Schmaltz 2-on-1 -8/24/2018

Today we are talking schmaltz. That is right - schmaltz. typically chicken or goose fat. The good stuff that is used most commonly in a Jewish kitchen. Or, schmaltz could well be that highly sentimental, corny movie you just saw or that song that you heard that rapidly became an ear worm of excessive sentimentality. Schmaltz is derived from both German and Yiddish and I'd love to know what was on my co-blogger Ramana's mind when he came up with this one. To see what he has to say on the subject, please go to his blog - Ramana's blog.

Any foodie or fan of cooking shows has heard the chefly sage - "fat is flavor'. And when you're in a Jewish kitchen, that flavor is usually from chicken or goose fat, otherwise known as  schmaltz. That is the cooking equivalent of back to back home runs, especially if the cook is a Jewish Bubbe.

If you are really hard core, grab a thick slice of dense Jewish rye bread and schmeer some schmaltz on it. With a schmeer like that, you may never go back to butter.

Okay - we have fortified ourselves so it is time for some schmaltzy music. You know - that sentimental lovey stuff - but not the over the top type like anything by Celine Dion. That is too much for me. How about  a nice unrequited love tune like this one, penned  by a gentleman named Terry Kirkman. This version is done by Rita Wilson, otherwise known as Mrs. Tom Hanks and even though Kirkman's band (The Association) did a version that has kept Terry nicely over the years I have seen his comments praising this as the best version

How about this classic schmaltzy song by johnny Mathis with lyrics that are the definition of schmaltzy - You ask how long I’ll love you?/I’ll tell you true/Until the Twelfth of Never/I’ll still be loving you - why back in the day this is the voice that caused young ladies bra straps to magically come undone. Or so I have been told. It was a much simpler time. And Mathis had that trio of killer schmaltz - The Twelfth of Never, Chances Are and Misty. FYI, Mathis and my high school counselor were classmates in high school in San Francisco along with the late actor Bill Bixby.

Gotta include this one - ol' Johnny made a lot of guys doubles hitters back in the day. Americans will understand that one - most guys with a twinkle in their eye and young ladies with a shy smile.

Now I must admit this stuff does dredge up some fond memories. Young love. It was the best kind until we grew up and figured out what real love  was all about. But, the learning was so darn much fun.

Lets pop a movie or two into the blu-ray player - smaltzy shlock or shlocky schmaltz - the choice is yours.  This  one is an all time classic piece of schmaltz - the movie of course is Love  Story. It is the movie that led Lynn and I to agree that for every chick flick she carted me off to I would then take her to a shoot 'em up with me. We both ended up fans of both genres so that deal served us well.

Schmaltz is not limited to the old days -  one  of my favorite "chick flicks" stars David Duchovney and Minnie Driver and is called Return to Me. It is the story of a guy (Duchovney) that loses his wife. She happens to be an organ donor and someone gets her heart. A year or so later he meets a nice young lady and sparks fly for the first time in a long time. She had a heart transplant - yes she got Duchovney's wife's heart. She accidentally finds out and the schmaltz hits a bump on the road. If romantic comedy is something you like,  give this one a try, The cast is great and it moves along at a lively pace. The supporting cast includes Robert Loggia, Carol O'Conner, Jim Belushi, Bonnie Hunt (she is also the director) and a couple of gentlemen whose names escape me but whose faces you will remember from many films.

That wraps it up for this week's topic. With all of the tsuris in our society these days, it is pleasant to relax and have some fun when a topic like this comes along. Tune in next week for another 2-on-1 blog.