Kepler's 2020 Project in the News:
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Books about obsessions are satisfying in the strangest way. The more peculiar an obsession, the more precise and particular and whole-heartedly believed in, the more likely it is to sweep you up in its enthusiasm. If a writer can convince you of their devotion to running, perhaps, or perfume, or, in this case, Jewish delicatessens, then they are well on their way to converting you, at least for the length of the book, to their passion.
David Sax writes about the Jewish deli with infectious enthusiasm. He cuts pastrami at Katz’s in New York, ponders the origins of the Jewish deli, explains the differences between kosher and glatt kosher, and takes a cross-country road trip in search of authentic deli outside New York. He insists it is the people that make the difference between a good deli and a poor one, and he shares their stories: sad, funny, ridiculous, uplifting. He also talks about the food, with love and mad, mad delight. I am a vegetarian, but his descriptions of deli meals made me crave fat marbled pastrami on rye, chicken soup with matzo balls and kreplach, and even the oozing, yellow excess of rendered chicken fat, which is blessed with the delectable name of schmaltz. Reviewed by Megan K |
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