Dovi's Digest Volume 118
What do you get when you cross French Cuisine with the mob?
A weekly newsletter for all your intellectual, spiritual, and physical needs
Bienvenue! Welcome to Volume 118 of Dovi’s Digest.
Over the last few weeks I’ve made some sweeping statements about human nature, and about how all of us (read: you) interact with the world. I’ve covered lying, making small differences, and fascination with space. Most people would assume that I’d try to break that pattern going into this week’s edition. Well, those people are wrong. Although this one is a little more obscure.
Real life Dovi and work Dovi are two very separate people. Work Dovi is a well put together adult who has the respect of his co-workers, is a problem solver, and uses terms like “as per my previous email” in place of the truer, but less professional “bruh, can’t you read? I already said that”. Real life Dovi is a different beast entirely. For one, professionalism goes out the window. I’m strictly amateur. There are mistakes, missteps, and misconceptions. Not only do I not always know what I’m doing, but the “fake it till you make it” idea goes out the window and is replaced with that feeling of when you think there’s a step, there isn’t, and confusion reigns.
I know that this pseudo double life isn’t something that is unique to me (the headline article proves this, but more on that soon), and is something all of us have in our lives. The idealised and actual realities. Normally the differences are quite small, yet sometimes they’re absolutely massive.
In this week’s headline article, we learn about the chef David Ruggerio, one of the kings of the double life. In the 90s, he had already run some of the top restaurants in the world even though he was barely 30. With TV deals, books, and celebrity clients, it seemed he had it made. However, he had a secret second life too. He was part of the Gambino family, one of the big players in the mob.
Do you enjoy the Digest? Would you like it to get better? Then please consider sharing it, as the more articles I’m sent, the better it is. It only takes a few seconds, and all you need to do is click here 👇. Thank you!
There were TWO correct answers to last week’s brainteaser. Well done to Ariel Subotzky and Josh Hazan. The answer and this week’s riddle are below. To answer a riddle, please just reply like you would on a normal email. I’d put a little reply button, but apparently substack doesn’t allow that. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
I know secret mobsters make some people yawn, so I got you covered. Learn about how to prioritise the long-term good over the right now, philosophy for five year olds (and adults), how tall mount Everest will be when it stops growing, an ode to challah (the braided Jewish bread), how new mapping tech help us to discover lost civilizations, and the secret, mundane life of one of America’s big drug barons. Enjoy!
Keep those articles (and everything else) coming,
Have a great week,
Dovi
And now, the articles:
“I’ll Let the Chips Fall Where They May”: The Life and Confessions of Mob Chef David Ruggerio
In the 1980s and 1990s David Ruggerio was a rising star of French cooking in New York—and a proto–celebrity chef with cookbooks and TV shows to his name. But all that success in the kitchen belied the double life he was leading as a rank-and-file member of the Mob. Decades after his fall from grace and mysterious disappearance from the food world, Ruggerio is coming clean.
How to Be Healthy in a Dopamine-Seeking Culture
Our basic biology can steer us toward bad habits and compulsive behaviour. Overcoming these pitfalls requires effort and discipline.
What Are Our Lives For?
What happens when Plato mixes with playtime? Philosopher Scott Hershovitz answers the questions that confound children and adults alike.
How Tall Will Mount Everest Get Before It Stops Growing?
Arching over 8,849 metres (29,032ft) into the sky, Everest is the world’s tallest mountain. But will it always be?
Our Braided Bread
In my native New York, I don’t feel the need to perfume the air around me with the sweet scent of challah. But here in Iowa, there is a void I need to fill.
Lost Cities of the Amazon Discovered From the Air
Mapping technology cuts through the canopy to detect sprawling urban structures in Bolivia that suggest sophisticated cultures once existed.
The Fugitive Next Door
Tim Brown seemed like a typical Florida retiree- he loved doting on his wife, fishing with friends, and flying his plane. But his life was built on a secret.
Quote of the Week:
“Giving up smoking is the easiest thing in the world. I know because I’ve done it thousands of times.” – Mark Twain
Facts of the Week:
Mahler's Sixth Symphony features a part for an enormous hammer.
Picasso liked to shoot blanks at people who bored him.
Bangladesh is home to the world’s only specialist diarrhoea hospital.
One in three people in Britain admitted to hospital as an emergency have at least five illnesses.
The 911 emergency number used to be spoken as “nine-eleven” but was restyled as “nine-one-one” to avoid people wasting time looking for the “11” button.
The phonebook on Norfolk Island, Australia, lists people by their nicknames.
Tancítaro, Mexico, has a special police unit to stamp out avocado theft.
In 2017, Frankfurt police found a car belonging to a 76-year-old man who had forgotten where he parked it 20 years earlier.
Cartoon of the Week:
(Which one is the Digest?)
Tweet of the Week:
Headline of the Week:
Brainteaser of the Week:
84% of people reading this will not find the the mistake in this: A,B,C,D,E,F,G,H,I,J,K,L,M,N,O,P,Q,R,S,T,U,V,W,X,Y,Z.
To answer, just press reply like you would to a normal email. 🙂
Last Week’s Brainteaser and Answer:
Adam, Bob, Claire, and Dave come to a wooden bridge. The bridge is weak and only capable of carrying the weight of two of them at a time. Because they are in a rush and the light is fading, they must cross in the minimum time possible and must carry a flashlight on each crossing.
They only have one flashlight and it can’t be thrown. Because of their different fitness levels and some minor injuries, they have to cross at different speeds. Adam can cross in 1 minute, Bob in 2 minutes, Claire in 5 minutes, and Dave in 10 minutes. When two people cross the bridge together, they must move at the slower person’s pace.
Adam declares that the crossing can be completed in 17 minutes. How is this done?
Answer:
Adam and Bob cross (2 minutes)
Adam returns (1 minute)
Claire and David cross (10 minutes)
Bob returns (2 minutes)
Adam and Bob cross (2 minutes)
Giving us a total of 17 minutes. Note steps 2 and 4 are interchangeable.