#jonathan gold

[oldshowbiz]

El Abuelo

[hollyweirdangeleno]

[twiststreet]

Caught a cold; trying to remember the name of a soup place; I still miss Jonathan Gold...

[internetexplorersclub]

nunc est legendum quod internet

So Le Guide Michelin has returned, not to Los Angeles, but to California broadly, and I am… skeptical. There’s a lot to be said about the Guide’s views of Los Angeles cuisine in particular, and the late great Jonathan Gold of the Los Angeles Times sums it up better than I could:

But here’s the real thing—I did not realize Bibendum (the given name of the Michelin Man, FYI) would be at the award ceremony in Los Angeles. I cannot stop looking at these photos.

As I was regaling my fascinating with these photos to my sister (which was mostly me shouting the word “Bibendum”) I realized not everyone is as familiar with the delightful old Michelin advertisements. This one, for example, quotes Ovid (“nunc est bibendum” aka “now is the time for drinking”) and then says “That is to say: to your health! Michelin tires drink up obstacles.” Please note the coupe glass filled with nails, glass shards, etc. and the other gentlemen at the table labeled as other tire brands (!)

I will be in London next month, so might just have to make a pilgrimage to the restaurant now in the old Michelin building, which has stained glass windows of Bibendum, and also—though one suspects this is a conflict of interest—two Michelin stars.

A café that I will not make it too, which saddens me greatly, is this Korean café designed to look like a black and white pen drawing:

A piece that talks about the Frankfurt kitchen and how it completely changed how we think about kitchens, and it’s astonishing to see how modern it looks, even today, despite dating from the 1920s (this was it installed at the Met, which is why there are people in the window)

There’s been a weird slice of the internet about the idea of “Wife Guys” — men that mention their wives in weird, performative ways. It’s turned into a meme, and Jia Tolentino beautifully deconstructs it, drawing on a deep history of creating families in marginalized communities and—well—Borat. It’s really, really worth a read.

I am obviously INCREDIBLY DELIGHTED BY THIS HEADLINE. Here is the photo that made him (understandably!) infamous, he was stealing a knife from a crime scene. He’s also had an art exhibition.

etcetera: Please go watch Fleabag, particularly season 2, but the whole show is an incredible meditation on grief, existing in the modern world, love, faith, and family. Please go watch it (caveat for The Grown Ups: it is very racy) and then read the following: The Agony and the Ecstasy of Fleabag, this piece breaking down the pilot from an editing / cinematography / writing perspective and a great interview with Andrew Scott, who plays the "Hot Priest" (technically his character is just named The Priest, but, well...)

[gravesthataregoofy]

Tacos Forever.

[paule1216]

RIP Jonathan Gold

[hollybailey]

The LA Times’ Jonathan Gold, who  passed away last weekend, was an amazing food critic and has been rightfully honored as someone who brought Los Angeles to life for his readers. But before he wrote about food, he was a pretty amazing music writer, and what I will remember him for the most is this incredible Rolling Stone cover story he wrote on Trent Reznor way back in 1994. Yes, I am a huge Nine Inch Nails fan so I loved the story. But I was also a young writer, and I can honestly say that over the last 24 years, my mind has returned again and again to these handful of sentences where he described watching Reznor perform “Closer” at a concert in Detroit:

You haven’t really lived, I think, until you’ve heard a gang of Wayne State sorority sisters moan, “I want to fuck you like an animal,” the chorus to “Closer,” which has sort of the same resonance that “I Want to Hold Your Hand” might have had 30 years ago. Dressed in already-clammy NIN T-shirts newly purchased from the concession stand, whipping clean hair over their eyes, shoving the pimply skanks who dare to block their view, wild-eyed with hatred and desire, the women howl along with Reznor, who in turn howls into the black-rubber void with such intensity that you fear the throbbing balconies will sag and collapse, sending 200 tons of concrete, steel and slam-dancing teen-agers onto your sweaty head. The women crush their eyes shut and scream, “You get me closer to God.” All of them sound as if they mean it.

Vivid. Funny. And this perfect encapsulation of the cultural impact Reznor and that song had at a moment where the mainstream was still somewhat scandalized by the mere use of the word “fuck” in a song on the radio. It was just a few sentences, but it’s a piece of writing that really influenced me as a journalist to try and always capture the electric, to make readers feel like they are right there. So thank you Jonathan Gold. Also you haven’t lived until you’ve read this story so I suggest you do it.

[ksohfresco]

Delicious Food Corner (Monterey Park, CA).

Hands down best HK-style diner I’ve been to.

Absolutely fell in love with their congee, along with the pineapple bun and fried dough wrapped in noodle (I ate it so quickly, I forgot to take a pic!).

The HK-style milk tea is fabulous too.

Now I know where to go when I need my HK food fix.