{"id":2249,"date":"2014-12-16T19:12:00","date_gmt":"2014-12-16T19:12:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wyvern.ctl.columbia.edu\/?p=147"},"modified":"2021-07-19T09:24:39","modified_gmt":"2021-07-19T09:24:39","slug":"egg-rolls-and-egg-creams-festival","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jewishstudiescolumbia.com\/myny\/food\/egg-rolls-and-egg-creams-festival\/","title":{"rendered":"The Egg Rolls and Egg Creams Festival"},"content":{"rendered":"

By\u00a0Kelsey Hand<\/em><\/p>\n

\n

I remember the first time I ever heard of an Egg Cream. I was eleven, maybe twelve, and captivated by the fictitious young-adult Alice series by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor. In the 2001 book, Alice<\/em> Alone<\/em>, fourteen-year old Alice hosts a co-ed sleepover where her older brother Lester volunteers to make everyone \u201can egg cream\u2026 made by the world\u2019s best egg creamer.\u201d<\/span>1<\/sup><\/a><\/span> The teenage party guests, along with myself, were unfamiliar with the egg cream and were \u201csurprised\u201d to discover that it\u2019s \u201ca drink.\u201d<\/span>2<\/sup><\/a><\/span> Naylor describes Lester\u2019s preparation process with painstaking detail:<\/p>\n

\u201cHe carefully spooned an inch of [\u2018U-bet chocolate-flavored syrup\u2019] into the bottom of each glass. When they were all filled\u2026he added an inch of whole milk on top of the syrup\u2026Then he took the first glass, tilted it, inserted the spoon and, with his other hand, sprayed the seltzer from the pressurized dispenser directly onto the spoon so that he got a big chocolaty head. He stirred and handed the first glass to Elizabeth.\u201d<\/span>3<\/sup><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

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Figure 1. A key component of an egg cream: Fox’s U-bet chocolate-flavor syrup.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Elizabeth, Alice, and the other onlookers were \u201cfascinated\u201d by the treat, particularly its simple ingredients and the absence of egg in it despite its name, of which Lester was similarly perplexed.<\/span>4<\/sup><\/a><\/span> \u201cSearch me,\u201d admitted Lester, \u201cIt\u2019s an old New York drink. Some say it comes from Russia.\u201d Regardless of its mysterious origins and ill-fitted name, \u201cIs [it] good, or is [it] good?\u201d<\/span>5<\/sup><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

As a child raised in a rural, Christian village in Pennsylvania, this short and sweet moment in Alice<\/em> acted as a portal into an unknown culture through an unknown beverage. In other words, I vicariously tasted Yiddish culture through literature. Several years later, I experienced the egg cream in-person while visiting a diner in New York City, though this \u201cfirst\u201d time is less imprinted in my mind. I can only recall that I favorably identified the drink as a \u2018sparkly\u2019 kind of chocolate milk, almost like a rich chocolate soda. My fondness gained a new level of depth after I began dating my Jewish boyfriend, whose desire to introduce me to the \u201creal\u201d New York egg cream evolved into a life mission. \u201cYou need Fox\u2019s U-Bet chocolate syrup,\u201d he firmly instructed. \u201cIt is key.\u201d Soon, I tested egg creams at a number of locations with the precision and objectivity of a scientist, including Carroll Garden\u2019s dessert spot, the Chocolate Room; Cobble Hill\u2019s retro ice-cream shop, The Farmacy; and the pinnacle of Brooklyn\u2019s Jewish cuisine, Junior\u2019s Cheesecake. In an effort to transport the beverage across state borders (and cultures), my boyfriend even gifted my parents a quintessential egg-cream kit for Christmas, including Fox\u2019s syrup, a couple of bottles of Boylan\u2019s seltzer, and two novelty glasses from Junior\u2019s in which to serve their creamy creations.<\/p>\n

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Figure 2. The “world famous egg cream” at Cheesecake Junior’s.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

