Daniel Rogov

I am in agreement with Diana. The thing to do in such circumstances is to get up from your table, speak quietly with the person in charge of the restaurant and request shifting tables. No reason is necessary but the best comment might be "I'm sorry for the inconvenience but would very much appreciate it if we could shift tables" Any decent restaurant will respond positively to your request unless the restaurant is already quite full. I also agree with others that having spoken with the people at the next table was not appropriate. The responsibility here lies between you and the restaurant staff.

Mmmm....Velveeta....Wasn't that the stuff they gave Socrates to consume in order to shut him up?

The rules in most good European restaurants: 1. The wine menu is either given to the obvious host/hostess of the table or to the person who requests it. If neither of those happens the wine menu is placed in a central place on the table 2. The tasting privilege goes to the person who has ordered the wine. 3. If the person tasting is not fully certain that the wine is as it should be it is his/her privilege to have a small amount poured for one other person at the table for additional tasting or to ask the sommelier to taste the wine.

Falsified olive oil is almost as big a business enterprise in the Middle East as are poppy flowers and cannibas sativa.

Paula, Hi..... In the few cases where I have encountered the terebinth berries, they have either been eaten raw or steeped in olive oil to add a sweet-sour hint to the oil which is then used in salads such as tabbouleh. My experiences are limited to Israel and Turkey but I understand that in parts of Sicily they are also used as a garnish to lamb dishes. Now you've got me curious as well about their possible use in pies.

Some of the very best dining on the island (and in town) is from the pushcarts on the street, those manned mostly by fairly old women and selling all kinds of local treats. Not to worry about the water in which these things have been steamed for the steaming process lasts at least 24 hours and whatever in the water that might have hurt you is by now quite dead and harmless.

Oh yes.....the skin of the salmon fillet, especially when grilled, is indeed a delicacy.

Your reference to two specific dishes indicates that you indeed want to go in the direction of Eastern European Jews and that is fine, but whether it would be profitable or not is another story altogether. It would certainly not attract the observant crowd for, as several have already pointed out on this thread, being "kosher-style" has something akin to being "a little bit pregnant". For the observant, food is either kosher or it is not. For the less observant, frankly I am simply not sure how many would go to a regular restaurant (you have not stated the style of cuisine in your establishment) to dine on matzo-ball soup or knishes. They might though go to a restaurant where the Italian, French, Turkish, Greek or whatever food was kosher-style.... but that would take a good deal of knowledge on the part of your chef/cook, for (again as pointed out earlier) certain combinations are forbidden (e.g. milk products and meat in the same meal) and simply using some substitutes (e.g. artificial cream products for cream) creates cookery known as "bad" while others (e.g. smoked goose breast for bacon) can be quite good. In short, a good deal of reflection is called for before you decide because you might, by lack of experience or knowledge, risk offending more than pleasing your potential audience. Whatever you decide, best of luck....

I have to ask what you mean by "kosher style". Are you, for example referring to what most people think of as "Jewish food" - that is to say the kitchen of Eastern Europe (e.g. cholent, kishke). I also have to ask what you mean by "typical" restaurant food because if it is not "Jewish food" (either Sepharadi or Ashkenazi) that you are referring to, I do not know the differences between kosher "style" and regular food.

Perhaps my little article at http://www.stratsplace.com/rogov/four_days_alsace.html might help.

