My mother did all the cooking to prepare for the holidays, she even made her own gefilte fish and horseradish. She could walk to the local grocery store, fish market and butcher to get whatever she needed for the holiday. Funny thing would happen, the owners of the shops always raised the prices of the items that were most in demand, especially the fresh fish!
Even as a child, I remember the heated conversations among the neighbors, "the nerve of the butcher or the fishmonger."
Today the hardest thing the hostess has to do is find the store that sells what is needed to give the holiday the taste and memories of the past.
This past week-end Rosh Hashanah - the Jewish New Year "5770" started.
For many years I have had family and friends for the holidays. Every year there are fewer people at the table. Even so, there is still lots do. I don't cook much from scratch anymore, but I still make my chicken soup and potato pudding.
This year Steve and Carol made the brisket and mandelbrot. The brisket was delicious and guess what one of the ingredients was?
"BEER." No wonder it tasted so good!
The chocolate mundelbrot was equally good - even though it didn't have any liquor in it!
Now getting back to what I said originally - one of the hardest thing that I had to do was find a store where I could get what I needed to make the holiday special.
Well as luck would have it, my friend asked me if I would like to join her on a trip to "The Butcherie" which is located in Brookline. She was willing to drive "over the bridge." The roads have changed, bridges have come up and driving through Boston "aint" what it used to be. If she was willing, I sure was!!
It was smooth sailing and we even got a great parking space. When you enter the store your immediate impression is "it's crowded, it's noisy, the isles are narrow and it's loaded with whatever you are looking for and MORE!"
I hadn't been to this area in years and it brought back so many memories - the wonderful bakery, the fish store and the Jewish Book Shop - they are still there, alive and well!!
What a wonderful way to start off the holiday!!