World to End: Stage Deli Closes

[Dave (imported)]

When I worked in downtown Pittsburgh back in 1968, there were at least four Jewish and definitely Kosher eateries -- small counter restaurants.

They had spectacularly good lunches. And I think they thought I was a nice Jewish boy because I ate so well that summer.

Seriously, I would have eaten last night's spaghetti and meatballs but hot food was so much better.

They don't make tiny restaurants like that anymore.

Yay Nathans, Yay Pizza and pasta place.

[bobover3 (imported)]

The original Nathan's was in Coney Island in Brooklyn. It's still there, and that's where they hold the hot dog eating contest. I visited the original site a few times as a kid, and it was like visiting a shrine. The key ingredient is garlic. Not found in most hot dogs, it gives Nathan's a special tang.

Here's their web site - http://nathansfamous.com/PageFetch/getpage.php?pgid=31

[moi621 (imported)]

Nathans and Hebrew National give me a tummy ache. It's the excess paprika.

I miss Shofar brand.

[bobover3 (imported)]

Bah! Drinking the blood of Christian children on Passover probably gives you a tummy ache too. Kosher food should be enjoyed even if it makes you sick. I love real New York sour pickles - garlic and about a pound of salt per pickle. You could have a stroke just smelling them. But I bravely eat one whenever I can. Do the same with Nathan's.

[A-1 (imported)]

Oh SHIT!!!, Bob,

PULLLEEZE don't start in on him about the "blood libel"... ............

[bobover3 (imported)]

What "blood libel"? I drink up every Passover. Beats ginger ale.

[Dave (imported)]

A restaurant closed.

Lament the loss of food and not of anything imaginary.

[statenkid (imported)]

Nathan's in Coney Island will probably be closed until Spring 2013 becasue of Hurricane Sandy

[bobover3 (imported)]

Good food goes with emotion. It's linked to family, friends, and times past. The Stage was an evocative place for me. But life does move on. Still, people lament the passing of old sports stadiums, newspapers, buildings, amusement park rides, etc. Whatever conjures memories of the "good old days." In NYC, supposedly a hard place, almost every urban change is resisted by people sentimental about the history of old places and things.

The end of the Stage is also a sign of the demographic changes sweeping NYC. The ethnic groups that once dominated the city - Jewish, Italian, Irish, Polish, German - have been moving to the suburbs for decades, just as my family did, and are being replaced by new immigrant groups. That has changed the character of City life. The neighborhood delis which once dotted the city are now largely gone. The Stage was a relic of a vanishing past. For aging New Yorkers like me, the changes occasion strong feelings. So it's not just a question of where to find a good corned beef sandwich.

But you're right if you think this thread might have gone on too long.

[bobover3 (imported)]

So long as there are hot dogs there will be Nathan's.