Is Pork in Jewish Dishes Lazy?
Thursday, April 7th, 2011
The bacon-wrapped matzo balls at Ilan Hall’s The Gorbals.
djjewelz/Flickr
Yesterday, Tablet published a very thought provoking essay by writer, cook, and rabbinical student Benjamin Resnick, on why Jewish chefs tossing pork into Jewish dishes just ain’t cool. Here’s just some of what he wrote:
The Jewish culinary tradition is a hot trend in American dining. At Brooklyn’s Mile End Noah Bernamoff and Aaron Israel serve up cholent with veal shortribs and kasha varnishkes with confit gizzards. At the impishly named Traif, also in Brooklyn, Chef Jason Marcus—who describes himself as “Jewish, although obviously not great at it”—focuses on pork and shellfish. At his Los Angeles restaurant The Gorbals, Top Chef winner Ilan Hall gussies up matzo balls by wrapping them in bacon. “Pork fat does something magical to matzah meal,” Hall told the Jewish Journal in November.
Jewish food that actively thumbs its nose at the laws of kashrut clearly holds tremendous social allure for some. As Jeffrey Yoskowitz wrote in the Atlantic, Traif’s Marcus “is counting on other Jews to hear about his restaurant and think, ‘Cool, I’m a non-kosher Jew too.’ ” Indeed, most of the critical praise earned by establishments like Traif and Mile End has highlighted—knowingly or not—the clever disjuncture of embracing Jewishness while simultaneously rebelling against it. Thus when the New York Times fawned over Traif’s “seared foie gras, slumming it with fingerling potatoes, crisp shards of ham, and a fried egg, all dribbled with maple syrup and hot sauce,” the reviewer, Ligaya Mishan, had to add: “Now this is chutzpah.”
Before starting rabbinical school at the Jewish Theological Seminary in 2009, I put in time behind the stoves at Telepan on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, where I smoked upward of 5,000 trout, and at Restaurant Saul, in Brooklyn, not far from Mile End, where I once cooked by candlelight when the block lost power in the middle of dinner service. At the time I was working in kitchens I was not observant—and I therefore ate just about every abomination in the book. I also learned all the tricks at chefs’ disposals. But now I know some of the rabbis’ tricks, too, and, with this dual knowledge, I can’t help but see the menus offered up by this new generation of trayf-worshippers as lazy—not religiously, necessarily, but culinarily. READ THE REST OF THE ESSAY HERE
As usual with anything kosher related, this set off a firestorm of debate, including a response in the comments by Noah Bernamoff from Mile End:
the notion that I’m being lazy is absurd: Mr. Resnick, clearly, has never visited the restaurant, because had he, he would discover that we cure and smoke all of our meats and fish, bake all of our breads, and pickle all of our vegetables. Show me one Kosher restaurant or delicatessen that is attempting to retain the methods of our Ashkenazi culinary tradition like Mile End, Saul’s, Kenny & Zuke’s and Caplansky’s?
While I have no problem with a restaurant like Mile End serving a breakfast sandwich with bacon in it, I do have some sympathy for Resnick’s point. Tossing bacon into a Jewish dish, like the matzo balls above, or the chopped liver at Joe Doe, sits poorly with me for two reasons. The first is that it really is a slap in the face to the tradition. It doesn’t honor it, or update it. It just takes it away. But the other reason is that it is a missed opportunity. When I was in Hungary last summer, or at Maison David in Paris years before, I tasted dishes that were firmly rooted in the Jewish tradition, and kosher, which held the culinary potential that Jewish cooks in North America have just begun to touch on (Mile End’s cholent is a prime example). Sure, you can wrap a matzo ball in bacon, but to make it out of goose fat, or air dry cured veal, or make salami with duck and hazelnuts…that pushes the culinary envelope out of the comfort zone while staying true to the one thing that made this food Jewish in the first place…that it was based around the rules of kashrut (whether it is certified or not). Chopped liver made with cream and butter isn’t chopped liver, it’s pate. Kreplach sauteed with bacon are just Polish pirogies. They’re not Jewish, they’re just Eastern European.
Two Reasons to Visit Paris in the Springtime
Tuesday, March 22nd, 2011Ahhh Paris in the spring. What could be more meaty….
