THE EDUCATION OF ROSE DAWSON: PART II
Chapter Four
Satiation
“Are you in the mood for Jewish
cuisine?” Jenny asked Rose as the three exited the library and made their way north
on Essex Street. “Actually, it’s more like grub for the masses, but it’s very
good.”
“I am not
familiar with it, but I am willing to try it. Is it expensive?”
“Not in this part of town,” said
Amsterdam, “and they give you a lot for yer money. You won’t be hungry once
you’re finished.”
At Houston Street, they turned west
until they reached the intersection with Ludlow Street. On one corner sat an
eatery called Katz’s Delicatessen. Inside, a
small crowd had already gathered to place their orders. Rose had never seen a
deli this up close, so all the sausages and salamis adorning the walls and
windows, the barrels of pickles, and the tubs holding some kind of meat she
could not identify fascinated her. The sandwiches were big – bigger than what
would have considered appropriate for a lady. I doubt such tempting dishes were served in First Class on the Titanic! Any main course that only required your
hands to eat was out of the question.
The attraction of the unusual foods was
matched only by their aroma, and Rose could not help but salivate at the
prospect of satisfying her appetite for something on the deli menu. “What will
you be ordering?” she asked Amsterdam and Jenny.
“Their famous pastrami on rye,” said
Amsterdam, rubbing his belly. “It’s the best in the city.”
“I can’t eat
that much,” said Jenny. “A knish is enough for me.”
“What is a
knish?” asked Rose.
“It’s mashed
potatoes surrounded by a layer of fried dough. Very popular with the locals.”
“That sounds
delicious. Maybe I can try a little of that and
the pastrami sandwich.”
*****
While Jenny secured a table, Amsterdam
brought Rose up to a counter so that they could see their food being prepared.
Rose watched in amazement as a worker grabbed a steaming piece of meat from one
of the tubs she saw and skillfully cut it up into thick slices. That must be the pastrami. Then the
worker piled all the slices onto two big slices of rye bread until the meat was
at least two inches high and seemed ready to topple over. Then he liberally
applied mustard on the top, crowned each sandwich with two more slices of
bread, cut them into two halves, and added several pickle slices on the side.
“Now chew slowly to enjoy every bite,” he cheerfully advised Rose, who seemed
ready to tear into the sandwich. It was then that Rose noticed that she was
doing something she was taught not to do at finishing school.
She had been drooling, but righted
herself in time before the saliva dripped out of her mouth. The worker, who was
all too familiar with such a mesmerized look on many a customer, laughed to
encourage her. “Don’t worry, miss. You’re behaving just about right. I see that
face on most people when they see their food being made – even the ladies. Ess gesunt.”
“Pardon me?”
said Rose, who could not make out what the worker was saying.
“Ess gesunt,” repeated the worker. “It’s
Yiddish for ‘Eat to your health.’”
“Oh, thank you, sir. I think I will.”
Rose went to another counter with Amsterdam to pick up a couple of knishes and
three coffees. Then they paid for their meals and sat down with Jenny to eat.
Rose had trouble at first picking up the large sandwich without letting its
contents drop out, but soon developed her own method and opened her mouth wide
enough to take that first bite. Her taste buds would not be disappointed.
“So how do you
like it, Rose?” asked Jenny.
Rose’s mouth was full, so she excitedly
nodded her approval. It was one of the best sandwiches she had ever tasted.
After getting used to its size, she settled down and began to methodically
devour it, caring not for the mustard that got on her hands and lips. This is real food, she thought
blissfully as she finished one half of the sandwich before washing it down with
some coffee. She paused for a couple of minutes to let the food digest before
proceeding to the other half, which she polished off almost as quickly.
“Real Food”
All this time, Amsterdam had been
watching Rose eat, and she noticed the attention. His look reminded her of the
steerage party when Jack looked on in bewilderment as she downed a pint of
Guinness without stopping. She smiled complacently at Amsterdam. “Do you think
a girl can’t eat like a pig?” she playfully asked while still chewing her food,
phrasing her question to resemble the one she asked Jack.
“Then you must be the prettiest pig I’ve
ever met,” Amsterdam ribbed. That brought on a light slap from Jenny. “Sorry,
dear,” he said to his wife. “You’re pretty, too, but I can’t call you a pig
because I’ve never seen you eat like
that!” He tried to kiss his wife, but she rejected him this time because she
wanted to avoid his pastrami-on-rye with mustard and pickle breath.
Rose tried not to choke on her food as
she reacted amusedly to this good-natured fun poking. It was the second
straight day that she had eaten a sandwich, and while the one offered by Mrs.
