The Mamdani Effect -23 Ways to Say, I love You!

Republicans swore Mamdani would destroy NYC. Instead, it was just ranked the #1 city on the planet.

Oxford Economics scored 1,000 cities on their economy, talent, quality of life, environment and governance. New York came out on top with a perfect 100.

And while the right was busy predicting the apocalypse, the mayor was busy getting things done.

He froze the rent. The Rent Guidelines Board approved a two-year freeze for rent-stabilized apartments, about 40% of the homes in the city. Landlords are suing over it, which tells you exactly who it helps.

He’s taxing the rich, implementing a pied-à-terre tax on second homes worth over $5 million. They’re also suing over that, which tells you exactly who it helps.

He's bringing free child care to New York, starting with free 2-K seats in four communities, with universal care as the goal.

He forced delivery apps to pay up, with a $5.2 million wage-theft settlement and 10,000 fired Uber Eats workers getting their jobs back.

He told ICE it needs a judge's warrant to operate in his city.

He moved to ban junk fees, the first U.S. city to do it. And he's building city-run grocery stores that will sell food at 30% below market prices.

He campaigned on every bit of it, and he's delivering.

So much for the end of New York

Meanwhile, Have you tasted the Filipino Balut:

Balut is the ultimate Filipino street food dare, and eating one for the first time is a rite of passage that separates the adventurous from the merely curious. This fertilized duck egg, incubated for 14 to 21 days until the embryo is partially developed, is boiled and eaten straight from the shell with a sprinkle of salt and a splash of vinegar. Street vendors sell balut from insulated baskets in the evening, calling out "baluuuut" in a singsongy voice that echoes through residential neighborhoods after dark. The experience of eating balut is a full sensory event, starting with sipping the warm broth from a small hole in the top, then peeling away the shell to reveal the soft yolk and the tiny embryo curled inside. Filipinos have been eating balut for centuries, and the city of Pateros in Metro Manila built its entire identity around duck-egg production, earning the nickname "Balut Capital of the Philippines." The protein-rich snack is considered an energy booster and is popular with workers, students, and anyone who needs a late-night pick-me-up.

Have you ever tried balut, and if so, what was your honest reaction?

Finally My Photo of the Day:

A Little Philippines in a Bottle

That little bottle on my shelf has a big story.

I purchased this piece in the Philippines several years ago, and every time I look at it, I'm transported back home.

It is Filipino miniature art - inside a clear glass bottle, a tiny world. Two Nipa Huts, with its woven walls and palm-thatched roof. Two small palm trees swaying beside it. And right out front, a Filipino couple working together, building or tending their house. The artist even put a little sign on the hut that says "Philippines."

If you have ever seen a nipa hut, you know what it represents. Simplicity. Bayanihan - neighbors helping neighbors. A house built by hand, with materials from the earth, meant to be shared.

It sits on my desk right in front of another treasure - a Plaque of Appreciation from the University Library of the University of the Philippines Visayas. It was given for my contribution to the Setup of the UPV Archives Section in the New UPV Library Building, in memory of my late son and wife. That plaque and this bottle sit together, and for me they belong together. One honors memory and learning. The other honors home and hard work.

What I love about bottled art like this is the patience it takes. Someone had to build that tiny hut, paint those tiny figures, place every piece of bamboo inside a bottle neck that is barely wider than a finger. It is the Filipino spirit in miniature - resourceful, detailed, joyful even in small things.

To my readers around the world who have never been to the Philippines, this is what I want you to see: we build our homes with our hands, but we build our lives with each other.

I keep it where I can see it every day. It reminds me that no matter how far we travel, a small piece of home can still fit in the palm of your hand.

Have you ever seen bottled art like this from your own travels? I would love to hear what little treasure keeps you connected to home.

My Photo of the Day-22 Ways to Say Beautiful in Filipino Languages and Dialects

My Photo of the Day:

Two Small California Towns with An Oversized Appetite

 OctoBER 2026

Two Small California Towns

With an Oversized Appetite

Carmel-by-the-Sea reminds me that abundance isn't measured in size but in care, craft, and community gathered around a good table.

DBy David B. Katague • Read by friends in 150+ countries • 8 min read

Carmel-by-the-Sea  fewer than 4,000 residents, more than 60 restaurantsOCEAN AVE • LATE AFTERNOON

When I was a young man, I thought a town needed to be large to matter. Big cities, big plans, big noise. At 91, I have learned the opposite is often true. Some of the most memorable places in California are barely larger than a neighborhood and yet they feed the world.

1. A Village That Ignores Logic

Carmel-by-the-Sea sits on the Monterey Peninsula like a well-kept secret, even though everyone seems to know it. The official population is about 3,200 souls,  smaller than many apartment complexes I have visited. And yet, this one-square-mile village holds more than 60 restaurants.

