From the kosher news ticker
Here are few interesting pieces that came over the ticker in the last week or so…
A FISHY TRADITION
The Forward expounds on the Rosh Hashana minhag to eat fish heads. There are at least two Yiddish holiday food traditions they missed, which is surprising, as the Forward began as a Yiddish daily. 1) Carrots. In Yiddish, they’re called “mer’n,” which also happens to be the verb “to increase,” i.e. the wish to be fruitful and such. 2) Cabbage Soup. The Hoshana Raba liturgy makes frequent mention of “kol mevaser,” or “proclaiming voice,” which sounds an awful lot like “kohl mit vasser,” or cabbage with water.
HAWAII GETS A KOSHER DELI & CATERER
From Chabad.org, we learn of Yudi’s Deli, a new restaurant & caterer on the Hawaiian island of Oahu.
TOFUTTI SOUR SUPREME TO DITCH THE TRANS FATS
Vegetarian Belly reviews Tofutti’s sour cream substitute and reports that they’ll be ditching the partially hydrogenated nonsense sometime soon.
NATIONALIST UKRAINIAN PARTY DEMANDS BOYCOTT OF KOSHER PRODUCTS
The thinking goes that kosher food supports Zionists who support Israel, and Israel is somehow trying to conquer Ukraine and destroy its economy. I’d recommend a counter-boycott of Ukrainian products, but I’ve never, ever seen one in this country. While these nuts frantically uninstall ICQ from their computers, I guess we’ll just avoid Ukraine’s “ferrous and nonferrous metals” or something.
SAN FRANCISCO TO LOSE KOSHER DELI
Deli owner can’t manage to keep business closed on Shabbat and still pay the bills, drops supervision.
GETTING TO THE BOTTOM OF EXORBITANT MEAT PRICES
Apparently, AgriProcessors will put customers in touch with regional distributors for making bulk orders, with lots of money to be saved. Some of the 63 comments generated are worthwhile, if you skip past the vegetarianist rants.
WHEN IN ROME, ACT JEWISH
Ynetnews has a nice little travel guide for the kosher visitor to Rome, listing observance-accommodating accommodations and kosher restaurants (including delicious-looking non-dairy pizzas).
OH, THE CONVERSION IS COMPLIMENTARY
The Forward reports on a German beer called “Simcha” that’s kosher certified (which, by the way, is unnecessary) and is potentially connected to the local Jews for Jesus chapter (also completely unnecessary).
JUST TURN DOWN YOUR VOLUME FIRST
Gary VAY-NER-CHUK samples three kosher wines — Pardess Reserve Merlot, Hevron Heights Syrah Reserve, and Covenant Napa Cabernet Sauvignon — in this spirited video chock full of … NFL predictions and hilarious wine descriptions.
Has anyone heard anything about Bodavi in Newton lately? There have been some rumors that they are closing and I am wondering whether that is so. Thanks.
I was just at Bodavi a few days ago, and there were no indications that they are closing. Also, there were plenty of customers, so it is unlikely they would close (although I suppose it could be sold if the owner wanted to get out of the business…).
Having partaken of the food from Yudi (in Oahu) and from Da Michele (in Rome at their old place Zi Fenizia) I can tell you that they are both worthwhile.
Yudi provides a service that is truly missing from Hawaii - Kosher food, and when we ordered from him the sides and salads were abundant and tasty, even if the main fare wasn’t exactly gourmet.
As for Da Michele… I can’t speak for the new place, but Zi Fenizia had THE BEST pizza I have ever eaten. If you are in Rome, you MUST make that a stop.
I just got back from Hawaii a couple of weeks ago. I picked up some sandwiches at Yudi’s Deli. The food was decent and I’d definately go back. (though there aren’t any other kosher options that I know of..)