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In 1903, the Jewish Daily Forward, which always closely scrutinized these trends, reported that a new word had entered the Yiddish language: oysesn, or "eating out." To dine out--not at a friend's or relative's house, but at an actual restaurant--had been unheard of in the old country (and up until that point, even in the new), but the Forward noted that this stylish habit was "spreading every day, especially in New York."
Daniel Sax ("Save the Deli") writes about a family owned delicatessen called Gottlieb's in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. "Set on the most prominent corner of the Satmar Hasidic community (the most insular and strictly Orthodox of Brooklyn's religious Jewish communities), Gottlieb's is one of the few places in New York where you can experience the feel of a deli as it was more than a century ago. Inside, Yiddish is the lingua franca. English, spoken only to non- Jewish goyim...is pronounced with a thick accent.
Gottlieb's hums along in the same way that it has since the day it opened in 1962. Menasha Gottlieb, like his father, Joseph, and grandfather, Shloime Zalke, stands behind the counter with cousins and employees, all male, all Jewish, all bearded and with curly peyos of varying lengths, dangling from their temples."
"Ve don't vant to change it all de vey around, Menashe Gottlieb told Sax. "People like de old style, especially dese days."
Children would certainly be welcome at Gottlieb's deli. Large families are normal.
Let's f-a-s-t forward. "Me ken meshugeh veren!" (You can go crazy) from all the new rules being established by restaurants.
Remember the Soup Nazi episode on "Seinfeld"? Jerry and George get to the soup stand. George follows the procedure but notices that he did not get a FREE bread with his soup order. Jerry tells him to let it go, but George asks for some, and is told he will have to pay $2 for it. When George objects, claiming that everybody in front of him got FREE bread, he is told that the price for bread is now "THREE dollars!" When George continues to protest, he quickly has his money returned and his soup is brusquely taken back, with the catchphrase "No soup for you!"
During another visit to the "zup" stand, when Sheila will not stop kissing Jerry in the line of customers, the Soup Nazi orders her out of line and Jerry is forced to pretend he does not know her. "No bread and no fruit!" the Soup Man yelled to his three helpers when a hapless fur-clad woman tried to change her order from mushroom barley to chicken chili. The Soup Man believes that each transaction should take only seven seconds a customer.
Some longtime fans of Al Yeganeh said the whole "Nazi" thing was overblown, and called him an artist. Another fan, when asked if she minds that she doesn't get service with a smile, said she didn't care. "I just want the soup."
The Olde Salty, a North Carolina eatery, has posted signs prohibiting children's uproar.
"SCREAMING CHILDREN WILL NOT BE TOLERATED."
The signs tell some parents that their patronage is unwelcome. The owner, Brenda Armes, said, "It's not very enjoyable when you hear a bunch of kids screaming." Not everyone agrees. One local woman said that she believes the sign is downright illegal. Another woman, Kelly Chambliss, the mother of an autistic child, accused Armes of discriminating against special-needs children. She said, "Please don't shut them out because they don't fit in the perfect box everyone wants them in."
Zack of Binghamton, NY, wrote, "Cheers to Mrs. Ames and her "No Brat Policy!!!!" If you can't control your kids, don't take them out. No one should be subjected to unruly kids."
The result: It has been a business boon!
And "Spike's," a restaurant in Chicago, posted the following sign on the front door:
"No Collarless Shirts, No Gang Tattoos, No So-Called Gluten Allergies, Lactose Intolerance, Diverticulitis, or Other Sissy Affectations."
Yet, those customers who gain admittance, can't say enough about the 3 1/2 lb. Choker, a patty of raw coarse-ground beef tongue slathered in peanut butter and blue cheese dressing concealed inside a loaf of Wonder Bread; or the ranch dressing milkshakes with Baco-bits and pickled chard.
And in Monroeville, PA, one can dine without loud talking or unruly children. Mike Vuick, the proprietor of McDain's Restaurant, a "glaykhgiltik" (casual) dining establishment bans children under the age of 6. Vuick says he decided on the new policy after receiving complaints from customers about noisy tykes and crying babies at neighboring tables. In Yiddish, we would say that it was "tumldik."
As for Vuick's complaint about the "kinder,"
he says that while he personally has nothing against kids, he thinks that crying
and screaming in restaurants is "the height
of being impolite and selfish."
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Marjorie Gottlieb Wolfe says, "We all know
that children don't magically morph into
polite and well-behaved children. It takes
training.
"Makh nit keyn tsimes fun dem." (Don't make a fuss about it.) We need to lighten up. We can't control every situation. And, by the way, never suggest that your children order liver, tuna casserole, or prune juice. They'll scream, "Take us to Chuck E. Cheese's NOW!"
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