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May 24, 2013

Rabbi Tzvi Hersh Weinreb: When I didn't so 'humbly disagree'

Caroline B. Glick: Thank you, Hafez al-Assad

Diana West: From the Brooklyn Bridge to London
Morgan Housel: Why spotting bubbles is so much harder than you think

Environmental Nutrition editors: NuVal labeling to the rescue?

Jewz in the Newz by Nate Bloom : Memorial Day: Jews Serving and KIA in War on Terror; Liberace Bio-Pic; Jew Wins "Survivor"; Shalom, Dr. Brothers; More

The Kosher Gourmet by Emma Christensen: HIDE THESE FROZEN TREATS FROM THE KIDDIES!: Sangria pops; Irish cream pudding pops; mango Lassi pops

May 22, 2013

John Thorne: They launched the 'Arab Spring' but now yearn for the good old days of a strongman

John Rosemond: 'Disciplinary math' adds up to parental successl

Warren Richey: Are prayers before public meetings OK? Supreme Court to decide
Rick Montgomery: Use of ADHD drugs as study aid raises concern on campuses

Brierley Wright, M.S., R.D.: 6 convincing reasons you should keep carbs in your diet

Eoin O'Carroll: Scientists examine nothing, find something

The Kosher Gourmet by Carole Kotkin: This soup is made from one of the great pleasures of spring: A wonderful pairing of rosy color and earthy tang

May 20, 2013

Richard A. Serrano: Is Meir Kahane's assassin now a changed man?

Hannan Adely: Town raises Palestinian flag at City Hall

Melissa Healy: Genetic copies of living people from embryos no longer science fiction
Morgan Housel: When smart investors do stupid things

Sharon Saloman, M.S., R.D.: Hunger games: Eat more, weigh less, without starving

Jewz in the Newz by Nate Bloom : Jews Inducted into Rock Hall of Fame; Anton Yelchin co-stars in New "Trek" film; Kutcher (but not Kunis) visits Israel; Jewish TV Star Praises Jewish Rap Star

The Kosher Gourmet by Cathy Pollak: WARNING: This WALNUT CAKE WITH PRALINE FROSTING, perfect for afternoon coffee, is addicting

May 13, 2013

Rabbi Nathan Lopes Cardozo: Why the giving of the document that would permanently change the world could only be done in desolation

David G. Savage: Church-state, literally? Supreme Court weighing public school graduation in a church

Emily Alpert: Recession dragged down birth rates for less-educated women
Morgan Housel: The deep downside of home ownership

Peter Teffer: Will Dutch police soon be stalking cybercriminals on your computer?

Heidi McIndoo, M.S., R.D.: Meatless 'meat' can have its own set of problems

The Kosher Gourmet by Diane Rossen Worthington: Celebrate! This must-try appetizer is delicate yet has depth of flavor: Corn-Leek Cakes with Caviar, Smoked Salmon and Creme Fraiche

May 10, 2013

Rabbi Berel Wein: Be all that you should be

Caroline B. Glick: The dirty little secret about Israel's Arabs

Mona Charen: Hawking's Moral Calculus: The man and the movement he embraces
Morgan Housel: The biggest retirement myth ever told

Sandi Doughton: Eyes may provide new insight into brain problems

Jewz in the Newz by Nate Bloom : The Great Gatsby's Jewish Ties; Jews in the "Time 100 list" List; People's Most Beautiful Women

The Kosher Gourmet by Linda Gassenheimer: A sweet-hot meal: Pear salsa spices up salmon

May 8, 2013

Peter Ford: Why China is welcoming both Israel's Netanyahu and Palestinians' Abbas

Warren Richey: Obama administration quietly backs out of appeal over new contraceptive mandate

Fred Weir: At Kerry-Putin meeting, US-Russia relations thaw --- a tad
Amanda Paulson: Study reveals sad truths about community colleges

Harvard Health Letters: Evidence weak that zinc, echinacea are beneficial

The Kosher Gourmet by Leela Cyd Ross : Almost too pretty to eat, this colorful salad with Sicilian inspiration will tickle the taste buds and delight your visual sensibility

May 6, 2013

Edmund Sanders and Patrick J. McDonnell: Think Israel's objective in Syria is to weaken Assad or embolden the rebels? Think again

Brian Bennett: Israeli airstrikes may show weakness in Syrian defense

Michael Ollove: Millions of ex-felons, parolees and those on probation are about to be entitled to tax-payer paid health coverage
Karen Kaplan: Most men can skip PSA test for prostate cancer, urologists say

