chocolate, vanillin, sugar, corn syrup, pectin, citric acid, sodium citrate, natural raspberry flavor

I must stop eating these damn things.

Trader Joe's sells little nuggets of sugary goodness called, creatively enough, Chocolate Raspberry Sticks. They remind me of the Joyva Joy bars I used to get as a child at Zukin's Deli in Detroit. Walt Zukin was a big, big man who could quote at length from the Canterbury Tales in Middle English in a beautiful big voice; wedged behind the register of his place he would do so for me while I looked at all the candy in the rack--Joys and Halvah next to the Hershey's (rememer the 25 cent candy bar?) and gum. Zukin's was everything I believe a deli should be--brightly-flavored new dills in a jar in the cold case, shrivelly salamis of varying lengths hanging from the ceiling, corned beef and pastrami and whitefish and endless loaves of rye bread. Lox glowing atomic orange-pink from its bagel beds. Sliced beefsteak tomatoes. Blintzes. Incredibly old waitresses.

Last night before the show we went to David's Deli, across from ACT. I cannot believe how expensive it was. I guess traditional Jewish deli is so novel in this city that you can pay more for a bowl of matzoh ball soup than a plate of pad thai. Considering that matzoh ball soup is made up of like, three things, I was amazed to be paying seven bucks for it. Matzoh meal, egg, chicken broth. Yipes.

And no Middle English, either.

I am so not Jewish in most things. But the deli thing...runs deep.