St. Patrick’s Day is upon us and I’m going to do what I do every year, dye my hair red and change my name to Molly Malone! Just kidding. I’m going to make a humongous pot of corned beef and stuff myself with Reuben Sandwiches for the next week! With so many topics to choose from with regard to the Irish and this particular holiday, it’s tough to target just one. After much consideration, and the bypass of Whiskey, I’m going with the aforementioned sandwich ~ The Reuben.
Aside from the corned beef, this classic creation isn’t even close to Irish; but, I’m a bit of a tangential thought traveler and it’s more fun that way… I like it when people have to catch up. Just in case you need a little boost, the thought process goes something like this: Irish, Shamrock, twisted little fairies, U-2, Danny Boy, Guinness, Whiskey, Hangover, Cabbage, Corned Beef…..SANDWICH! You with me, yet?
If you think about it, this is actually one hell of an international composition. Irish Corned Beef, German Sauerkraut, Russian Dressing, Swiss Cheese, and Jewish Rye. It’s like a few boys from the UN got together, downed a few pints and went digging through the larder! Here’s a little kicker, the creation of this delicacy came about during Protectionist and Nationalist administrations. Wonders never cease.
The controversy surrounding the birth of the Reuben run old, run deep and are somewhat amusing. I mean really, a one hundred year old debate about the genesis of a lunch menu item? There are as many claims to fame for The Reuben as there are delicatessens in South Florida. Chest thumping origins date from 1914 to 1937; from a few New York City Deli owners to a Lithuanian poker player who owned a grocery store in Omaha, Nebraska.
Arnold Reuben, founder of New York’s Reuben’s Restaurant and Delicatessen claims the creation was inspired in 1914 by an out of work actress who may or may not have been a Charlie Chaplin paramour. In an interview in 1937, Arnold details the ingredients of his “man sized sandwich” but does not include either corned beef or pastrami. He clearly remembers that the thespian in question, Annette Seelos, recommend that he name the sandwich after her. Marjorie Rambeau is turning in her grave.
Another New Yorker, Jacob Reuben, was a bit rebellious and felt that his family’s Jewish Orthodox ways were uncool. (I’m trying to fathom what being uncool looked like in the early 1920’s.) Jacob moved out of the family abode and was one the first Jews in Brooklyn to have just one kitchen – the other he converted into a study. Jake laid down his dibs on around 1925 whilst working the deli he opened in line with his career as a butcher. Corroborating accounts for this “Reuben” don’t rank highly.
Lithuanian born Reuben Kulakofsky hailed from Omaha, Nebraska and his claim appears more widely accepted. At about the same time that the Dagwood and Blondie comic strip came out, Mr. Kulakofsky was a wholesale grocer and co-owner of the Central Market in Omaha. “Kay”, as he was affectionately known, spent quite a bit of time with his poker buddies. They called themselves “The Committee” and liked to create sandwiches that sated them after rigorous hours of bluffing and puffing. One of the regulars at the table, Charles Schimmel, owned The Blackstone Hotel and put the sandwich on his menu; must have been Reuben’s lucky night.
Rather than put my stamp on anyone in particular, I’m going to take the safe route and assume that The Reuben simply evolved. But who cares anyway? Along with the fact that this sandwich is my personal favorite, it has a lot of history. You’ve got to admit that with so many people clamoring for ownership rights there’s just something special about The Reuben…like being Irish on St. Patrick’s Day!
If you’ll excuse me, I’ve decided to dig out my “Kiss Me I’m Irish” shirt, pop a Shamrock sticker on my face, dye my hair, and head down to the local Pub for a few pints. If St. Paddy’s Day is as much fun as it was last year, I’ll be making myself a Reuben around 2:00 a.m. Erin go Bragh!!
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