It defies logic until you walk it. No streetlights. No chain stores by ordinance. Cottages that look lifted from a storybook, galleries on every corner, and the smell of fresh bread and pine drifting down Ocean Avenue toward the sea. Tourism sustains it, yes, but hospitality is its true economy. People come for the beach and stay for dinner.

A village within a forest, within sight of the sea. Carmel’s scale is what keeps it human.

Why Food Lovers Find Their Way There

You do not need to be a critic to feel it. You turn a corner on Dolores Street and there is a wood-fired oven going. On Mission, a courtyard is already full at 5 p.m. The village invites you to linger, which in Carmel means to eat well.

For friends planning a visit, these are the tables I keep hearing about  and a few I hope to return to:

• Chez Noir - 5th Ave between Dolores and San Carlos, Carmel - One Michelin Star. Intimate, modern coastal tasting menu, seasonal and precise.
• Aubergine at L'Auberge Carmel - Monte Verde at Seventh Two Michelin Stars. Chef Justin Cogley's refined California cuisine inside a Relais & Châteaux inn.
• La Bicyclette - 29 Dolores St , Wood oven, rustic French-Italian, beloved for its pizzas and bistro comfort. Line forms early.
• Dametra Cafe - Ocean Ave & Lincoln,  Mediterranean warmth, family recipes, live music some evenings, and generous spirit.
• Little Napoli = Dolores & 7th , Classic Italian, old-Carmel charm, perfect for a long lunch with friends.
• Anton & Michel - Mission St, Court of the Fountains, Elegant courtyard dining, Continental-California, a favorite for celebrations.

“A town of 3,200 feeding the world is not an accident. It is devotion repeated daily.”

2. What Yountville Teaches Us Too

Carmel is not alone in this quiet miracle. A few hours north, in Napa Valley, lies Yountville, only about 3,000 people, yet home to the highest per capita concentration of Michelin-starred restaurants in North America.

At 91, I find that comforting. It tells me that America still makes room for small places that choose excellence over expansion. Both towns teach the same lesson: you do not have to be big to be great. You have to be faithful to what you do well, every day, for years.

The Larger Lesson for All of Us

When I was a young man raising a family, I measured success in milestones. Promotions. Properties. Numbers that could be counted. At 91, I have learned to measure it in mornings.

Here at Chateau De La Mer ( also THD)  in Walnut Creek, our mornings are not unlike Carmel's. Small community, big heart. We gather for coffee, we remember names, we share stories we have told before and we listen as if hearing them for the first time. That is hospitality, too. 

A village with 60 restaurants is not really about restaurants. It is about the decision, made again and again, to welcome strangers and feed them as if they were family. That is faith in practice. That is friendship made edible. That is why a place with fewer than 4,000 residents can feel larger than a city.

“We are all small towns, really. Our job is to have an oversized appetite for kindness.”

If You Visit

Park once and walk. Start at Ocean Avenue, drift down to the beach, then back up through the side streets. Dolores, San Carlos, and Mission hold most of the treasures.

Best time is spring and fall  fewer crowds, softer light, easier reservations. In summer, book two weeks ahead for the starred rooms.

PRACTICAL NOTES

• • Stroll Ocean Avenue before dinner
• • Reservations essential — Chez Noir & Aubergine
• • Best seasons: April–June, Sept–Nov
• • Parking: public lots at Sunset Center
• • No street addresses on many cottages — look for courtyards

Chez Noir - Michelin Star

5th Ave between Dolores and San Carlos

Aubergine - 2 Michelin Stars

Monte Verde at Seventh, L'Auberge Carmel

La Bicyclette

29 Dolores St, Carmel

Dametra Cafe

Ocean Ave & Lincoln St

Carmel-by-the-Sea Village

Heart of the Village

Little Napoli & Anton & Michel

Dolores & 7th / Mission St Court of Fountains — Classic courtyard favorites

So tell me, dear readers what is your small town with an oversized appetite? What place, perhaps no larger than a few blocks, has fed you more than its size should allow?

I would love to hear from you. Your letters from over 150 countries remind me daily that we are all, in some way, neighbors at the same table.

D

David B. Katague

Chateau De La Mer(also THD) | Walnut Creek, California

Retired educator/Federal employee, writer, and grateful resident. Writing about aging, faith, friendship, and the small joys that become large when shared.

I have been to the two towns in my younger years. Writing this blog today, reminds me of the many pleasant memories of my younger years.  

Thank You, MetaAI for your formatting  Assistance!   

MY WRITING LEGACY SERIES

Continue the journey

Part 6: The Garden YearPart 7: Letters Home →

© 2026 David B. Katague • Chateau De La Mer ( also THD)