The Tower Bar and why preppies don't care about food

Last night's book party at the Sunset Tower Hotel for Susanna Salk's "A Privileged Life: Celebrating WASP Style" proved most instructional.

1. Julia Child is a celebrated WASP. Her Pasadena family was wealthy and, more importantly, her husband Paul Cushing Child came from "a prominent Boston family."

2. Salk says WASPs don't care about food and explains why.

3. Salk's right; the book party's hors d'oevures were kind of awful. "Chicken pot pie" in prefab tart shells; nuggets of canned corn in the aracini balls. The sponsor-rum cocktail (Mount Gay + simple syrup + muddled mint + soda), gratefully, was tasty.

4. The Tower Bar, however, is apparently not run by WASPs because the moule frites were just fine.

5. Am returning to said bar for the entertainment alone: pianist and stand-up bass, playing "Golden Years" (David Bowie, "Station To Station," 1975). A hero's music is now fodder for cocktail hour? And I like it? Golden years, indeed.