Not very long ago, Daniel Bourillot died. The world goes on much as it was, however, because most people are blissfully unaware of the fact that Bourillot ever even lived. In truth, even most of those who had come in contact with him probably never knew his name. Bourillot was, after all, "only a waiter" and the fact that he died six months after he celebrated his 100th birthday was merely a curiosity. I first met Bourillot, who was a waiter at the restaurant in the "Touring Balance" hotel in Geneva, when he was a far younger man - a mere seventy. Even then, however, Bourillot was far more than a mere waiter. He was a professional, a man who took his job with seriousness and pride. As most European waiters, he had started his career at the age of 12, working as a "piccolo" - an apprentice waiter whose job includes clearing dishes from tables, cleaning ashtrays and mopping floors after the last customer has gone home. At sixteen, to the great pride of his parents, he was promoted to the rank of assistant waiter and by twenty-two he was acknowledged by his peers as a full-fledged waiter. Only when he attained the age of 58 did he finally attain the status of being the senior waiter in the restaurant. Bourillot could have retired with a good pension at 75 but so enjoyed his work that he chose to continue at the restaurant. Even when he celebrated his 100th birthday, he continued to work four days every week. It is true that he had assistants who carried the heavy trays and did the most difficult parts of his work, but he insisted on personally greeting his regular clients, seating them, taking their orders and presenting them with the bill. I last saw Bourillot about five years ago. At that time he proudly boasted that he had been to the funerals of "three wives, three owners of the hotel and more chefs than I can remember". He attributed his longevity to his daily habit "of drinking a small glass of white wine with my morning croissant, a carafe of red wine with my dinner, and a very small glass of eau-de-vie de framboises just before I go to sleep". Whatever his personal habits, Bourillot knew, as do most of his European colleagues, that whether people have chosen to dine in a prestigious or an ordinary restaurant, the waiter is of no less importance to the success of a meal than the chef. He was also privy to a great secret - that as go-betweens between the chef and the diner, waiters have the option of transforming the most ordinary meal into an absolute delight or of changing the greatest gastronomic delights into an ordeal of pain, suffering and embarrassment. Bourillot would have been absolutely shocked at the level of service found in many restaurants. In honor of his memory, I have compiled the following list of personal complaints, a compendium of the sins most often committed by waiters, waitresses and maitres d'hotel. To his great honor, during his long career, Bourillot was never guilty of any of them. On Entering a Restaurant - I have nothing but contempt for the waiter, waitress or maitre d'hotel who ignores me after I have entered and leaves me standing at the entrance or in the foyer of their restaurants. No guest should have to wait more than sixty seconds to be greeted after they have entered a restaurant. - I sense hostility in waiters whose first words are "A table for two?". It really does not take very much time to greet one's clients with a polite greeting. "Good evening", or "Hello" will do. - Especially at restaurants where I am not known (and this happens most often in cafe-restaurants and fast-food eateries), I become upset by waiters who greet me with the kind of warmth and affection usually reserved for one's family members of lovers. Such greetings are so obviously artificial that they are offensive. - I smile, but only barely, when waiters ask me banal or useless questions such as" "May I help you"? Obviously they can help me. Otherwise I would not be standing there. - Especially in prestigious restaurants, waiters frequently surprise me by forgetting that every client has a title, even if it is only "sir" or "madame". - Far too many waiters have forgotten that in addition to being a rampart of civilization, politeness is also the basis of good service. The ideal waiter, for example, will be friendly but not familiar and formal but not stiff. They should realize that with few exceptions when regular clients ask them about their health they should reply "I am well, thank you" and not give a detailed medical bulletin. - I become agitated by waiters who inform me that my table "will be ready in five minutes" when they know full well that it will be at least twenty minutes. I much prefer honesty because that gives me the option of choosing another restaurant or sitting at the bar and enjoying an aperitif until my table really is ready. - When being seated, some guests will request a specific table and if that table is not reserved, there is no reason why their request should not be granted. Other guests, usually in a party of two, will sometimes request a table that is generally used to seat four. If the restaurant is not crowded and if a rush of guests is not expected, the couple should be given the larger table. Many, including this writer, will be deeply offended if they are forced to sit at a table for two when all of the larger tables are still empty. Once I Have Been Seated - Once I have been seated, I do not enjoy having to wait for ten or minutes until my waiter finally decides to bring me a menu. - Once the menu has been presented, I become upset by waiters who cannot answer my questions intelligently. If I want to know, for example, whether the shrimp in a certain dish have been boiled or fried, the waiter should either know or should check for me. I absolutely despise the answer "How should I know?" - I rapidly develop a sharp sense of dislike for waiters who have to be constantly reminded to keep my water and wine glass filled or that the ash trays on the table should be replaced as they become dirty. - I have no respect for waiters who, when they bring your dishes to the table ask "Who gets what?". This question shows a lack of concern for me and waiters should be well enough trained that they remember which dish goes to which person. - Although service need not always be formal, it should always be