Arthur Schwartz, food maven and cookbook author, has always had strong opinions about Jewish food — including everything from where to get the best pastrami in New York to the phrase “matzo ball soup.” His opinions are usually as salty as a kosher pickle, which is why The Museum of Jewish Heritage invited Schwartz to discuss David Sax’s first book, Save the Deli: In Search of Perfect Pastrami, Crusty Rye, and the Heart of Jewish Delicatessen. Schwartz wasted no time in playing the devil’s advocate. “Why should we save the deli?” he asked Sax. And with that, the two men launched into a lively discussion about the quintessential New York institution. Schwartz and Sax were introduced by the Museum’s Director of Public Programs, Elissa Schein.

Stream and download the talk here for free.

Bon Mots

On Why to Save Delis: "Food is one of the things that ties us to who we are and where we come from." —David Sax

On Why Not To: "Sometimes I walk out of a deli and I say, 'that place wasn’t worth saving.'" —Arthur Schwartz

On How Delis Have Changed: "What happened to deli food is what happened to a lot of food in America, which is that price trumped quality." —David Sax