This past June, my newfound appreciation lead me to an article on the Gothamist<\/em> news blog that recommended the Egg Rolls and Egg Creams Festival as a fun, food-focused weekend activity, an event sponsored by the Museum at Eldridge Street.<\/span>6<\/sup><\/a><\/span> Set on the promise of good cheap eats, my boyfriend and I happily braved outside to face the hot heat of the New York City summer, second only in severity to the New York City windy winters. As we slowly, lazily rose above ground from the subway station like the steamy\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>mist around us, we decoded street maps to navigate ourselves through the Lower East Side and Chinatown to 12 Eldridge Street, between Division and Canal. The festival is described on the Museum at Eldridge Street\u2019s website as a cross-cultural \u201cblock party\u201d designed to celebrate and \u201cpay\u2026homage to the Jewish and Chinese communities of the neighborhood.\u201d<\/span>7<\/sup><\/a><\/span> The event originated over fourteen years ago in 2000, when Hanna Griff-Slevin, the Director of Programs at the Eldridge Street Museum, \u201cthought [\u201ca Chinese and Jewish Festival\u201d] would be good for the neighborhood and for [the museum\u2019s] mission to tell the story of the immigrants who made and\u00a0make our neighborhood special.\u201d<\/span>8<\/sup><\/a><\/span> Most importantly, Griff-Slevin wanted to bring \u201cthe whole community together.\u201d<\/span>9<\/sup><\/a><\/span> Only about 500 people attended the first festival<\/span>10<\/sup><\/a><\/span>, in contrast to the 8000 attendees in 2010<\/span>11<\/sup><\/a><\/span> and over 11,000 in 2011.<\/span>12<\/sup><\/a><\/span>\u00a0Nevertheless, Griff-Slevin \u201cexperienced\u2026the deep feeling of community and joy\u2026at our very first festival,\u201d which she recognized as \u201ca New York Moment.\u201d<\/span>13<\/sup><\/a><\/span> That is to say, the feeling when a few of the cultures and identities swirling around the Big Apple intersect and appreciate one another, if only for a day, an hour, or just a moment. The festival\u2019s dual identity is a microcosm of the Lower East Side itself, which is vividly on display when viewing the Eldridge Street Synagogue beside its immediate neighbor, a Chinese massage parlor. Dappled throughout the area today are dumpling shops, Chinese bakeries, and fishmongers. But, Griff-Slevin advises passersby to \u201clook closely, [and] you might notice Harris Levy Fine Linens and remember that your bubbe went there to buy her wedding linens; or you might see a tenement with Moorish\u00a0windows and a faded Star of David on the fa\u00e7ade \u2013 a sign that the building was once a synagogue.\u201d<\/span>14<\/sup><\/a><\/span> These remaining artifacts document a strong Jewish past that will continue to live on into the future, especially though celebrations such as the Egg Rolls and Egg Creams Festival.<\/p>\n

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Figure 3. The 1887 landmark Eldridge Street Synagogue.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Figure 4. A show featured at the Egg Rolls and Egg Creams Festival.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The festival highlights the ways that the Jewish and Chinese traditions are unique, but also the similarities they share. In an interview with the\u00a0Jewish Week<\/em>, Julie Tay of the East River Ensemble says that the Chinese and Jewish cultures are \u201cboth nerd cultures. We all know that when we didn\u2019t bring home a 95% on a test, our parents ask us why we didn\u2019t get 100 percent.\u201d<\/span>15<\/sup><\/a><\/span> Besides a mutual emphasis on education, both groups create paper-based crafts and highly value musical expression. Below, Griff-Slevin illustrates a scene from the festival that draws attention to these cultural connections:<\/p>\n

\u201cYou hear strains of klezmer music and see folks dancing a hora. If you stay a bit longer, the strains of Ray Musike\u2019s Romania Romania slowly change into a Chinese folk song led by bandmaster Mr. Hoy, and members of the Qi Shu Feng Peking Opera transform themselves into monkey kings and tigers and flip through the air. You shake your head twice, no three times, and enter the 1887 landmark Eldridge Street Synagogue. Sitting side by side is a Hebrew scribe, demonstrating this sacred art, with a Chinese calligrapher.\u201d<\/span>16<\/sup><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

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Figure 5. Acrobatics’ show during the festival.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/a>
Figure 6. Workshops for kids.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/a>
Figure 7. A cross-cultural combo.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In addition to featuring scribes, calligraphers, and traditional music, the festival presents \u201cYiddish and Chinese language lessons, mah jongg, food and folk art demos, crafts, [and] synagogue tours,\u201d<\/span>17<\/sup><\/a><\/span> as well as \u201cface painting, paper folding and yarmulke making.\u201d<\/span>18<\/sup><\/a><\/span>\u00a0Before coming to the Egg Rolls and Egg Creams Festival, I misleadingly believed that it might offer other kinds of Jewish and Chinese foods. To my knowledge, however, the event\u2019s name said it all (with the exception of pickles!). I purchased the house special for a mere five dollars\u2014one egg cream and one egg roll, please.\u00a0What I thought was a steal, though, was substantially more expensive than its two-dollar sticker price in 2007. <\/span>19<\/sup><\/a><\/span> Both foods were tasty, but I thought neither was done complete justice. The egg cream was without its signature bubbly nature due to the lack of carbonation, and the kosher egg roll was a little softer and less crispy than it should have been having sat out in the sun. Any pickiness that I might allude to here is completely invalidated when one learns just how many \u2018average\u2019 egg roll and egg cream pairings I digested that day. Hint\u2026it may be more than one. Or two. While my boyfriend and I did not partake in any crafting that day, we greatly enjoyed the traditional Chinese and Jewish music that served as a lovely backdrop to our munching. My favorite memory of the festival was gorging on the only items that didn\u2019t proclaim to have egg in its name\u2014the pickles! New, half sour, and full sour\u2014these were my options. Oh, I was scared, never having eaten a pickle by any other name (other than just a pickle). In the end, I tried and loved all three, even taking one or two with me to go as \u2018party favors.\u2019\u00a0My biggest takeaway from the festival, and one that lasted far longer than the pickles did, was the importance of treasuring the past in the present so that it can live on for many years to come.<\/p>\n

