April 04, 2012
Young Seltzer Men in the News
There aren't that many people in the seltzer delivery business. There are even less who began their work in the 21st Century. So its rare to see news coverage of the young turks. This past week, however, there were two - yes, count them, 2! - different articles, on two different new seltzer men - one in Florida and one in Pittsburgh.
Read about Ryan Pinnell in Florida, in "Seltzer home deliveries beginning to bubble," and John Seekings in Pittsburg, in "Pittsburgh Seltzer Works Offers Fresh Summer Fizz from Swissvale."
A sign of things to come, or just the approach of Passover?
Posted by Barry Joseph, The Effervescent Jew (bjoseph) at 11:10 AM | Comments (0)
March 15, 2012
Celebrate the 1st National Egg Cream Day!
Today, March 15th, celebrate the 1st National Egg Cream Day the only way one should: with an egg cream!
Learn more about places to observe the day, and more about the egg cream, here.
Posted by Barry Joseph, The Effervescent Jew (bjoseph) at 11:01 AM | Comments (0)
February 28, 2012
Muppets and Egg Creams
This past September, the official Sesame Street channel posted this video, in which Snuffy and Gordon want a "Mr. Hooper Egg Cream."
Posted by Barry Joseph, The Effervescent Jew (bjoseph) at 05:10 PM | Comments (0)
February 23, 2012
Jahn's Soda Shop
First opened in 1897, Jahn's (pronounced John's, was an old-fashioned ice cream parlor and restaurant with locations in the New York City area and Miami-Dade County, Florida, and was famous for its huge Kitchen Sink Sundae. They used to be all over the city. Now the last one, in Jackson Heights, Queens is the only one still operating. Well, it's actually a Greek diner, but their MENU is Jahn's, which I will feature below after a photo of my daughter enjoying her Egg Cream. A visit just to read the menu is worth the trip, but don't ask the waitstaff what any of it means, as no one knows!
Posted by Barry Joseph, The Effervescent Jew (bjoseph) at 11:22 PM | Comments (0)
Farmacy Egg Cream
Farmacy is a remarkable Soda Fountain in Brooklyn. When the weather gets warm, I drive through the borough just for the egg cream. And I mean, come on - look at that beauty! Who can resist?
Posted by Barry Joseph, The Effervescent Jew (bjoseph) at 11:18 PM | Comments (0)
February 04, 2012
Video with Richie Strell, the seltzer siphon king
Mel Stuart, the director of the original Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, made this video for a TV show which was never to be. This segment takes us into the home of Richie Strell, the seltzer siphon king. Although this show was never produced, Richie has a copy and was generous enough to share it with me so I could share it with all of you. Richie gave me a fantastic interview which is central to the segment in my book on the history of, and current interest in, the seltzer siphon. I am glad to be able to share this, as Richie such an interesting and knowledgeable person.
Posted by Barry Joseph, The Effervescent Jew (bjoseph) at 08:59 PM | Comments (0)
December 06, 2011
Something funny, something horrible
I see I have been posting more on the Facebook group this season, and not here. So here are two images, one to make you smile and one to make your groan:
New seltzer cartoon in the New Yorker!
Polar Seltzer's newest holiday limited edition flavors: Eggnog, Candy Cane, Pumpkin Spice and Granny Smith Apple:
Posted by Barry Joseph, The Effervescent Jew (bjoseph) at 02:36 PM | Comments (0)
August 30, 2011
First book rejection
So this month I finished the book proposal and we have begun to shop it around. Last week I was excited to get my first book rejection. Why was I excited? Because after more than 5 years of thinking about and writing the book, a reject somehow makes it feel all more real. And I know there will be many rejections before the book finds it home, so this first rejection means we are on out way!
So why was it rejected? The editor felt like the book has a limited audience with readers mainly in NY, FL, CA and Pittsburgh. You can imagine what I think about that...
