Micah's Read of the Week, Vol. 34
McSorley's Old Ale House returns, our boring-ass POTUS, Florida Man, Dispo pic of the week, recipes, and more.
Hello, and welcome to Micah’s Read of the Week.
This is a newsletter filled with things Micah Wiener finds interesting.
Check out the introduction post here and the entire archive of previous newsletters here.
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McSorley’s is back
This week’s return-to-normalcy positive news update is about my favorite bar in America, McSorley’s Old Ale House in the East Village. I could tell you all about it, but, if you know, you know. From "I Felt Alive Again": McSorley's Co-Owner On This Year's St. Patricks Day:
Gregory de la Haba, the co-owner and operator of McSorley's Old Ale House, said his primary focus this St. Patrick’s Day was to follow the rules.
"The last thing I wanted was for the city to come down and give us any shit about anything, you know?" de la Haba told Gothamist. "We don’t want to be held up as an example as a superspreader or something."
The piece is nice, but this quote is the best thing you’ll read this week:
"It was fucking beautiful," he said. "Honestly, I felt alive again. And it was our busiest day in more than a year."
That really is fucking beautiful. I can’t wait to drink a few darks soon. Shouts to Holden for the h/t.
I love our boring-ass President
Joe Biden is boring. It’s great.
National political leaders are important. They represent the country and our values, they lead our armed forces and they’re charged with keeping the nation safe. I don’t believe that we also need them to be entertainers. There’s never been more content out there. I don’t need or want politicians to generate ratings for CNN. I’d much rather watch The Great British Baking Show than another red-alert-filled episode of Don Lemon Tonight.
Is President Biden perfect? Of course not. He’s been fairly criticized from the right for the recent surge of migrants crossing the border. He’s also been beaten up from the left on an assortment of issues. As a trained journalist, I’m troubled that he hasn’t given a single press conference in his first 60 days in office (although that’s scheduled to change Thursday).
To become President of the United States, one must be a force of personality, ego, ambition, and confidence. This job attracts a certain type of person. Through the first 60 days of his presidency, Biden has stood out only by blending into the background.
Even on his inauguration day, Biden felt like an afterthought. Kamala Harris’s rise to the Vice Presidency seemed more historic. Michelle Obama was striking. Former President Obama still seemed like he was (a much younger) big brother to his VP. Eugene Goodman’s dramatic entrance choked me up more than anything the new POTUS said. Lady Gaga was there. So was JLo. Biden gave a great speech. He didn’t seem lost. He didn’t seem sleepy. He was good. And, we haven’t really heard from him since. Good!
He signed some executive orders. He gave one primetime television address. He signed the huge COVID recovery package. One of his dogs bit someone.
You may not like Biden’s policy positions or personal style. His Johnsonian conception of government isn’t for everyone. But he’s been pretty hard to hate. Even at CPAC, he’s hardly firing up his most fervent opponents:
Displays of anti-Biden sentiment were fairly rare, as the new president had not attained the boogeyman status of former president Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton, who galvanized the right.
“I can’t give the Biden stuff away,” said David Solomon, a “MAGA” merchandise seller whose post-election shirt designs included Biden with a Hitler-style mustache and the message “Not My Dictator.”
Trump wasn’t the first President in my lifetime to control the attention of the media. The Obamas rose to power with glamour and force of personality. George W. Bush often said and did things that demanded attention.
Bill Clinton’s personal exploits overwhelmed the country and the media. Bush 41 was pretty boring. He did vomit once tho.
I mention all of this because, to my eyes, Biden has done what he promised to do on the trail: return the presidency to normal. Biden has been a professional politician for a LONG time. Despite his long-running reputation for gaffes, (Obama famously once said “Don’t underestimate Joe’s ability to fuck things up,”) he’s been disciplined and stayed on schedule. Despite the ego needed to become the leader of the free world, Biden hasn’t appeared to covet the spotlight. He seems content to focus on one policy goal at a time, and he doesn’t appear to care about winning every news cycle. It’s a lot less exciting, but I like it a lot better.
Part of the Trump phenomenon was his unpredictability. You never knew what he would say or do or tweet (and you can speculate whether that was strategy or style). At this point, we know what the Biden administration is going to do every day. They will have a daily press briefing. The President will follow his public schedule. There isn’t a Diet Coke button on the resolute desk anymore. We won’t have any photos like this:
In one sense, it is a return to normalcy. But in other ways, it’s been a presidency unlike any in my lifetime. I’m rooting for POTUS to keep it up.
Podcast Promotion of the Week
Last week on Mind of Micah we broke down a great piece about How to Fail Horribly and Repeatedly in College Football and Stay Employed Forever.
Jeff Long is the Athletic Director at the University of kansas. He was forced to fire his head football coach Les Miles last week after some troubling revelations came to light about inappropriate behavior with women at Miles's last employer, LSU.
The first thing Long did as an athletic director, in 2008, was hire Bobby Petrino to coach the Arkansas Razorbacks.
