Save the Deli saves America

*I wasn’t allowed a camera, so this is courtesy of the folks at Blackberry

A few months ago I told you that the book had made it to the inner sanctum of American democracy. Today, Save the Deli, and by that I mean me, went to the White House.

You see, with jobs still being lost, wars being waged, and health care nowhere near passing, the White House needed a stimulus, and pastrami was just what was called for.

I was invited for a quick tour by Eric Lesser, the assistant to David Axelrod, special adviser to President Obama, and a New York born deli lover. I met Axelrod during the tour, right outside the oval office, and he reminisced about a deli he grew up near, right on Ave A and 16th, in New York. God, I wish I hadn’t forgotten that name.

I’d say the highlight of the tour was a peek inside Axelrod’s office, some four feet away from the President’s own private office. There, on the wall, besides photos of world leaders and luminaries, was a framed set of three photographs from Manny’s delicsatessen in Chicago. The corned beef and latkes were there, as was the famous sign, and yes, legendary counterman Gino. So there you have it folks. A die hard deli lover…just on the other side of the wall from the President.

God Bless America indeed.