Kimberly Lankford: How to track down a lost life insurance policy

Dream of Mars exploration achievable, experts say

The Kosher Gourmet by Susan M. Selasky: EGGPLANT WRAPS are an easy, sumptuous and scrumptious meal

May 3, 2013

Rabbi Nathan Lopes Cardozo: Human Courage and the Unavoidable, Disturbing Text

Steven Emerson: Attorney General Fights CAIR in Court, Lauds it in Public

Mediterranean diet helps beat dementia: study
Harvard Health Letters: When to be screened for a hearing problem

Jewz in the Newz by Nate Bloom : Iron Man's Jewish Connections; Marc Maron's New TV Show; Martin Landau Grows Up with Israel; Shalom, Allan Arbus

The Kosher Gourmet by Diane Rossen Worthington: A sweet surprise for Mother's Day dessert

May 1, 2013

Jonathan Rosenblum: An Improbable Journey to Orthodoxy

Jonathan Tobin: Blame Obama, Not Israel for Syria Push

Kids, kittens the Same? With employee perks at struggling Internet pioneer Yahoo! it's hard to tell
Halena M. Gazelka, M.D.: Mayo Clinic Medical Edge: What you need to know about implanted pain relief devices

Sandy Kleffman: Artificial kidney offers hope to patients tethered to a dialysis machine

Jessica Shugart: When it comes to math, MRIs may be better than IQs

The Kosher Gourmet by Mario Batali: The celebrated chef on how high-maintenance ASPARAGUS RISOTTO need not be

April 29, 2013

Roy Gutman: Poland's new Jewish museum celebrates life, doesn't revisit Holocaust

Mark Clayton: Terrorism in America: Is US missing a chance to learn from failed plots?

Kim Murphy: Boston Bomber's 'Svengali' Revealed
Morgan Housel: He's rich, smart and old: Listen to him

Thomas Salinas, D.D.S.: Mayo Clinic Medical Edge: The safety of amalgam fillings

Harvard Health Letters: Tomatoes and stroke protection

Pete Spotts: Tiny satellites + cellphones = cheaper 'eyes in the sky' for NASA

The Kosher Gourmet by Diane Rossen Worthington: Swing into spring with lemon cream pie

April 26, 2013

Rabbi Abraham J. Twerski: The world is a mirror

Caroline B. Glick: Time to confront Obama

Clifford D. May: Defense in the Age of Jihadist Terrorism
Kimberly Lankford: New strategies ease pain of paying for long-term care insurance

Howard LeWine, M.D.: Ask the Harvard Experts: Too much ibuprofen?

Sharon Palmer, R.D.: How to feel your best -- with plenty of energy, a healthy weight and optimal mental and physical function -- without driving yourself batty

Jewz in the Newz by Nate Bloom: Jewish Major Leaguers, 2013; New Movies and Comedy Show; Shalom, 'Lumpy' (Leave it to Beaver)

The Kosher Gourmet by Emily Ho : A bright and cheerful salad to herald the warmer months ahead

April 24, 2013

Steven Emerson: Boston Bomber Exposes Islamist Secret

Morgan Housel Admit it: No one has any idea what's going on
Harvard Health Letters: Can you get headaches from headache medication?

Kerri-Ann Jennings, M.S., R.D.: How to easily get more Omega-3s in your diet

Melissa Healy: Pot in a pill: All the pain relief without the smoke

The Kosher Gourmet by Susan Russo: Chipotle Chili Butternut Squash Soup is bold, zesty, hot

April 22, 2013

Ken Dilanian: Counterterrorism's future is unclear

US man departing country arrested on terror charges
Barbara Williams: An unorthodox but growing treatment in a 9-year-old's battle against cancer

P.J. Skerrett, M.D.: How to recognize a good whole grain product

Jewz in the Newz by Nate Bloom: Teen actor Jonah Bobo in New Flick: Hunky James Wolk on Mad Men; Erich Segal's Daughter Writes Prize-Winning Jewish Novel


Jewish World Review Oct. 17, 2008 / 18 Tishrei 5769

Growing Up, Part III

By Greg Crosby


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http://www.JewishWorldReview.com | Working in my uncle's restaurant as a young teenager enabled me to come into contact with people I never even knew existed outside of fiction. The small time hoods, the shoplifters, the con men, the bookies, and other assorted colorful characters gave me a perspective on the human condition that I never would have known otherwise. But it wasn't only the "bad guys" that hung around the place - wherever you have crooks, you have cops. And that was certainly the case with Crosby's Bar-B-Que & Pizza.


