Save the Deli: In Search of Perfect Pastrami, Crusty Rye, and the Heart of Jewish Delicatessen
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Part culinary travelogue, part cultural history, Save the Deli is a must-read for anyone whose idea of perfect happiness is tucking into a pastrami on rye with a pickle on the sideCorned beef. Pastrami. Brisket. Matzo balls. Knishes. Mustard and rye. In this book about Jewish delicatessens, about deli’s history and characters, its greatest triumphs, spectacular failures, and ultimately the very future of its existence, David Sax goes deep into the world of the Jewish deli. He explores the histories and experiences of the immigrant counterman and kvetching customer; examines the pressures that many delis face; and enjoys the food that is deli’s signature. In New York and Chicago, Florida, L.A., Montreal, Toronto, Paris, and beyond, Sax strives to answer the question, Can Jewish deli thrive, and if so, how? Funny, poignant, and impeccably written, Save the Deli is the story of one man’s search to save a defining element of a culture — and the sandwiches — he loves. Publishers Weekly “This is a book about Jewish food,” Sax's prologue reminds, “and it would be a shame to read it on an empty stomach.” It's true; just a few chapters in, and you'll find yourself hungry for hot pastrami sandwiches, matzo ball soup, maybe even ready to try some gribenes (chicken skin fried in chicken fat). As freelance writer Sax explains, however, it's getting harder and harder for even the best delicatessens to stay open; the profit margins on sandwiches are atrocious, and young Jewish families tend not to embrace the food the way their ancestors did. Still, Sax has found a few truly outstanding delis, and not just in New York City—joyful moments in this otherwise elegiac travelogue come with the discovery of delicious schmaltz in Colorado, or the legendary smoked meats of Montreal. Along the way, he interviews deli owners, meat cutters and customers, digging deep into local histories wherever he visits. The well-crafted portraits don't string together perfectly, but individual chapters shine—such as the passages on the death and rebirth of Manhattan's Second Avenue Deli or the disappointment of Poland's attempts to reinvigorate a Jewish culture almost obliterated by the Holocaust. A helpful appendix includes addresses of all the delis Sax discusses and then some; readers in the right cities are sure to start planning visits straight away. (Oct. 19)
Introduction Part One: New York, Nu?1 Next! Behind the Counter at Katz's Delicatessen 2 From Pushcarts to $15 Sandwiches: A Nosh of New York Deli History 3 Formica Philosophy: Why New York Needs Its Jewish Delicatessen 4 Pastraminomics: The Dollars and Senselessness of the New York Delicatessen Business 5 Death of a Deli: The 2nd Ave Deli Part Two: USA: Coast to Coast with Latkes to Boast6 Detroit: Motown's Deli Blues and Michigan's Suburban Jews 7 Chicago: Can Deli Return to the Windy City? 8 The Yucchuputzville Diaries Part 1: Goy West Young Man (St. Louis Kansas City—Denver—Boulder—Salt Lake City) 9 I Left My Kishkes in San Francisco 10 Los Angeles: Hooray for Hollywood 11 Las Vegas: Luck Be a Brisket Tonight 12 The Yucchuputzville Diaries Part 2: Schmaltz by Southwest (Scottsdale—Austin—Houston—New Orleans—Atlanta—Washington) 13 Florida: Where Deli Goes to Die Part Three:Travels in the Deli Diaspora14 Montreal: A Smoked Meat Kingdom 15 Toronto: Home Bittersweet Home 16 London: God Save the Deli 17 The Fine Art of Jewish Delicatessen in Belgium and Paris 18 Krakow: Heartburn from Poland's Tortured Past Epilogue Deli's 2nd Coming ( Just Off 3rd Ave) Food and Yiddish Appendix (for the goyim or woefully assimilated) Listing of Delis Acknowledgments Illustration Credits Index
