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OUR 1814TH ISSUE 11.30.23 “I think there is pressure on people to turn every negative into a positive, but we should be allowed to say, ‘I went through something really strange and awful and it has altered me forever.’” — Marian Keyes

JERRY D. SWIFT Advertising Director Emeritus KELLI DEWITT, CHIP GOOGE, PATRICK PACHECO Senior Account Executives CHET HASTINGS Warehouse and Delivery Manager JANICE GRISSOM ELLISON, KAREN MILAM, DON MYNATT, TAMMY NASH, RANDY ROTZ, LEWIS TAYLOR, WILLIAM WIDEMAN Distribution THE MEMPHIS FLYER is published weekly by Contemporary Media, Inc., P.O. Box 1738, Memphis, TN 38101 Phone: (901) 521-9000 Fax: (901) 521-0129 memphisflyer.com CONTEMPORARY MEDIA, INC. ANNA TRAVERSE FOGLE Chief Executive Officer LYNN SPARAGOWSKI Controller/Circulation Manager JEFFREY GOLDBERG Chief Revenue Officer MARGIE NEAL Chief Operating Officer KRISTIN PAWLOWSKI Digital Services Director MARIAH MCCABE Circulation and Accounting Assistant

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QUANTUM

CONTENTS

SHARA CLARK Editor SAMUEL X. CICCI Managing Editor JACKSON BAKER, BRUCE VANWYNGARDEN Senior Editors TOBY SELLS Associate Editor KAILYNN JOHNSON News Reporter CHRIS MCCOY Film and TV Editor ALEX GREENE Music Editor MICHAEL DONAHUE, JON W. SPARKS Staff Writers ABIGAIL MORICI Arts and Culture Editor GENE GARD, EMILY GUENTHER, COCO JUNE, FRANK MURTAUGH Contributing Columnists SHARON BROWN, AIMEE STIEGEMEYER Grizzlies Reporters ANDREA FENISE Fashion Editor KENNETH NEILL Founding Publisher

I went through something really strange and awful and it has altered me forever.

Truthfully, there have been a lot of “somethings” — small and large somethings, depending on how you look at them, from childhood to now. This past weekend, I was overwhelmed with emotion talking about one of those somethings — the loss, three and a half years ago, of a close friend of mine who’d overdosed on heroin.

During the last four or five years of Kristin’s time here on Earth, I’d watched her struggle, taken her into my home, drove her to meetings, tried setting her up in rehabilitation. Her battle became mine, and when it was lost, time and time again, I lost bits of myself — each misstep, every fall back, chipped away at me. When it ultimately ended, a part of my own spirit was left in that hospital room where she took her last breath. Time doesn’t heal grief, it merely puts distance between you and The Very Bad Thing. A song or a scent — or a shirt, apparently — can stir up all the anguish from things strange and awful. (For me, this time, memories of her came flooding in because I was wearing the blouse I wore the last time I saw her alive, sober, and well.) And while through the years, people have told me, “You did all you could,” it’s never been easy to find even the slightest positive in any of that.

It altered me. Despite it all, she is gone, and I’m still here. That will never not hurt.

I opened my phone this morning to a notification about World Compassion Day. Which reminded me that a week or so ago I received a similar calendar notice about World Kindness Day. Rather than recount here what Google tells me about the founding and purpose of those “holidays,” let’s take them at face value.

Both observed in November, the month in which we’re encouraged to be grateful PHOTO: SHARA CLARK and give thanks, the names Shara (left) and Kristin Burge, October 2016 suggest we remember to be compassionate and extend acts of kindness. Of course gratitude, compassion, and kindness should be part of our regular practice, not just something we do or feel on this or that day in a given month. There are even said to be health benefits to incorporating them. For example, The Mayo Clinic says, “Studies have shown that feeling thankful can improve sleep, mood, and immunity. Gratitude can decrease depression, anxiety, difficulties with chronic pain, and risk of disease.” While we can’t turn every negative into a positive — not by any stretch — I’d venture to say there’s something, even on the darkest days, we can find to be grateful for. And being compassionate and kind costs us nothing.

During this holiday season, a time of year that can exacerbate the negatives as we miss loved ones who have passed or are nostalgic for the more magical, carefree moments of our youth, remember that each of us has our own grief, traumas we carry — our “something really strange and awful” that’s affecting us or has left a lasting mark. A lost keepsake, a car wreck, a cancer diagnosis, a divorce, a miscarriage, a sick pet, family squabbles, job loss, a sleepless night, or a no good, very bad day can alter a person. At various times, to varyNEWS & OPINION ing degrees, we’re all experiencing the THE FLY-BY - 4 myriad emotions and stresses, anxieties POLITICS - 7 AT LARGE - 8 and hardships that come with existing FINANCE - 9 as sentient beings. You’re allowed to say COVER STORY — out loud — that you’ve been through “RAMEN ROUNDUP” something really awful and strange, or

BY SAMUEL X. CICCI & are going through it now. The scuffs and MICHAEL DONAHUE - 10 scrapes may scar, but you’re not alone.

WE RECOMMEND - 13 MUSIC - 14 Try looking at strangers in a new light.

AFTER DARK - 15 Right now, in so many ways, you are me CALENDAR - 16 and I am you, and we’re going through NY TIMES CROSSWORD - 16 something strange and awful. But we’re ASTROLOGY - 17 still here, together, and even when it NEWS OF THE WEIRD - 18 hurts, one way or another we’re going to FOOD - 19 FILM - 20 be all right. For that, I’m thankful.

Shara Clark CL ASSIFIEDS - 22 LAST WORD - 23 shara@memphisflyer.com

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THE

fly-by

MEMernet

S TAT E WAT C H

By Kailynn Johnson

Healthcare for More

THE BURBS

Study: Expanding TennCare would cover more people, cost less.

Memphis Redditor u/odddiv took and shared this amazing image of the Andromeda Galaxy, a suburb of our Milky Way, from Bartlett, a suburb of our Memphis.

“LEGIT SANTA” Redditors also remembered Dan Rokitka, who played Santa near Memphis for 37 years, according to his 2018 obituary.

His Santa was memorable because he wore an earpiece and was fed information from parents hidden in a nearby booth. “Dude knew everything about you, your relatives, how you had behaved that year … it was down right scary,” wrote u/Ten4RubberDucky, who called Rokitka a “treasure of a human.”

SQUIRREL CITY November 30-December 6, 2023

Edited by Toby Sells

Memphis on the internet.

POSTED TO REDDIT BY U/ODDDIV

A study from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) shows that Tennessee could see a decrease in state spending if Medicaid coverage is expanded.

According to the study, most non-expansion states “would increase state spending under expanding.” But Tennessee’s spending would decrease by 0.1 percent. That’s because the state has one of the highest parent eligibility thresholds among non-expansion states at 82 percent of FPL (federal poverty level).

The study also estimates PHOTO: CDC | UNSPLASH that more than 300,000 Expanding Medicaid coverage in Tennessee could lead to a decrease in state spending. people would enroll in Medicaid and CHIP (Children’s Health Insurance Program) and that the expansion could ($1.2 million per day) over and above the cost of expanding lead to a decrease in the rate of uninsured people by 27 percent. coverage,” says the organization.

“Some would be newly eligible enrollees while others would While the study does not include a state-by-state analysis, come from the healthcare marketplace and others would transiit says that expansion would also reduce uncompensated care tion from more expensive employer-sponsored insurance to in Tennessee. The study cites information from the Tennessee Medicaid,” says the study.

Hospital Association saying that state hospitals “provided $1.1 The philanthropic health organization conducted research on billion worth of uncompensated care in 2021 for the underinthe 10 states that have opted not to expand Medicaid programs. sured and uninsured.”

Among the 10 states are Tennessee, Mississippi, and Alabama.

This has also led to a number of rural hospital closures in According to the foundation, the states have not expanded their the state.“Tennessee has experienced 16 hospital closures, with eligibility under the Affordable Care Act. 13 of those being rural, since 2010 — the second highest rate in “Under the Affordable Care Act, states have the option to the United States. Of the 95 counties that make up the state, 82 expand Medicaid eligibility to non-elderly people with incomes percent are rural,” said the Tennessee Hospital Association. up to 138 percent of the federal poverty level,” reads the study.

Former Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam pushed for Medicaid expansion starting in 2013; however, the state Senate blocked Haslam’s proposals.

There are lawmakers, such as state Representative Caleb Hemmer (D-Nashville), who have openly advocated for Medicaid expansion.

“It’s passed [sic] time we did it in Tennessee,” said Hemmer on X. “A dirty little secret is Tennessee expanded Medicaid In 2012, the Supreme Court of the United States ruled that because of the COVID waivers recently and [TennCare, while Americans are required to have affordable health insurTennessee’s Medicaid program] did a great job managing the ance coverage, the decision to expand coverage lies within the same populations that we would through traditional Medicstate. Tennessee opted not to expand. aid expansion. Now, the working poor who would benefit are According to the Tennessee Justice Center, which advocates starting to get dis-enrolled.” for improved healthcare and economic policies for families, there Hemmer’s tweet references the Medicaid continuous coverare “$1.4 billion of federal tax dollars per year in Washington” age rule, which ended in March of 2023. Under this rule, states allocated for the state to use. could disenroll people from Medicaid. The state had previously “Thanks to the American Rescue Plan’s incentive, our state been prohibited from doing so due to a nationwide pause on this could also receive an additional $900 million over two years policy as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Federal funds allotted for Tennessee could cover an estimated 300,000 more people.

POSTED TO FACEBOOK BY GREG AKERS

Flyer alums Chris Davis and Greg Akers got rabbit-holed in AIgenerated image-making last week and shared their results on Facebook. For the image above, Akers prompted a program to create the “city of Memphis run by squirrels.”

