54 | FEBRUARY 23 • 2023 

F

or many American Jews, 
delicatessen cuisine 
is synonymous with 
comfort food. It’s what Jews 
dream about devouring during 
their daylong Yom Kippur fast 
and crave when they’re feeling 
under the weather. 

Traditional deli menu items, 
like matzah ball soup, pastrami 
on rye with pickles on the 
side, bagels with cream cheese 
and lox, kasha varnishkes and 
potato knishes, were brought 
to this country by Central and 
Eastern European Ashkenazi 
Jewish immigrants in the late 
19th and early 20th centuries. 
Now through April 2, the 
New York Historical Society 
in New York City is presenting 
“I’ll Have What She’s Having”: 
The Jewish Deli. This exhibit 
explores the Jewish immigrant 
experience that made the 
delicatessen an integral part of 

Jewish culture. 
The exhibition, which was 
organized by the Skirball 
Cultural Center in Los Angeles, 
where it is on view through 
Sept. 18, examines how Jewish 
immigrants imported and 
adapted traditions to create a 
cuisine that became well known 
around the world. 
The displays include neon 
signs, menus from the 1950s, 
advertisements, posters, deli 
workers’ uniforms, film clips 
and video documentaries. 
The presentation also includes 
interactives, artwork, artifacts, 
photographs of local New York 
establishments and objects from 
deli owners, as well as costumes 
from The Marvelous Mrs. 
Maisel. 
To underscore how the role 
of Jewish delis has impacted 
American pop culture, there 
is an area where visitors can 

see clips from TV shows 
and movies that center 
around a deli. Included 
in the montage is the 
famous deli scene from 
the 1989 film When 
Harry Met Sally (thus the title 
of this exhibit: I’ll Have What 
She’s Having, which is a famous 
line from the movie.) A few 
other clips include classic 
scenes from Seinfeld, Larry 
David wanting to create a deli 
sandwich in his name in a Curb 
Your Enthusiasm episode and 
an SNL skit where Ben Stiller is 
surrounded by deli delights. 

THE DELI’S ORIGINS
From the beginning of the 
exhibition, the origin of the 
American delicatessen is 
told. Newly arriving Jewish 
immigrants to New York’s 
Lower East Side would sell their 
food from pushcarts and pickle 

PHOTO BY EI KATSUMATA /ALAMY STOCK PHOTO

Deli Delights

New York Historical Society presents 
“I’ll Have What She’s Having”: The Jewish Deli.

ALICE BURDICK SCHWEIGER CONTRIBUTING WRITER

ARTS&LIFE
EXHIBIT

ABOVE: Iconic delis 
in New York City’s Theater District, 
such as Reuben’s, Lindy’s, Carnegie 
Deli, Stage Delicatessen and the 
Gaiety, became hubs for Broadway 
types and theater patrons. As show 
business boomed, these restaurants 
set the scene for schmoozing and 
networking, working on material, or 
grabbing a pre- or post-show meal 
with friends. Celebrity caricatures 
graced the pages of the menus and 
signed headshots crowded the walls.
TOP: Carnegie Delicatessen and 
Restaurant opened in 1937 and was 
a fixture of New York City’s Theater 
District for nearly 80 years before 
closing its doors in 2016. A staple for 
celebrities, theatergoers and tourists 
from around the world, the deli was 
known for its sky-high sandwiches, 
often piled with more than a pound 
of meat. Food writers and deli fans 
lamented the loss of Carnegie Deli as 
symbolic of Jewish delis’ perceived 
decline.

(thus the title 
ABOVE: Iconic delis 

PATRICIA D KLINGENSTEIN LIBRARY, NEW-YORK HISTORICAL SOCIETY

