Eight affordable gifts are just around the corner
for each day of Hanukkah or Chanukah (we have been wandering for many years in
search of the answer) with the Jewish holiday beginning on Tuesday, December 12
and ending Wednesday, December 20.
Known as the Festival of Lights, and commemorating the defeat of Greek
emperor Antiochus by the Maccabees, the celebration is about lighting candles,
playing with a dreidel and eating as if you are transferring the oil directly
into your body. The best thing to remember about Jewish
holidays is...”we fought, we won, we pray, we eat.”
There is a long standing tale regarding Jewish
people’s craving for Chinese food with several purported reasons, one being
that Chinese restaurants were the only ones opened on Christmas day. Another is that Chinese cuisine and eating at
a kosher deli have one thing in common: no dairy.
What better way to turn the tables than invite
Yeou-Cheng Ma and her husband Michael Dadap to join me in sampling the food at
Ben’s Kosher Deli at the Bay Terrace Shopping Center. Yeou-Cheng was born in France where she and
her brother Yo Yo first learned to play their instruments. While YoY o took up
the cello, Yeou-Cheng was given a violin. It was in their early years that the
family came to the US. Michael is from
the Philippines learning music and playing various stringed folk
instruments. Taking it more toward the
present, Michael and Yeou-Cheng own and run the Children’s Orchestra
Society. Yeou-Cheng, now an accomplished
violinist teaches while Michael is responsible for being the Artistic Director
and Conductor. Oh yeah…Yeou-Cheng is
also a pediatrician.
David Czegledi is the General Manager at this
franchise. I met him at the recent
annual Chicken Soup Cook-off where the deli took second place. He became the GM at this location this past
September. “I started in 1989 as the
manager in the Ben’s Deli Express located at the Broadway Mall in Hicksville.
Over the years I have worked in Greenvale, Carle Place and helped with the
locations in Kings Plaza, Freeport and Roosevelt Field.” Alex is the chef at
this Bayside location. Can David prepare any of the foods? He can but “since I don’t work in the kitchen
every day it would take me a lot longer.”
Back to the tables where my friends bring in their own
ceramic soup spoon and chopsticks. Say “what?”
Due to Dr. Ma working at the Albert Einstein School of Medicine since
1980 and it being a part a Yeshiva, she had become the keeper of the Jewish
Holidays since she had to work those days.
Yeou-Cheng gained a knowledgeable background of kosher laws. She told me that she first boiled and buried
the utensils. Come on…let’s have fun
with this. Yes, she even brought
utensils for me and that is how we dined.
David was now all on board with what we were doing. Table first gets set up with dishes of half
sour and sour pickles and another of Ben’s made-on- the-premises cole
slaw. A take on having wonton soup is
the chicken soup with kreplachs.
As we await a plate,
Yeou-Cheng hands me a Hanukkah gift saying that this is the first of eight. It is a can of olive oil not necessarily for
cooking but for the burning. Having conquered, Judah Maccabee obtained a
menorah to serve as a memorial. A small amount of olive oil was used, and
expected to burn for one day. Instead, the menorah burned for eight days and
declared a Miracle. Although most
menorahs are made to burn waxed candles, there are many that use oil.
A platter arrives with three signature dishes. Stuffed cabbage Hongroise: “a generous
cabbage roll filled with lean ground beef, a little rice and our special
seasonings, in a sauce that cries out for rye.”
We were already given breads to accompany the food. Hey, but why dip in bread when you have a
spoon?
Chicken Fricassee: “succulent chicken pieces and
meatballs in a flavorful grown gravy.”
When I was growing up my mother made this but using only the wings of
the chicken. It wasn’t an expense in
those days. Delish!
Hungarian Goulash: “cubes of lean beef, gently
spiced and simmered with peas and fresh garden carrots. Served on a bed of egg
noodles.” David had told me that he is
of Hungarian background and therefore a maven on this savory item.
Chanukah’s most significant fried food is latkes
noted for using potatoes with a consistency similar to hash browns. Potatoes are usually grated adding onions,
eggs and matzo meal. We each had a
bountiful sized served with apple sauce.
I have personally never figured
out why it is served this way since we don’t top any other potato dish with
this nor dip French fries in it. It
works, and is a “tradition.”
Latkes can be prepared with other added vegetables
such as zucchini, spinach or sweet potato and will be available only for the eight
days.
Being at a deli, we have to sample the deli meats all
prepared on the premises. Ben’s Kosher
Deli is known for their pastrami and having their sandwiches “stuffed.” We sampled: brisket, corned beef, pastrami
and tongue which has become a “delicacy” the way chicken wings have
emerged. Years ago cows still had only
one tongue and chicken two wings. Nu?
Just like derma we were stuffed. For me, a meal is not a full meal until I
have dessert. Mini-rugulachs of
raspberry and chocolate.
What I enjoyed
about these was the soft texture. I
noticed some bars of chocolate covered halvah in the dessert display. Another item that has become a “delicacy.”
Incidentally, Ben’s Kosher Deli has a bright new
party room as well as a special Chanukah family dinner for 6. Call: 718-229-2367 or check out the menu on
their website www.bensdeli.net. They are located at 211-37 26th
Avenue.
Note: I later found out that Esther and Eunice came by for food to go.
Party room
