a seemingly unending stream of tired Jeremy Lin puns.

I mean, honestly. If Russia ever found out how many man hours we’ve spent thinking of words that start with “IN,” they’d invade. Our nation would surely fall.

In the span of a week, Jeremy Lin went from being an interesting story, to a great story, to an obnoxious story. Then last night happened.

As I do every year, I made the decision to eat cereal for a week, so I could afford to buy a ticket to see the Los Angeles Lakers’ only trip to Madison Square Garden. I paid for Kobe. I got my money’s worth from Lin.

After missing the Knicks’ first shot, Lin scored the Knicks’ first basket - a 22-foot three pointer. He followed that up with an assist to Tyson Chandler, a 19-footer, another assist to Tyson Chandler, a 16-footer, and a steal which he took in for a breakaway layup.

Timeout Los Angeles Lakers. It was an ambush.

After establishing his outside game (a supposed weakness), Lin went inside, shooting runners in the lane, and finishing at the basket with his soon-to-be-patented spin move (no doubt regrettably called the “Lin Cycle”…here come the Russians!!!). He had 18 by halftime.

When Lin continued his attack in the 3rd, the Lakers’ big men adjusted, but so did Jeremy, on the fly. He drew contact, and either got to the free throw line, or kicked the ball outside to his teammates. When Kobe Bryant willed the Lakers back within 3 during the 4th quarter, and the Knicks needed Lin the most, he was there. He was there, like a battle-tested, “been there before,” cold-blooded killer. Ice cold, Jack.

A rebound, an assist, another rebound, and a 19-footer he stroked right in Pau Gasol’s Spanish face. In 83 seconds, the Knicks lead was back to 9. Timeout Los Angeles. Déjà vu.

Lin wasn’t done. It was time to keep working the outside. The Lakers were on their heels. On three consecutive plays, the Knicks’ new starting point guard stuck another long jump shot, followed by Kobe missing one of his own, after which Lin drilled another three pointer. Game over. The last two of his career-high 38-points came when Lin sliced through the Lakers’ Top 5 team defense, then deftly slipped past the 7-foot Gasol, to reverse his layup.

I couldn’t even see it. I had to ask someone. The two guys in front of me were hugging. And screaming at each other. I’ve never heard Madison Square Garden louder.

I spent the whole game mystified. At times it seemed like the fans were carrying Lin to new heights - as though the raucous applause and booming MVP chants were fueling him. At other times, Lin was the one waking up the crowd, snatching momentum back for his Knicks. Was Jeremy Lin’s confidence through the roof because the fans were cheering him on? Or were the fans cheering him on because his confidence put him in the zone?

I spent a lot of time (read as: “almost all of it”) trying to decide whether Jeremy Lin was legit or not. Did I just want him to be legit? The Garden faithful clearly wanted him to be legit, so was that emotion affecting me? Is “legit” even really a word? Don’t I have to say “legitimate?”

I just kept asking myself, “Is Jeremy Lin for real?” During timeouts. In between plays. Over and over and over. And then the answer hit me.

It doesn’t matter.

I saw one hell of a performance at 32nd and 7th in New York City. Maybe it wasn’t Kobe’s 61, but it was quite similarly supernatural. Tonight, I saw a human being, just like you and me, not just overcome his opponent, but overcome the limitations of his own body and mind, to excel at the highest level. Whether he becomes the next Walt Frazier doesn’t matter. Tonight, Jeremy Lin touched greatness. Tonight, Jeremy Lin was Great.

Isn’t that why we watch sports? Don’t we hope to see something amazing? That’s why I wrote this. I needed to tell you to turn on your televisions. Go to the Garden. Find out when the Knicks come to town. Don’t miss what’s going on because you’re trying to analyze it. Just take the time to enjoy this.

Granted, I don’t exactly know what this is, but I do know it’s special.

Or maybe I’m just certifiably Linsane?

