'Jew-maican' kosher jerk chicken builds cultural bridges at West Indian Day Parade
Tuesday, September 7th 2010, 4:00 AM
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No sight along Monday's West Indian American Day Carnival Parade prompted more smiles and cell phone pictures than a big cardboard sign on a low cast-iron fence.
"KOSHER JERK CHICKEN."
From the sweet-scented smoke arose a cry, "It's Jew-maican!"
The chicken in question was being cooked in the classic style on a big, smoky grill fashioned from a steel drum. But the guy with the tongs wore a yarmulke and looked like typical member of the Jewish community in Crown Heights, unless you counted the T-shirt dyed in the black, green and yellow of the Jamaican flag and the apron stenciled with "Jerk Hall of Fame."
Nearby stood a woman who also appeared typically Jewish, save for a shirt printed with the word "JAMAICA." She was Sarah Attias, and the Inquisition drove her family from Spain to Jamaica back in the 16th century.
She moved to Eastern Parkway this summer with her American husband, 33-year-old Zev Attias, and their two children, 5-year-old Judah and 18-month-old Ezra. The two major elements of her heritage, Jewish and West Indian, shared the same streets but too often tended to act as if the other were not there.
"Like they don't exist," she said.
As the day of the big parade approached, some of her fellow Jews warned her to stay away, that there was sometimes violence. "They said, 'You hide when the Caribbean parade comes here,'" she recalled.
She and her husband instead acted in accordance with something she had often heard in her home country.
"There's a saying in Jamaica, 'One love out of many people,'" she said Monday as her husband stood at the grill with smoke billowing around him. "This food is going to bring the communities together!"
Sarah did note one cultural complication.
"You singed your beard," she told Zev.
They were joined in culinary crossover by their friend Tani Pinson, who coined the term Jew-maican. He also wore a Jerk Hall of Fame apron, these sent by Sarah's mother in Jamaica. He made the sign from a cardboard box, answering the question repeated again and again as they started cooking.
"Is it kosher?"
After all the parades where the smell of jerked chicken on the fire filled the air, members of the Jewish community would finally be able to see if it is as good as it smells.
"I've been smelling it for years," said Tracy Akner as she ordered a plate. "Now I get to taste it."
She set off without taking a bite, deciding to delay the experience until she picked up her 4-year-old, Nahy, so he will not have to wonder for years as she did.
An elderly gentleman in Hasidic garb stepped up and asked in Yiddish for dark meat. His shoulders began to rise and fall to the parade's music as he finished the chicken along with a side dish Sarah's mother reminded them to include.
"She said make sure you have rice and peas," Sarah reported.
Zev set to preparing another treat that made a paradegoer cry out, amazed and delighted.
"Breadfruit!"
Just the sight of the kosher crew caused scores of passersby to smile and take cell phone pictures, happy proof that most of us prefer unity to division.
"I love it! I love it!" exclaimed Kerriann Brown.
"It says we can all be one," said Robin Winter.
There it was; one love. Winter sampled from a plate and gave a thumbs up that said it all.
Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/2010/09/07/2010-09-07_jewmaican_their_day_with_some_kosher_jerk_chicken.html#ixzz0yqnJywFO
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