Comments on: Is Pork in Jewish Dishes Lazy?

By: aaron levy

aaron levy — Fri, 08 Apr 2011 01:35:35 +0000

I don’t know what this is all about. I know I am Jewish, brought up in a kosher home, and now our home continues to be a kosher home. I have no need or desire to eat pork, bacon etc. I never ate it, don’t miss it and will continue to live without it.
A Jewish deli is a prize worthy of keeping. For those who want to eat non kosher, there are scores and scores, multitude of those restaurants that are there for them.

By: Pinchas Schwartz

Pinchas Schwartz — Fri, 08 Apr 2011 02:35:29 +0000

Sounds nice, but Treffe and Kosher just don’t go nicely together. I’d suggest that U guys keep with the more traditional stuff.

By: ken gordon

ken gordon — Fri, 08 Apr 2011 04:04:00 +0000

The thing is, there are virtually no Kosher Jewish Delis anymore. You can talk about tradition all you want, but what’s undeniable is that it’s all moot if you can’t stay in business. Kind of like if you stayed Kosher in the woods and there were no customers around to hear you…

If we stayed strictly Kosher in Portland, OR, we’d have closed years ago. So we do Reubens, and serve sides of bacon, and have dairy in our coffee, kugel, challah french toast, etc. We don’t really do anything like taking a traditional dish and combining it with pork - a al the bacon-wrapped matzo balls - but why not. You act as if there’s this one tradition that is set in stone and never changes, and a 1920’s menu somewhere engraved on a tablet. Nonsense - that tradition of which you speak is only about 100 years old. Deli’s, like Jews, adapt and change. I think it’s possible to keep alive tradition while still changing with the times.

Look, most Kosher laws came into existence for a reason. Shellfish wasn’t eaten because of toxins and lack of ice and refrigeration to keep the shrimp fresh. Pork - triganosis was a pretty major incentive not to eat it. Milk and meat - bad for the digestion. But sanitary conditions have changed over the years to the point where triganosis and shellfish poisoning are almost non-existent.

The fact remains that very few people keep Kosher these days. And Delis are businesses that need to stay in business. No one is telling people they shouldn’t keep Kosher if they want to. But if you don’t, what’s the point of towing a line that has been crossed so many times as to become an anachronism?

We sell 2500 lbs. of corned beef and pastrami per week. We sell maybe 70 lbs of bacon. What’s it going to hurt?

By: Howard Bender

Howard Bender — Fri, 08 Apr 2011 15:24:04 +0000

As a Jewish Delicatessen owner (Maybe one day David will recognize us…unreal), I am a believer in validating the term Jewish Deli. I also love the idea of a bacon wrapped matzo ball. It doesn’t belong in my store, but I love it! If I hang Christmas ornaments on a menorah, do I still get to call it a menorah? or Jewish? So what if people are taking a twist on old Jewish dishes. That’s fantastic, that’s an honor in progress and an honor to our Bubbies that we see their dishes progressing. That is what happens not just in our levels of religious tradition but also in our food! Listen, we too sell 1000’s of pounds of corned beef and pastrami, and matzo balls every week. The bulk of my customer traffic is not Jewish. I believe its essential to Schmaltz Deli that we respect our Jewish patrons to some degree. Our line is drawn. I do not sell pork in my building, I do not sell shellfish. I do sell a Rueben. I’m not Kosher by any strech of the imagination, but certain things validate you as a Jewish deli and actually build respect, honor, and tradition to the concept. Many Jewish deli’s serve bacon or ham. Fine, just not us. I have NO lost respect for those that choose to do so. Some believe it is essential to their ability to stay in business. I cant wait to go home and wrap a matzo ball in bacon! Thinking kreplach rumaki sound good too?! Thank you for the great article. Lazy? NO!

By: Mark

Mark — Sat, 09 Apr 2011 15:31:19 +0000

In my opinion, once you add pork it’s just not Jewish anymore! I used to cringe when BK first sold Egg, Bacon and Cheese on a bagel!

By: John

John — Mon, 02 May 2011 01:59:54 +0000

My take on all of this is — if you want to be a DELI, be a deli. What these folks want to do is be — much as I hate to use the term — hipsters. Why the pork? Irony. Now, I’m a Gentile, and I like my pork from time-to-time — and I won’t get into the whole “kosher-style” debate — but, dammit, if you’re going to be a delicatessen of the Jewish flavor, I can’t fathom serving pork. Yes, you can (and plenty do) get away with mixing meat and milk — people want their Ruebens. But…pork? Really? I mean, really, really? True artists aren’t afraid to work within constraints — indeed, working within constraints is what leads one towards perfection, IMO. So, no, no pork. Just my two cents. And for the record — I’m not gonna get worked up over this, but, hey, I’m a traditionalist when it comes to certain types of food. Peace.

By: John

John — Mon, 02 May 2011 02:03:50 +0000

Oh, and I should add — I absolutely don’t look down on others for choosing otherwise, *particularly* those who are in the business. Everyone’s gotta make a living, so, no offense intended to anyone who does the pork thing. (I certainly do, hehe.) Oh, and — I don’t think the kosher-style debate will ever disappear. Who knows, maybe the next “Atkins” will be “everyone goes Kosher!” — food for thought

By: Dee

Dee — Fri, 20 May 2011 07:12:29 +0000

In Montreal we always went to Ben’s for smoked meat. I was French-Canadian and Brit, German and Swiss and the priest who married my parents made sure I was raised Catholic. So I eat pork.

But my favorite lunch is pastrami on rye with Gulden’s, a couple of pickles and one great latke.

A year ago a restaurant tried a pastrami sandwich. It was awful and I told him about your book. I made the mistake of lending it to him and haven’t seen him since. When I buy your book again please sign it for me? Thanks, Dee

By: Donald

Donald — Sun, 29 May 2011 01:02:30 +0000

I’ve eaten Ilan Hall’s balls with bacon. They are good. I’m a goy, so I’ll leave it to MOTs to argue the appropriateness of it. That said, what about foods that evolve from the kosher tradition, but clearly are not, like the Rueben? Nowhere close to kosher, but clearly of a more recent version of the tradition.

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By: Himank Chakrabarti

Himank Chakrabarti — Fri, 29 Jul 2011 16:18:35 +0000

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By: Gira Bhakta

Gira Bhakta — Fri, 29 Jul 2011 16:47:59 +0000

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