Robert Duncan

True Tales of Spaghetti & Meatballs in a Small, Strange Town

center of the universe
true tales of spaghetti & meatballs in a small, strange town
a blog by robert duncan

Onwards Toward the Final Victory (7-8)

Onwards Toward the Final Victory (7-8)

You can learn a surprising amount about the world from the center of the universe.

Robert DuncanJuly 21, 2016North Korea, Pyongyang, Kim Jung Un, memoir, POW, Korean War, Brazil, seminary, Fairfax California, restaurant, Bay Area

Disaster (6)

Disaster (6)

It was almost a year since Kang had entrusted me with his manuscript that I read the second paragraph.

Robert DuncanJuly 15, 2016copy editing, memoir, North Korea, Korean War, war crime, Korea, restaurant, Fairfax California, Bay Area

Valentine’s Day (5)

Valentine’s Day (5)

The miraculous, disastrous path to Table 10 begins just south of the Soviet border, nine-thousand clicks from Fairfax.

Robert DuncanJuly 9, 2016Valentine's Day, Korean War, North Korea, AWOL, memoir, restaurant, Fairfax California, Bay Area, friendship, family

Table Ten (4)

Table Ten (4)

Gleb said the first night — with Wendy, Dave and the band and drop-ins and Sonia’s lasagna in the back room — was the best of his trip.

Robert DuncanJuly 4, 2016Russia, jazz, trumpet, pocket trumpet, travel, tourist, California, Fairfax California, Bay Area, melting pot

Graveyard (3)

Graveyard (3)

Dave works graveyard at the burglar alarm company.

Robert DuncanJune 25, 2016trumpet, pocket trumpet, jazz, hepcat, gerontology, Saturday night, small town, restaurant, Fairfax California, Bay Area, West Coast jazz

The Back Room (2)

The Back Room (2)

In the last days of the Korean War, when he was 19, Mr. Kang was conscripted into the North Korean army and sent to the front without a gun.

Robert DuncanJune 10, 2016restaurant, lasagna, sisters, Korea, Brazil, Italian, comfort food, Fairfax California, Bay Area, jam session

Center of the Universe (1)

Center of the Universe (1)

Six thousand miles from our town of 7,000, Gleb Lisichkin packs a small bag. He doesn’t need much, beyond the occasional change of rock t-shirts.

Robert DuncanJune 4, 2016hippies, seventies, sixties, small town, parade, restaurant, Bay Area, Fairfax California, spaghetti, lasagna, home