The King of Kibbitz strikes again: another Freddie Roman deli joke
Wednesday, October 10th, 2007
Apologies for not posting, but it was a long weekend here in Canada, and I’m in the crunch to finish the book by year’s end. So today I have just a little tidbit for you from our friend Freddie Roman, Dean of the Friar’s Club, and a Borscht Belt legend.
A Texan walks into Barney Greengrass and tells the waiter, “I was on an airplane and the person next to me told me that I had to come here and order bagels and lox. So I’ll have some of them.”
Five minutes later the waiter comes back with a bagel, some cream cheese, and a platter of Nova. The Texan takes one look and says, “Ok. So tell me, which is the lox and which is the bagel?”
Ba Da Ching!
I’ll be here all week.
Harcourt is on board to Save the Deli
Friday, October 5th, 2007Wonderful news out of New York yesterday. The US rights to my upcoming book “The Death of Deli”, which launched this very blog, have been picked up by.Harcourt Trade Publishers. The deal was skillfully executed by my Canadian publisher, McClelland and Stewart, with rights maven Marilyn Biderman running the play and my editor Doug Pepper helping to bring it home. Needless to say that I am extremely excited. Harcourt is an excellent publishing house, and I’m very much looking forward to working with them, and my new editor Jenna Johnson, to bring the cause of deli devotion to American readers in the near future.
“A new beginning for Corned Beef Row”: Baltimore’s rebirth downtown and its delis
Thursday, October 4th, 2007
I came accross a very interesting article the other day on the website of the Housing Authority of Baltimore City. The piece, titled “A New Beginning for Corned Beef Row” by Alan Feiler, details the urban renewal of Baltimore’s Lombard St., aka Corned Beef Row. Home to some of Baltimore’s best delicatessens, like Attman’s, Weiss Deli, and Lenny’s Deli. It is the city’s equivalent of Chicago’s Maxwell St, LA’s Fairfax, or New York’s Delancey. Lombard was once the teeming heart of Jewish Baltimore, then fell into disrepair and neglect as the Jews moved away, became a center for urban blight, and is now being renewed and gentrified. All through that time, delis like Attman’s and Lenny’s continued to serve pastrami to the masses, remaining anchors to the community that changed so rapidly. Now, a revitalization is in the air.
“And for anyone who has recently visited the neighborhood — which still houses the Jewish Museum of Maryland, a pair of historic, well-preserved synagogues and three terminally busy Jewish delis — it’s obvious that something is again happening at Corned Beef Row. Don’t look now but the old neighborhood appears to be coming back to life. “There’s a lot going on down here, and we’re optimistic and excited about the future,” says Dr. Marc Attman, owner and operator of the 91-year-old deli started by his grandfather, Harry. “Look around here, you’ve got to smile. It’s fantastic, a breath of fresh air. Things are happening — finally. We’ve been waiting a long time.” Dr. Attman is talking about the revitalization efforts taking place at Corned Beef Row that appear to be transforming the neighborhood — which largely consisted of vacant, dilapidated buildings and abandoned seedy properties since the riots of 1968 and subsequent flight and deterioration — into a clean, vibrant area of planned mixed-use and mixed-income residential and commercial life.”
The piece goes on to discuss the changes happening on Corned Beef Row, and the impacts it will have on the traditional institutions there. Old delis around the country are facing the same issues…what applies here also does to Brooklyn, and Chicago’s Maxwell St area. It is a beautiful confluence of urban affairs and deli, and one of the most important articles I’ve read recently.
CLICK HERE TO READ THE FULL ARTICLE
My Interview on Jewish Digest with Leslie Lutsky
Monday, October 1st, 2007An audio treat for you all this week. In June, while in Montreal, I was interviewed by the wonderful Leslie Lutsky, whose show Jewish Digest appears on the community station Radio Centreville each Saturday in that fine city. Sitting on the campus of my old university, Mr. Lutsky and I talked about the ins and out of the deli trade, this website, and my upcoming book.
Despite the fact that he is a vegetarian, Leslie Lutsky knows his deli. HE has traveled to many around the world, interviewed their owners, and quite often has ventured over to the greasy side and indulged in a meaty treat. His interview with me takes up the whole show, and is punctuated by the hillarious song Private OY! “Deli Detective” by the klezmer band The Kabalas.
The interview is in podcast form and will only be posted for this week. CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD IT
My thanks to Leslie Lutsky for being such a mensch!
