Monthly Archives: December 2008

Knish ~ on a cold winter’s day

31 Wednesday Dec 2008

Posted by in Bronx, Humor

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On the way home from work today, I stopped at the ONLY Jewish deli  in the city, to pick-up an order I had called in – pastrami on rye and a knish. 

 

 While waiting in the pick-up line, the clerk and I started talking, with the clerk finally asking, “You’re not from around here, are you?”  “No – I’m originally from NY.”   ”Then you know Jewish food – right?  She continued, “Well, I just started working here and embarrassed to ask anyone, but what’s a knish?” 

 

I choked back a giggle – she’d been serving them and packing them, but hadn’t had one, hadn’t even broken one apart – god forbid. 

 

A typical knish (ka-nish) in NYC, looks like a fried, pastry rectangle about an inch or so thick, 3 to 5 inches long, and inside is mashed/chunky potatoes.

 

It’s served hot, you can eat it wrapped in a paper napkin in your hand, or on plate to cut and use a fork.  You drizzle mustard on it – spicy brown is the usual – and then dig in. 

 

That’s the usual but they can be square, baked, or round and not closed, filled with potatoes and – spinach, mushroom, pastrami, etc.

Recipe     

 

Of my years in the Bronx, I remember the food – the ethnic / cultural / racial diversity of food.  Jewish Challah bread and Irish soda bread; Irish Corn Beef and Cabbage and Hungarian Goulash; Puerto Rican pigeon peas and rice; African-American red beans and rice and barbecued pigs feet; German hot potato salad and cold pickled pigs feet; Italian spaghetti w/sausage and meatballs in the gravy – tomato sauce in the Bronx is GRAVY!

 

About knishes – it always amazes me that different cultures/ethnicites individualize each others foods – a knish by any other name could be a pierogi, an empanada, a calzone, or almost any other stuffed dough “pocket”.  Even a Chinese fried/steamed dumpling.   Enjoy!  

 

What’s your cross-cultural, or unique, favorite food ? 

A Pearl ~ Please & Thank You

27 Saturday Dec 2008

Posted by in Humor, Pearls of Wisdom

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I think I’ve grown wiser as I’ve grown older, not that I’m old, because we all know that 60 is the new 40.  But, as a Baby Boomer, I’d like to share some pearls of wisdom I’ve learned along the way.  I’ll try not to lecture or rant but you’ll notice I’m not without fault, so please bear with me.

The pearl - Please say please – and Thank You and You’re Welcome and May I Help You, and all the rest of the civil niceties.  Please say them often, thank you; particularly if you’re clerking in a retail store.

Shopping on two Black Friday’s in one month this year, I heard, “That’ll be $37.50. Credit or debit?” /  “That’ll be $104.30.  Credit or debit?”  /  “That’ll be $9.60.  Credit or debit?”

Never once did I hear “That’ll be $37.50, please.  (I hand over card and clerk takes card)  Thank you.  Credit or debit?  (Clerk asks and I reply)  Thank you.”  

Even at lunch with a friend, after hitting the stores all morning, we took a break at a real sit-down restaurant.  The only thank you we heard was from the maître d’/greeter, who, as we left, said, “Thanks ladies, come again.”  Ugh.  I think that’s the land-level equivalent of the airline’s “bah – bye.”

I was shopping mostly for women in stores geared to woman, so all of the salesclerks I ran into were female,  none of them seemed to be over 30, they all looked like that size zero you hear about, and although their hair wasn’t extremely high, most of them reminded me of that ’80′s “Valley Girl” syndrome, except they lacked the chipper part.  Okay, “chipper,” is probably hard to do in a recession. 

But if you’re behind a counter and are lucky enough have a job, even a seasonal one, you could work yourself up to at least, be civil, please. 

I’ve worked a checkout register and was instructed/trained/forced to say please and thank you.  If I didn’t, a supervisor would quickly bring it to my attention – one way or another and sometimes publicly in front of the customer – oh wait, I’m having a flop-sweat flashback. 

I want someone saying Thank You when I hand over my money because eventually it’s going to be part of that person’s paycheck.  That’s why it’s called CUSTOMER SERVICE!  (Rant – told ya’ I wasn’t perfect)

A breather - You can tell we didn’t hit Nordstrom, where everyone says please and thank you, then walks around the counter to hand you your package in the aisle, not backhandedly push it along the counter like it suddenly, magically has turned into a bag  filled w/dog poop. 

But those clerks work on salary plus commission, which proves that money does talk – it says PLEASE and THANK YOU, which is fine w/me, thank you very much. 

And thank you for taking the time to read this.

The Christmas Letter ~ 2008

20 Saturday Dec 2008

Posted by in Humor

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Hi folks ~ Just to stay in touch and bring you up-to-date with what’s been happening at our house.

After almost ten years with the mortgage company, Dan was unexpectedly demoted, and in a very, and I do mean very, generous plea agreement, Dan has agreed to perform janitorial services for the next five to ten years in situ.

