2/27/12

On eating Jewish...

Some questions as we ponder the nature of the relationship between foods that signify Jewishness while having nothing to do with kashrut or Judaism:

Now that we have turned our attention away from food as a religious concern and toward food as a signifier of culture and eternity, one might ask, what is "created" about Jewish food in America? ("Created" here is opposed to "original," that is, what are the differences between foods of the first (immigrant) generation and foods of the second and third generations?)

"Safe treif." Discuss.

Maybe this is a West Coast-based bias, but I don't read Chinese food quite as Jewish as it once was. Is there a -different- ethnic food that serves as the "new" Chinese?

How much does the public imaginary have to do with the coding of some food as "Jewish" while others are not?

Why is the bagel Jewish? Or, is the more germane question: how is the bagel Jewish?

B-I-N-G-O Tav HaYosher edition

Should you be looking for a way to get one more BINGO spot, here's a quick list of restaurants in California that have a Tav HaYosher hekscher:

CALIFORNIA
Los Angeles
Shawarma Palace - 8879 Pico Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90035 (310) 777-0402

Le Shack Bistro at UCLA Hillel –  574 Hilgard Avenue Los Angeles, CA 90024 (310) 208-3081
Pico Kosher Cafe - 8944 W Pico Blvd., Los Angeles, 90035 CA (310) 385-9592
 
The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf: Hillel at UCLA - 574 Hilgard Avenue Los Angeles, CA 90024
The Nut House - 8664 W Pico Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90035 (310) 869 3124

Milky's Frozen Yogurt - 1429 South Robertson Boulevard  Los Angeles, CA 90035, (424) 354-3197

Mexikosher - 8832 W Pico Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90035, (310) 271-0900

Schnitzly
- 9216 W Pico Blvd Los Angeles, CA 90035, 424-249-3565

Northern California
12 Tribes - Jewish Community Center of San Francisco at 3200 California Street, San Francisco 94118 - 415.800.8594

Amba - 6464 Moraga Avenue, Oakland, CA 94611, (510) 339-8000

Grand Bakery - 3264 Grand Ave, Oakland, CA 94610-2739, (510) 465-1110

Oakland Kosher Foods - 3419 Lakeshore Avenue, Oakland, CA 94610-2307, (510) 839-0177

For a more complete list of restaurants all over the US (Austin! Seattle! Skokie!), head over to Uri L'Tzedek.

2/24/12

Enough about what makes food Jewish...

...let's start talking about what foods are Jewish! Shall we start a list? What're your top 5 "most Jewish" Jewish foods?

It is ON!

Welch's for Pesah? " Welch's Teams With Manischewitz in Battle Over Kosher Grape Juice " (NPR, 10/10/17)