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{

Questions, Answers + Attitude

Small Town Grift {

REGIONAL REPORT

By Flyer Staff

Officials busted for stealing from an animal shelter, jail inmates.

administrator of that county’s jail.

Investigators found that Ceaser stole at least $35,158 of inmate commissary funds and cash deposits from January 2018 through July 2023. Lake County jail inmates use their commissary funds to purchase items such as snacks and toiletries. Ceaser was responsible for overseeing the inmate commissary accounts, which includes making cash deposits.

The investigation began after Lake County officials discovered the sheriff ’s department commissary account was out of balance and inmates could not pay for commissary products.

The investigation revealed that Ceaser failed to deposit cash that was collected from two kiosk machines located at the sheriff ’s department. The kiosks are used to collect money for placement in an inmate’s commissary account. If an inmate has any cash or coins on their person when they are booked, the funds are also placed in their commissary account, using the kiosk.

Investigators compared the cash col-

PHOTO: TENNESSEE STATE COMTPROLLER’S OFFICE

Two West Tennessee officials stole thousands of dollars. lections in the kiosks to the department’s cash deposits and discovered that Ceaser failed to deposit $35,158.88 of inmate funds into the inmates’ commissary bank accounts. Ceaser concealed her misappropriation by falsifying general ledger journal entries and deposit slips.

For this, Ceasar was indicted by a grand jury for one count of theft of property over $10,000; one count of destruction of and tampering with governmental records; and one count of official misconduct.

“Sheriff ’s department officials must provide adequate oversight and implement effective internal controls over cash collected in the kiosks,” Mumpower said.

“One person should not be responsible for collecting the cash, counting it, depositing it, and posting the journal entries.”

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received. Investigators verified that these collections were neither put back on the books nor deposited.

Sikes also failed to deposit at least $3,658 in fees collected at the shelter.

During the time span of the investigation, shelter collections totaled $24,618.

But Sikes only deposited $20,960 in collections.

Investigators found that Sikes was the only shelter employee authorized to void receipts, access collections from the safe, prepare shelter collections for deposit, and deliver deposits to the trustee.

Earlier this month, the Hardin County Grand Jury indicted Sikes for one count of theft of property over $10,000; one count of forgery over $10,000; one count of computer crimes over $2,500; one count of destruction of and tampering with governmental records; and one count of official misconduct.

“Hardin County officials should ensure that one person is not given exclusive control over key financial processes,” Mumpower said in a statement.

Earlier this month, the Lake County Grand Jury indicted Neina Ceaser, the

NEWS & OPINION

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wo West Tennessee officials were recently indicted after a state agency found they stole thousands of dollars from an animal shelter in one instance and from jail inmates in another.

The Tennessee State Comptroller, Jason Mumpower, recently announced indictments in the cases after investigators from his office discovered the fraudulent schemes.

In one, Christopher Sikes, the former director of Hardin County Animal Services, was found to have stolen $12,117.

The funds were stolen from shelter collections while Sikes led the organization from January 2019 until he was fired in January 2023.

Sikes used two different methods to carry out the misappropriations of the funds.

For one, he improperly voided receipts totaling $8,459 in the shelter’s accounting software. Voided receipts could occur when a refund is issued. However, shelter services are nonrefundable, and numerous customers who had their receipts voided confirmed that no refunds were ever

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POLITICS By Jackson Baker

Gag Orders, Then & Now To what lengths can a public figure go to defend himself?

Harold Ford Sr. represented Memphis in the U.S. House of Representatives for 11 terms — from 1975 until his retirement in 1997. squire of Mar-a-Lago, faced legal charges — though nothing like Trump’s 91 felony counts. This was in 1987, in the wake of the catastrophic collapse of United American, a Knoxville megabank owned by Jake Butcher, a onetime Democratic gubernatorial candidate, and his brother C.H. In the fallout of that disaster, the two Butchers were indicted for bank fraud — specifically, for illegally switching cash reserves from branch to branch, a step ahead of bank examiners. The zealous feds of that era’s GOP-dominated

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Justice Department went looking for more game and settled on several associates of the Butchers, one of whom was Congressman Ford, a borrower and political ally, whom they hung a wirefraud charge on, as well.

To get ahead of ourselves for a moment, none of the indicted Butcher friends would end up being convicted, though the banking brothers themselves did time. Guilt by association, thundered Ford, whose bank loans were deemed “pretend” affairs by the feds, and he was no mean thunderer when aroused. Therein lies the analogy to Trump, who at the moment is saddled with a gag order in connection with a New York civil trial involving alleged financial abuses in connection with his business empire.

In this case, as well as in regard to his other pending trials, Trump has vilified his courtroom adversaries — including the judge himself in the current trial — in every known vernacular way, attacking their motives, their politics, their morals, and their mental health, and imputing to them an enormous variety of personal perversities.

Hence the gag order, which Trump’s lawyers are currently appealing.

In his case, Ford was considerably more restrained, though he left no doubt he considered his predicament to have been inspired by considerations of both race and partisan politics. He, too, got a gag order which he, too — backed by House Speaker Jim Wright (D-Texas) and Majority Leader Thomas S. Foley (D-WA) — appealed.

A three-judge panel of the U.S. 6th Circuit Court of Appeals saw things Ford’s way and struck down the gag order, finding “The defendant, a Democrat, a black congressman who represents a largely black constituency in Memphis, is entitled to attack the alleged political motives of the Republican administration which he claims is persecuting him because of his political views and his race. One may strongly disagree with the political view he expresses but have no doubt that he has the right to express his outrage.”

Besides his MAGA-fans, Trump, too, has legal defenders here and there who argue for his right to express his misgivings, however untidily.

NEWS & OPINION

So what do Donald J. Trump and Harold Ford Sr. have in common?

Not political philosophy, that’s for sure. The longtime Memphis congressman and political broker, currently proprietor of the elegant Serenity funeral home, was a true-blue Democrat; the once and wannabe future president has apparently never had any discernible beliefs other than Trumpism, per se.

Yet, when pundits on one of Sunday’s TV talk shows went looking for an analogy to Trump’s current political predicament, Ford’s name surfaced.

Once upon a time, the Memphis eminence, like the quadruply indicted

NOW OPEN

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A T L A R G E B y B r u c e Va n W y n g a r d e n

Getting Schooled The Tennessee GOP is dumbing down our children, and making us pay for it.

“We won with young. We won with old. We won with highly educated. We won with poorly educated. I love the poorly educated.”

— Donald Trump

November 30-December 6, 2023

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ou know who else loves the poorly educated? Tennessee Governor Bill Lee and the GOP-led Tennessee Legislature. In fact, they love the poorly educated so much that they’re determined to make a lot more of them. Let us count the ways. It’s a multi-pronged approach.

Earlier in November, the GOP formed the very seriously named “Joint Working Group on Federal Education Funding” to consider whether Tennessee should become the first state in the nation to turn down federal education funds, which amount to more than $1 billion per year.

On its face, such a move seems really stupid, since we Tennessee taxpayers contribute to that $1 billion with our federal tax dollars. And since much of that rejected funding would have to be replaced by state money, we taxpayers would take a double hit if it were rejected.

But don’t forget, this is the same bunch of loons that votes to reject billions of dollars in federal healthcare funding every year because it has “strings attached,” even as the state’s rural hospitals are folding in county after county due to lack of funds.

Brainiacs, they are not.

Similarly, many Tennessee Republicans think the state shouldn’t accept federal education money because, well, “strings” — the strings in this case being requirements that some of that funding must be used for low-income students, students with disabilities, Title IX (which prohibits discrimination on the basis of gender), and school lunch and breakfast programs.

You know, the communist stuff.

At any rate, when the very serious task force wrapped up its meetings last week, Republicans had not yet made a determination one way or the other about accepting the education funding, but pledged that more hearings are possible in 2024, and that they planned to invite the U.S. Department of Education to testify before the legislature.

But it gets worse. Much worse. Get ready to say hello to Governor Lee’s new statewide voucher program. He’s scheduled to announce it this week. Here’s how it works: For every school-age child in your household, you get a $7,000 voucher which can be applied to pay tuition at any school in the state — religious, secular, charter, you name it. For a wealthy Tennessee family with, say, three kids at hightuition private schools, this amounts to a

$21,000 gift from the state to go toward sending Aiden, Heather, and Maverick to Hutchison and MUS. Or, should you choose to do so, you can spend that $7,000 per child voucher to send your kids to Billy Bob’s Jeebus Academy, where science classes are based on the Old Testament. The state doesn’t care. The GOP is doing anything it can get away with to help destroy our public schools. If it also happens to help out the state’s wealthier citizens and its evangelicals, well, so be it.

It’s wrong. It’s even unconstitutional.

Article XI, Section 12 of the Tennessee Constitution declares that the state recognizes the inherent value of education and mandates that the General Assembly provide for the maintenance, support, and eligibility standards of a system of free public schools.

PHOTO: SANDRA CUNNINGHAM | DREAMSTIME.COM

Government funding of religious schools strikes at the very heart of the U.S. Constitution’s Establishment Clause, which keeps the government from establishing an official religion or supporting a specific religion: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion.” Which means if my neighbor wants to send his kid to a Muslim school — or a Catholic school or a Baptist school — I shouldn’t have to pay for that with my tax dollars.

It’s really simple: Public funds should go to public schools and private schools should be funded privately — by those who attend them. Governor Lee and the Tennessee GOP are determined to underfund our public schools, dumb down the children who attend them, and give our tax dollars to parents to help pay for their kids’ tuition at religious and private schools.

It’s bad policy and it’s bad math. It doesn’t add up.

FINANCE By Gene Gard

Trust the Process Don’t let FOMO dictate your investments.

1. For any set of stocks or funds, just one will perform the best over any given period, and sometimes even the best one will go down.

