DC SOCIAL SCENE ON SCREEN
Georgetown (Amazon Prime)
Georgetown, a movie offering from Prime, is inspired by shocking real events. Mot, an immigrant to the U.S., aspires to grand adventures and a role in the diplomatic world. Charming and debonair, he meets a grand dame socialite and former journalist, invites her to lunch and flatters her. When Elsa’s husband dies, he re-establishes contact and then marries her. She is several decades his senior, but he is not above using her connections to host Washington notables at elegant dinner parties.
From there, with her smarts, he parlays his way into advising and counseling heads of state and other eminent individuals. When Elsa dies, the manner of her death raises questions, and Mot’s behavior gets a thorough examination.
The narrative arc is shallow and the ending predictable but watching Mot maneuver makes for good entertainment. And the cast includes notables Vanessa Redgrave and Annette Bening.
RISING TO THE TOP IN THE STATE DEPARTMENT
Lessons from the Edge by Marie Yovanovitch
Foreign Service Officer Yovanovitch gained fame and notoriety when then President Trump fired her from her position as ambassador to Ukraine. Her testimony during Trump’s first impeachment trial was riveting. Her memoir is a fascinating account of the political climate after the Cold War and the end of the communist state in the USSR. Of Russian heritage and an immigrant to the United States herself, Yovanovitch was very interested in serving in Moscow and the former Soviet countries.
During the 1980’s and early 90’s, the Foreign Service Office was a male bastion; the very few women there were routinely either ignored or discriminated against. Ms. Yovanovitch details both her professional struggles and her personal insecurities in her climb up the diplomatic ladder.
I’m about a third of the way into her memoir and find it an informative look at the U.S. diplomatic efforts in Somalia, Moscow, and Ukraine. She is candid to the point of rawness and does not stint on criticism of herself and some of her superiors, while praising those who listened to her and gave her opportunities.
ETHIC DINING
One of the pleasures of being in Manhattan is the wide range of ethnic restaurants. As has been the case for a while, Italian cuisine predominates, but there are good Chinese, Indian, and Turkish restaurants too. Here are a couple we enjoyed recently.
Wa Jeal
This Upper East Side Sichuan restaurant interior is light and attractive. We had lunch here and were delighted with the warm welcome from our waitress and with the clean flavors of the dishes we ordered. The scallion pan cakes and the Sichuan pork dumplings were excellent. Sliced chicken with broccoli and the sauteed shrimp and green peppers in a hot pepper sauce were equally delicious. Pair those offerings with white rice and a Tsing Tao beer, and you have a fortifying meal! Take out and several delivery options are also available.
Agora Turkish Restaurant
We like A La Turka restaurant on 2nd Avenue but decided to venture farther up that avenue to Agora for lunch. Paintings adorning the walls and Turkish oil lamps on each table give this restaurant a charming Old-World feel. We liked our waiter and ordered hummus to start followed by chicken shish and lamb adana. Each entrée was accompanied by rice, onion salad, red cabbage, and tomatoes and green pepper.
The chicken seemed a bit dry, but the Chief Penguin found the lamb very tasty. Another place to add to our list of regulars!
Note: Unattributed photos ©JWFarrington (some rights reserved).