correct and careful. I do not appreciate waiters who place dishes on the table noisily; I become frustrated by waiters who do not know the correct locations of forks, knives and spoons; and I fume quietly when waiters treat my food with disdain. - I do not like waiters who feel that they can ignore me once they have placed the food on my table. It is perfectly acceptable in the middle of a meal to realize that something extra is needed (extra sauce for a salad or a pepper grinder, for example) but there are few things more frustrating than when one cannot catch the eye of his waiter. - If I receive a dish that I consider inferior and want to return it to the kitchen, I do not want the waiter to fight with me. If I have received a dish that is not what I ordered, I do not expect the waiter to become aggressive or defensive. I expect that my dish will be replaced. When, for example, as happened to me recently, I received an omelet that was hot on the surface but cold inside, I did not appreciate the waitress who looked at me as if I were quite insane and remarked "that's ridiculous ". I do not expect my waiter or waitress to enter into a battle of wills with me. I expect polite, good service. - I never get upset with waiters who make honest errors. Even the most dedicated and experienced waiters have occasionally spilled soup on a customer. In cases of minor incidents, waiters should do no more than apologize quietly. In the event of a major accident on the part of the waiter (an entire bowl of soup in a customer's lap, for example), the waiter should apologize and the owner or maitre d'hotel of the restaurant should offer remuneration. Under no circumstances, however, do I appreciate a waiter who denies his or her responsibility or becomes aggressive. - Even customers make errors (using the wrong fork with the wrong dish, spilling soup onto the tablecloth, knocking a wine glass over), but no matter what faux pas guests commit, they should never be made to feel silly. I actively dislike waiters who try to make their customers feel guilty or foolish. - Too many waiters, both male and female, tend to relate to women as if this were the 19th century. I do not appreciate waiters who ignore the women and listen only to the men at the table. Nor do I appreciate waiters, especially in "better" restaurants who automatically assume that men will order for women. I also become upset when wine is automatically given to the man at the table for tasting. Waiters should be taught that members of either sex are equally qualified to taste wine. They should also be taught that it is terribly bad manners to address a woman only through their male companion. Women also have voices and opinions and it is time that most waiters learned this. - Because children have no rank and nothing can be gained from them, it is especially easy for waiters to be rude to young people. I have a special grudge against waiters who have such an attitude. - There are few things more disturbing to me than seeing a waiter with a finger in a glass or in my bowl of soup. - I do not know why most waiters cannot learn that even in the simplest restaurants, life can be more comfortable for all involved if only they would serve dishes from the right and to clear them from the left. More than correct etiquette, this allows a logical flow of action, especially at large tables when more than one waiter may be serving. - For some reason, many waiters have never learned to judge the appropriate moment for removing dishes from the table. If one person at the table finishes his or her meal before the others, it is not appropriate to clear their setting before the others have eaten because this gives guests the feeling they are being rushed. (An exception to this rule should, of course, be made if a guest asks for his plate to be removed). From the moment the last person at the table has completed their meal, clearing should be done as quickly and unobtrusively as possible. - I hate nothing more than having to make desperate attempts at any time during my meal to catch the eye of my waiter. There is a world-famous cartoon (originally published in the "New Yorker Magazine" in 1936) about the restaurant guest who is having a heart attack and, when he finally manages to catch the eye of a waiter, the waiter responds by saying "I'm sorry sir, but its not my table". Although should not be expected to serve tables other than their own, they should respond politely to requests and refer them to the waiter who is serving that table. No matter whose table it may be, no waiter should ignore simple, polite requests. After The Meal - Like most people, I like to receive my bill promptly after I have finished even the most leisurely of meals. Because too many waiters think their job is over when they have given my coffee or brandy, many an otherwise enjoyable meal has been spoiled for me by trying desperately to get a bill. - I do not like waiters who, once they have presented the bill, then linger at my table waiting for payment. The waiter should retreat to give me a chance to review the bill before I make payment. If I have questions about the bill, my questions should be answered promptly and politely (and not, as so often happens, defensively) and once I have put cash, a check or a credit card on the table it should be quickly picked up. Change should also be made quickly. - Once the bill has been paid, too many waiters and maitres d' hotel really show their scorn by ignoring customers completely. Guests should be thanked. They should also be asked if everything was to their satisfaction. Even though most departing clients will not respond in depth to that question, the maitre d'hotel or owner who is seeing them to the door should be prepared to listen to any complaints or comments his guests may have had. If clients go to the trouble to say what they really feels, they should be taken seriously. Let it be known that I have enormous respect for waiters, regardless of whether they are life-time professionals or students working part time, if they add to the pleasure of my meal. I do not expect waiters to grovel before me, nor do I perceive them as my personal servants. I do, however feel that I have the right to respect and good service and when I receive these I reciprocate with respect and a good tip.

