Neal Ungerleider

The Info

This is the homepage of writer/journalist Neal Ungerleider. Selected clips are available below.

Neal currently covers Middle East news and politics for True/Slant and is writing an MA thesis on new media coverage of the 2009 Iranian post-election disturbances. He’s also written for a number of fine publications as shown below. Otherwise, he maintains a personal blog at Negev Rock City and can be contacted via e-mail at this address. Feel free to give a holler.

Oh… and enjoy the articles.

92nd Street Y Blog

• Talking Primates with Dr. Frans de Waal: An extended discussion with one of the world’s most well known primatologists about bonobos, “anthropodenial” and the difference between a capuchin monkey and a CEO.
• An Interview with Neil Gaiman: Two guys named Nea(i)l talk over the phone about punk rock, tattoos and Star Trek. The ironic twist? One of them is a bestselling author and pop culture icon.
• The Samosa Diaspora: A massive, Wikipedia-approved exploration of everything you need to know about the samosa. Food history = goodness.

Budget Travel

• Where It’s At (and When): A layperson’s guide to finding warehouse parties in Barcelona and Indian-style pizza in Oakland.

Deadspin

• The History Of The Terrible Towel: I’m a Giants fan, but I’ve still got a soft spot for the Steelers. You should too.

FishbowlNY

• Ex-ABC Analyst Faked Obama Interview?: Of lying Frenchmen and scandal allegations.
• Philly TV Anchor’s Wild, Cop-Attacking Night: In your average journalism career, you come across a few stories that are solid gold. This is one of them.
• The New York Times Gets Rickrolled: Sometimes an internet meme can take a well-respected newspaper by surprise. This was one of those occasions.

Forbes Traveler

• 11 Classic American Dishes: If you needed even more reasons to be patriotic, here are 11 of them.
• America’s Most Expensive Hamburgers: Where the (expensive) beef is at.
• Awesome July Fourth Meals: From sea to shining sea, a guide to the best holiday dining around.
• America’s Classic Bars: Whether it’s a beer-and-a-shot in Brooklyn or Capitol Hill’s favored spot for politico martinis, these bars are worth your while.
• The World’s Best Steakhouses: A lovingly written guide to steakhouses and the many cultural variations thereof.
• The World’s Best New Casinos: From Macao to Singapore to… Windsor, Ontario? Si.
• Amusement Parks: VIP Style: How to beat the crowds and ride a Segway through Walt Disney World… or just climb a massive roller coaster, loops and all.

Gridskipper

• Fareed Zakaria’s Fantasy Island: Once upon a time, a cultured media icon and a fabulously rich rock star decided to create a beach resort for the culturati. It failed.
• Deconstructing Wagamama: A look inside the rabidly popular London-based restaurant chain written before their Stateside launch.
• Havana’s Chinatown: Havana’s Cuban-Chinese community, restaurants under communism and Fidel Castro being caught with a bottle of Coca-Cola.

Mediabistro

• So What Do You Do, Michael Calderone? An interview with ex-New York Observer reporter/current Politico media maven Michael Calderone.
• So What Do You Do, Tony Ortega? Village Voice EIC Tony Ortega has a yen for Flight of the Conchords. We approve of this hobby.

Jewcy.com

• When Rockets Hit Your Home: When you go to grad school abroad, you assume you’ll have good stories when you return. Unfortunately, sometimes you’re right.
• Life in the Tel Aviv Bubble: A guide to waiting out geopolitical conflicts via coffee, Cuban sandwiches and cognitive dissonance.

MenuPages

• Baghdad’s Chinese Restaurant:When the city around you is a warzone, sometimes you just need comfort food.
• Fight For Your Right To Foie Gras: It’s animal rights activists vs. restaurant owners in a battle royale.
• Sasha Issenberg Interview: A chat with author Sasha Issenberg of The Sushi Economy, one of the best books we’ve seen in a while.

Philadelphia City Paper

• New Year’s in Beersheva: The best way to learn about the difference between Grad rockets and Katyushas is to have both of them fired at you.
• Witout Borders: In which your humble correspondent tracks the cheesesteak to the furthest reaches of China and Eastern Europe.

Slate

• Who’s who in the Middle East rap game: Hip-hop, politics and the live music jones in Israel, the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

Wired/Wired.com

• Hard Science, With a Twist: A guide to the best science-themed bar nights in the United States. Yes, science-themed bar nights.
• The Rocky History of Rockers in Videogames: Since those halcyon days of Pong, video games have come out starring everyone from Michael Jackson to Aerosmith to the Thompson Twins. Here’s a screenshot-filled look back at the classics.