Image Sources<\/strong><\/p>\n

Figure 1. https:\/\/www.webstaurantstore.com\/images\/products\/main\/45699\/2 3192\/foxs-u-bet-chocolate-syrup-22-oz-squeeze-bottle.jpg<\/a>. Accessed December 16, 2014.
\nFigure 2. https:\/\/c2.staticflickr.com\/2\/1278\/644039258_d1ac3dc3aa_z.jpg?zz=1<\/a>. Accessed December 16, 2014.
\nFigure 3. http:\/\/www.eldridgestreet.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/11\/slide-01.jpg<\/a>. Accessed December 16, 2014.
\nFigure 4. http:\/\/i2.wp.com\/www.thelodownny.com\/leslog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/06\/511.jpg?resize=500%2C574<\/a>. Accessed December 16, 2014.
\nFigure 5. https:\/\/media.timeout.com\/images\/resizeBestFit\/100068605\/660\/37 0\/image.jpg<\/a>. Accessed December 16, 2014.
\nFigure 6. https:\/\/lodown.typepad.com\/.a\/6a01127920a5dc28a4011570da176 3970b-800wi<\/a>. Accessed December 16, 2014.
\nFigure 7. http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/BewTZdGmN4M\/Ueyca3CggKI\/AAAAAA AABjo\/3Ey7QWYTRc0\/s1600\/DSC_6426.jpg<\/a>. Accessed December 16, 2014.<\/p>\n

Works Cited<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201c14th<\/sup> Annual Egg Rolls and Egg Creams Festival,\u201d<\/a> Museum at Eldridge Street<\/em>.\u00a0Accessed December 7, 2014.<\/p>\n

Casey, Nell. \u201cBrunch with Prince & Other Ways to Eat Well this Weekend.\u201d<\/a> Gothamist<\/em> (blog). Accessed July 19, 2021.<\/p>\n

Egbert, Bill. \u201cEggcelent Adventure. Jewish, Chinese faves hit spot,\u201d<\/a> New York Daily News<\/em>. June 12, 2006. Accessed December 7, 2014.<\/p>\n

\u201cEgg Rolls and Egg Creams Festival,\u201d<\/a> Family Learning Forum<\/em>. January 31, 2011. Accessed December 7, 2014.<\/p>\n

Griff-Slevin, Hanna. \u201cFestival Musings.\u201d<\/a> Museum at Eldridge Street Blog (blog). May 30, 2010. Accessed July 19, 2021.<\/p>\n

Merwin, Hugh. \u201cEgg Rolls and Egg Creams on Eldridge Street.\u201d<\/a> Gothamist<\/em> (blog). June 2, 2007. Accessed December 7, 2014.<\/p>\n

Reynolds Naylor, Phyllis. Alice Alone<\/em>. New York: Simon Pulse, 2002.<\/p>\n

\u201cScenes from the 2013 Egg Rolls and Egg Creams Festival [PHOTOS].\u201d<\/a> Bowery Boogie<\/em>. June 10, 2013. Accessed December 7, 2014.<\/p>\n

Solis, Gustavo. \u201cEgg Rolls and Egg Creams Festival Celebrates Chinese and Jewish Culture.\u201d<\/a>\u00a0DNAinfo<\/em>. June 5, 2013. Accessed December 7, 2014.<\/p>\n

Traison, Liz. \u201cEgg Rolls and Egg Creams.\u201d<\/a> The Jewish Week<\/em>. June 11, 2013. Accessed December 7, 2014.<\/p>\n

Footnotes<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By\u00a0Kelsey Hand I remember the first time I ever heard of an Egg Cream. I was eleven, maybe twelve, and captivated by the fictitious young-adult Alice series by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor. In the 2001 book, Alice Alone, fourteen-year old Alice hosts a co-ed sleepover where her older brother Lester volunteers to make everyone \u201can egg […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":123,"featured_media":2590,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[10,18],"tags":[198,199,23],"class_list":["post-2249","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-food","category-places","tag-chineseculture","tag-jewishculture","tag-lower-east-side"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p9teox-Ah","jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/jewishstudiescolumbia.com\/myny\/wp-content\/uploads\/DSC_6426.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/jewishstudiescolumbia.com\/myny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2249","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/jewishstudiescolumbia.com\/myny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/jewishstudiescolumbia.com\/myny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jewishstudiescolumbia.com\/myny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/123"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jewishstudiescolumbia.com\/myny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2249"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/jewishstudiescolumbia.com\/myny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2249\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3356,"href":"https:\/\/jewishstudiescolumbia.com\/myny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2249\/revisions\/3356"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jewishstudiescolumbia.com\/myny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2590"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/jewishstudiescolumbia.com\/myny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2249"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jewishstudiescolumbia.com\/myny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2249"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jewishstudiescolumbia.com\/myny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2249"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}