Unless he stands for damnation. Because despite his sensitive, soothing demeanor, I find myself nagged by the prospect that Jacob could be playing with the dark pieces in this cosmic game. The final moments of the opening sequence may have offered a clue that Jacob is more charismatic Lucifer Morningstar than feel-good sexy Jesus. As Loophole McNameless walked away, head full of hate and schemes, the camera tilted up and we got a full-scale profile shot of the Statue, which was still intact in the 19th century. The mug on the edifice sure didn't look like a jackal to me, thus ruling out the Egyptian God Anubis, protector of the dead. No, that face looked like a crocodile, which gets you Sobek, a morally ambiguous dark god who oversees dark waters and preys on sinful souls in the afterlife. (Very Smokey.) Even worse, Set, the Egyptian god of chaos and evil, was a shapeshifter who often morphed into crocodiles and hippos (another candidate for Four Toed's face) in his clashes with archenemy Horus. Set was linked to infertility (seems Horus once ripped off Set's testicles) (serious!) (and ouch!) and was partial to fish and lettuce. Hey...didn't we see Jacob munching on a filet-o-fish lettuce wrap last night? And aren't devilish gods all for the concept of choice and free will?
If these mythological readings are correct, then we must wonder: What's a seemingly nice guy like Jacob doing on an Island like this? And why the hell is he living in a statue like that? A Christ-like figure dwelling within a statue that's a monument to evil makes for a nifty metaphor for redemption. But it could mean Jacob is the devil. Time will tell.
LOCANDA VERDE What was briefly Ago will open on May 19 with Andrew Carmellini, formerly of A Voce, in the kitchen and Josh Pickard, late of Lever House, managing the dining room. Karen DeMasco is the pastry chef. Mr. Carmellini, a partner with Mr. Pickard and Ken Friedman (Spotted Pig, John Dory), has said he wants a neighborhood Italian restaurant. Robert De Niro is one of the neighbors, and an owner of the Greenwich Hotel, which houses the restaurant and is one of its owners. 379 Greenwich Street (North Moore Street), (212) 925-3797.
Had dinner last night at Da Silvano - because Bar Pitti was packed - and ordered an appetizer that I was really looking forward to, fried zucchini flowers. They were not good. Mostly batter with something unidentifiable inside, no flavor, and only four of them for $14.50. Of course they were so disappointing that you wouldn't have wanted more on the plate. It was kind of shocking. I thought that when the waiter came back and asked how everything was I would tell him that the dish was really bad, but he never came to the table and asked. A different server came and took the plates away. I make zucchini flowers at home and believe me, mine would blow away Da Silvanos's sorry, doughy disasters.
Here are the US rankings out of the 30 OECD countries (1 is best; 30 is worst -- worst as in Somalia-like). The names of the countries even more Somalian than the US appear in parens.
Infant Deaths: 28 out of 30 (Mexico, Turkey).
Life Expectancy: 24 out of 30 (Mexico, Turkey, Hungary, Poland, Czech & Slovak Republics).
Health Expenditures: 1 out of 30.
Poverty Rates: 28 out of 30 (Mexico, Turkey).
Child Poverty: 27 out of 30 (Mexico, Turkey, Poland).
Income Inequality: 27 out of 30 (Mexico, Turkey, Portugal).
Obesity: 30 out of 30.
Incarceration: 30 out of 30.
Work Hours (ranked in ascending order): 30 out of 30.
Height (women): 25 out of 30 (Mexico, Turkey, Korea, Portugal, Japan).
Height (men): 24 out of 30 (Italy, Spain, Mexico, Portugal, Korea, Japan).
Created as a dyspepsia remedy about 100 years ago, Blenheim ginger ale now thrives as a highly addictive, hard-to-find beverage with an impressive cult following (see blenheimshrine.com). Born in an era rife with flimflam tinctures, liniments, tonics, and elixirs, Blenheim’s purported medicinal qualities were attributed to its water source, an artesian mineral spring in Blenheim, South Carolina. Story goes the ginger and sugar masked the unpleasant taste of the water’s healthful minerals.
The object of desire these days is Blenheim’s “Old #3 Hot”, the company’s most piquant pop. (They also make a diet version, a ginger beer, and “#5 Not as Hot,” but get #3, the one with the red bottle cap.) Each sip of the brassy liquid provides a quick, flavorful ride fueled by unapologetic spiciness, mild sweetness, tight bubbles, and pleasant gingery goodness. The mini endorphin rush from the spice is a nice bonus too.