Now that the winter rain has subsided, and the grey skies parting, many of you will start taking trips to Paris in search of romance and fatty foods. When there, make sure to hit up the growing deli scene in the Marais, the traditional Jewish district in the city’s center.
Now, I’ve waxed many times about Maison David, the small butcher shop run by Michel and Francine Kalifa, just off the Rue des Rosiers. Others seem to be getting the idea too. Recently, Maison David was featured in the influential guide Le Fooding, and a gorgeous coffee table book on Parisian restaurants by the master chef Alain Ducasse called J’Aime Paris. Now, Maison David has been discovered by expat Parisian food blogger John Talbott, who visited recently for the new eat-in meal that Michel is offering and dubbed it “the best meat in the world” :
Now I’ve left out an essential to this tale; before during and after serving(s), he’s slicing, spooning and dishing up stuff for the 4-6 folks at the counter, announcing each from the pictured coarsely chopped chicken-liver (like I’ve never had so good at any bar mitzvah), goose rillettes and slices of green and black pepper, dry and moist sausage. The latter, ten minutes after I stopped eating, suddenly kicked in and I said, “Wait a minute, what was that sausage with black pepper, suddenly it took off?” And M. Kalifa smiles and says, “I watched your face when you ate it and it didn’t move - it takes that long for the taste to arrive, doesn’t it?”
Read the rest of John Talbott’s tale here
And if that’s not reason enough to visit, head on over a few stores to Schwartz’s Deli, a Parisian take on a North American style Jewish delicatessen, though the owners insist it has nothing to do with the famous Montreal Deli of the same name. The Montreal Gazette isn’t so sure:
Chutzpah is a dish best served hot – in Paris, anyway.
Consider: A father and son open a delicatessen in the Jewish quarter of La Ville-Lumière, serve fast food like pastrami and pickles and hot dogs, and call the place Schwartz’s – when their name is actually Rubenstein.
Yes, such a place really exists. Not only exists, but even has a red-lettered logo remarkably similar to that of the iconic restaurant on Montreal’s Main.
Either way, these and the other Jewish bakeries, butchers, and delicatessens in Paris’s Marais district are enough to rekindle any gastronomic romance with the city of lights.
Merry Christmas: Get Ready for Chinese Food (and Deli)
Monday, December 20th, 2010I was listening to an epic radio documentary about the Charlie Brown Christmas soundtrack by jazz great Vince Guraldi, and I realized we’re in the thick of the Christmas season. Because Hannukah fell so early this year, the smell of latke grease is long gone now, as the egg nog flows through our radios and televisions. I happen to dig this time of year: the lights, the free candy canes at the bank, the never ending stream of Christmas songs written by Jews.
So here’s a Christmas greeting to all Christian deli lovers out there. If you’re heading home with the family, enjoy the tree and the carols and the sweet gifts. And to all the Jews, Hindus, Muslims, and other non-Christians out there, we’ll see you at the deli or, more likely, at Lee Garden. Or in the case of Mile End, both.
See you all in 2011. A happy new year to everyone.
Chappy Chanukah
Wednesday, December 1st, 2010It’s that glorious day folks. When the oil sizzles, the starches congeal, and the apple sauce comes out. Light the candles (at least two, tonight), spread the gelt, eat the foil on the chocolate, and give some gifts around.
One that would be good, of course, is a copy of the newly released Save the Deli paperback edition. It’s been out in the USA for two months, and will be hitting shelves in Canada next week. Here’s the new Canadian cover, including James Beard’s bald head stamped right on there.
And now, on to the latkes, courtesy of this adorable Jewish nerd, and his sweet Bubbie.
And if you haven’t had your nerd fill yet, suck on this beauty:
Fasts, Feasts, and two songs for the Kippur
Friday, September 17th, 2010It’s that time again Jewish fressers, the dawning of the day of reckoning, Yom Kippur. From sundown tonight until sundown tomorrow, the Jewish world will fast, pray, and ask for forgiveness for all their collective sins.
Put down the pastrami. Get your ass to shul.
