Feldman's Faves: March 6, 2023

GOOD MORNING EVERYONE

Last week was a busy one for many of you. Thank you as always for your hard and smart work. It is always such a comfort to see how good you all are at your jobs.

I am very happy that we are very close to spring (notwithstanding this weekend’s ‘thunder snow’, whatever the heck that is) and more importantly, to March Madness. The middle and end of March is always extremely unproductive for me but I will do my best to maintain my non-NCAA focus.

For those of you with children that will be on March Break next week, I hope you are able to do something fun with them or at least maintain your sanity.

No theme this week – just interesting stuff.

Victory City By: Salman Rushdie – I am a HUGE fan of Salman Rushdie and was horrified when he was brutally attacked last year, basically for his art and the expression of his beliefs. That’s why I was so excited for the release of his latest novel, Victory City (his first post-attack release, which he had actually completed prior). Any way that I can support him is something I am very proud to do. This sort of historical novel is epic in size and scope, covering the 247 year life of his protagonist, Pampa Kampana, who tells the story of the rise and fall of Victory City, the dynasty of the city and the characters that inhabited, while she stayed forever young during this period (she became queen a few times and was younger looking than her grandchildren). As one reviewer notes, “Rushdie returns to the realm of magic realism and to the India of his birth. Vijayanagar, or Victory City, was a real place, the seat of a powerful empire that occupied most of southern India. Rushdie borrows from history to depict siblings and their families who’d stop at little to gain power; as one of his interlocutors, a European explorer, spits, “I wrote in my journal that Deva Raya and his murderous brothers only cared about getting drunk and fucking. I should have added, and killing one another.” Rushdie places this history within a web of mythology: His Vijayanagar is the creation of a goddess-channeling girl named Pampa Kampana, most of whose 247-year-long life is devoted to creating the city, populating it, and then trying, usually to little avail, to keep the place from falling into chaos. Pampa has a mission: Witnessing her mother’s purdah, she is resolved to “laugh at death and turn her face toward life.” Alas, she learns, life is complicated and, as Rushdie winks, “deity’s bounty was always a two-edged sword.” Like Pampa Kampana, Rushdie has a fine old time of world building, creating a vast space in which glittering palaces and smoky temples stand in contrast with mangroves and wildernesses ruled by “tigers as big as a house.” Throughout, Pampa moves between royals, having “achieved the unusual feat of being queen...in two successive reigns, the consort of consecutive kings, who were also brothers,” while taking time to craft a verse epic recounting her creation—an epic that, as will happen, is lost for centuries. Rushdie reflects throughout on the nature of history and storytelling, with Pampa Kampana’s creations learning who they are only through the “imaginary narrative” that is whispered to them as they sleep and with Vijayanagar’s rulers, along with their subjects, the victims of historical amnesia who “exist now only in words. A grand entertainment, in a tale with many strands, by an ascended master of modern legends.”. The rise and fall of great powers is always an interesting story and one that has universal appeal. In Victory City, Rushdie takes us to a world that on one hand is surreal and the stuff of fantasy and on the other hand reflects many universal aspects of human nature including, the struggle for power, the desire for love and the need for many to create a legacy. While note all critics are in love with this book and say this is not Rushdie’s best work (which I suppose is true), I enjoyed the story and the world he creates. Here is a good review from the NYT - https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/01/books/review/salman-rushdie-victory-city.html

TED BUSINESS - The secret ingredients of great hospitality | Will Guidara – I LOVE the discussion that takes place in this PODCAST. Will Guidara ran Eleven Madison Park for years including when it was ranked the world’s NUMBER ONE restaurant. Guidara is a great living example of Dale’s “skim milk principle” in that if you are in the service business and you actually listen to what people want and give them a personal and thoughtful experience then you will build the most solid of relationships. In a gourmet restaurant Guidara overheard his customers at one table, who were tourists in New York, wishing they could just have a New York street/dirty water hot dog - so he made it happen (you need to listen to hear the details – quite a story and an amazing life lesson). It is so easy to do this yet, for some reason, most people don’t. Here is an excerpt from the PODCAST itself, “Restaurateur Will Guidara's life changed when he decided to serve a two-dollar hot dog in his Michelin-rated restaurant, creating a personalized experience for some out-of-town customers craving authentic New York City street food. The move earned such a positive reaction that Guidara began pursuing "unreasonable hospitality" full-time, seeking out ways to create extraordinary experiences and give people more than they expect. In this funny and heartwarming talk, he shares three steps to crafting truly memorable moments centered in human connection -- no matter what business you're in. After the talk, Modupe shares a collaboration-sparking activity to help you connect with the people you work with.”:https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/ted-business/id470622782?i=1000601515133

Thank you for your ongoing engagement and participation.

And remember to stay safe, stay healthy and to docket daily.

Jon