Comments on: Exploring Bnei Brak with Joan Nathan

By: Liz

Liz — Wed, 23 Mar 2011 10:52:05 +0000

Thanks Miriam I think there’s a place for both the old originals and modern twists. There’s no saying the modern versions will ever catch on, though.

All business was conducted in Hebrew or English. Our hosts spoke Yiddish amongst each other.

By: Miriam

Miriam — Wed, 23 Mar 2011 10:48:34 +0000

Just curious…did Joan speak Yiddish to the B-Brakers?

By: Miriam

Miriam — Wed, 23 Mar 2011 10:47:24 +0000

Interesting and varied post, Liz. Yes, Joan is totally warm and approachable – glad she approached you for the tour of Bnei Brak. It’s true that Ashkenazi food is under-appreciated – next to the far more flavorful, colorful Sephardic options it seems heavy and bland. Yet a goodly segment of Jewish society enjoys those cholents and kugels. I think they’re not represented enough in cookbooks and gourmet magazines. People want to lighten them up – I remember a gefulte fish cocktail on toothpicks featured on an online recipe blog. Puhleeze. Gimmee a break…g. fish is made to be eaten on a plate with a dollop of horseradish. OK – horseradish lightened with whipped cream is also good. Not just being a radical Ashkenazi here…my taste is far more towards Sephardic. But some foods are best served in their traditional forms because they won’t translate into modern. There. That’s my dogmatic statement for today.

By: Liz

Liz — Thu, 10 Mar 2011 08:31:18 +0000

Molly, Ariella sent me your blog a few days ago!

By: Laura

Laura — Thu, 10 Mar 2011 00:36:24 +0000

Wonderful post and wonderful article. What a treat it must have been to meet Joan Nathan.

By: Molly

Molly — Wed, 09 Mar 2011 03:49:37 +0000

Just found your blog via Ari Cooks. Oh my goodness, I would totally lose it if I got to spend an afternoon with Joan Nathan. As it happens, I actually read your Haaretz article yesterday, so it was quite fortuitous that I came across your blog today. Can’t wait to start exploring it.

By: Shira

Shira — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 20:23:40 +0000

Absolutely amazing blog post, can’t wait to finish reading your article in Haaretz! My husband is Israeli who loves Sephardi food and I’m 100% Ashkenazi. I am adapting to his tastes, but I refuse to give up my kugels! He looked at the photos of Yerushalmi kugel and groaned, I think he’s afraid of what it would do to his waistline.

What a wonderful opportunity for you to take Joan Nathan on a food tour! I hope she uses it in her next cookbook and I can’t wait to pick up her latest one once I find it in Jerusalem!

By: Cara

Cara — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 02:22:59 +0000

What a cool opportunity to spend the day with Joan! I would love to discover some really good Ashkenazic food; as much as I have my old favorites, I really love cooking and eating Sephardic style food.

By: Liz

Liz — Fri, 04 Mar 2011 08:42:52 +0000

Mark, your comment made me laugh I’ve heard good things about the Bnei Brak hospital’s approach to childbirth, certainly better things than I’ve heard about Ichilov.

By: Liz

Liz — Fri, 04 Mar 2011 08:39:37 +0000

Yael, it wasn’t really a tour. I found the places, but she knows her stuff!