[Leica] Matjes & acquavit

[sethrosner at nycap.rr.com (Seth Rosner)]

Well, you Leicaholics could never have guessed what lured me to resubscribe 
this time had I not given a heads-up. In preparation for some client work 
this am, I browsed the archive and saw the exchanges on matjes. Immediately 
the insides of my mouth began to stream.

When I was a kid, very occasionally my dad would come home from a trip to 
somewhere with a wooden bucket filled with something he called gaffelbitter 
(sp.?) = sliced bits of matjes herring. Last year, for some reason I thought 
of - and in my imagination tasted - matjes herring and googled it. Found a 
company in Washington State that sold it and ordered - I think it was a 1,5 
kg container of the wonderful stuff. Which I rationed to myself through 
several months.

Then for about a half year I was bomh, i.e. bereft of matjes herring. Until 
a visit to NYC left me enough time to visit Russ & Daughters on Houston St. 
They sell the stuff, along with about a dozen or more other kinds of 
herring, salmon, sturgeon, whitefish you name it, but they sell it by the 
piece, i.e. filet. I used to live within a few blocks of Russ & D's. and so 
had become acquainted with the owner, a lawyer who married one of Russ' 
daughters and wisely gave up law practice to practice fish. He came 
"upstairs" to the store, we chatted and I learned that they also sold matjes 
in large tins of which I bought one. Lasted me weeks. I am again bomh and 
awaiting my next visit to NYC.

Also very fond of acquavit, as to which I will share a secret: take a bottle 
of any decent commercial vodka - do not pay more than $10.US; you can 
probably do better. Uncap, slip into the bottle two level teaspoons of 
caraway seeds, screw cap on tight and lay flat in your freezer for two to 
three weeks. Voila, you have an excellent acquavit at signifcant 
cost-saving. If more flavor desired, add an extra teaspoon of caraway seeds 
next trip. Excellent with matjes.

A belated Happy New Year, guys and gals.

Seth