The LAPD knew my uncle and liked him a lot too. So much so, that they sort of protected the restaurant. Uncle Donald knew the importance of taking care of the cops, which is why he let them eat at reduced prices or sometimes for free. He looked at it as the price of insurance, realizing that if the police liked him, they'd kind of keep watch over the place - you know, drive by a bit more often when the place was closed and make sure everything was okay. It never hurts in the restaurant business to have the police on your side - especially in a high crime area like East Hollywood.


I came to know a few of the officers that frequented the restaurant. Nice guys mostly, they were nothing like the some of the other hang-arounders that could have easily been rejects from old Damon Runyon movies.


One guy who hung around was not exactly a favorite of my dad's. Matter of fact, he hated him. The man's name was Ivan (I think). He worked as a bouncer in a card club over in Gardenia, when he got off work he drove over to my uncle's to hang out. He was not a young man but he was big, tall and broad, very imposing. He had zero personality and no social graces whatsoever. As my dad would say, "He was a big slob." He mostly just stood around the front leaning on the counter reading the Racing Form and eating pie or anything else he could pilfer. My uncle seemed to like the guy, why I'll never know. I had little to do with him.


Then there was Jerry, a funny-looking redheaded restaurant supply salesman who once was a professional drummer with a band. His music gigs were far and few between, which is why his day job was supplying restaurants with napkins, matches, food to-go containers, etc. But his love was the drums. At one point he even gave my brother some drumming lessons using a practice pad and two drumsticks. Gary was a Bulgarian immigrant who went into the retread/recapped tire business. He and his pals would hog a large booth, order nothing but coffee, and just sit there drinking free refills for hours and smoking. It drove my father nuts that my uncle wouldn't say anything to them, but he never did. One day Gary liked what he saw when he saw Uncle Donald's daughter, Bonnie Lou - so he married her. Funny, huh? You just never know how things will turn out.


Unfortunately I never saved a menu from the place, but I can still remember the food. To start there was a complete line up of pizzas from small to extra large, with ingredients like fresh sausage, mushrooms, pepperoni, green peppers, and meatballs. If you feel really hungry you could order The Big Dago - that would be a combination with everything on it.


The menu had barbeque sandwiches (pork, beef or ham), terrific spareribs, barbeque chicken, spaghetti, all served with the best cheese bread you ever ate! Great side orders - your choice of coleslaw or salad and your choice of baked beans or fries. For dessert save room for the homemade individual pies - coconut cream, chocolate cream, lemon, cherry, or apple.


My first job at the restaurant was delivering food. I was 16 and had my first car, a 1949 Chevy, I think. I'm not sure of the year. It was two-tone green, four-door, and had a stick shift. I loved that car. My dad paid about 50 bucks for it but to me it was worth a million. I'd drag the aluminum hot box out to the car and put in the back seat. Then I'd fill it with the orders and off I'd go. The inside of my car smelled like pizza, ribs, and garlic cheese bread. It was like the best perfume to me, if I close my eyes, I can still smell the smells. Wonderful!


Food delivery turned out to be a good first job for me since it taught me, among other things, how to properly handle money, i.e. making change. In those medieval days before computers, if you dealt with money it was necessary to know how to count the change back correctly to the customer from say a twenty or ten dollar bill. This is something that nobody does anymore anywhere, and I doubt that any store clerk under the age of sixty even knows how to do it today.


Eventually I worked at a variety of jobs in the restaurant including short order cooking, making pizzas, hosting and seating, and taking cash at the front register. I was young, the world was all new, and I had a ball. My first real kiss was from a girl I delivered a pizza to and my first real love affair was with another girl I delivered food to. That didn't go on too long but it sure was nice while it lasted. Remind me to tell you about it sometime - it's a story all by itself.


Yessir, interesting days. For me it was an order of coming of age with a medium pizza and a side of cheese bread.

Every weekday JewishWorldReview.com publishes what many in the media and Washington consider "must-reading". Sign up for the daily JWR update. It's free. Just click here.


JWR contributor Greg Crosby, former creative head for Walt Disney publications, has written thousands of comics, hundreds of children's books, dozens of essays, and a letter to his congressman. A freelance writer in Southern California, you may contact him by clicking here.

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© 2006, Greg Crosby

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