Re: Cole Slaw (previously gilded inlay)

[Marlene Segelstein <cookfidl...>]

Well, (said long and slow, so as not to drop the toothpick), that's what you
git for eatin' at a place that has more'n 2 vegetables on the menu. As
they say where I'm from (Kansas City), if it ain't shiny, I won't eat it.

Cookie
----- Original Message -----
From: "Joshua Horowitz" <horowitz (at) budowitz(dot)com>
To: "World music from a Jewish slant" <jewish-music (at) shamash(dot)org>
Sent: Friday, January 18, 2002 10:57 PM
Subject: Cole Slaw (previously gilded inlay)


> The other night I had an urge to get a nice juicy (pronounce with hard "c"
> please) medium burger and a side of coleslaw. Any of you who know the
> Peoples Republic of Berkeley here in California know that it is easier to
> get a soy protein patty with gluten-free bread, a side order order of sour
> cream flavored fat-free potato chips and goat-milk yogurt shakes than it
is
> to get a genuine old fashioned red-meat heartmasher on a bun. Well, the
> waitress came round ...
>
> "Hi, I'm Theresa. I'm your waitress tonight. Can I take your order now?"
>
> "Hi, Theresa, um, yeah, I'll have a Hamburger, medium, and a side order o'
> slaw."
>
> "Ginger vinaigrette or soy-peanut dressing?"
>
> "Huh?"
>
> "We have two dressings on the red cabbage cole slaw -  ginger vinaigrette
or
> soy-peanut dressing. Which would you like?"
>
> "Uh, I wanted plain ole cole slaw."
>
> "Well we have cole slaw, but its made with red cabbage and a choice of our
> original dressings."
>
> "What about just a plain old side of coleslaw? You know, the traditional
> kind."
>
> "You mean, like, with sweet watery mayonnaise dripping off of wilted
> shredded white cabbage?" For a split second I could see the left corner of
> her upper lip go up in a snarl, returning ever-so-quickly to her polite
> smile.
>
> "Yeah, that's what I mean. Coleslaw. That's what I know as coleslaw."
>
> "We've improved it."
>
> "Well, can they just make an old-style cole slaw? You know, like for
people
> who aren't interested in new developments in the field?"
>
> "I don't think anyone here knows how. Why not try the new one. It's
> actually, like, I mean, its like, really good."
>
> Now, the normal course of behavior here in Berkeley would be to found a
> Coalition for Lactose-Based Secondary Foods and get a court order to
> prohibit the place from soiling the time-honored term and substance of
real
> coleslaw. We all know that traditional cole slaw consists of soggy
shredded
> white cabbage in a watery, sweet mayonnaise. There are of course regional
> variants, but traditionally these did not include red cabbage nor
ginger,nor
> soy, peanut or any other non-mayonnaise-based dressings. We all know what
> coleslaw is and this restaurant's version was not by any stretch of the
> imagination what we all know to be coleslaw.
>
> On the other hand, the variant at this restaurant sounded interesting. It
> was not really based on the original coleslaw, but it did carry the same
> name, and okay, they did use cabbage as the vegetable base, but not even
the
> right cabbage! Yet in all fairness, if we look in any lexicon, we will
find
> that etymologically, cole (cabbage) and sla (salad) merely designates a
> salad of cabbage. No dressing is even mentioned. In spite of that, without
> knowing the simple time-worn secrets of our traditional
> Fourth-of-July-throw-up-after-you've-eaten-too-much coleslaw, this little
> corner restaurant had single-handedly redefined the genre. At least for
> their local customers.
>
> Did they need an education to do this? Did they go out into the fields of
> Kentucky to find regional variants of the dish? Did they seek out the last
> acknowledged master of the coleslaw now living in the Appalachians who has
> been waiting to pass on the torch before gasping his last breath and
passing
> on to the next world knowing that he had not lived in vain?
>
> No. they did not. Without prior knowledge, they had forged their own way
and
> leaned on the term which, traditionally at least, actually defined another
> genre altogether, the only connection between the two creations being that
> their vegetable bases both hailed from the mustard family. But the key is
> the term they used.
>
> And so, in this little town called Berkeley, yet another tradition has
been
> born. One with only a peripheral lineage to the original, but indeed at
> least with a lineage to speak of. And all those 3rd generation
intellectuals
> sitting with their Communist Manifestos and cafe lattes in hand who sadly
> will never know the pleasures of heartburn and indigestion caused by the
> coleslaw of old, are now destined to live with their own new and improved
> version, radiant with color, but lacking the slothy, sugary delights of
the
> original. And when yet another generation comes, may they in turn have the
> decency to honor the ginger vinaigrette cole slaw before embarking upon
> their own new and improved variant, perhaps to be called the chocolate
> cinammon crisp cole slaw. Josh
>
> >From: Seth Austen <klezmusic (at) earthlink(dot)net>
> >To: World music from a Jewish slant <jewish-music (at) shamash(dot)org>
> >Subject: Re: gilded script on the inlay
> >Date: Fri, Jan 18, 2002, 9:26 AM
> >
>
> > on 1/16/02 11:17 AM, Joshua Horowitz at horowitz (at) budowitz(dot)com 
> > wrote:
> >
> >> Kick me for saying this, but there may be something to be said for the
> >> modern agents of change, which include
> >>
> >> mis-remembering verses; mis-learning tunes from written rather than
sound
> >> sources; mis-interpreting texts and generally missing the point.
> >>
> >> All of these are genuine catalysts of change, and whether we choose to
> >> accept them as valid or not, they are an inseparable part of the modern
> >> musical landscape. And most of the "mis-whatevers" were probably
formerly
> >> also catalysts for musical change and variance. Again, kick me for
writing
> >> this Judith. Really.
> >
> > Josh,
> >
> > This is a great point! I think there are many instances where we learn
from
> > a flawed source. Once people started recording music into a three minute
> > medium of 78's for distribution and sale in a commercial marketplace,
that
> > completely changed the tradition as it had previously existed. And yet
we
> > all gather around our coveted sound reproduction devices, hanging on
every
> > note of these reissues as wisdom handed down from on high. As well we
> > should, I might add. But our sources are not accurate resprentations of
what
> > the music sounded like at a Jewish wedding, or a Saturday night house
party
> > for that matter. They are accurate representations of what it sounded
like
> > in a recording studio, with a producer telling them, no don't do it that
> > way, do it this way instead. No, that song of your repertoire isn't
Jewish
> > enough, or blues enough...
> >
> > Many ethnomusicological recordings can also reflect the bias of the
> > collector. How many collectors didn't record something because it didn't
> > support a point they wished to make?
> >
> > OK, you can all kick me too.
> >
> > Seth
> >
> > --
> > Seth Austen
> >
> > http://www.sethausten.com
> > emails: seth (at) sethausten(dot)com
> > klezmusic (at) earthlink(dot)net
> >
> >
> >
>
>


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