Or not? According to my good friend Eddy Portnoy, there’s a tradition of Jewish rabblerousers using Yom Kippur as a feast day. As he writes in Tablet:
When Jews decide to chow down on Yom Kippur, it’s usually done clandestinely, sneaking tasty morsels in a dark pantry, or disappearing into a diner in some nearby non-Jewish neighborhood. But furtive noshing wasn’t always the heretical path of choice on the Day of Atonement. Just over a century ago, a range of leftists held massive public festivals of eating, dancing, and performance for the full 25 hours of Yom Kippur, not only as a way to fight for the their right to party, but to unshackle themselves from the oppressive religious dictates they grew up with. What does one do, after all, when prayers and traditional customs no longer hold any meaning yet you still want to be part of a Jewish community? Eating with intention on a fast day allows you, in one fell swoop, to thumb your nose at the religious establishment and create a secular Jewish identity.
Have you ever feasted on the Kip, heading over to a deli that’s open and chowed down on a knish, some matzo balls, and a corned beef reuben (because, let’s face it, you ain’t going to be eating kosher)? Share your stories.
Here’s wishing all of you who are fasting, a contemplative one. Take it away Neil and Lenny.
Mexican Pastrami, Deli in Vegas, and a Song
Monday, September 13th, 2010Some random stuff for these Days of Awe.
First, our good friends at the Jew and the Carrot blog (now hosted by the Forward), report on the Mexification of pastrami in LA:
In Los Angeles, pastrami is often removed from a Jewish context. On the Eastside, in Latino neighborhoods like Lincoln Heights, pastrami is so commonly offered alongside burritos and tacos, the deli meat almost seems Mexican.
So then how did pastrami come to be associated with Mexican food? Perhaps these burrito stands or drive-thrus had once been staffed by Jews? Or had pastrami, like polka, been brought to Mexico by emigrants from Eastern and Central Europe? READ ON HERE
Next, a report from our special correspondent in Las Vegas, David Cowles, who moved there last year, and has finally found a deli feast to satisfy his cravings:
The (J W Marriott) Rampart Casino in Las Vegas–an upscale casino several miles away from downtown and the Strip–now has a “deli night” every Thursday night at their buffet restaurant for $18.99 per person–all you can eat!
I tried it out night before next, and the food is actually good! No, it’s better than good. It’s wonderful!
They have most everything, too. I started out by helping myself to a large dollop of chopped chicken liver from a serving tub in the refrigerated and salads section that held at least a gallon of the goop.
Yes, they have typical deli salads — cole slaw, macaroni salad, potato salad, etc.
The brisket was almost as good as I make at home, and that’s saying something!
They have trays of pastrami and corned beef at the steam table, already cut, just waiting for the server to slap them on rye (or other) bread. Two kinds of mustard are nearby. I didn’t see any mayonnaise, thankfully.
HERE’S A LINK There’s also whitefish salad, herring, and unlimited Dr. Brown’s. Viva Las Vegas!
Finally, a song to take you out. Courtesy of Rita Abrams, it hits at the heart of Judaism’s central crisis in the Bay Area.
A Meaty New Year
Tuesday, September 7th, 2010Well, I’m writing this from the new Save the Deli headquarters, near the old one in Toronto. So long New York, you hardly knew me.
With the Jewish holidays upon us, I’m going to keep this short and sweet. Shana Tova to one and all, and may 5771 be filled with sweetness, meatness, and all the other trimmings. And apples cannonballing into pools of honey.
L’Shana Tova Amigos!
The Shiksa: It’s Cool, She’s Kosher
Friday, August 13th, 2010When my fiancee and I met with our rabbi months before the wedding, he explained why the ceremony to sign the engagement contract (bedeking) and the actual marriage take place so close together. See, once they were separated by a year, but if something happened to the man during that year, the woman would never be able to marry. He could be drafted into the Tzar’s army, murdered by anti-Semites, or, in the words of the rabbi, “run off with a Polish milk maid”.
Basically, it’s been made Shiksa proof.
Yes, Shiksas, those tempting and beautiful women of the non-Jewish faith and lineage. Though other ethnic women (black, Asian, Latin American) technically count as Shiksas, what we’re really talking about here is white chicks. Think Betty Draper, or at least Annie Hall. Jewish men fall for Shiksas for many reasons, and often, these lovely women throw themselves into Jewish life with aplomb.