2. Despite statement number 1, investors should stay invested and diversified through good markets and bad, even though much or all of their portfolio will miss that one best thing. They should not chase extreme performance no matter how tempting it may be.

3. Looking backward, investors shouldn’t regret number 2, even if they had a good guess about what would do best or if they see questionable choices of irresponsible investors rewarded with huge windfall profits.

While it’s difficult not to wish for a windfall, here are a few ideas that might help you avoid short-term regret once you’ve made the correct longterm choices: • Understand that the market outcome

• To jump in and out of speculative bets successfully, you have to nail the timing perfectly, twice. You have to get in near the bottom and get back out at or near the top. Getting either decision right is hard. Getting both right is almost impossible. No matter what they say, your friends or people you read on the internet are not consistently successful at this in the long-term.

• The kinds of investments that are likely to double or triple in a short time are also usually the kind that can go to zero very quickly. Believe it or not, if you can just average 20 percent returns a year, in the long run you will be one of the best investors in the world.

There’s no reason to swing for the fences all the time.

• Your investments are irreplaceable once you reach a certain career stage and age. A 20-year-old could lose their life savings on a speculative stock and make the money back in a matter of months. A 60-year-old looking at retirement would dramatically impair their lifestyle if they lost a big chunk of their nest egg. There’s just not enough time to accumulate money and get it working in the market to ever recover past a certain point.

Most new investors think the outcome is all that matters and compare their results to the hottest stocks and benchmarks to inevitable disappointment. A process-oriented investor can be confident they made good choices before even seeing the results. A process-oriented investing mindset can help you with the most important thing — staying in the race.

Gene Gard, CFA, CFP, CFT-I, is a Private Wealth Manager and Partner with Creative Planning. Creative Planning is one of the nation’s largest registered investment advisory firms providing comprehensive wealth management services to ensure all elements of a client’s financial life are working together, including investments, taxes, estate planning, and risk management. For more information or to request a free, no-obligation consultation, visit CreativePlanning.com.

m e m p h i s f l y e r. c o m

One of the most frustrating things about investing can be FOMO — fear of missing out. Most new investors pick their positions by looking at the highest returns in previous periods and buying whatever did the best.

Then they engage in an unfortunate game of leapfrog, getting drawn in by the next hot investment after it’s already gone up.

This outcome-oriented thinking not only produces poor returns; it’s also extremely discouraging. It’s the reason that after a setback, investors often start thinking about the markets as an unreliable casino and hang onto their cash, to their long-term detriment. In a way, capital markets are a casino — but the rare one that is in your favor in the long run.

Nobody can guess what will happen this month or year, but if history is any guide, it’s hard to be worse off in the markets as the years turn into decades and the growing earning power of thriving companies begins to manifest in your account.

It’s all about your mindset. Here are three simple statements that processoriented — and successful — longterm investors tend to believe:

for a given period is just one of countless ways things could have turned out.

A more conservative allocation might annoy you when everything is going up, but when things go wrong it can be a lifesaver. You never know, in advance, what will go wrong in the economy (Covid-19 anyone?).

NEWS & OPINION

*We’re reprinting this column from June 2021 because FOMO is still a thing and because you can still get around it with some thoughtful planning.

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Our food writers dive into four restaurants’ takes on the classic Japanese dish.

Ramen Roundup COVER STORY

By Samuel X. Cicci and Michael Donahue

November 30-December 6, 2023

T

he Memphis cold snap is threatening to roll through any day — or week? — now, and that means hungry Memphis minds will soon turn to hot bowls of soup to get through the long winter ahead. Rather than stick to the classic chicken noodle or tomato soups, we decided to pursue those of a more Japanese tilt. There’s been a bit of a ramen boom in Memphis in recent years, and we set out to try some of the different options.

Alas, our stomachs are not bottomless, so we didn’t make it to every spot in town.

But our adventures took us to several new and classic spots alike, all staking a claim to having the best bowl of noodles.

Good Fortune Co. Got noods? Good Fortune Co. certainly does, and the Downtown Memphis restaurant has been drawing in oodles of diners since it opened in 2021. Cofounded by Sarah Cai and Arturo Leighton, Good Fortune Co. has become more than just an eatery. With its neon “Send Noods” sign hanging near the front, an enormous pastel-bright Ghibli-inspired 10 mural stretching across a full wall, and the always photographable fish-shaped

taiyaki desserts, it’s a Downtown destination at 361 South Main Street. Want to have a great time? Start your night at Good Fortune Co. Leighton and Cai have the food to match those pulsating vibes. What sets Good Fortune apart from other ramen joints is a fervent commitment to make everything by hand. That’s right: Every noodle and dumpling that comes out of the kitchen was made from scratch, and such an approach isn’t for the faint of heart. That means extra hours of prep work every day to make sure there’s enough for the dinner rush. The whole venture is a labor of love, as the two have often said.

My personal favorite at Good Fortune Co. is the coco curry ramen, a delicious, heady dish that incorporates more than 20 different ingredients. In my second life as food editor for Memphis Magazine, the coco curry made it onto my top new dishes list for this year, and got the gears rolling on pursuing a ramen feature here at the Flyer. An OG menu item, the coco curry is perhaps the neatest encapsulation of Good Fortune’s ethos as a restaurant. “[Curry ramen] is not something

PHOTO: SAMUEL X. CICCI

Spicy Korean ramen at The Crazy Noodle

we’ve seen that people are making from scratch here in the city,” Leighton told me over the phone after one of my many visits to Good Fortune in 2023. “We knew if we were going to put one on the menu, we knew it would follow the ethos of what we do, which is ‘scratch-made’ food.

So we make our curry paste from scratch using galangal, ginger, lime, plenty of things like that to give it a unique, Southeast Asian flavor profile.”

The coco curry is served with tofu in lieu of pork, chicken, or other meats.

That almost came about as a happy accident during the R&D phase when Leighton and Cai were coming up with a menu. “We’d finished the recipe and found that we had a fully vegan dish, and

we thought it was good enough already,” said Leighton. “All the ingredients that go into the curry are totally vegan, there’s no pork fat, no animal fats, it’s just coconut and some amazing aromatics.

We thought adding a meat component to it would distract from all of the great flavors we’d put in there.”

And stay tuned: There may be some changes to Good Fortune’s menu next time you walk through the doors. One new item to look out for is the birria dumplings, an Asian-Latin fusion dish.

Stop on by to see what other surprises have been cooked up, and enjoy a piping hot bowl of noodles while you’re at it. And don’t forget to order the wings, either. — Samuel X. Cicci

PHOTO: JUSTIN FOX BURKS

Coco curry ramen at Good Fortune Co.

PHOTO (ABOVE RIGHT): SAMUEL X. CICCI

Shoyu ramen with pork at Alchemy Memphis / Salt|Soy PHOTO (LEFT): MICHAEL DONAHUE

Spicy chicken ramen at Collierville’s Kami Ramen Bar

bones. Different regions of the China area have different kinds of ramen.”

Chen got the idea to open an authentic Japanese ramen restaurant when he moved to Memphis five years ago. “Back in the day when I was in Houston, I liked trying different ramen places. Some of the ramen is really good. When I first moved to Memphis, I was trying to find a good ramen spot.”

But he couldn’t find exactly what he was looking for. “So, I decided to open my own ramen spot.”

Chen says he wanted to bring “the real, authentic — and I think it’s great — ramen to the Memphis people. So, I got excited and then I started doing my homework. I was a cook for almost 10

years back in China, so I know how to do Japanese ramen with the help from Japanese friends who own ramen shops in Japan. They taught me the recipe and how to do it.”

Chen opened his first location, Kami Ramen Bar — East Memphis at 5865 Poplar Avenue, Suite 110 — in the middle of the pandemic. Business wasn’t great. That changed about a year later because of word of mouth, he says.

“Everyone was coming to try it. A lot of people liked it. We took off.”

On a recent chilly afternoon, I opted for the spicy chicken ramen over the “Slurp Up Cilantro” chicken ramen dish at the Kami Ramen Bar in Collierville.

I eat cilantro, but it isn’t on my top 10

list of favorite herbs. According to the menu, the spicy chicken dish is made with chicken stock as well as chicken chashu, spicy bean sprouts, marinated egg, and green onion.

I ordered mine mild instead of the spicy or hot options. The noodles were tasty and the broth was so delicious.

And soothing. The perfect dish — along with a pot of hot green tea with lemons — for a cold day.

Some customers prefer the chicken ramen dishes. “The broth is more smooth compared to pork broth. It [pork broth] is creamy. But the chicken broth is smooth and clear.”

But whether they’re ordering the chicken, pork, vegetable, or seafood ramen, Chen says, “Above all, it’s the freshness.”

Chen personally likes the texture of the noodles, which are cooked al dente.

The noodles are firm. So, they can be chewed while eating the broth.

— Michael Donahue continued on page 12

COVER STORY m e m p h i s f l y e r. c o m

Kami Ramen Bar Regan Chen believes ramen is so good, he and his business partner opened four locations of Kami Ramen Bar in the Memphis area and two in Houston, Texas.

That’s been since the middle of the pandemic.

“First of all, I’ve been a huge Japanese ramen fan from back in the day when I was living in China,” says Chen.

Ramen originated in China, says Chen, but the formula went through several stylistic changes when the idea was taken to Japan. “When the Japanese took Chinese ramen back to Japan, they developed their own Japanese-style ramen in some ways.”

Instead of the way some dishes are “Americanized” when they arrived in the United States, Japan took Chinese ramen and “Japanized” it, Chen says.

Tonkotsu ramen broth is primarily made with pork neck bone, Chen says.

“They simmer the bones with all kinds of vegetables over 10 or 12 hours to get the condensed, really creamy broth.

That’s the key to tonkotsu.”