Posted by Barry Joseph, The Effervescent Jew (bjoseph) at 01:05 AM | Comments (0)
August 29, 2011
Curating the Great Egg Cream Debate, at the Forward
This week I wrote a piece for the Forward's blog about the debate over the best way to make an egg cream. I interviewed a few egg cream "experts" then opened it up to their readers. It was a lot of fun to put together, and even more fun to watch the debate unfold.
The Great Egg Cream Debate
By Barry Joseph
There’s something about an egg cream that can bring out the debate in some people. “There is egg cream on your face,” wrote one reader, “if you fall for those explanations of the egg cream.” Another simply wrote “Hogwash!” Luckily these were letters not to us but the New York Times, throughout the 1970s, in response to articles making one claim or another about the correct way to mix the drink. No egg cream article comes without a slew of detractors. Luckily our readers were more polite in response to Leah Koenig’s recent article, “Egg Creams Make a Comeback”, but were no less contentious. When Koenig described the delicious drink re-imagined to include maple, coffee, and even olive oil, some readers cried foul.
Arguments over the correct way to make an egg cream are nothing new. Disagreements can arise about the ingredients (most traditionalists say nothing will do but Fox’s U-bet chocolate syrup, milk and seltzer), the order they’re placed in the glass, or the proper length of the mixing spoon. As a publication of record, the Forward might not be able to settle this historic debate, but we can at least contribute to the latest round. We want to hear from your thoughts on the new breed of egg creams, from the return to classic to the provocative nouveau. To get it started, we asked a range of experts for their take on the topic, inquiring, “What do you think of non-traditional egg creams?” Check out their positions below and add your own.
Daniel Humm is the executive chef of the rarefied Eleven Madison Park, which now serves every table an egg cream composed of vanilla-malt syrup, organic milk, olive oil, sea salt and seltzer.New York is a constantly evolving city, and with that, its cuisine evolves as well. I certainly love the traditional egg cream – it is almost an art form – but what I love more is that this city allows us to re-create our own versions of the original. And that’s what cooking is all about—finding inspiration from somewhere and then using your creativity to make it your own. I know that it is hard to accept change, but in a city of constant forward movement, we must embrace it!
Josh Konecky is the owner of New York City’s Eisenberg’s Sandwich Shop which opened in 1929.
Would I drink one? No. Our restaurant is not going to branch out into anything other than chocolate, vanilla, and coffee (when I can find it). Eisenberg’s is a very traditional place so I stick with the traditional way to make an egg cream.
Jeremiah Moss writes the blog Jeremiah’s Vanishing New York a.k.a. “The Book of Lamentations: A Bitterly Nostalgic Look at a City in the Process of Going Extinct.”
This trend of dressing up the egg cream and slapping a big price tag on it is part of a larger trend in which foodies take the ordinary food of ordinary New Yorkers, like hot dogs and pizza, and upscale them for a more affluent and “discerning” clientele. It’s not unlike the movement of the wealthy into poor and working class neighborhoods. The new egg cream becomes “artisanal” and “exclusive,” just like the new real estate across the Lower East Side. So you could call this the gentrification of the egg cream. It’s a hostile takeover. Leave the egg cream alone — it’s perfect just the way it is.
Amelia “Madame Bubbles” Nahman runs her “Egg Cream Cart” in San Francisco’s municipal parks, in front of bakeries, and at Bar and Bat Mitzvahs.
I think non-traditional egg creams are great. I’m a traditionalist with a broad world-view. I make vegan egg creams with dark chocolate syrup, and I try to use biodegradable cups and paper straws because my audience demands it. I have seen egg creams in bottles, and can’t bring myself to drink one. The food universe is an evolving place, and our tastes fall in and out of fashion.
Posted by Barry Joseph, The Effervescent Jew (bjoseph) at 09:54 PM | Comments (0)
August 24, 2011
Video of the Eleven Madison Park Egg Cream Being Made
Ah! Just came across this video of the new take on the Egg Cream being made at the four-star Eleven Madison Park. What do you think? Would you drink it?
Posted by Barry Joseph, The Effervescent Jew (bjoseph) at 11:17 PM | Comments (0)
