Dear Bernard, Did you perhaps reply: “Um, and what does baba ganouj taste like?” Just wondered. Allen
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Classic old-school Diary… Reminds me of submissions from the late 70s and early 80s, when the column bubbled like champagne. Short, snappy, witty and inexplicable. #MetDiary has come a long way and now encompasses a richer, broader range of genres and experiences. But it’s always great to read items Tom Buckley and Ron Alexander would have dished out to amused readers a dozen at a time so they could gobble them up like popcorn. Thank you, Mr. Lipsy.
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"Imagine there's no countries
It's now hard to do"
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And...tastes better than chicken!
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This is a bit of a head scratcher. It's New York City. Don't most people know what baba ganoush is?
Yes. That's both the point and the charm of this vignette. The waiter in the Chinese restaurant assumed the diners would be familiar with baba ganoush.
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I still don't get the joke. It just seems like a mundane exchange between a patron and a waiter.
I'm not so sure it's as well known, or easily found in some areas of the country. The writer does not say where he is from. I think you might be hard pressed to find it readily available in either restaurants or supermarkets in say Alabama, Arkansas, Mississippi, etc....
I only mention southern states because I know that area better than the midwest or the more remote areas of the west. The Dakotas come to mind.
But more importantly, I've lived in NY my whole life and can't think of what Chinese food would be comparable.
Thoughts???? Aside from accusations of NY elitism. WoHop is not exactly fine dining but we still eat there.
My wife and I had a Lebanese friend who used to have dinner parties back in the 80s. She made wonderful dishes, and everyone enjoyed them all.
Today’s Diary made me think of her baba ganouj, which she pronounced as “ba-ba-ga-NOUSH,” with the emphasis on the last syllable. I used to walk around the house saying the word out loud, just loving the sound of it. (The things we do!)
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You've got me doing it now, Dean--to the tune of "The Addams Family" theme music: "Ba-ba-ga-NOUSH (snap, snap), ba-ba-ga-NOUSH (snap, snap)." Now I'll have to pass it off to someone else in order to get rid of this new ear-worm! Thanks, though, for an amusing post. . .
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Now I'm doing the same thing!
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@CKent You've passed it off to all of us who read the Metropolitan Diary! (snap snap)
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