Chicago Foodways: Jewish Delis in America, 12/15/12 @10 am

Chicago Foodways Roundtable

Pastrami on Rye:
An Overstuffed History of the Jewish Deli

Presented by Ted Merwin, PhD

Saturday, December 15, 2012 at 10:00 am
Kendall College, School of Culinary Arts
900 N. North Branch Street, Chicago
(West of Halsted Street, North of Chicago Avenue)
Free Parking
Cost: $3, Free to Kendall students and faculty with ID.


In Chicago, New York, L.A. and other American cities, the delicatessen was the lifeblood and the linchpin of the Jewish community. The "soul food" and atmosphere it dished up became a quintessential part of American culture for Jews and non-Jews alike. But as Jews moved into the suburban middle class, the deli lost its bite, giving way to other ethnic restaurants and cuisines. Can the deli be resurrected?

Merwin, an associate professor of religion and Judaic studies at Dickinson College (Carlisle, PA) and a well-known writer on Jewish culture, will show how the Jewish deli, which originated in Germany and Eastern Europe, developed in this country into a neighborhood institution on par with the synagogue. He will also discuss how the deli became an icon of film, TV, music and comedy about the Jewish experience, from "When Harry Met Sally" to a Shelley Berman routine about a rebellious son of a Chicago deli owner.

This program is hosted by the Chicago Foodways Roundtable. To reserve, please call (847) 432-8255 or, then leave your name, telephone number and how many people in your party or e-mail: ChicagoFoodwaysRoundtable@gmail.com

Interesting that this is on Saturday morning! it's Shabbos, and the last day of Chanukah!

Still I'd love to come ....

Franabanana wrote:Interesting that this is on Saturday morning! it's Shabbos, and the last day of Chanukah!

Still I'd love to come ....

If you can, you're welcome. If you cannot, there will be a podcast.* Yet you cannot ask a question or sample the food.

*Occasionally there are technical difficulties and it never gets used.

Regards,

Wait, so there is food at this or not?

Suiname wrote:Wait, so there is food at this or not?

Very likely a sampling of homemade (aka Cathy-made) pastrami. Probably some noodle kugel, too. I did have a suggestion of potato pancakes, but I made those already a few years ago.

Regards,

Sold. I already find this a fascinating topic and the word pastrami is a powerful attractor. See you there

WBEZ’s Chicago Amplified partners with Culinary Historians by recording our programs and making them available for broadcast on demand at their website or downloadable to an iPod. Our most recent program:

Pastrami on Rye: An Overstuffed History of the Jewish Deli
http://www.wbez.org/series/chicago-ampl ... eli-104433
December 15, 2012 @ Kendall College

Jewish delis in a pickle: In New York, Jewish delis, which once numbered in the thousands, now total a few dozen. L.A. landmarks are also closed or struggling. Food prices, more restaurant choices are partly to blame.

"There's nothing that can bring back the centrality of the deli in either Jewish life or American life," said Ted Merwin, an expert on Jewish culture and a professor at Dickinson College in Pennsylvania. "There's no way they're going to survive in the numbers they once did."

Merwin thinks Los Angeles' thriving ethnic food scene is partly to blame.

"It used to be that delis had a very loyal customer base who would come in every day," he said. "But now, with the restaurant industry in L.A. exploding with thousands and thousands of new options, why would they?"