Chinese ramen broth is “made with all kinds of bones, like chicken bones, pork bones, beef bones. All kinds of

11

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continued from page 11 Alchemy Memphis / Salt|Soy There’s a new arrival to Memphis’ ramen scene in Cooper-Young.

Nick Scott now features shoyu ramen on his menu at Alchemy Memphis. According to the menu, the dish is made with a “rich pork broth, wood ear mushroom, marinated egg, green onion, chili crisps, nori, and katsuobushi.” Diners can add tofu, pork belly, and beef hanger steak.

Scott, Alchemy Memphis’ owner, and ramen go way back to when he was a teenager “living on a budget.” “When I didn’t have any money we were buying Top Ramen and really dressing it up.

“This sounds crazy — my daughter is into this — but if you make straight Top Ramen, cook some bacon in it, and throw a piece of sliced American cheese on top of it, it’s fantastic. The cheese kind of melts into the ramen and everything.

That’s truly a broke person food.”

Scott began cooking Asian-style cuisine at Wally Joe, which was owned by chef Wally Joe, now owner of Acre Restaurant. “It wasn’t exactly Asian food, but there was always an Asian influence there. He took French and Southern and threw some Asian in there and kind of melded it together.”

Scott went on to do more Asian cooking at the old Bluefin and the old Dough restaurants.

He began cooking shoyu ramen at the old Salt|Soy pop-ups at Alchemy during the pandemic. “It worked well as a to-go food.”

Scott then added it to the menu when he moved Salt|Soy into a brick-and-mortar location on Broad Avenue.

When the Salt|Soy lease on Broad was about to come to an end, Scott decided to combine Alchemy Memphis and Salt|Soy into one restaurant. The Salt|Soy part of the restaurant is the food — “the South meets Japan kind of thing. And Alchemy is the cocktails. We’ve added an Asian influence to some of those cocktails to kind of complement the food.”

Scott’s version of shoyu ramen was a bit different from the one created by Alchemy Memphis chefs John Green and John Taylor.

The version made by Green and Taylor is “very similar” to the one at Salt|Soy, Scott says. They’re both “based on a traditional shoyu ramen. You kind of build it to make it your own. Add proteins and tofu.”

Originally, Scott’s shoyu ramen was “more churched up. Where you take pork belly, roast it, roll it up, slice it, and add the slices.”

Now, he says, “We do a pork belly skewer yakitori style.”

That adds the smokiness to it, he says.

“We grill it on the konro grill, which is the traditional grill” in Japan.

Ramen is “a fairly easy dish to pull off.

The trick is getting the broth right. You want those noodles to be chewy. There’s a

trick to that. Get it out and eat it quickly.”

The ramen in Japan is “unlike the ramen that everybody is accustomed to in America. The noodles aren’t dried. They’re fresh. They get blanched very quickly, rinsed, and then poured into the broth.”

Whether fresh or dried, Scott says, “You don’t want to overcook those noodles. You want them to have an authentic kind of ‘to the tooth’ chew to them.” — MD The Crazy Noodle It seems like The Crazy Noodle has always been there for me. When we needed a quick dinner option that everyone was happy with, we picked The Crazy Noodle. When a snowstorm during college forced most businesses to close their doors, I defrosted my FJ Cruiser, cranked up the four-wheel drive, and braved the icy streets until The Crazy Noodle’s lights shone through the darkness, beckoning us towards bowls of Korean ramen that kicked the spice up a notch and fogged up our glasses.

There’s always a bit of a wait at The Crazy Noodle at 2015 Madison Avenue, but anyone who’s been knows that it’s always worth it. I almost always order the jjamppong (a super spicy seafood soup that catapults the tastebuds straight into the fires of hell, in a fun way), but for the sake of journalism, this time I plumped for the spicy Korean ramen. Korean ramen, I’ve been told, generally uses simpler ingredients than its Japanese counterpart, and the spicy Korean ramen made for an excellent evening of comfort food, just like so many of the other delectable options. The smooth, peppery broth with onions, carrots, zucchini, cabbage, and green onions, mixed in with a little egg, is easy to inhale even as the spices tickle the back of your throat with a light, pleasurable burn.

For a unique dish, try the cheese ramen, boasting a broth made with a mix of shredded mozzarella and mild cheddar, and topped with a fried cheese mandu (dumpling). It was like a grilled cheese in a bowl: simple, delicious, and soulwarming all at the time, with a thicker consistency that reminded me almost of egg drop soup. I tend to stick with spicier options, but when the snow finally rolls in, I may have to make a return trip for more cheese. — SXC The aforementioned restaurants are but four establishments that serve up a delicious bowl of ramen, but there are plenty of others that deserve a visit, such as Overton Square’s Robata, the two Flame Ramen franchises in Midtown and Downtown, or Subarashi on Highland. Once you’ve tried ’em all, local markets like Viet Hoa have all the requisite ingredients in case you want to try making your own bowl. Whatever the case, don’t be afraid to slurp!

steppin’ out

We Recommend: Culture, News + Reviews

By Abigail Morici

“MOTTENAI: REGRET OVER MEDICAL WASTE” OPENING RECEPTION, MEDICINE FACTORY, 85 VIRGINIA AVE. WEST, SATURDAY, DECEMBER 2, 5-7 P.M.

VARIOUS DAYS & TIMES November 30th - December 6th Deck the Diamond Holiday Spectacular AutoZone Park, 200 Union Ave., select nights through December 31, $33.88 Celebrate the holiday season with the first-ever Deck the Diamond Holiday Spectacular on-field at AutoZone Park. Adventure through over 190 lighting structures of presents, trains, animals, planes, and more. Guests can enjoy festive food and drinks, holiday activities, musical entertainment, appearances by Santa and Mrs. Claus, an ice-skating rink, and more.

“Welcome In” Sheet Cake, 405 Monroe Ave., Friday, December 1, 6-8 p.m.

Join Sheet Cake for its grand opening and first exhibition. “Welcome In” features 14 artists based in and connected to the South, all of whom are participating in shows with the gallery over the next year.

WYXR’s Raised by Sound Fest presented by Mempho Crosstown Concourse, 1350 Concourse Avenue, Saturday, December 2, 1 p.m.

WYXR’s biggest annual event is back. This daylong music celebration kicks off with a festival of free music from regional artists, including MadameFraankie, A.J. Haynes, Rod Smoth, Blue Tom Revue, Rosey, and Bass Drum of Death.

The evening will end with a ticketed fundraising concert event in Crosstown Theater, featuring Cat Power Sings Dylan: The 1966 Royal Albert Hall Concert.

Following the intimate concert, DJ Alix Brown will spin select hits for an exclusive VIP after-party.

For ticket information, visit RaisedBySoundFest.com.

Stumbling Santa Pub Crawl Flying Saucer Draught Emporium, 130 Peabody Place, Saturday, December 2, 7 p.m.

Stumbling Santa is coming to town for its 19th year to pub crawl through the night while collecting thousands of toys for local children.

This year’s festivities will kick off at the Flying Saucer. Dress like Santa or your favorite Christmas character.

As usual the pub crawl will be collecting toys for underprivileged children in conjunction with Porter-Leath, and their greatest need is gifts for children 5 years old and younger (higher emphasis on toys for kids less than 3 years old).

There is no cost to participate, but attendees are asked to bring a new, unwrapped toy or toys for the kids, or a cash donation.

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Microplastics, fragments of plastic, have made their way into our waters, soils, foods, air, clouds, and even our human bodies. “We actually are consuming the equivalent of a credit card of plastic a week because of plastic packaging,” says Dr. Malini Gupta, endocrinologist and founder of G2Endo in Memphis. “Microplastics have been found in autopsies.”

As Gupta will tell you, that is as concerning as it sounds. “It does have effects on the endocrine system, especially in the thyroid and fertility,” she says, “and we now know that it has effects on the heart and on the eyes.”

The issue has been covered in the medical journals Gupta’s been mailed and the conferences she attends, and the research is ongoing. Yet the knowledge gained in these endeavors often does not PHOTO: MALINI GUPTA reach those beyond the medical profession. “But it’s everybody else that we really need to make sure Painting by that we’re getting that word out to,” Gupta says. “Everybody, I think, has a role. It’s not going to be just Malini Gupta one person. … We’ve got a lot of waste that we need to really focus on.”

For her part, Gupta hopes to bring awareness about the impact of microplastics to the Memphis public through her art. This weekend, she will open her Medicine Factory show, “Mottenai: Regret Over Medical Waste,” in which her mixed-media Japanese-inspired paintings will make use of non-hazardous medical waste, like medical journal pages, vial top lids, disposable contact lens cases — “anything that hasn’t touched human body fluids,” the endocrinologist says. Most of the non-recyclable materials have been donated by hospitals, other doctors, and her patients.

“In medicine, we tend to use a lot of disposable items,” Gupta says. “And a lot of that has plastic in it. For example, self-injecting insulin pens or Ozempic pens, those just end up in the landfill. And as an endocrinologist, we’re prescribing a lot of them. And as I had patients start to bring them back, I realized that we need to have better recycling of these plastics because the plastics break down into microplastics, which are endocrine-disrupting chemicals.”

While Gupta’s exhibit highlights medical waste, she hopes to increase how much viewers will think about the plastic waste in their everyday lives, not just medical waste, as established by her endorsement of the Japanese concept of “mottenai,” which urges people to reduce, reuse, and recycle. “That’s why the paintings have a Japanese theme,” she says.

Another reason for the Japanese influence, Gupta says, is that “a lot of Japanese scientists have contributed greatly to endocrinology,” her love for which helps cultivate her artistic passions. “I love what I do in endocrinology,” she says. “And one of the reasons I do art is to increase awareness of endocrine issues. … People learn in different ways, and we have so much education to do in the sciences.”

