Save the DeliSave the Deli
As a journalist and life-long deli obsessive, David Sax was understandably alarmed by the state of Jewish delicatessen. A cuisine that had once thrived as the very center of Jewish life had become endangered by assimilation, homogenization, and health food trends. He watched in dismay as one beloved deli after another--one institution after another--shuttered, only to be reopened as some bland chain-restaurant laying claim to the very culture it just paved over. So David set out on a journey across the United States and around the world in search of authentic delicatessen. Was it still possible to Save the Deli? Join David as he investigates everything deli-- its history, its diaspora, its next generation. He tells about the food itself--how it's made, who makes it best, and where to go for particular dishes. And, ultimately, he finds hope.--From publisher description.
The story of the Jewish deli follows the story of the Jewish diaspora. But delis and their food have fallen dramatically in number and quality over the past few decades. David Sax set out on a mission to find out why--and whether there is any hope to SAVE THE DELI.
David Sax's delightful travelogue is a journey across the United States and around the world that investigates the history, the diaspora, and the next generation of delicatessen.
David Sax was alarmed by the state of Jewish delicatessen. As a journalist and lifelong deli lover, he watched in dismay as one beloved deli after another closed its doors, only to be reopened as some bland chain restaurant laying claim to the cuisine it just paved over. Was it still possible to save the deli? He writes about the food itself—how it’s made, who makes it best, and where to go for particular dishes—and, ultimately, what he finds is hope: deli newly and lovingly made in places like Boulder, Colorado, longstanding deli traditions thriving in Montreal, and the resurrection of iconic institutions like New York's 2nd Avenue Deli. No cultural history of food has ever tasted so good.
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- Boston : Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2009.
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