Re: Cole Slaw (previously gilded inlay)

[Lori Cahan-Simon <l_cahan...>]

Josh, you have, once again, not only told a wonderful story, but also 
made a point.


Marlene Segelstein wrote:

>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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