Dearborn had heart behind it, Rose still had to take it with a measure of
etiquette because she was in the company of an upper class member of society –
a distant relative, no less – and she accepted it in exchange for her company.
The pastrami on rye, which was eaten with as much simplicity and little
restraint as possible, was a sign of deliverance. On top of that, Rose paid for
this meal, so she did not hesitate to let loose on it. The sandwich felt like a
new toy in her hands, albeit an edible one, and the pleasure in which she took
in consuming it was evident in her body English. She had conquered her fear of
expressing her passion for what seemed to be an average working class meal, and
it was not lost on her that just ten days earlier, she was dining in a very
different setting on Titanic, having
to maintain the strictest table manners, and hating it.
That moment now seemed as far away from
her as the wreck of Titanic was from
the surface of the Atlantic. Perhaps farther.
Even though it was her first time eating
such a large sandwich, Rose quickly learned to consume it like a regular diner
at Katz’s. She noticed Amsterdam and Jenny continuing to look at her with
curious delight, and she smiled back at them as she interrupted her chewing to
lick her hands clean of the mustard, which was almost flowing out the sides of
the sandwich. Then she briefly put down the sandwich for a pickle break. She
accentuated its crunchiness by chewing as loudly as she could.
The enthusiasm she displayed for her
food also made an impression on a female patron who sat down at an adjacent
table with a male friend. Apparently a first-time diner at Katz’s like Rose,
she was unsure of what to have until she saw how much Rose was indulging in her
sandwich. She was so entranced by Rose’s infectious table manners that when a
waiter came over to take her order, she was indecisive at first, but finally
chose something that was obvious.
“Uh, I-I’ll have
what she’s having,” said the woman as she pointed in Rose’s direction.
“Excellent
choice,” said the waiter.
*****
After finishing the second half of the
sandwich, Rose still had room for half a knish, while Amsterdam took the other
half. Jenny suggested that she apply mustard to improve its taste, and she
found the advice to be true. Her hands had also become greasy from touching the
knish, and she did not recall ever eating a meal this big without a single
eating utensil. At finishing school, she always had to use a utensil, even for
the smallest and simplest dining procedure. Not only were dirty hands
unacceptable, but dirty mouths and making audible sounds when chewing could be
met with punishment. Imagine getting into
trouble for eating the “wrong” way, as if there is only one “right” way to eat
something.
Even though the knish was Jenny’s
choice, Rose saw that she was having some difficulty eating it. Her worn out
teeth clearly did not allow her to enjoy it as much as she would have liked,
despite its softness, so she chewed each bite slowly before swallowing. Still,
she only ate about three quarters of the knish before she gave up and finished
her coffee instead.
“Are you all
right there, Jenny?” asked Rose.
Jenny gave her a reassuring look. “Don’t
worry about me, Rose. I could never eat as much as my husband…or you.”
“Do you need more
coffee?”
“One cup is
enough. Thanks.”
Rose’s attention turned back to
Amsterdam, who had also finished his sandwich and was heartily eating his half
of the knish. She figured that Amsterdam was a warrior not unlike those
warriors from hallowed antiquity, which she had to read about as part of her
orientation to the classics in finishing school. Warriors tended to eat well
before and after a battle – before a battle because they needed the energy to
fight and did not want to die on an empty stomach, and after a battle to
replenish their energy and celebrate a victory. Although the lunch at Katz’s
seemed to be one of Amsterdam’s “after” meals, it could also be a prelude to
his next battle, whenever that may be.
Rose finished her meal and the rest of
her coffee a few minutes later, and then sat back to let it all digest. She was
so full that she had to belch (another thing that was discouraged in finishing
school). Amsterdam and Jenny reacted with laughter.
“That must have been a good meal,” said
the woman who sat next to her and had ordered the same thing.
Rose slightly blushed before offering
her advice. “It was, thank you, and it will be your turn soon, madam. Just
remember to chew slowly to enjoy every bite.”
“I’ll try to remember that…starting
right now,” the woman added as soon as she saw the waiter return with the food
she and her friend ordered. Astonished at the size of the sandwich, she nearly
fumbled it before getting a grip on and compressing it enough to fit inside her
mouth. Her reaction indicated that it was as good as Rose said it would be.
“Good luck in finishing it,” said Rose,
who took a minute to study the restaurant once more. Delmonico’s this is not, but Delmonico’s never had such a good pastrami
sandwich, she deliberated as she compared Katz’s to her favorite restaurant
in New York.
Amsterdam was right. I am no longer hungry after finishing
this meal!