Bruce Friedman

“An Idyllic Bike Trip Goes Bad” by Bruce Friedman

Submitted to Contest #110

Caution: Use of foul language.Clunk! The tires of the airplane touched down on the tarmac at Palermo in the mid-morning. I was feeling groggy after several flights from the U.S. with longish stopovers. Palermo was my final destination and marked the beginning of my planned bike tour in Sicily. Such tours have become my favored getaways for years. I am an attorney specializing in medical malpractice and lead a very stressful life. This trip was intended to help me relax and certainly not to get involved in the melee that I am about to describ...

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“The Story of Cesar: An Unremarkable Person” by Bruce Friedman

Submitted to Contest #109

The lighting in the Sumerian galleries of the New York Museum of Art was intentionally subdued due to the fragility and extreme age of the objects on display. Astonishingly, some of the most beautiful pieces of art in these galleries were estimated to be more than four thousand years old. They provide the opportunity to explore the dimensions of an early and sophisticated civilization that flourished and then disappeared. Unfortunately, this particular collection is largely ignored by most of the visitors to the Museum in favor of more popul...

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“The Pursuit of Universal Happiness” by Bruce Friedman

Submitted to Contest #108

At a time not too far in the future….It was exactly 2400 hours and Controller 7564385ZE, known informally to his friends as Zed, stood in the entrance to his work-pod, anxious to start his usual 12-hour shift. He was never late for work, partly because such a mistake was grounds for dismissal as a Zone Controller and partly because promptness was his natural inclination. He was relieving Controller 8999541AL, nicknamed Solo Al, who was not a close friend but more of an acquaintance. Zed nodded to him as they swapped positions in the work pod...

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“Pathologic Truth” by Bruce Friedman

Submitted to Contest #107

“It’s time to start this glorious day.” Dr. Bertram Collins pushed open the front door of the pathology department with a small grunt. It was half past seven in the morning. He paused for a moment to assess his mood and realized he was a bit off-kilter. More anxious than usual perhaps. He probably just needed to get into his routine in order to grab happier thoughts. Many of his colleagues and friends would probably say that off-kilter was his natural state these days. However, they weren’t available for comment at that moment in time and Be...

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“Kimchi Gives But Also Takes Away” by Bruce Friedman

Kimchi Gives but Also Takes Away Bruce FriedmanIt’s hard to overestimate the importance of kimchi for Koreans and other food lovers around the world despite the fact that this simple dish consists mainly of fermented cabbage, radish, and chili powder. Koreans consume it during all meals including breakfast. One of the dominant flavor notes in kimchi is the heat from the chili powder. However, chili peppers, now a standard ingredient in kimchi, were unknown in Korea until the early seventeenth century because the spice originated in the ...

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