Is the Pastrami Sandwich Killing Jewish Delis?

Complete video at: http://fora.tv/2010/02/09/Referendum_on_the_Jewish_Deli_Menu

Peter Levitt and Karen Adelman, proprietors of Saul's Deli in Berkeley, CA, discuss the economic, social, and environmental costs of the iconic pastrami sandwich. Levitt says the giant sandwiches are killing off independent delis across the nation. He supports making the sandwich smaller and the meat better.

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This excerpt is taken from a program titled "Referendum on the Jewish Deli Menu," featuring Karen Adelman, Peter Levitt, Gil Friend, Evan Kleinman, and Michael Pollan. It was recorded in collaboration with Berkeley, California's Saul's Restaurant and Deli, on February 9, 2010.

What does sustainability mean for the future of Deli cuisine and culture? Local, organic versus industrial systems, externalized costs of cheap food and...collective memory and food traditions.

Even "authentic" cuisine can obstruct progress towards more just, sustainable food. How does a business committed to being part of the solution persuade traditionalist customers of the importance of change?

For example, towering pastrami sandwiches once signified success, security and abundance, an immigrant's celebration of the American Dream. But given the realities of meat production in America today -- 99 percent is factory farmed -- how can we continue to stand by this as an icon? What taste memories and flavors of The Deli have been provided by an industrial food system?

How can we look at our nostalgia critically? How might we evolve a shared cuisine together and how can we bring our people along with us -- away from grieving the disappearing deli, into the conversation and into the future? - Saul's Restaurant and Deli

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• sustainability
• economics
• value
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• resources
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• scarcity
• example
• farming
• agriculture
• livestock
• meat
• beef
• farms
• sustainable
• fora.tv
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• peter
• levitt
• karen
• adelman
• jewish
• community
• center
• sauls
• deli

[2JOHNNYT]

If you think that sandwich is pornographic lady your hubby ain't giving you enough salami!!!

[blairzel]

Only in Berkeley...PC bullshit. No self respecting Jew takes these flakes seriously.

[cathoman7]

1:39

"Ya see I - I can't eat one of those."

"No, who can?"

"Nobody can."

Sir, Madam,

CHALLENGE ACCEPTED.

[froggy4u1964]

what about the economy of supporting that ladys fat ass.Now im hungry so im off to sauls.

[OZMS1518]

This is what tax supported- tenured twats do for a living?

[ItsSomeDeadGuy]

This isn't about liberalism. This is about people debating the economy of a goddamn sandwich.

I'm sorry what

[benficaking1]

WOW, wtf, this is not about liberalism, It's about JEWS, they want to save money in everything, fuck that.

[nytmstr]

Liberalism is a Severe Mental Disorder and that should be the title of this video.

[MyAccount4TrollingU]

What a bunch of liberal twats. "more sustainable meat"? FUCK OFF.

[ihsxps]

Who hasn't brought home a towering deli sandwich and made three sandwiches out of it? Maybe they could sell their sandwiches by the pound, or have a fixed price and let us choose a tower of meat, or proportionately less local grass fed beef.

I used to make special trips to Berkeley to visit Black Oak Books, and if I had any money left over, I'd stop in at Saul's Deli next door. The book store's gone to Amazon now, and I haven't been back to Saul's for a while. I'd hate to lose them, too.

[thesparitan]

@8889brian And we fucking hate ignorant morons with no sense of reality like you, so I guess we are even.