Jews love complaining. Of course we don’t like talking about it, or putting it out in the open, but we can’t help doing it… it’s in our genes. Complaining and/or kvetching as Bubbie would call it, is a way of life for the Jews. Many Jews actually use their complaining voice as a substitute for a normal talking voice. It’s easy to hear such a voice when you read the sentences below.

• “Oh my god this sofa just isn’t as comfortable as it used to be. I remember when it felt like I was sitting on a cloud… now it just feels like a big rock under my touchas.”
• “You know this museum really isn’t up to par with the others in the city. For one, they had all that scaffolding outside… who wants to see scaffolding outside of a museum? And then the water fountain was spitting out warm water. The sink water was cooler. I had to drink from the sink and washed my hands in the fountain. I think I’ll go to a different museum next time.”
• “They call this a soup? It looks like mush. A good soup, and trust me I know a good soup, has a perfect balance between liquid and solid. This my friend, is a mush. This is for the birds. No, nevermind. What bird would eat this? No bird I know would eat this. I don’t know any birds… but I do know soups… this is no soup.”

Though complaining is frowned upon in most circumstances, as a Jew it is celebrated and even looked upon as a important part of being a Jew. How are you ever going to get the best if you don’t know how to complain about the worst?

*I’ve been asked about the baby pictured above… he is indeed a Jewish boy being groomed for a long illustrious life of kvetching.

Most Jews have their own personal favorite deli. Though they will visit hundreds, if not thousands, of delis throughout their lifetime, there’s always one they favor most. If asked, sometimes even when no one asks, they will recount their experiences of perfectly golden potato pancakes and tell you all about Evelyn, the waitress who always made sure their coffee cup was full. They’ll tell you what to order at what time of the day and remind you if you ever stop by there, tell the staff Cadillac Lou said hello and he still hasn’t had a better bowl of cole slaw.

Delis are a home away from home for Jewish people and as of recent they are a great way to meet Jewish people (check your local deli around 11:00am on any Sunday and you’ll see it packed full of Kosher customers chomping away at their favorite meal). Many deli’s are actually owned by Jews…but not because of the opportunity to be a successful business, but simply so they can eat free deli food everyday. Running a booming business is great…but running a booming business that also gets you free lox on your bagel every morning is what Jewish life is all about.

As long as delis are open they will be apart of Jewish culture.