Everyone agrees  it’s the best outcome – after all, maintenance staff is always revered in any company.  Since all the liens and suits are settled, we’re really thrilled Dan has this opportunity for restitution and the Fed’s have promised, that after this penalty phase, we’ll have plenty to live on.

In the meantime, the county club Board of Trustees is graciously allowing us to rent the caretaker’s RV up at Lake Comengetit.  This time of year it’s peaceful,  and they’ve assured us, that as long as we keep the plywood on the door and windows, the bears, coyotes, and other wildlife are really quite friendly.

Unfortunately, Kenneth wasn’t doing as well as we hoped in his first year at U of Z, so he’s back home now attending the local vo-tech.  Kenny’s even been able to fit in a job as a “vacuumer” at the all-night car wash.  Being home actually makes it easier for him spend more time with Little Mary Sunshine, his pregnant girlfriend.  Although, during this winter solstice season, their political and cultural differences are beginning to surface with just a teensy-weensy bit of tension.

On a good note, Daphne is again repeating her junior year at DeBunk High, but this time, she’s carrying a lighter load, which includes jewelry assembly.  I’m sure she’ll breeze through – she just loves that bling!  And more good news – Daffy’s ankle monitor comes off in the spring, and her license should be reactivated just in time for summer vacation, so she can get back to spending quality time with her same old friends.

Sadly, Uncle Bud, (from the Light side of the family), passed away this year.  His drinking got the best of him when he decided to install his Dish TV himself directly to the electric pole behind his house.  Service was out for a few hours but the electric company finally relented to permitting Aunt Dee to make monthly payments.    

As for me, I’ve had to cut back on my mani’s & pedi’s – but to fill that gap, I’ve decided to go back and get that degree I started all those years ago in Home Economics.  I actually think it’s karma – the maintenance staff always told Dan how they loved getting my individually wrapped Cheapskate’s Meat Loaf as New Year gifts, particularly since I attached the recipe card highlighting the economical advantages of using all those holiday leftovers.

Happy Holidays, love to all, and to all a – well, you know.

How to Speak With a CSR/Customer Service Representative

13 Saturday Dec 2008

Posted by in Humor, Pearls of Wisdom

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I think I’ve grown wiser as I’ve grown older, not that I’m old, because we all know that 60 is the new 40, but, as a Baby Boomer, I’d like to share some pearls of wisdom I’ve learned along the way.  I’ll try not to lecture or rant but you’ll notice I’m not without fault, so please bear with me.

The pearl ~ Bearing with/through someone/something.  We’re not all perfect, you’ve heard it before, but tolerating life’s annoyances is one of those lessons you should learn. 

You can skip over this pearl – but you may not be able to skip over the dim-bulb of a person you’re speaking with when trying to straighten out an issue on a bill, a dispute with the cable company, or anything having to do with a utility company.   

Yelling, speaking faster, speaking over the person, cursing, or threatening may help, but both you and the CSR will doubtlessly have high-blood-pressure-headaches at the end of the confrontation conversation.

The advice ~ When, after you’ve chosen what language you’ll be speaking, you’ve punched in all the numbers asked of you, and you’ve waited for 27 minutes or they’ve responded so quickly you’re unprepared and still gathering up the paperwork you need, you finally do reach a human, do not speak first, wait – wait until the rep acknowledges you.  Jumping down the rep’s throat will not help.  You should have been taking advance of the wait time by doing your taxes – duh.

  •  Do not utter a word to the CSR until they ask you for information. 
  • Right here, right now, you’re allowing them the time to bring up your account, giving them a breather so they can collect themselves from the previous obnoxious caller, providing them with the time they need to focus on your call and on your account – which is what you want after all.

After a few more formalities, the rep will finally ask, “How may I help you?”

This is what you’ve been waiting for: your opportunity to “bear with them.” 

  •  Immediately ask the rep what they need to know about your issue from you, then ~
  • Wait for their response, then, and this is the hardest part of all,
  •  Continue to allow the CSR to run the show.

Yes, I know it’s giving up control when you’re the one with the problem, but keep in mind, that the  rep is probably sitting in a boiler-room, cheek-to-jowl, with a million other rep’s, staring at a blank template on a computer screen, when all the rep is doing is asking the correct questions to get the answers , to fill in those blanks.

 While at the same time, the CSR is wondering why you can’t give just them the info they need/want, in the precise and prompt manner they’re requesting it, so they can process the form, sort out the problem, and then move along to the next caller who’s been on hold for that 5 to 9 minutes of wait time.  (Holy crap – was that a lecture or what?)

Now, if none of this works to your satisfaction, just ask to speak to a supervisor and this time, you take the breather, and try to start the entire process over again.   

Anyway, fill in the blanks correctly and you’ll pass go; incorrectly and, take it from a me, you’ll be put on hold quicker than a New York minute.

 Learn to bear it and I never used the word GRIN!

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