Gupta’s show at the Medicine Factory will be on display December 2nd through 16th. Follow Gupta on Instagram (@g2endo), where you will also find her anatomical diagrams made of food.

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Micro

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MUSIC By Alex Greene

Home of the Blues For one family, the holidays are a chance to honor their role in Memphis music history.

IA N S ! NA L MU SIC ?

M U SURIC BA ND WR ITE OR IGI

November 30-December 6, 2023

DO ES YO

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M

emphis has long been Vinyl City, USA, and one reason has been its world-class record stores. That legacy wasn’t born with modern shops like Shangri-La or Goner, or Pop Tunes before them, but in the 1940s with the Home of the Blues record store on Beale Street. It was the ultimate clearinghouse for wax platters back in the day, especially in the underground community of blues, R&B, and soul aficionados.

Elvis Presley famously shopped there, and another fan was Johnny Cash, who wrote in his autobiography Cash, “I loved going to Home of the Blues, the record store. That’s where I bought Blues in the Mississippi Night, the great anthology of Delta blues singers recorded by Alan Lomax, which is still one of my favorite albums (I borrowed a good song title there, too).”

Only a little later, the store was a mecca of sorts to John King, the legendary promo man for Ardent Studios and Ardent Records, and the collector whose vinyl library forms the basis of the Memphis Listening Lab. Upon King’s death last year, his friend Sherman Willmott recalled that “he grew up with rock-androll, chasing the records … taking the bus Downtown to Home of the Blues record shop on Beale.”

After the shop closed in 1975, it seemed relegated to the dustbin of history, its name living on mainly through the series of 45s released between 1960-62 on the Home of the Blues record label. But lately, one of the original owners’ family is working to preserve that legacy more proactively.

Now living in Northern California, Bruce Frager grew up in Memphis spending a lot of time with his greatuncle Ruben Cherry and his great-aunt Celia Camp Hodge, pivotal figures in the history of Home of the Blues. While Cherry was the ostensible owner, it was Hodge who founded the Southern Amusement distribution company that financed it. “She was sort of a wheelerdealer,” Frager says of his great aunt today.

As part of the tightly knit extended family, Frager knew the Home of the Blues record shop well. “Of course,

PHOTO (ABOVE): E.H. JAFFE | COURTESY BRUCE FRAGER

Pat Boone with Home of the Blues owner Ruben Cherry

we’re Jewish, so we had all the holidays together — bar mitzvahs, birthdays, all that stuff,” he says. “And we used to take a bus to go Downtown to the record store on weekends. We used to get tickets to go to shows. I saw the Beatles at the Coliseum, and I don’t know how many times I saw James Brown. I have a collection of James Brown cuff links that he would give me when we went backstage.”

When the retail shop grew to host a record label, it made its name signing many significant Black artists of the day, including Roy Brown, Willie Mitchell and His Orchestra, and the 5 Royales. In a 2017 interview with the Memphis Flyer, singer/songwriter Don Bryant fondly recalled his association with the latter group, who recorded one of his earliest compositions for the label. “The 5 Royales recorded my song at a studio down on North Main, Home of the Blues. I wasn’t even allowed to

go in the studio, I had to sit out in the lobby. That was one of the biggest deals I could have had in those days because they were one of the most famous groups. My group, the Four Kings, was always trying to imitate them, dancewise and song-wise.”

Today, Frager says his father Jerry, at 92, is “the only remaining generational family member from the Cherry/ Camp/Hodge legacy of the Home of the Blues record store and music label,” and Frager the younger is motivated to preserve the family’s musical legacy partly out of filial love. And so, while home next week for Hanukkah and his late mother’s yahrzeit (a yearly remembrance of someone’s passing), he’s inviting a select cross-section of Memphis music influencers to a gathering with his father on December 10th, hoping to both share and learn more of the history of the Home of the Blues. To that end, he’s also created a Facebook group, Home of the Blues Memphis, where others can share their memories and memorabilia. “This open house in a couple of weeks is sort of me tying it together,” says Frager.

“I’m excited to be in touch with people who are connected with [Home of the Blues], who can help me visualize how to take this to the next level.”

AFTER DARK: Live Music Schedule Nov. 30 - Dec. 6

Bubbles

Andy Tanas

Saturday, Dec. 2, 9 p.m.

WESTY’S

Magic of Memphis

arou n d

Featuring the Memphis Symphony Orchestra and Chorus and Dancing Santas.

Saturday, Dec. 2, 6:30 p.m.

t h e wo rl d

CANNON CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS

Soul Babies: Featuring Kabaah

ITALY | SPAIN | FRANCE PORTUGAL | UNITED STATES

$15. Friday, Dec. 1, 7-9 p.m.

SOUTH MAIN SOUNDS PHOTO: MARIO SORRENTI

Cat Power

NEIL’S MUSIC ROOM

Elmo & the Shades, Eddie Harrison

Wednesday, Dec. 6, 7-11 p.m.

NEIL’S MUSIC ROOM

Scheidt’acular Holiday Concert

A truly enchanting symphonic and choral concert. Friday, Dec. 1, 7:30-9 p.m.

SCHEIDT FAMILY PERFORMING ARTS CENTER

University Symphonic Band: “Aurora Awakes” A concert that celebrates the splendor of the natural world.

Tuesday, Dec. 5, 7:30-9 p.m.

SCHEIDT FAMILY PERFORMING ARTS CENTER

Thursday, Nov. 30, 6:30 p.m.

BLACK LODGE

Full Body 2

With Null, Tagabow, Stainedoo, and Jadewick. $15.

Friday, Dec. 1, 7 p.m.

Almost Elton John & the Rocketmen Friday, Dec. 1, 10 p.m.

LAFAYETTE’S MUSIC ROOM

Big Memphis Energy Concert

With G Wiz and the Soular System, CCDE, KeyDrip, and Negro Terror $10. Sunday, Dec. 3, 7 p.m.

LAMPLIGHTER LOUNGE

Brother Cane

With special guests Jared James Nichols and Cage Willis. Saturday, Dec. 2, 7:30 p.m.

MINGLEWOOD HALL

Come Mierda, Korroded, Breaking|Entering $10. Wednesday, Dec. 6, 8 p.m.

HI TONE

December Dynamite

With Kaonashi, Tsosis, and Glasslands. Sunday, Dec. 3, 7 p.m.

GROWLERS

Joe Restivo 4

Sunday, Dec. 3, 11 a.m.

LAFAYETTE’S MUSIC ROOM

Karen Waldrup

Saturday, Dec. 2, 6 p.m.

LAFAYETTE’S MUSIC ROOM

Luna Nova Music Winter Concert

GRACE-ST. LUKE’S EPISCOPAL CHURCH

r e s e r vat i o n s :

www.peabodymemphis.com

HI TONE

WYXR’s Raised by Sound Fest presented

by Mempho

This daylong music celebration kicks off with a festival of free music from regional artists. The evening will end with a ticketed fundraising concert, featuring Cat Power Sings Dylan: The 1966 Royal Albert Hall Concert. Saturday, Dec. 2, noon-11 p.m.

CROSSTOWN CONCOURSE

6LACK

Memphis Mojo

$39.50-$45. Sunday, Dec. 3, 8 p.m.

LAFAYETTE’S MUSIC ROOM

THE SOUNDSTAGE AT GRACELAND

Rock Brunch

Haley Reinhart

Friday, Dec. 1, 6 p.m.

With Madaline Collins, Jeff Pruitt, Dizzy Dollz, and the Doom. Saturday, Dec. 2, noon.

LAMPLIGHTER LOUNGE

Seeing Red

Saturday, Dec. 2, 10 p.m.

LAFAYETTE’S MUSIC ROOM

Seize & Desist, Owlbear, Mudshow, Ben Abney & the Hurts Admission is one unopened toy donation to Toys for Tots or a $12 donation to MidSouth Food Bank. Saturday, Dec. 2, 9 p.m.

YOUNG AVENUE DELI

Join Deanie Parker and Jeff Kollath for a nostalgic conversation and listening session. Free. Tuesday, Dec. 5, 6-8 p.m.

GROWLERS

$10. Sunday, Dec. 3, 7 p.m.

december 7 • 6:00 pm

Music by Dowland, VaughanWilliams, Tansman, and others.

Free. Monday, Dec. 4, 7-8 p.m.

HI TONE

Wednesday, Dec. 6, 8 p.m.

Monday, Dec. 4, 6 p.m.

Texas String Assembly, Gia Welch Trio

Jams with SooperFlat and Hope Clayburn’s Soul Scrimmage. $5.

Saturday, Dec. 2, 9 p.m.

Eyehategod with Seize & Desist and Mudshow

Steve Hopper

Hail the Sun

BLUE MONKEY

MEMPHIS BROOKS MUSEUM OF ART

B-SIDE

LAFAYETTE’S MUSIC ROOM

Friday, Dec. 1, 8 p.m.

Wednesday, Dec. 6, 5:30-7:30 p.m.

A free evening of live original music from the Stax Music Academy Songwriting Cohort. Wednesday, Dec. 6, 6-8 p.m.

GROWLERS

Louder Than Bombs

Alexis Jade

Stax Music Academy Songwriting Showcase

Stax Christmas: Holiday Album Listening Party

MEMPHIS LISTENING LAB

$20-$40. Friday, Dec. 1, 7:309:30 p.m.

HEINDL CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS

Holiday Concert Weekend

Couples Massage, Hypnotherapy, Facials, Sound Therapy The largest selection of Tibetan Singing Bowls in the Mid-South

Two nights of live holiday shows: Terry Mike Jeffrey’s salute to Elvis’ holiday hits and Dean Z’s high-energy rockin’ Christmas show.

Friday, Dec. 1-Dec. 2.

THE SOUNDSTAGE AT GRACELAND

Jazz in the Box: Greg Murphy Trio $35. Friday, Dec. 1, 7-8:30 p.m.