.jpg)
Such is the case with Tori, who blogs by the name The Shiksa in the Kitchen. Her husband is Israeli, keeps kosher, and so Tori has committed herself to delving into the world of Jewish food and cooking as completely as possible. There’s a cookbook on its way, and her blog is filled with photos, recipes, videos, and adventures in Jewish eating around the world.
Here she is at Katz’s…so her deli cred is bona fide:
Now, if we could only find her male equivalent. The Shaygets Garmento?
Lebron’s sandwich dumped by Carnegie explains fleeting fame
Monday, July 12th, 2010
Back in May, when New York got all riled up about signing Lebron James to the Knicks, the Carnegie Deli named a sandwich after him. Here’s owner Sandy Levine holding up the Lebron James MVP (pastrami, corned beef, brisket, and turkey, American cheese, lettuce, tomato stacked on rye bread):
Now that James is going to Miami, flame indeed is fleeting. As gossip site TMZ reported, Carnegie has dropped Lebron’s sandwich in disgust.
In related news, Bob Greene of CNN.com, uses the Stage Deli’s sandwiches to explain the fleeting nature of celebrity.
Writes Greene, who interviewed owner Steve Auerbach:
The triple-decker sandwiches at the Stage have traditionally been named for famous men and women. The idea is to appeal to customers whose eyes will be drawn to an item on the menu because of the celebrity associated with it.
So I asked Auerbach about the No. 8 — the sandwich called the Katie Couric. It features turkey, ham and swiss cheese.
It wasn’t always known as the Katie Couric, Auerbach said. Its name was changed in recent years from what it was formerly called. Diners, it seemed, were no longer quite as attracted to the old name of the No. 8:
The Marilyn Monroe.
Same with the No. 18 (turkey, chopped liver, lettuce, tomato, onion). It’s a hit, in large part because of the bigger-than-life New York figure for whom it is named: Alex Rodriguez. The A-Rod sandwich appeals to a new generation of customers who might not feel as strong a connection with what the same triple-decker was called until not so long ago:
The Joe DiMaggio.
So there you have it. One day you’re on top of the world, named as a sandwich, and the next you’re cast off the menu by Katie Couric. Such is the nature of the spotlight. Still, it will take a lot to unseat the Woody Allen’s of the sandwich naming world. If you do happen to get a sandwich named after you, do not handle it like Larry:
Monday’s Random Smorgasbord
Monday, June 14th, 2010It’s Monday, and a week since I’ve gotten back from honeymoon, so let’s clean out my inbox with stuff that’s piled up, and I haven’t posted yet.
First, to the news. The New York Daily News reports on Brooklyn’s Mill Basin Kosher Deli (my favorite post-surf spot), where owner Mark Schachner is going head to head with the fast food chains. Reports Jake Pearson:
Mill Basin Kosher Deli owner Mark Schachner is waging a one-man war against fast food chain restaurants - determined to debunk the myth they’re better bargains than his traditional kosher deli.
“Meat to meat and french fry to french fry, we’re 100% cheaper,” said Schachner, 57, who sent out secret shoppers to order from fast food joints to measure the weight of fries, burgers, hot dogs and the meat in sandwiches….
Just as Schachner predicted, the deli’s hot dogs, fries, turkey and burgers are cheaper by the pound than what’s sold at fast food joints like Subway, Nathan’s and McDonald’s - even if as individual items they’re more expensive.
His covert buyers compared the $8.95 Mill Basin Deli burger, packed with .57 pounds of kosher beef, to a $4.29 Whopper from Burger King, which weighs only .18 pounds - a price-per-pound saving of $8.13…. “I sell a hot dog for $2.99 and Nathan’s sells it for $2.99 so it’s the same price, but Nathan’s is a 2-ounce dog and mine is 4 ounces. It’s not a fair comparison.”
So now you have an economic reason, as well as taste and tradition, to skip the chains and stick to the delis.
Next, in the sports section, Manny’s is celebrating the recent Stanley Cup win of the Chicago Blackhawks with an edible recreation of Lord Stanley’s trophy made from knishes, kishke, rye, and corned beef. As the great Joe Bowen would say, “Holy Mackinaw!”.
And finally, a series of videos I’ve been meaning to post for some time. (more…)