@gotem_coach

11 Feb 2012

Between Two Ciroc Bottles with Tone Bourdain and Eddie Huang

helencho:

by Eddie Huang

Tone is the illest. Hands down, bar none, without a question, you won’t find a New Yorker who doesn’t believe No Reservations is the greatest food/travel show of all time. Like Big, Tone got 357 ways to simmer sautee/he the winner all day…

The first time I met Tony was at Barnes and Noble when I MC’d his Medium Raw release event. I was playing ball on Houston St. when my phone kept ringing and it was his girl, Helen Cho (@intonores), telling me that they needed an MC. I hopped a cab from the LES and ten minutes later walked into Tony’s event unprepared and stinkin’ like my Godzilla Barkleys: size 10.5, you already know b. Once I walked in, I figured I’d stay off to the side and wait for Tone to finish his opening remarks, but the dude just stops what he’s doing, calls me to the front and we start drinking Brooklyn Beer and telling “milkshake jokes”, you know… baby throwing, chicken choking, etc. It was mad surreal, Tony will give back whatever energy you bring. Don’t approach him like a fan, just say what you want to say cause that’s what he wants to hear. For weeks after doing the Barnes and Noble event, every one I ran into asked the same question: “Yo, what’s Tone like man?” some girls didn’t even have questions, just statements “OMG that mother fucker is so HUGGGHHH.” Yea, it’s like that for Tone now. There’s no “cute”, “handsome”, “attractive”, shawties are gettin’ right to that Rick Ross: “HUGGH!”

I told every one the same thing, dude is mad nice, humble, smart, and full of references I can’t understand! It’s like Tony’s been living on a different planet listening to music and reading detective novels that are currently unavailable on Earth. About a month after the Barnes and Noble event, I met with the Zero Point Zero producers (What up Claudia! Helen! Jenn! Nicola!) to talk about ideas for the LES portion of The Layover: New York. They wanted to know where we hung out and who we hung out with that depicted the real NY. Not on some Mayor Bloomberg, Joan Rivers, Regis type shit, they wanted the raw. They told me Tony would be going to the Highline, M. Wells, doing the Shake Shack and book store thing so we’d have to really come with it downtown since we only got about 5 minutes to rep. I thought it was funny they asked me because I wasn’t born in NY. I’ve been here 7 years, but I guess I appreciate it more than born and raised New Yorkers since I came from bumfuck ho-lando. That’s the funny thing about B&R NY’ers. By the time they hit 13, they’re neurotic, nihilists, who’ve seen it all, done it all, and think the universe is expanding.

Instead of picking the big trendy restaurants that wouldn’t even be here when people make it around to visiting NY, I picked the classics. Shit, two locations on this episode of The Layover have since moved: M.Wells and my original Baohaus location. Things move fast in NY, but I wanted to show people the places we go on the regular and are quintessentially NY. It was more about the culture than the food. In other places, maybe it’s just about the food, but there’s a soul to NY and these are the places you’ll catch a glimpse.

Tammany Hall - This is where we go in the LES to get weird these days. I brought Tony and some friends for Diddy Liquor during the shoot. What you know about that Coconut Ciroc?!?! We forgot that the Smif ‘n Wesson album release party was going on so that was dope until the cops showed up and started aggin’ on every one. Literally, there was a riot while we were shooting.

Castillo de Jagua - The best Dominican food is up in the Heights, but Castillo de Jagua holds us down in the LES. I pop in here for lunch, dinner, late night, or even just to duck the snow and have a bowl of shrimp soupy rice. If you’re visiting NY make it here or Sandy’s Lechoneria in Harlem. Get the Pernil, Rabo (oxtail), and mofongo.

Schiller’s - It’s a Keith McNally restaurant right next to Baohaus that we always went to for a night cap. The spot is legendary for Subway tile, bartenders with dishwasher shirts, and co-ed bathrooms. I also like the Pimm’s Cup and Wellfleet Oysters.

Opening Ceremony Chinatown - This is hands down the best boutique in NY. It’s internationally known and globally respected. Amongst NYers it may be a obvious choice, but if you’re from out of town, you gots to go.

Great NY Noodletown - Chinatown classic, no one hits in Chinatown without first buying girls wontons here Saturday night! Real talk, wherever you got twisted earlier in the night, you end up here for wonton noodle soup, oyster and red sausage casserole, char siu pork, roast duck, all the hit records.

DJ Soul - Downtown’s best parties are DJ Soul’s. From the reOpened party with Just Blaze at Santos to his current Good Fridays @ Tammany Hall, and THE WHUT? @ Submercer Sundays, the boy goes hammer. . I mean, come on, this is the man that put me on to Breaking Bad, his taste phenomenal immaculate.