Shalmanese, Hi.... Let me disagree about snobbishness. I'll be the last to deny that there are snobs (of the wine and culinary varieties) and they are to be scorned. On the other hand, not everything to do with change stems from snobbery. Nor does resistance to "the new" (which is not always "the better") indicate that one is a Luddite. Aesthetics, tradition and quality are important to many. Snobbery does not have to enter into the forumla.

The gods of aesthetics (well, at least my gods of aesthetics) scream out in rage, fury and frustration. Is there no limit?

As in chess there is a time to request a draw or sometimes even to resign, in the case of Velveeta, I yield.

Weird but very, very cool!!!! Questions: How long do you store them? How do you store them to keep them from going wormy or worse?

Glorified Rice, Hi..... I'm all for chacun a son/sa gout (each to his/her taste) and was certainly exaggerating just a bit in the sake of humor. On the other hand, I cannot feel that there must be some limits. What for example would we two think of a food product whose major ingredients are diglycerides, sodium stearoyl, lactylate, polysorbate 60, dipotassium phosphate and sodium acid pyrophosphate as well as the nearly unpronounceable hydropropylmethylcellulose. Finally,in order to give us the illusion that these things are real food,they also contain artificial color and taste materials, withoutwhich they would probably taste similar to the plastic bags we receive at supermarkets*. The products in question are the sweet cream and whipped cream substitutes sold under the brand name of "Rich". To the best of my knowledge there are three categories of people who use these products – those who are lactose intolerant (and I have no bone whatsoever to pick with those people), those who keep kashrut and thus avoid combining milk and meat products in the same meal and those who use dairy substitutes because for some reason or another they have an absolute terror of anything that hints of cholesterol. Like Velveeta (in my opinion), Rich is edible and will probably do us no harm whatsoever. Neither in my opinion is tasty and neither adds joy to our lives as food is supposed to. As once I wrote about a completely different product: "This stuff is edible. Why anyone would choose to eat is eludes me".

Velveeta....wasnt that one of the things listed in the Old Testament as "an abomination"???

