Sweet California Hooch Must Wait

After the Supreme Court struck down state laws restricting direct delivery of out-of-state wine, many expected sweet California hooch to arrive any day to their door, except it’s not yet happening:

“The politicians got great P.R. for passing the law and for opening up the market, but when it comes to implementing it, they can’t pull it off,” said Paul Winkeller, a frustrated oenophile in Slingerlands, N.Y., who on Thanksgiving tried to join a monthly wine mail-order club offered by Ridge Vineyards of Northern California.

He received the following reply to his e-mail message:

“We have received our direct shipper’s license to ship to New York; however, neither U.P.S. nor FedEx have been approved as common carriers,” wrote Tracy Murray, a customer service supervisor at the vineyard. “They are having a heck of a time battling out the requirements with the N.Y. State Liquor Authority, and we are daily waiting for the green light.”

Like Mr. Winkeller, Gov. George E. Pataki appeared to believe that consumers were already benefiting from the wine delivery law, given what he said in a statement late last month after awarding a new post to the departing commissioner of the State Liquor Authority, Edward F. Kelly.

“Recently, Ed worked to successfully implement one of the most sweeping changes in our Alcohol Beverage Control laws in decades,” Mr. Pataki said, citing interstate shipments as the most notable achievement of Mr. Kelly’s tenure.

The problem appears to be with a requirement that shipping companies have the recipient fill out a complicated form:

The Wine Institute sent The New York Times what it said was a copy of the paper form that New York was seeking to have shippers use when making wine deliveries.

The form requires the delivery person to fill out by hand the name and address of the shipping company, a license number of the shipping company and a number assigned for the particular delivery, as well as the name of the winery, a shipping number for the winery, the winery’s license number and the winery’s address. Then the deliverer must fill out the name and address of the person receiving the shipment as well as information describing the kind of identification presented, and the time and date of delivery. The signature of the recipient is also required.

Ms. [Kimberly] Morella, of the [State] Liquor Authority, would not comment on the form, other than to say, “we have to adhere to the law.”

But the law that went into effect in July does not appear to require such paper documentation. It does “require a recipient to sign an electronic or paper form or other acknowledgment of receipt, as approved by the authority,” as well as present identification establishing that he or she is 21 or older.

Which is to say, sweet California hooch must wait.

Tipping Is Not A City In China But Rather An Annual Shakedown From Building Staff Who Hold Your Cheapness Over You For The Rest Of The Year

As the holiday tipping season approaches, many — thankfully not me! — must consider the delicate subject of how much to tip building staff. And as etiquettist Judith Martin writes in a review of a new book about doormen, it’s complicated:

Here is the cure for any envy of privileged Manhattanites brought on by viewing their apartments in shelter magazines. These people may occupy huge slices of glass apparently suspended halfway between the twinkling of stars and the twinkling of street lights, and sparsely dotted with black leather, burnished steel, giant flowers and more glass. Or they may occupy horizontal versions of Versailles with wood paneling, ormolu mirrors, marble busts and tapestry-covered furniture. But beyond the financial cost, they and their not-quite-so-grand neighbors pay an emotional price for this every year. They have to figure out what to tip the doorman at Christmas.

The book answers the question whether doormen hold it against you for undertipping. Don’t worry — they do:

The agony of this decision and the perceived consequences of getting it wrong occupy a key chapter in “Doormen” — and this is not an etiquette book. It is a sociological treatise, complete with footnotes. Far from dispelling the tip trauma, the author, Peter Bearman, ratchets it up by killing the notion that asking the neighbors what they give or organizing a pooled tip fund will solve the problem. The neighbors are lying, he assures us, and they are sure to sabotage group efforts by giving extra on the sly. That is how important it is considered to be the tenant at the high end, but not the top, of the tipping scale.

Furthermore, the suspense of worrying whether one has succeeded or failed will be drawn out until February. To obfuscate the relationship between the expectation of tips and the improved service that begins in November — thus setting off the fretting season — the doormen routinely delay any punishments they mete out. Whew.

