What is it About Delis?

Another one of my obsessions is delis. Not as much as my obsession with say, Trader Joe's, but I love a good deli. It may go back to my childhood when a big outing for my friends and I was to walk to Meyer's Delicatessen in Lincoln Square. We weren't that interested in the salamis or other meats hanging overhead or the cheeses scattered around the place on wooden barrels and tables. We were most interested in the imported chocolates that were there, specifically the gold-foil wrapped coins in little net bags. They were right in the price-point geared toward our allowance money that was burning holes in our pockets. So we would buy a bag (or two if we were splurging) and eat most of the contents before getting home. I remember the smell inside that deli. The smoked meats mixed with the stinky cheeses was memorable to me. And it was definitely a gathering place. Older German women would gather there and talk while they waited for their kielbasa. Kids like us would run to the candy and dream about having a taste of it all, maybe when we grew up.

Fast forward to this past February when I was in Chicago to celebrate Christmas with my family (yes, we celebrated in February - long story). My brother Rick and my sister-n-law Monik were hosting it, and they decided to go with a finger-food type menu. They also wanted to have some Polish food too. (If you didn't know, Monik is from Poland, and that's where she and Rick met). Rick asked me to go with him to the Polish deli the morning of the party. In the middle of a block on Milwaukee Ave., in the midst of other Polish stores and restaurants, there sits the deli. I could smell the good-deli smell before we walked in. When we got inside, Rick immediately took a basket and a number. It was Saturday and the place was packed! And no one in the place was speaking English. Rick told me what number to listen for because they would call it in Polish. We went back to the freezer to get packages of pierogi (all different kinds), gathered all of Monik's favorite candies, and then our number was called.

Rick made his way through all the older Polish women gathered by the deli case to give the employee his number and place his order - in Polish. The woman asked him some questions and then turned to get what he ordered. This happened about three more times as he asked for different items. Each time I would ask him, "What did you say? And what did she ask you?" And each time it would be, "I asked for ham (or kielbasa, or turkey) and she asked me what kind." The deli case was humongous. It had all kinds of deli meats, prepared foods, cheeses and sausages. Then on the wall behind the deli, there were hundreds of different kinds of sausages hanging. Salamis, kielbasa and things that I've never seen before. It was amazing.

Fast forward again to this past Friday when I went to an Alcamo's Italian deli in Dearborn, MI with my brother Bryan and his family. You wouldn't expect an Italian deli to be in a town that has one of the largest Arab populations. You can tell, though, that this place has seen a lot of change in the neighborhood around it. Yet when you step inside, you also see that not much has changed.

Before walking in, I turned to my sister-n-law and told her that it must be a good place. I could smell the familiar good-deli smell already. I immediately heard Dean Martin playing over the speakers. This is a good place, I thought. On the left side was a deli case that went down the entire length of the place. As we went through the aisles, some familiar things were mixed with unfamiliar things, but everything was Italian. There were Italian wines, shelves full of olive oils in different shaped bottles and cans, an entire aisle (both sides) of dry pastas, and then different sauces, tapenades, and crackers. And the bread! Oh the bread! Shelves of baguettes, rounds of bread cut in slices, some in plastic bags, some in paper bags, all baked that morning.

The deli case was full of fresh meats, cheeses and salads. Sausages, lunch meats, chicken, steak, fish. Bowls and bowls of olives - olives stuffed with prosciutto and provolone, olives with crushed peppers, olives stuffed with garlic. A definite sensory overload. I saw a grandpa-looking man who was talking with one of the locals. His Italian accent was thick, like he recently moved here. This was a gathering place too, as regular customers would place their orders and the employees would finish their sentences. Everyone knew to take a ticket with a number on it and just listen for their number to be called. In the meantime, they would gather the other groceries that they needed.

We ordered Italian sub sandwiches and then took them to the park next door. They were made on Italian rolls which were crusty on the outside and soft on the inside. The meat was piled high - salami, mortadella, prosciutto, ham, and thick slices of provolone cheese. We also got some olives - an assortment, and some with crushed pepper. The pickled peppers were good too, with some sun dried tomatoes thrown in for taste and color. I would recommend it to anyone in the greater Detroit area. I mean, I'm a big fan of Zingerman's in Ann Arbor, but I also love the ethnic-specific delis. And I especially love the (cheaper) prices!