Bagels, deli sandwiches and gefilte fish are only a few of the Jewish foods to have crossed into American culture and onto American plates. Rhapsody in Schmaltz traces the history and social impact of the cuisine that Yiddish-speaking Jews from Central and Eastern Europe brought to the U.S. and that their American descendants developed and refined. The book looks at how and where these dishes came to be, how they varied from region to region, the role they played in Jewish culture in Europe, and the role that they play in Jewish and more general American culture and foodways today. Rhapsody in Schmaltz traces the pathways of Jewish food from the Bible and Talmud, to Eastern Europe, to its popular landing pads in North America today. With an eye for detail and a healthy dose of humor, Michael Wex also examines how these impact modern culture, from temple to television. He looks at Diane Keaton's pastrami sandwich in Annie Hall, Andy Kaufman's stint as Latke on Taxi and Larry David's Passover seder on Curb Your Enthusiasm, shedding light on how Jewish food permeates our modern imaginations. Rhapsody in Schmaltz is a journey into the sociology, humor, history, and traditions of food and Judaism.
This is no bobe mayse (cock-and-bull story) from a khokhem be-layle (idiot, literally a "sage at night" when no one's looking), but a serious yet fun and funny look at a language that both shaped and was shaped by those who spoke it.
Yiddish for Every Occasion (When English Just Won't Do) Michael Wex. just say nu also by michael wex Born to Kvetch Shlepping the Exile.
“I'm not afraid of death”: Woody Allen, quoted in Lee Eisenberg, The Point Is (New York: Twelve, 2016), 170. “The putrefaction of human flesh”: Halkin, After One-Hundred-andTwenty, 20.
The book offers practical, down-to-earth advice for American-born Jews who did not have the benefit of a traditional Jewish education.
When Goldie gets sick and can't make the cholent, her neighbors bring dishes they made to share with each other.
Thomas Mann meets Mordecai Richler in this outstanding novel of great intellect and humour that already reads like a classic.
Wex, Rhapsody in Schmaltz, 77–82. 5. Berg, “From Pushcart Peddlers,” 73. 6. The 2008 Agriprocessors scandal widely revealed that kosher slaughter could be inhumane. See Gross, Question of the Animal. See also Sussman, “Myth of the Trefa ...
“Sam Levenson!” Stevie's head hit the door and Mrs. Gurfein winced. “Sam Levenson and Jack Benny, Jr., that's what he heard, laughing and throwing snowballs at the orphan and me. And not just any snowballs, either.
The Book of Schmaltz acts as a primer on schmaltz, taking a fresh look at traditional dishes like kugel, kishke, and kreplach, and also venturing into contemporary recipes that take advantage of the versatility of this marvelous fat.
By the late 1930s, leading Orthodox rabbis had lost patience with Goldstein. Pardes doubtless reflected sentiment among his peers when he complained to Hungarian rabbi David Schlussel, “Your honorable Reverend has thrown his letter to ...