GERMANTOWN PERFORMING ARTS CENTER

m e m p h i s f l y e r. c o m

Saturday, Dec. 2, 8 p.m.

Free Throw, Prince Daddy & The Hyena, Charmer, Blvck Hippie, The Ellie Badge

also featuring a four course menu created by chef de cuisine keith clinton and executive pastry chef konrad spitzbart

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Allman Brothers Tribute Holiday Jam

featuring a tasting selection from these countries:

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15

CALENDAR of EVENTS: Nov. 30 Dec. 6 Send the date, time, place, cost, info, phone number, a brief description, and photos — two weeks in advance — to calendar@memphisflyer.com.

ART HAPPE N I NGS

B O O K EVE NTS

Choose901 Holiday Market

Joy Bateman: The Art of Dining in Memphis 5

Support local businesses and discover unique designs. Thursday, Nov. 30-Dec. 2.

Joy Bateman celebrates the launch of The Art of Dining in Memphis 5. Thursday, Nov. 30, 6 p.m.

CROSSTOWN CONCOURSE

Holiday Artist Market

NOVEL

METAL MUSEUM

Margaret Renkl celebrates the release of The Comfort of Crows: A Backyard Year. Monday, Dec. 4, 6 p.m.

Enjoy live music and food truck fare while you browse the market. Saturday, Dec. 2, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

Margaret Renkl: The Comfort of Crows

Holiday Pop-Up Shop

Grab a brew, listen to DJs, and shop with Memphis artist and makers. Sunday, Dec. 3, 1-7 p.m.

NOVEL

The Book Mixer

MEMPHIS MADE BREWING COMPANY

Get ready for a lit night. $15. Sunday, Dec. 3, 4:30-7:30 p.m.

Jingle all the Clay: Ceramic Ornaments with Sarah Stobbe

Get into the festive spirit and create beautiful ceramic ornaments. $45. Thursday, Nov. 30, 6-8 p.m.

Zoo Lights returns for another season of holiday cheer.

ARROW CREATIVE

One Night Only: The Art of Paul Edelstein

The entire community is invited to celebrate the breadth of Paul Edelstein’s work. Thursday, Nov. 30, 5:30-7:30 p.m.

glass while you create a beautiful piece to hang on your tree or in a window. Sunday, Dec. 3, 2 p.m.

FIVE IN ONE SOCIAL CLUB DUE TO SPACE LIMITATIONS, MEMPHIS BOTANIC GARDEN Winter Arts ONGOING WEEKLY EVENTS Sip, Shop, and Ugly Sweaters - First Annual showcase of exceptional and unique WILL APPEAR IN THE FLYER’S hand-crafted works. Through Dec. 24.

Friday On Broad Ave ONLINE CALENDAR ONLY. WINTERARTS 2023 The LAST First Friday of the year! Friday, Dec. FOR COMPREHENSIVE EVENT 1, 5-8 p.m.

Witch Ball Crafting Event LISTINGS, VISIT EVENTS. BROAD AVENUE ARTS DISTRICT Learn about and create your very own personalMEMPHISFLYER.COM/CAL. The New York Times Syndication Sales Corporation ized witch ball. $10. Saturday, Dec. 2, 2 p.m.

Stained Glass Ornaments

This workshop will teach youYork, the basics of stained 620 Eighth Avenue, New N.Y. 10018 THE BROOM CLOSET For Information Call: 1-800-972-3550 For Release Wednesday, February 27, 2019

THE COVE

Theresa Levitt: Elixir

In partnership with L’Alliance Francaise Memphis, Novel welcomes Theresa Levitt to celebrate her new book. Tuesday, Dec. 5, 6 p.m.

NOVEL

C O M E DY

Ali Siddiq: I Got a Story to Tell Friday, Dec. 1, 7 p.m.

MINGLEWOOD HALL

Leanne Morgan: Just Getting Started Leanne Morgan has cemented herself as a must-watch comedian. $37.75-$59.75. Saturday, Dec. 2, 4 p.m., 7 p.m.; Sunday, Dec. 3, 4 p.m., 7 p.m.

ORPHEUM THEATRE

Nurse Blake SHOCK ADVISED!

Nurse Blake shares new stories with a comedic twist about the ins and outs of being a nurse. $39.50-$79.50. Thursday, Nov. 30, 8 p.m.

ORPHEUM THEATRE

November 30-December 6, 2023

Crossword

16

ACROSS 1 Grouch 5 Some lines drawn with protractors 9 Airbnb alternative 14 Miller ___ 15 One nabbed by the fuzz 16 With eyes open 17 Trotter’s course 18 Marquee performer 19 Shot down 20 Maternity ward worker who counts each day’s births?

23 First pope to be called “the Great” 24 Great 25 Noncollegiate fraternity member 28 Dairy item thrown in a food fight?

32 Snake’s warning

35 Navy rank below lt. junior grade 36 Fry up 37 Quick rests 40 Dined on humble pie 42 One selling a Super Bowl spot, say 43 MSNBC competitor 44 Tampa-toJacksonville dir.

45 Dynamite?

50 Thesaurus offering: Abbr.

51 “___ we go again …”

52 Lava below the surface 56 Like 20-, 28and 45-Across vis-à-vis the female-sounding phrases they’re based on?

60 “___ at ’em!”

62 Cat with no tail

ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE M L K J R T S K S V A T S E I E I O O H I O I D I E W I N G S P R E A D E V E R S C A R E S T W I B E C Y D O W E N N I S S A N R E U B E N D I D E R E Y O R E S T P E T E W A T C H Y O U R S T E P H O P E S O A L O U G A B I P O C A R E O F A D R E P S F I A T A F C W H A M S N I M R O D K E P I L A N D S L I D E S E R A T E S A U L E E R S R E D S D A L E S T E R N

63 Latin music great Puente 64 Look forward to 65 ___ bowl (trendy healthful food) 66 Last word said just before opening the eyes 67 Parts of volcanoes 68 Foe of Russia, with “the” 69 Where a bell is rung M-F at 9:30 a.m. and 4:00 p.m.

DOWN 1 Thickheaded sorts 2 Stud on a pair of jeans 3 In the slightest 4 Agnostic’s lack 5 Place to pray 6 Prepares for a second career, say 7 Boxful for a kindergartner 8 Activated, as a trap 9 Unit of measurement for a horse’s height equivalent to four inches 10 Scraped knee, in totspeak 11 Annual filing 12 Barely win, with “out” 13 Commanded 21 Radio dial: Abbr.

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Free. Saturday, Dec. 2, 1-10 p.m.

MEMPHIS MADE BREWING COMPANY

Memphis Holiday Spirits Cocktail Festival

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46 Successful defender, in academia 47 Granny, in the South 48 Land-bound bird 49 Wicker material

Join the Santa Hustle magic for the Santa Hustle Memphis Half Marathon, 10K, and 5K. Sunday, Dec. 3, 9 a.m.-noon.

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27 Group organizing a Mardi Gras parade 29 “Sure is!”

30 Operate 31 Sea-___ (Washington airport) 32 Coverings of cuts 33 “Alas …”

34 Dictator 38 Unopened 39 Kwik-E-Mart storekeeper

Santa Hustle Memphis Half Marathon & 5K

53 In need of a good scrubbing 54 Ones to share a pint with 55 Without company 57 Give off 58 Trawlers’ equipment 59 On-ramp’s opposite 60 Washroom, informally 61 Homophone of “you” that shares no letters with it

Online subscriptions: Today’s puzzle and more than 7,000 past puzzles, nytimes.com/crosswords ($39.95 a year).

Read about and comment on each puzzle: nytimes.com/wordplay.

The Square will be filled with snow as guests welcome Santa Claus, eat holiday treats, and listen to great music. Free. Saturday, Dec. 2, 5 p.m.

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Immerse yourself in the enchanting world of the holiday season. Select nights. Through Jan. 6.

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Nutcracker: Land of Enchanted Sweets

The timeless tale of Clara and her cherished Nutcracker comes to life on stage. $25. Friday, Dec. 1, 6-7 p.m.; Saturday, Dec. 2, 2-3 p.m.; Saturday, Dec. 2, 5-6 p.m.; Sunday, Dec. 3, 2-3 p.m.

BUCKMAN ARTS CENTER AT ST. MARY’S SCHOOL

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Your power creature in the coming weeks will not be an eagle, wolf, bear, or salmon. I don’t advise you to dream of being a wild horse, tiger, or crocodile. Instead, I invite you to cultivate a deep bond with the mushroom family. Why? Now is a favorable time to be like the mushrooms that keep the earth fresh. In wooded areas, they eat away dead trees and leaves, preventing larger and larger heaps of compost from piling up.

They keep the soil healthy and make nutrients available for growing things. Be like those mushrooms, Taurus. Steadily and relentlessly rid your world of the defunct and decaying parts — thereby stimulating fertility.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Gemini novelist Geraldine McCaughrean wrote, “Maybe courage is like memory — a muscle that needs exercise to get strong.

So I decided that maybe if I started in a small way, I could gradually work my way up to being brave.” That is an excellent prescription for you: the slow, incremental approach to becoming bolder and pluckier. For best results, begin practicing on mild risks and mellow adventures.

Week by week, month by month, increase the audacious beauty of your schemes and the intensity of your spunk and fortitude.

By mid-2024, you will be ready to launch a daring project.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Cancerian neurologist and author Oliver Sacks worked with people who had unusual neurological issues. His surprising conclusion: “Defects, disorders, and diseases can play a paradoxical role, by bringing out latent powers, developments, and evolutions that might never be seen in their absence.” In not all cases, but more often than seemed reasonable, he found that disorders could be regarded as creative — “for if they destroy particular paths, particular ways of doing things, they may force unexpected growth.” Your assignment is to meditate on how the events of your life might exemplify the principle

Sacks marvels at: apparent limitations leading to breakthroughs and bonanzas.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): I am falling in love with how deeply you are falling in love with new ways of seeing and understanding yourself. My heart sings as I listen to your heart singing in response to new attractions. Keep it up, Leo! You are having an excellent influence on me. My dormant potentials and drowsy passions are stirring as I behold you waking up and coaxing out your dormant potentials and drowsy passions. Thank you, dear!

