After reading my Post subsection on the YLC, one of the FOB (Friends of the Blog) wrote of an "institutional Kashrut experience:"
"Good morning. Thanks for the laughs and for reminding of a true story as I was there. (We) had (a) conference in Tucson (not Phoenix but essentially the same part of the world) and they knew that the meals had to either be kosher or acceptable to several of us who keep kosher. Our lunch meal of that particular day was fish with a cheese melted over it. The taste was awful and then we understood the type of fish and how it was prepared. The restaurant manager told us the fish was “gefilte” and the sauce on top was Parmesan – Yes, the chef had prepared gefilte fish Parmesan." (Some changes to protect the source.)
This, in turn, reminded me of a family experience, somewhat different. My wife's family holds a beautiful Pesach seder each year. The family had grown so much that the seder had to be moved to a hotel in Chicago's northwest suburbs. The Hagadah reading ended and the waitstaff began to serve. To begin, ten waiters literally paraded into the banquet room each balancing a large tray covered with a silver cloche. On cue they raised the covers and there they were: ten large challahs.
More stories out there?
Rwexler
When I began my tenure as the Exec of the Orlando Fed (1972) there were no kosher caterers in town.
ReplyDeleteSo, for our major gifts dinner I instructed the chef to make sure everything was dairy.
When I arrived to check out the room the chef was very proud to tell me that besides everything being dairy he had a 'kosher' surprise for me.
In the middle of the beautiful display of lox, cream cheese, etc, there was, in the shape of a Jewish Star, kosher chopped liver!
Kudos, both stories are hysterical. Loved the "kosher tuna melt". At least their hearts were in the right place.
ReplyDeleteI worked for a glatt kosher hotel for a number of years. We routinely fielded complaints from religious French jews that we wouldn't heat up their Shabbat hot chocolate on demand.
It's an interesting world.
Kosher Tuna Melt would have been at least edible, but according to what RW said it was gefilte fish parmesan - yuck.
ReplyDeleteAnon -they probably thought that gefilte fish is in effect, kosher fish i.e. the Jewish version of tuna. I've found over the years that misperceptions regarding what is and isn't kosher are huge.
ReplyDeleteI do agree thought that gefilte fish parmesan is about as foul an idea as I can imagine. I'm not sure I'd want to know exactly what was going on in the chefs mind when he came up with that one.
OK, friends, I think it time that the tuna melt/gefilte fish melt debate come to an end. Thanks
ReplyDelete