Ah, liverwurst. Whither is fled the visionary gleam? Where is it now, the glory and the dream?
No more Boar’s Head liverwurst. They brought it on themselves. There’s no place for lousy quality control, and that Virginia plant deserved to be closed. Nevertheless, liverwurst has a flavor profile that can’t be beat. (Full disclosure: my last liverwurst sandwich was probably a good five years ago. But still…)
Even The New York Times’ Dan Barry wrote about this loss. Who needs madeleines! The Proust is in the pantry, alongside the onions, and hearty horseradish-infused mustard. Sometimes you just need that luncheon meat fix.
Think about this: McSorley’s. Many beers, light and dark. Liverwurst with raw onion and lots of mustard. LOTS of mustard. More beer. That’s all you need to know.
Except for when you (ok, ME) have a hankering for: olive loaf. Spiced ham. Bologna and American on a hero with mustard. LOTS of mustard. And, when the weather cools: pickled herring, with lots of onions, and black bread with really good butter. Kielbasa, with sauteed apples and caraway seeds. German potato salad, peppered with celery seeds. And mustard. LOTS of mustard.
And a bottle of Jever, or six.
We (mostly) eat healthier now. That’s why we’re not dropping dead of MI’s at age 55 as some of my friends’ dads did back in the day. We exercise, watch the carbs, swallow our statins, like good little boys and girls. But sometimes you want to go off-road. Remember the flavors and joys of our early years, when a lunchbox packed with luncheon meat sandwiches and some Pecan Sandies or Lorna Doone shortbread cookies were a welcome respite from learning about pints and quarts? (Which my idiot sister never quite mastered, but that’s another story for another day).
I hit the gym every other day, and work out with a personal trainer. I look better and feel better. Yet I know: “no one here gets out alive.” Sometimes, ya gotta live a little.
Because: everything in moderation, INCLUDING moderation. Where is the lie?
McSorley’s Old Ale House is on East 7th Street. They still have liverwurst on the menu ($6!!!). And Schaller & Weber? Second Avenue just south of 86th Street. They have Braunschweiger Liverwurst, horseradish mustard, and more.
Just add:
Trust me, you can’t go wrong.