Meanwhile, Curbed posts a memo from a corporate-run DUMBO building that offers some, er, robust suggestions for what to tip:

While we may not know the answer for all parts of NYC, we have a pretty good idea of what hip DUMBOites are tipping this year, based on the above memo from Two Trees management sent our way by a Curbed tipster. Notes our tipster, “This tacky memo came from ‘management’ at Two Trees – actually the non-live-in super, the one who is hoping for a $300 tip from each of the several hundred residents at Court House. Tips according to this chart of recommendations, if given to each of the 13 employees listed, would total up to $1600 — more than a month’s rent for some apartments.

Raucous debate ensues in the comments . . .

Update: The folks at University of Chicago Press email to let us know that an excerpt from the Christmas bonus chapter of Peter Bearman’s book is posted online . . . thanks!

So At Least The Heart Disease Won’t Come From Drinking Milk

In its effort to promote a healthier New York, the City Health Department is going all out to encourage bodegas to sell . . . wait for it . . . not lettuce, not an apple, not even whole-wheat bread but rather low-fat milk:

Drop the can of Pringles chips, put back that Snickers bar, forget about the Oreos — healthy eats are coming to a bodega near you.

The city Health Department is launching an unprecedented bodega health-food campaign, The Post has learned.

Starting next month, 15 bodegas in Brooklyn, Harlem and The Bronx will begin selling low-fat milk as part of a pilot program to get the neighborhood delis to sell healthier alternatives.

If low-fat milk sales are strong, the program will be expanded to include more bodegas — and more food products, such as diet beverages, healthy fresh vegetables and low-fat dairy and snacks, said Lynn Silver, the Health Department’s assistant commissioner for chronic-disease prevention and control.

City officials will hang posters promoting the low-fat milk and help store owners track sales.

“Bodegas are an important source of food in communities,” said Silver. “But many stores only stock whole milk.”

It’s easy to see how brisk sales of Terra Blue Potato Chips and Pom will surely follow, but some aren’t so sure:

While many customers said yesterday they’d like to see more healthy choices on the shelves, store owners were skeptical whether people would actually buy them.

“I’ve tried selling skim milk but nobody buys it,” said Hanoud El Gazali, owner of the Harlem Deli Grocery.

“Not everybody likes skim milk. It might be good for people, but it’s not always good for business.”

No Woman, No Cry

The Taxi & Limousine Commission released figures showing complaints against cabbies are on the decline:

Cabbies working the city’s mean streets are getting nicer.

The number of Taxi and Limousine Commission summonses issued to cabbies for rudeness has plummeted 26%, city records show. And the decline in boorish behavior behind the wheel came even as the number of yellow cab drivers increased and taxi-related calls to the city soared

Cab drivers insist they are working hard not to come off like bastards, even when faced with rising fuel prices and nonpaying customers:

Cabbie Saghar Hussain, 37, of Brooklyn, said he treats passengers with respect – even if they walk away without paying. “Sometimes you make money, sometimes you lose money,” he said. “You don’t have to get upset, be mad with anyone.”

By way of explanation, drivers note that stress levels for those in the industry can be high, and suggested lifestyle choices to mitigate the pressure:

Ronald Lee, 61, a cab driver from Manhattan, said there are three reasons behind cabbie rudeness: the pressure to make a living with increased costs, TLC harassment and wives. “I’ve been driving 34 years and I’ve never had one complaint,” he said – quickly adding that he’s not married.

Please, Please Tip Your Cabbie

With gas prices hovering near four dollars a gallon, cab drivers must work that much harder, and you cheap-asses aren’t helping any:

New York cabbies say outrageous gas prices have squeezed their wallets thin – but passengers aren’t helping them out with fatter tips.

“Hah! Forget about tipping better,” laughed cabbie Ruben Abramov, 38, of Fresh Meadows, Queens. “Somebody gets in a cab, they want to spend as little as possible. So I have to spend more time on the road.”

Cabbies said yesterday they pump about $45 a day into their gas tanks – up $10 or so from a week ago and as much as $20 from more than a year ago.

But fares – and tips – have held steady. So the drivers are spending more time behind the wheel and still going home with less money in their pockets.

Abner Simon of Queens Village described filling his tank for $3.59 a gallon, waiting three hours at LaGuardia Airport, driving a woman into Manhattan for a $27.80 fare – and getting only $30 for the trip.