In Praise of Cold Cuts
Our dear friend Patty from New Jersey came to visit us this past weekend, direct from Hoboken, NJ, birthplace of Frank Sinatra and baseball, and the place Brenda & I called home for eight years or so. Patty brought a gift, one that took thought and compassion for our current situation, and we appreciated it deeply.
Patty brought cold cuts.
See, when you grow up Italian in the New York area, with Grandparents living in the Parkchester section of Bronx, NY, you get accustomed to having access to fine quality cold cuts — prosciutto, sopressatta and of course, the ultimate in cured fatty meats: coppa. Pronounced “KOO-pa” in my family, this meat is often pronounced “kappa-GOOL” by many Italians. C’est la vie. (It’s similar to the way NJ Italians pronounce the pasta spelled cavatelli “gaba-DEEL”, as in “Hey, Sal, gimme a nice plate of gabba-DEEL and broccoli, huh!”) Call it KOO-pa, call it “kappa-GOOL”, but for chrissake, don’t call it fucking lunch meat, you hayseed. Coppa is a cold cut, not a lunch meat. Go ahead and call bologna lunch meat, and put it on some Wonder bread, and god help you if you think that’s a sandwich. You probably put ranch dressing on your pizza, too (and think Domino’s is pizza, for that matter).
Anyhoo, I arrived home from work Friday night to discover Patty & Brenda had already gotten home from the airport, and Patty couldn’t wait to present our housewarming gift: a little white lunch cooler packed with goodies from Fiore’s Deli in Hoboken. We hastily opened the packaging, which was the standard Italian city deli packaging: single layers of thin sliced cuts of meat, stacked on white deli paper, folded in half and placed in a plain clear plastic bag. No fancy wrapping paper, no scanner labels, thank you very much.
She brought hot and sweet coppa, as well as some sopressatta. We stood in the kitchen, the three of us, peeling off slice after slice of the cured pig gold from the pile, and I was brought right back home. It was a great gift, because I just can’t get that stuff here in Boulder. Whole Foods sells some decent prosciutto, but I have not had a decent sopressatta here, and you simply cannot find coppa at all. There’s gotta be a decent Italian deli in Denver, but I haven’t looked into that yet.
And don’t even get me started on the pizza. That’s for another time, another rant. Right now, I’m gonna go have a slice of coppa.
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9 comments
Mmmmmm, pizza with ranch dressing! (Though I don’t do ranch anymore… damn MSG!)
What a thoughtful gift… that’s awesome!
I was going to do this when Bob & I finally make it out to see you in the coming months. Although it will no longer seem like an original idea, I’m sure the cold cuts from Croce’s in Cherry HIll will still be appreciated.
I brought home a couple of California Burritos last time I went to San Diego. Been thinking about having Dana send them to me on a weekly basis! :-D
Portland too is sadly lacking in the good deli department. Some of the upscale stores have some Italian deli meats, but it’s just not part of the culture here…
Rob, after a 120 mile bike ride, Domino’s IS pizza.
And never forget….mozzerella is pronounced Mootzerell!
It’s true - Portland lacks good junk food. THere is one good pizza place in town though, we have that!
I miss the Frosty Freeze that’s down the street from my parents in NJ. The best soft ice cream EVER!
I stumbled across you site, literally while searching for a graphic of a marquee for a newsletter. I hope you don’t mind me commenting, but I just had to let you know how much your comment hit home with me, made me smile and laugh out loud!
My hails from the Bronx and is still in the Tri-State area.
I’m stuck in Oklahoma for the next …. dare I say it…at least a year (after almost moving to Colorado 3 times, and back home more than I can count), and finally after 13 years of being here found a place to get cold cuts! Wrapped in white deli paper, cost twice as much but, sometimes it’s worth it, even though the selection isn’t as great as home, something about that paper makes it differant, plus they cut on a slant too.
We finally got a pizza joint here too, a guy from Brooklyn moved here and opened up a place. Real 20” pie…..may make being stuck here a little easier on me. Now if I could just get a buttered roll or a scoop and shmere without anyone looking at me crazy…sigh
Anyway, thanks for the insightful comments and the big smile I really needed! If I could mail you a pie I would!
Sorry, that would be…family hails from the Bronx…20 interuptions from the dog and the kid can make it difficult to get anything right :)
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