More From The Dark and Bitter Side

Saw Slumdog Millionaire yesterday, and my head is swimming with images not to be forgotten soon, if ever. I tend to read a fair number of novels about life in India, but while writers like Vikram Seth and Rohinton Mistry paint vivid pictures of human suffering, they’re far more disturbing on a movie screen, super-sized [...]

Chumbug!

I wrote “Chumbug” several years ago, for “Xmas Sucks,” a performance event dreamed up by Thomas Roche, writer of noir, erotica and humor. “Xmas Sucks” ran annually in San Francisco for a few years, then fizzled out–but good news: it’s making a comeback this year, tomorrow night in fact (See below). I might make it [...]

The Great Potato Pancake Fry-Off

Since ’tis the season, I thought I’d reprise this perennial favorite.

According to my friend Rita, the invention of the blender spelled disaster for the potato latke. She insists that the blood dripping from our grandmother’s knuckles as they grated the potatoes is what made their latkes so delicious.
My friend Larry swears that skimping on oil [...]

CHUMBUG!

I wrote “Chumbug” several years ago, for “Xmas Sucks,” a performance event dreamed up by Thomas Roche, writer of noir, erotica and humor. “Xmas Sucks” ran annually in San Francisco for a few years, then fizzled out–but good news: it’s making a comeback this year, tomorrow night in fact (See below). I might make [...]