Prodigy from Mobb Deep - P had come down to Baohaus for food/drinks before his set at Summer Jam and I mentioned to him that I was going to be on 24 Hour Layover and he was into it. So, first we called his P.O. to coordinate his availability post-7pm and the state was kind enough to Free P. I took him to Noodletown where P schooled us on the virtues of P.F. Chang’s, Popular Science, and how much he hates the Ed Koch bridge. It’s the QBORO, don’t never call it nothin’ else!

Chris Jackson - Chris is not only my editor, but one of the funniest guys you’ll ever meet. I rarely befriend producers, editors, etc. but Chris is the homie, he loves the Knicks, Marc Jackson, and Chris Mullin so of course we see eye to eye. He also edited the Matt Taibi books and The Other Wes Moore, but I know him for Decoded. Some call him Young, some call him Hova…

Kenzo Digital - Kenzo is the director of City of God’s Son, Beyonce’s 2011 Billboard Music Award performance, and most recently a Kanye West project. You can catch up on him here (http://lifeandtimes.com/the-visionaire) rockin’ that Snow Beach!

Emma Hearst - Emma owns Sorella on Allen St. and she in the hood like Chinese wings. <—-Jadakiss! She’s one of the youngest chefs in the city and I like how she’s just doing her own thing with Italian food at Sorella.

Action Bronson - Lastly, my MANS, Action Bronson. He set NY on fire this year with his Dr. Lecter tape and on 11/22 dropped the follow-up Well Done. The Barry Horowitz of rap, the Ronnie Coleman of Flushing, you don’t even know who Larry Csonka is man!NY’s holy trinity of beats, rhymes, and rice: Sam Sifton, Action Bronson, yours truly…

Eddie Huang - You can find me at Baohaus, Dim Sum Parlors, Chinese Weddings, Karaoke, Arcades, and Pai Gow tables from here to Macao. When I’m not cheffing, I’m hitting the Roor, watching my Redskins shit the bed, and wishing the Knicks drafted Ron Artest instead of Frederic Weis. Hit me @mreddiehuang . Ching chong, I’m gone…

A great sneak peek of the upcoming New York City episode of The Layover.

28 Nov 2011

laurasthinkingwithportals:

A young man of color arrested in Union Square earlier today doing literally nothing but crossing the street.

I am fucking shaking with anger. This video shows Union Square earlier today. Clearly there is a protest but the area immediately surrounding the guy with the camera is just observers and people milling around. Watch the guy in the red shirt. From the vimeo link:

As you can see at around 0:30, a young man in a red shirt, Glenn Daniels Jr, is walking near the sidewalk with hundreds of other protestors. The crowd was attempting to cross the street to continue the march south down Broadway from Union Square. Daniels is peacefully walking with a water bottle, not committing any crime. At 0:35 he is approached by an NYPD officer and pushed towards the sidewalk. At 0:38 a senior police officer in a white shirt quickly approaches and grabs Daniels and another young man with a beard and backpack. The lighter skinned man is let go, but Daniels is arrested. The remainder of the video shows NYPD officers cuffing and detaining Daniels.

Unbefuckinglievable. He’s doing fucking nothing.

(Source: athenasaurus)

24 Sep 2011

cognitivedissonance:

Police pen up and mace female “Occupy Wall Street” protesters

In a disturbing scene from today’s “Occupy Wall Street” protests, a group of peaceful female protesters were rounded up in an orange-colored mesh pen by police and subsequently sprayed with mace without any provocation.

In spite of multiple reported incidents of possible police violence, major media outlets seem to be content to let the protests go by completely unreported, following the same “who-cares” attitude they have taken toward recent revelations that the NYPD has violated the Constitutional rights of American citizens by spying on them as possible terrorists and enemies of the state despite a complete absence of evidence of any crimes.

This is absolutely disturbing. Penning people up to mace them is police brutality. Period. What will it take to get the mainstream media to pay attention? If you follow the #OccupyWallStreet, you’ll find out that at least 80 were arrested today. AP and Wall Street Journal mentioned the arrests briefly today.