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Virgo journalist Sydney J. Harris offered advice I suggest you meditate on. He wrote, “Regret for the things we did can be tempered by time; it is regret for the things we did not do that is inconsolable.” I bring this to your attention because now is a favorable time to take action on things you have not yet done — and should do. If you put definitive plans in motion soon, you will ensure that regret won’t come calling in five years.

(PS: Amazingly, it’s also an excellent time to dissolve regret you feel for an iffy move you made in the past.)

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): In contrast to false stereotypes, Medieval Europeans were not dirty and unhygienic. They made soap and loved to bathe. Another bogus myth says the people of the Middle Ages believed the Earth was flat. But the truth was that most educated folks knew it was round. And it’s questionable to refer to this historical period as backward, since it brought innovations like mechanical timekeepers, moveable type, accurate maps, the heavy plow, and illuminated manuscripts. In this spirit, and in accordance with astrological omens, I invite you to strip away misconceptions and celebrate actual facts in your own sphere.

Be a scrupulous revealer, a conscientious and meticulous truth-teller.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Scorpio poet John Berryman said, “To grow, we must travel in the direction of our fears.”

Yikes! I personally wouldn’t want to do that kind of growth all the time. I prefer traveling cheerfully in the direction of my hopes and dreams. But then I’m not a Scorpio. Maybe Berryman’s strategy for fulfilling one’s best destiny is a Scorpio superpower. What do you think? One thing I know for sure is that the coming weeks will be an excellent time to reevaluate and reinvent your relationship with your fears.

I suggest you approach the subject with a beginner’s mind. Empty yourself of all your previous ideas and be open to healing new revelations.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): “Sometimes I get lonesome for a storm,” says Capricorn singer-songwriter Joan Baez.

“A full-blown storm where everything

changes.” That approach has worked well for her. At age 82, she has released 30 albums and is a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. She has recorded songs in eight languages and has been honored

by Amnesty International for her work on behalf of human rights. If you’re feeling resilient — which I think you are — I recommend that you, too, get lonesome for a storm. Your life could use some rearrangement. If you’re not feeling wildly bold and strong, maybe ask the gods for a mild squall.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Science educator Neil deGrasse Tyson tells us that water molecules we drink have “passed through the kidneys of Socrates, Genghis Khan, and Joan of Arc.” The same prodigious truth applies to the air we breathe: It has “passed through the lungs of Napoleon, Beethoven, and Abraham Lincoln.”

Tyson would have also been accurate if he said we have shared water and air that has been inside the bodies of virtually every creature who has ever lived. I bring these facts to your attention, Aquarius, in the hope of inspiring you to deepen your sense of connectedness to other beings.

Now is an excellent time to intensify your feelings of kinship with the web of life.

Here’s the practical value of doing that: You will attract more help and support into your life.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): I am saying a prayer for you. I pray to the Fates that you will not accept lazy or careless efforts from others. You won’t allow their politeness to be a cover-up for manipulativeness. I also pray that you will cultivate high expectations for yourself. You won’t be an obsessive perfectionist, but will be devoted to excellence. All your actions will be infused with high integrity. You will conscientiously attend to every detail with the faith that you are planting seeds that will bloom beautifully in the future.

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ARIES (March 21-April 19): As a child, I loved to go to a meadow and whirl around in spirals until I got so dizzy, I fell. As I lay on the ground, the earth, sky, and sun reeled madly, and I was no longer just a pinpoint of awareness lodged inside my body, but was an ecstatically undulating swirl in the kaleidoscopic web of life. Now, years later, I’ve discovered many of us love spinning. Scientists postulate humans have a desire for the intoxicating vertigo it brings. I would never recommend you do what I did as a kid; it could be dangerous for some of you. But if it’s safe and the spirit moves you, do it! Or at least imagine yourself doing it. Do you know about the Sufi Whirling Dervishes who use spinning as a meditation? Read here: tinyurl.com/JoyOfWhirling and tinyurl.com/SufiSpinning

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Sagittarian poet Nina Cassian said, “I promise to make you so alive that the fall of dust on furniture will deafen you.” I think she meant she would fully awaken the senses of her readers.

She would boost our capacity for enchantment and entice us to feel interesting emotions we had never experienced. As we communed with her beautiful self-expression, we might even reconfigure our understanding of who we are and what life is about. I am pleased to tell you, Sagittarius, that even if you’re not a writer, you now have an enhanced ability to perform these same services — both for yourself and for others.

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C R O S S T O W N A R T S .ORG

NEWS OF THE WEIRD By the editors at Andrews McMeel Syndication That’s One Way To Do It A woman in China’s Fuzhou City is facing a prison sentence of three years and a $27,000 fine after she chewed her way to a new iPhone at an Apple store. According to the South China Morning Post, the woman, surnamed Qiu, entered the store and made a beeline to the phone display. She was seen on surveillance video examining an iPhone 14 (worth about $950), then looking around to make sure no one was watching. Then she put the antitheft cable in her mouth and chewed through it, secured the phone in her bag, and left the store. Store employees noticed the severed cable and contacted police, who were able to track Qiu and arrest her at her home. She told them she planned to buy an iPhone but balked at the price and decided to steal one instead. [SCMP, 9/2/2023] Crime Report Xuming Li, 36, a Ph.D. candidate in the University of South Florida’s chemistry department, has been charged with multiple counts of battery, aggravated stalking, and possession of a controlled substance after he targeted his neighbors, The New York Times reported on Aug. 27. Umar Abdullah, who lived above Li in a Tampa Bay condominium building, first started smelling a chemical odor in May. He believed it caused his family to experience breathing difficulties and burning eyes.

For nearly a year, Li had “complained about footsteps. He complained about door closing sounds,” Abdullah said.

The chemical odor came back in June, so Abdullah installed a hidden camera pointed at his front door, which captured Li on June 27 “injecting something” at the entrance. Preliminary testing showed the substances to be methadone and hydrocodone. Li was released on bond and will appear in court in December. [NY Times, 8/27/2023] Be Careful What You Ask For A store in Swansea, Wales, that supports the Barnardo’s children’s charity has circulated a request to its donors, United Press International reported on Oct. 27: Please don’t send us your sex toys. “Please be mindful that we are a children’s charity and as such we have a range of ages on our wonderful volunteer team,” the statement read.

“We therefore ask that you refrain from donating your used and unused marital aids! … The branch has CCTV so that these items can be traced back to their owners.” In other words, we know who you are. [UPI, 10/27/2023] The Continuing Crisis • An unnamed teacher at Mesa High School in Arizona is on paid administrative leave and under investigation after he dressed up in devil horns and waved a pitchfork over students’ heads on Oct. 25, KPNX-TV reported. Student Nathaniel Hamlet, who reported the incident to his dad, said the teacher said, “Hail, Satan,” as he waved the pitchfork. “Some people thought it was funny, some people didn’t like it,” said Hamlet, who was insulted by the costume. For his part, the teacher said he was dressing up for Spirit Week at the school and was part of a “dynamic duo” with the teacher next door, who dressed as an angel. “Participating in spirit weeks like this is a way for me to engage with my students and bring fun to my classroom,” he said. “It’s truly not any more complicated than that.” Mesa Public Schools said in a statement that the investigation is ongoing. [KPNX, 10/31/2023] • The Toccoa Riverside Restaurant in Blue Ridge, Georgia, has updated its menu with an addendum: Patrons will get a surcharge if they are “unable to parent” — $50 per bill for misbehaving kids — NBC10 Philadelphia reported.

A Google review from diner Lyndsey Landmann described a “huge scene” made by the owner in front of the whole restaurant: “He got in our faces and told us that we belonged at Burger King and not at his restaurant,” Landmann said. “He was yelling.” The owners, however, said they weren’t going to “comment on a policy we’ve had for years. We just want to live in the woods and cook.” [NBC10, 10/26/2023] Send your weird news items with subject line WEIRD NEWS to WeirdNewsTips@amuniversal.com.

News of the Weird is now a podcast on all major platforms! To find out more, visit newsoftheweirdpodcast.com.

NEWS OF THE WEIRD © 2023 Andrews McMeel Syndication.

Reprinted with permission.

All rights reserved.

FOOD By Michael Donahue

Magnolia & Mistletoe Chip and Amanda Dunham give their Magnolia & May restaurant a full holiday makeover.

Outside, the restaurant is strung with lights. A tree hangs upside down from the porch ceiling near a box, where people can leave items to be donated to Toys for Tots.

One side of the restaurant features Grinch decorations. Presents are wrapped in Grinch wrapping paper. A painting of the Grinch stealing a toy train from under the Christmas tree is on one of the windows. “More greens on that side vs. reds on the other side.”

The red is for Santa Claus — the theme on the other side of the restaurant.

“More reindeer. My staff made poster board ornaments.”

“We just thought it would be a fun idea,” Chip adds. “In Atlanta, New York, the restaurants do stuff like this. We just thought it would be a fun thing to do.”

As for that Who Hash, Chip had to come up with his own recipes because Dr. Seuss doesn’t “specify” how to make it in the book. Chip is featuring his grilled mahi mahi with bacon and veggie Who Hash with a satsuma beurre blanc.

Another new holiday menu item is

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The Dunham family

his Home Place Pastures sirloin steak with stuffing, brussels sprouts, and cranberry demi-glace.

