The Sunday brunch has become a dining institution, mostly in cities and suburbs. The Washington Post published an article on brunches titled, “You can never have too many mimosas“. The lede of the article described the chaos that ensued at one brunch where the restaurant ran out of orange juice for mimosas. My minister in grad school (see my earlier post, We Are All Okies) said that his competition wasn’t other churches in the area. It was Sunday brunch and the New York Times. This was when you had to buy a brick of newsprint at Mayer’s Smoke Shop in downtown Ithaca on the way to brunch. However, brunch is not the only Sunday foodway found in the United States. Below are three examples.
Dim sum. This tradition is found in cities and suburbs with large Asian populations. For those unfamiliar with the concept, wait staff wheel carts of assorted dumplings, potstickers, and other nibblies through the dining room. Customers point at what they want, and the bill is calculated on the number and variety of dishes. Sometimes you need to pay careful attention to what you point at on the cart. One time in New York City we thought we were getting chicken wings and wound up with fried chicken feet. Dim sum done properly requires company. A solitary diner would stop at one or two offerings. While the restaurant would be happy to turn over that table rapidly, they’re more likely to sell more with a large party. Dim sum is food- rather than booze-oriented. Some restaurants have taken dim sum to 7-day menus. Witness the Din Tai Fung chain and conveyor-belt sushi restaurants in the Seattle area. The latter gives you the advantage of seeing what you grab off the belt as it goes by. There used to be a restaurant in north Seattle that offered Filipino-style dim sum (Fil-Sum), but it went out of business. It might have done better in a more visible location.
Cafeteria culture. This is a Southern tradition, because Mama deserves a Sabbath from cooking. I think my former church in Greensboro, NC timed services so its members could beat the Southern Baptists to the cafeteria queues. Folks congregate at cafeterias after church for the “meat and three” plus dessert menu. The three refers to side dishes. Family members line up with their trays and point at what they want from the steam/cold tables. The meats usually include fried chicken, pot roast, fried catfish, barbecue (beef or pork depending on the state), and ham. Sides include green beans cooked beyond dead with salt pork, macaroni and cheese, corn, hush puppies, and mayonnaise-based salads. Desserts include cakes, pies of all kinds, and the occasional pudding. As with dim sum, cafeterias are focused on food instead of alcohol. This is especially true in the Deep South, where one is not seen in public with an alcoholic beverage on the Lord’s Day. (One waits until one is ensconced in the easy chair at home watching football to imbibe.)
Diners. Now we’re talking East Coast, especially New Jersey. While some diners have special brunch menus, you go there for the variety of offerings that will satisfy everyone. Maybe Mom wants a Greek salad, while the kids want burgers – no problem. Unlike dim sum and cafeterias, alcohol consumption is acceptable in diners. Just don’t order a lobster, as this Saturday Night Live skit advises.
I’m not much for Sunday brunches. The farm girl genes mean that I can’t sleep much later than 7 am. If I want an omelet, I’ll make one for breakfast. By the time I get home from church, most Sunday brunches are finishing service. We’ll often go out for lunch on Saturdays once Julian gets out of bed. No mimosas required.
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