B"H
could afford to pay rent for a facility not in use in the middle of
downtown, in the heart of what's called Chinatown.
The demographic reality is that Caucasian America cities ma y
become Yankee enclaves, I object to the use of na mes associated
with degradation. This area of San Francisco was inhabited by
Asian American citizens, not less loyal than other citizens of the
USA. To comme morate the mo ment it was then that I renamed the
whole of it Safrascity! People nodded in dismay as I shouted out
my articulations. Finally, the restaurant opened I started into my
chores, sweeping the floor. Rule one of being a kashrus supervisor;
don't let e mployees know you have suspicions until they're
verified as correct. Rule two; make yourself useful, just not
subservient to the manage ment. The singular worker , obviously
the cook, waiter, and cleaning staff enjoyed my co mpanionship, I
even helped prepare salad from the cabbage, the while I checked
it for bugs.
By the time I finished shredding the cabbage I knew so m e funk y
stuff was going down, all the meat was ready to be put on the grill;
no advance preparation; no facilities in that tiny kitchen to do so,
ipso facto done without supervision somewhere else. Now I
understood who paid for the empty storefront and wha t had bee n
delivered. The stage was set; and when the spotlight shined upo n
Israeli restaurateur at center stage, I lowered the boo m . I let hi m
know he'd caught red -handed. His hysteria impressed me little ,
Israelis typically rely on scathing scandal to de feat those who
oppose anything about the m; conquer without co mpro mise,
consideration, or concern mentality. I, having beco me hardened to
the most experienced scandal-makers as per three decades I had
been living in Israel, was not inundated.
His ad monishment to leave his premises, threats to call the
police, and verbal degradation were ignored; I left only when
relieved by the boss who hired me to the job . My spirit soared as
here I was in a war waged against spiritual dereliction, my Puri m
came alive and now I had a script to get me through the space warp
and back ho me, I could identify with the I AM that had abandoned
me in the last night debacle. I placed one foot in the home life I
had fashioned from human kindnesses back in Israel while treading
delicately upon the stage of Purim in Safrascity. Here's the deal, I
would adhere to my plans to attend the afternoon Megillah reading
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