Desserts include peppermint creme brûlée, reindeer cheese cake, and a gingerbread pudding. Chip also talked his mother into baking cookies.

Amanda came up with the extensive — and playful — holiday drink list, which includes Santa Slay with Prichard’s cranberry rum, cranberry juice, and sparkling wine; and Abominable Snowman, which is made with Forthave coffee, Dough Ball whiskey, butter pecan moonshine, cream, and nuts.

The mocktail list also includes Island of Misfit Toys, which is hot chocolate and toasted marshmallows.

The Dunhams are ready for the holidays at their home, too. “We’re big Christmas people around here,” Amanda says. “This year we actually are decorating early because of the popup. We started decorating this morning a little bit.

We got the tree out. My son was dancing in front of the tree singing ‘O Christmas Tree.’ Doing his whole thing.”

The Dunhams fondly remember holiday traditions with their families. “One of my biggest Christmas memories — we did this almost every single year — was Aunt Gen’s ‘Feast of Seven Fishes,’” Amanda says. “That’s a very Italian thing to do.

We would go every Christmas Eve. She would make it and I would usually help her. It was a huge feast. All these different fish, crab, and it was absolutely phenomenal. It was part of the reason I went to culinary school. A big factor.”

Recalling side dishes at his family’s holiday meal, Chip says, “We did mashed potatoes and the green bean casserole with mushroom soup and onions on top. That and the stuffing was one of my favorite things we always did. We did a cornbread stuffing typically with andouille sausage. Kind of a Cajun influence.”

But, he says, “The side dish I hated the most was the praline sweet potatoes, but we always had it.”

His mother put brown sugar and pecans on top. “I’m not a ‘sweet’ person,” Chip says.

But, as a nod to that side dish, Chip’s Magnolia & Mistletoe menu includes a grilled pork porterhouse with braised greens, mustard barbecue — and praline sweet potatoes.

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hip and Amanda Dunham are going all out for the holidays at their restaurant, Magnolia & May. They’re featuring their Magnolia & Mistletoe pop-up menu between now and the end of the year.

Think Who Hash from Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas for dinner.

With maybe a Cindy, Who? cocktail or a Top of the Naughty List shooter.

And, Chip says, the restaurant at 718 Mt. Moriah Road is “over the top with decorations.”

Colorful ornaments and wrapped presents hang from the ceiling. Lights twinkle behind the bar. Their “artistically inclined” staff members made hanging snowflakes.

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FILM By Chris McCoy

Love Is a Battlefield Joaquin Phoenix and Vanessa Kirby go big in Ridley Scott’s Napoleon.

T

November 30-December 6, 2023

he theatrical cut of Ridley Scott’s Napoleon should really be called Napoleon and Josephine.

Apple Studios paid a reported $200 million for Scott’s epic, which traces Napoleon Bonaparte’s rampage across Europe from 1793 to 1815, and ends with his death in exile in 1821. Scott, now a sprightly 85 years old, is not the first director to attempt to conquer the conqueror. After he completed 2001: A Space Odyssey in 1968, Stanley Kubrick spent the next two years deep in preproduction on a Napoleon biopic that was to have starred Jack Nicholson.

MGM ultimately balked at the cost, and Kubrick made A Clockwork Orange instead. The tens of thousands of pages of Kubrick’s prep work ultimately fell into the hands of Steven Spielberg, who is using the material as a basis for a seven-part limited series for HBO. Scott’s ultimate vision for Napoleon will be revealed when it is released on Apple TV+ next year. It is reportedly more than four hours long. Joaquin

Phoenix, who last worked with Scott in Gladiator, portrays Napoleon not as the brash, confident Frenchman who rewrote the rules of warfare, but as a capable soldier torn by self-doubt who succeeds almost despite himself.

Unless you have a working knowledge of European history, The Little Corporal’s military and political career will seem pretty incoherent. I can’t be the only history nerd who turned to his wife when it was over and said, “Where was the Battle of Trafalgar?” With all of the care that Scott put into filming the battle scenes, there’s just no way he wouldn’t tackle the biggest naval engagement of the century, so I assume the HMS Victory is in pieces on editor Claire Simpson’s hard drive right now. The lack of the naval side of the story deprives the film

of one of three antagonists who had Napoleon’s number during his life: Admiral Lord Horatio Nelson, who died in the process of proving the French dictator was beatable. The second was the Duke of Wellington, who finally defeated Napoleon at Waterloo by adapting his tactics.

Military victories aside, Napoleon went 0-1 on the battlefield of love.

The third antagonist was Josephine, whose defeat of Napoleon on the battlefield of love was complete and total. If you’re like me and have only ever seen Vanessa Kirby in big budget

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FILM By Chris McCoy shoot-’em-ups like Mission Impossible, her performance as the Empress will be a revelation. The moment she catches Napoleon’s eye across one of the First Republic’s ever-present cocktail parties, with her fresh-from-the-Terror prison punk haircut, she understands this would-be conqueror needs to be dominated. “What is this costume you’re wearing?” she asks.

“It’s my uniform!” Napoleon huffs.

In Scott’s telling, their epic struggle of wills rewrites the map of Europe.

When Napoleon, fresh off victory of the Battle of the Pyramids, hears that Josephine has taken another lover, he abandons his campaign against the Mamluks and rushes home to confront her. When he senses she is attracted to power, he joins in a coup to over-

throw the republic, then systematically betrays his allies until he’s the only one left standing.

Scott’s depiction of Napoleonic warfare is equal parts beautiful and brutal.

The Battle of Austerlitz, where Napoleon’s troops drive the Prussians into a frozen lake, is sure to be studied in future film classes. Depicting Napoleon as an insecure braggart who lucks his way into an empire is a controversial choice, but when paired with Josephine’s strategic provocations, his arc makes sense. It’s the chemistry between Kirby and Phoenix that gives this epic its fire.

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T H E L A S T WO R D B y Fr a n k M u r t a u g h

The JFK Generations John F. Kennedy’s influence is still very much alive 60 years after his assassination.

President Kennedy belongs as much to mythology as he does to history.

THE LAST WORD

As a young boy, I did not want to grow up to be president of the United States. On a beach vacation when I was 6 or 7, my parents gave me a children’s biography of John F. Kennedy. Along with a similar volume about Abraham Lincoln. Each story had its inspiring moments, of course, but neither ended well. Especially in the mind of a child.

I’ve since become an amateur presidential historian, and, now enjoying middle age, I still don’t want to grow up to be president of the United States. That said, few people outside my family have had an impact on me the way our 35th president has. Considering I was born six years after JFK’s dreadful, history-changing ride through Downtown Dallas, that impact speaks volumes on the importance Jack Kennedy continues to hold in the way Americans shape their values and the way we steer our lives. The calendar never hits November 22nd without making me pause.

Frankly, President Kennedy belongs as much to mythology as he does to history. And this is a component of his legacy that must be accepted every bit as much as his policy decisions, the Peace Corps, or “Ich bin ein Berliner.” He had — still has — a charisma that, before him, could hardly be categorized as presidential. Just picture the men who directly preceded and followed JFK in the White House. Dwight Eisenhower was an American legend before he even considered a presidential campaign. Lyndon Johnson made the Senate his personal playground (and made a more direct impact on the way Americans live than did Kennedy). But neither looked especially dashing in a tux. Neither made women swoon. And neither married Jackie.

Kennedy was polarizing before and during his presidency, and he remains so today. Millions remain inspired by the hope (and yes, glamour) JFK personified, while just as many are repulsed by his womanizing, PHOTO: RICHIE LOMBA | DREAMSTIME his manipulative father, and the proverbial silver spoon he had in his pocket on inauguration day in 1961. He John F. Kennedy may have been a war hero for his efforts in saving members of his PT-109 crew, but Kennedy had blood on his hands for the Bay of Pigs atrocity. Which Kennedy do we choose to remember?

It’s only since I began learning of JFK’s flaws that I’ve felt his influence closer to my own life, more in human terms. Who among us would have handled the life presented to Jack Kennedy better than he did himself? An older brother idolized, only to be taken in a fiery plane crash, a loss that thrust a young man onto a stage he may or may not have welcomed without that legendary fatherly shove. Factoring in his own experience in battle, his debilitating back pain (which forced him to wear a brace that factored into the tragedy of November 22, 1963), and a struggle with Addison’s disease, Kennedy had a sense of mortality most of us keep safely in another compartment of our minds. In succumbing to the lure of women outside his marriage, Kennedy displayed an immaturity in the only form he was ever allowed. No excuse, but a sad truth.

Was Kennedy a great president? Having not completed a term, he belongs in a different category of evaluation. For me, his handling of the Cuban Missile Crisis in October 1962 was the stuff of greatness. Diplomacy begins in a room with your friends, your supporters. Kennedy helped avoid World War III by negotiating a policy, first with a divided cabinet and only then with Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev. Did Kennedy save the world? That might be a stretch, but it’s in the conversation.

I’ve been to Dealey Plaza twice.

For anyone who’s seen footage of JFK’s last moments, such a visit swallows your thoughts, freezes your tongue, and squeezes your heart. What was once the Texas School Book Depository — now the Dallas County Administration Building, with a museum on the sixth floor — is just brick and mortar. With windows. Such was the platform for a murder that changed the world? I’ve never been able to process this reality, not since first reading that children’s book almost 40 years ago.

I’ve also been to the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library in Boston. Just as Dealey Plaza haunts, the library inspires, a reminder of how very alive its namesake remains. I never knew John F. Kennedy, but I feel like he knew men like me.

Indeed, I breathe the same air. I cherish my children’s future.

And I, too, am mortal.

Frank Murtaugh is the managing editor of Memphis Magazine. He writes the columns “From My Seat” and “Tiger Blue” for the Flyer.

m e m p h i s f l y e r. c o m

Editor’s note: This story was originally published in the Flyer in November 2013.

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