In Arbitrary Stupid Goal, Tamara Shopsin takes the reader on a pointillist time-travel trip to the Greenwich Village of her bohemian 1970s childhood, a funky, tight-knit small town in the big city, long before Sex and the City tours and luxury condos. The center of Tamara's universe is Shopsin's, her family's legendary greasy spoon, aka "The Store," run by her inimitable dad, Kenny-a loquacious, contrary, huge-hearted man who, aside from dishing up New York's best egg salad on rye, is Village sheriff, philosopher, and fixer all at once. All comers find a place at Shopsin's table and feast on Kenny's tall tales and trenchant advice along with the incomparable chili con carne. Filled with clever illustrations and witty, nostalgic photographs and graphics, and told in a sly, elliptical narrative that is both hilarious and endearing, Arbitrary Stupid Goal is an offbeat memory-book mosaic about the secrets of living an unconventional life, which is becoming a forgotten art.

CONTENTSA Symphony 3Wide World 12Wolf 's Lair 34A Seven-Day Pillbox 45Hole 18 89Things 95My Jewels 115Gateway Drug 123A Gift 145Whoop Whoop 159Laydee 174Order of the Universe 197The Small Pond 198The Top Floor 220Buckets of Gravy 231Raw Chicken Chunks 262Bulletproof Case 271Shangri-la 278The ASG 318Acknowledgments 321Food for Thought Answers 323