A Sketchbook Look at New York Life
“Each of us, when our day’s work is done, must seek our ideal, whether it be love or pinochle or lobster à la Newburg, or the sweet silence of the musty bookshelves.” — O. Henry
“Because of its ring shape, she said, the bagel is attractive and tactile; it elicits a certain fondness. ‘And,’ she said, ‘you don’t feel affection for a slice of rye bread.’” — Maria Balinska, author of “The Bagel: The Surprising History of a Modest Bread,” quoted in the November 25, 2008 New York Times
“After the first glass, you see things as you wish they were. After the second, you see things as they are not. Finally, you see things as they really are, and that is the most horrible thing in the world.” — Oscar Wilde
“It smells of after-rain tonight.
Duck bones, a wounded egg on rice.
On the corner, there is a shop
that makes keys, keys that open
human doors, doors that lead
to rooms that hold families
of four or seven who sit at a table.
There is a mother who brings
sizzling flounder on a wide platter
for the family whose ordinary
mouths have been made to sing.”
— Tina Chang, Notes on Longing