Carrot Top..... The Palladin story is an amusing one indeed. In 1995, along with Michael Ginor (of Hudson Valley Foie Gras Fame), Todd English and several other American chefs, Jean Louis was invited to prepare a celebratory meal at Tel Aviv's Sheraton Hotel. The meal, of course had to be kosher. The job of preparing the goose liver opening course (sliced sauteed liver with a wild berry sauce) fell on Palladin and he set to work with gusto. Well, at least until the mashgiach informed him that he could not merely pan fry the foie gras but first had to sear the liver in order to drain it of its blood. Palladin realized that this was going to kill the goose a second time, so he sent two of his assistants to talk with and thus distract the mashgiach while he quickly did what he had to do with the livers. Whatever the mashgiach was, stupid he was not, and after his discussion with the two line chefs came over to where Palladin was working and scooped all of the goose liver into one of those large green plastic garbage pails that you find in so many kitchens. Palladin had a fit but I, along with one of my colleagues were planning on smuggling that garbage pail out to a taxi and shipping that foie gras home. The mashgiach, however, had the last word as he went to a storage closet, returned with five gallons of bleach and poured it over the liver. I suppose that along with Palladin, I wanted to strangle the mashgiach. I did manage to restrain myself. Palladin, in his fury, resolved never to return to this "crazy country". The story does have a happy ending though. When Palladin was invited to be one of the chefs at the 3000 Year meal for Jerusalem (referred to above) at first he refused but after thinking on it, accepted. Because he now had some hint of what awaited him in the way of the kosher kitchen he decided that he would outdo all kosher cooks before him. At his own expense, he paid a Washington D.C. mashgiach (Jean Louis was then at the Watergate) a full year's salary; twice weekly had goose livers, quails, oil, herbs, spices and even bread crumbs flown over from Israel so that he could practice and perfect the dish. As I said above, the dish was superb - so much so that after a single taste I walked into the kitchen, grabbed Palladin, kissed him soundly three times and then helped myself to three more portions - two for myself and one for the very nice young woman who was sitting alongside me at my table. The only kosher chef who has ever matched Palladin in a fully kosher kitchen since then was Raphael Cohen during his tenure at the King David Hotel in Jerusalem. But that's yet another rather long story..........

Harry, Hello.... Chefs from the world over, including Japan, Hong Kong Jordan, Israel, the USA, Canada, France, Turkey and Greece (among others) are running diligently to do mini-stages at El Bulli and then coming back to their own restaurants, tins of El Bulli's patented products in hand to do what they think is "their own thing". Some are doing it in full meals, others simply using molecular gastronomy as an add-on to their regular dishes. For my thoughts on some of these shenanegans see my related post in the Middle-East section at http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=104886

Steven, Hi..... At the risk of a bit of heresy, and to paraphrase Woody Allen rather loosely: "Of course God cares. That's why She created oysters"

And then there is the story (quite true, for I was there to witness it) of when the great Joel Robuchon was one of the chefs invited to prepare the gala meal to celebrate the 3,000th Anniversary of the founding of Jerusalem. What Robuchon and the other great chefs (including among others Marc Haeberlin, Jean Louis Palladin, Michel Lorain, Gualtiero Marchese and Pierre Troisgros) knew about the laws of kashrut was, for all practical purposes, nil but with the aid of local chefs they somehow managed. All that got in the way of Robuchon was when he insisted that his sauce could not possibly be made without bacon. The mashgiach (kashrut supervisor) informed M. Robuchon quite politely that bacon was not kosher. Robuchon, with a truly confused look on his face replied: "But your holiness, its only a very little bit of bacon". I think the mashgiach was pleased with his new title but not even 1/100th of a gram of bacon went into that sauce. And if anybody wants, I'll tell the story of about Jean Louis Palladin and of how 50 kilos of the world's finest foie gras wound up in a trash can because of kashrut. PS. Mimi Sheraton was present at the dinner. I wonder if she recalls as I do that the only really superb dish of the evening was Palladin's quails stuffed with goose liver?

Perhaps only peripherally related but what always amuses me, albeit in a somewhat pathetic manner, are all of those people who do not keep kosher at home but, when they come to visit Israel, immediately take on all of the laws of kashrut. And more than that, condemn the vast majority of Israelis who do not maintain kashrut and to whom shrimps, lobsters, meat and dairy in combination and sometimes even pork are a normal part of the diet. As Yul Brynner put it so nicely: "Is a puzzlement"

Maureen, Hi.... Check Josephus for sources at Massada.

Whiffle, Hi.... I have the original script on hand and can vouch for the fact that when he told her of the meal on which he dined, Babette was the one to "reveal" that she had been the chef.

Carolyn, Hi.... Very,very close but not fully on the mark. Women were often allowed in kitchens during those days, as bread or pastry chefs (e.g. Bonfinger, Maison Doree) or as assistants to sauce chefs (e.g. Procope). Indeed not as a chef-de-cuisine, and in no role whatever at the Cafe Anglais at which she told the Genral she had worked.