The Arkansas Years was going fine for a while, and then blew up in Long’s face when Petrino wrecked a motorcycle while riding with his employee/mistress, then lied about it. Long fired Petrino, and somehow received praise for firing the known dirtbag he’d hired.
One person who praised Long’s handling of the whole Petrino thing was Bret Bielema, then the frequent Rose Bowl–attending coach of the Wisconsin Badgers. Bielema sent Long a lovely letter, urging him to “stay strong.” A few months later, Long handed Bielema a fat contract to coach the Razorbacks.
Arkansas then fired Long, not because he’d hired the dirtbag Petrino years earlier, but because Bielema lost too much. Long then landed at Kansas.
Long hired Les Miles off the couch. Did Long at least do some due diligence before finally landing his coveted Miles at Kansas? Did he at least try to find whether there were any skeletons in Baton Rouge? Well, depositions suggest Long had his heart set on Miles even before Beaty was out the door, and that Long couldn’t remember which other coaches he’d interviewed before hiring Miles.
So, we have a guy who hired the dirtbag Petrino and the washed-up Miles, eagerly overlooking faults to land big-name prize fishes. That Miles is accused of using power inappropriately in relationships with much younger women, something at least a little similar to what Petrino did, makes the full picture even harder to ignore.
Jeff Long’s not the whole problem in college sports, just a really good illustration of that problem.
Listen to the entire piece now, and subscribe for new content this week.
Florida Tweet of the Week
I dare you not to click on the tweet below.
Florida, man.
Dispo Pic of the Week
I still have 4 invites remaining for Dispo. DM me on IG @micahwiener if you want one. You’ll be able to photograph your loved ones, but there’s no way the pics will turn out as beautiful as this one.
And before you call me a kissass, just know there’s no chance CB is actually reading this newsletter.
Recipe Corner
Eggplant With Capers and Mint
Passover starts Friday. Here’s an outside-the-box side dish that’s perfect for your seder.
3 to 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 large (1 3/4 pounds) eggplant (unpeeled), cut into 3/4-inch-thick rounds
1/4 cup finely chopped red onion (from 1/4 medium red onion)
1/4 cup capers, drained (see VARIATION, below)
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more as needed
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 handful small fresh mint leaves, whole or chopped, for garnish
Position an oven rack 4 to 6 inches from the broiler; preheat to broil. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil, or have a broiler pan at hand.
Use a few tablespoons of the oil (to taste) to brush both sides of each eggplant slice, arranging them in a single layer on the pan or baking sheet as you work. Broil for 5 minutes, or until the slices are browned. Use tongs or a fork to turn over the eggplant slices and broil them for about 5 minutes on the second sides. Let cool for 3 minutes, then transfer to a serving platter.
Combine the chopped red onion, capers and the remaining tablespoons of oil (again, to taste) in a medium bowl. Season with salt and pepper, then stir to incorporate. Scatter the red onion mixture over the eggplant slices. Sprinkle lightly with kosher salt, then scatter the mint over the top. Serve at room temperature.
Horseradish-Crusted Cod With Carrots, Parsnips and Mustard-Dill Drizzle
Here’s a recipe to make next week after Passover when you’re wondering what to do with all the left-over matzoh and horseradish.
1 pound medium carrots, peeled
8 ounces medium parsnips, peeled
5 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
1 tablespoon minced shallot
1/2 cup panko or 1/3 cup matzoh meal
1 1/2 tablespoons drained prepared horseradish
4 cod fillets (about 6 ounces each)
1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
Water, as needed
Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 425 degrees.
Cut the carrots and parsnips into roughly 3-inch long, 1/2-inch thick batons. Place them onto a sheet pan, drizzle with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil, sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon each of the salt and pepper and toss to combine. Roast for 10 minutes.
While the carrots and parsnips are roasting, in a small bowl, stir together the mustard, dill and shallots. Transfer half of the mustard mixture to another small bowl. In a medium bowl, toss the panko or matzo meal, horseradish and the remaining salt and pepper. Add 2 tablespoons of oil to the crumb mixture and use your fingers or a fork to combine well.
Fold any thinner pieces of fish so that all the fillets are about the same thickness. Using one of the small bowls of the mustard mixture, brush the mixture on top of each of the fillets. Then top each piece of fish with the breadcrumb-horseradish mixture.
Move the carrots and parsnips to one side of the sheet pan and place the fish fillets on the other side. Return the pan to the top rack of the oven and cook 10 to 15 minutes more, or until the fish flakes easily with a fork and is no longer translucent, and the topping has browned in spots.
To make the drizzle, whisk the remaining oil and the vinegar into the reserved bowl of the mustard-dill mixture. Add 1 teaspoon of water to thin it out, adding more, 1 teaspoon at a time, as needed.
Divide the fish and vegetables among plates, drizzle the vegetables with the sauce and serve.
Where else can I find Micah content?
Podcasts: Mind of Micah, Back Door Cover, Too Much Dip
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Email: micahwiener@me.com