Agreed?
Gawker has a few words for a writer to The New York Times’ “Ethicist” column who argued that reneging on a deal to buy scalped Michigan football tickets when a better deal came along is okay because scalping tickets is unethical anyway. “Look, I grew up in Ann Arbor,” the Gawker editor reveals, “and I recognize that college football–and perhaps Michigan football in particular–is something that millions of people in this country believe has some kind of value. But as far as I’m concerned, you guys just made traffic miserable on Saturday afternoons when I wanted to drive to Target because they had the best deals on shampoo.”
But s/he’s not finished with the anti-A2 screed. Unfortunately, as often happens when someone tries to take a swipe at Tree Town from a comfortable several-hundred-mile distance, it comes out like a funhouse-mirror version of the Deuce:
And it is so Ann Arbor of you to write in to an advice column with a pre-fabricated answer to your own question and ending with “agreed?” I’m sure you’re reading this column right now with a slice of Zingerman’s chocolate cherry bread and some artisanal Provencale butter from Whole Foods and thinking “Yup. I knew I was right. Now where did I put that question for Car Talk?”
First of all, the only topping for Zingerman’s chocolate cherry bread that makes sense is cream cheese (Philly cream cheese; the in-house stuff is just too tangy.) But the real problem is that the quintessential Ann Arborite portrayed here probably isn’t going to be buying scalped football tickets (and certainly isn’t going to be clogging traffic by attempting to drive to the game.) Scalped tickets for Jorma Kaukonen at the Ark, maybe.
It’s a tradeoff. Sure, move to New York and you get the nightlife, the restaurants, the public transportation. But you lose the ability to make accurate snide remarks about A2 based on arcane details of last night’s Greenway Task Force meeting, and sometimes you don’t even realize what’s been lost.
Also, New York may be one of the only places snobbier than Ann Arbor. Pot, kettle.
posted by Dave on December 11th, 2006 at 12:17 pmWell, you have to understand that people do a lot to repress their memories of Ann Arbor after they move away. So it’s hard to remember the many details of its crappiness with perfect accuracy.
posted by Nick on December 11th, 2006 at 12:32 pmI have to chime in on this one. For the ultimate chocolate cherry bread experience, lightly toast it then slop on the creme fraiche. Swoon!
posted by BlogLurker on December 11th, 2006 at 3:03 pmIt is a constant cliche among New Yorkers who went to Michigan– or, better yet, who have kids who went to Michigan– to knock Zingerman’s. They are simply threatened, and can shove it. New York does not have any delis that are better than Zingerman’s. (Although I don’t like Zingerman’s’ logic on a double or triple espresso– at least not circa 1995: maybe they’ve changed.) Anyway, just sounding off on this tendency to mock what threatens the New York presumed superiority. Zabar’s is a myth …
Sorry in advance
posted by toasty on December 11th, 2006 at 5:27 pmand oh, yes: ann arbor is still overrated.
posted by toasty on December 11th, 2006 at 5:53 pmUm. But Zingerman’s isn’t really a Deli. It’s really cool and all kinda fusion and all that — but not a deli. At least I wouldn’t have recognised it as such.
posted by LittleB on December 11th, 2006 at 5:53 pmYou mean the Zingerman’s sandwich shop? I thought it was a brilliantly designed scheme to separate Arborites from their excessive disposable income, rather than a serious effort to be a deli.
posted by UM postdoc on December 11th, 2006 at 8:19 pmAlthough I agree that Zingerman’s is a reasonable replica of a New York deli foodwise and pricewise, it is still missing the surliness. It is reasonably clean, you can park, and you get free taste samples. Not very NYC at all.
posted by JCP2 on December 11th, 2006 at 8:55 pmFeh. Delis have tongue sandwiches. And chopped liver sandwiches. I heart Zingerman’s, but Shapiro’s Deli in Indianapolis and Carmel rocks the house.
posted by Young OWSider on December 11th, 2006 at 9:09 pmit’s a deli
posted by toasty on December 12th, 2006 at 3:36 amThe debate the last few comments are trying to lay down is like trying to argue over what constitutes a “kiosk” or a “parking garage.”
‘A parking garage should have 30 Ford Escorts per floor’ [because I come from Lansing]
or
‘A kiosk must have a rude guy inside of it’ [because i come from philly]
New Yorkers see Zingerman’s as a deli and try to knock it down as such. That’s the point.
posted by toasty's roomate on December 12th, 2006 at 3:43 amHey, I said I heart Zingerman’s. And I’m from the Indianapolis area. I’m not knocking it, I’m just pointing out the differences. Many people across the country have an idea about what a Jewish Deli should have, whether that deli’s in NY or Indianapolis or Skokie or Denver.
posted by Young OWSider on December 12th, 2006 at 7:29 amZingerman’s aside, the rant about the football fans made me fall down laughing.
But just for the record, Zingerman’s does too have both chopped liver and tongue available today (12/12/06). And most days, as far as I can tell. And I’m sure they’d be really giddily cheerful to assemble some into a thirteen-dollar sandwich.
posted by Nitro on December 12th, 2006 at 8:47 amReally? But they don’t have it on their menu, do they? See, I guess that’ll learn me. I’m actually thrilled about this. I take back what I said earlier, and now I love Zingerman’s even more.
posted by Young OWSider on December 12th, 2006 at 9:19 amI was gonna say…. I don’t even eat meat, but my relatives do and Zingerman’s certainly does sell chopped liver and tongue. Sandwich #1 has chopped liver on it.
And whether or not it is a good deli, my relatives are always pleased and excited to go when they come to AA, which they imagine as something out of Little House on the Prairie or something. You have a deli! You have a Target! It’s like we moved to Bruma or Yemen or something.
posted by Chris on December 12th, 2006 at 10:00 amI guess I was a doofus for just going by their menu. I called them up to get it straight from the horse’s mouth this morning. Fantastic.
Oh, and I also love what the gawker person said about football fans. Hysterical.
posted by Young OWSider on December 12th, 2006 at 11:03 amAs a Michigan football fan, I take exception… this Gawker writer just sounds like an asshole.
posted by Dave on December 12th, 2006 at 11:25 amI’ve never done the big sloppy kiss with Zingerman’s tongue (fearing chin abrasions from Ari’s beard), but I find their liver to be succulent. It’s tasty enough to eat straight from the little plastic tub.
And yeah, the Gawker writer sounds like a putz. Probably got slammed into his locker by football players in high school, and he really should get over it. However, his comments elsewhere regarding his “Gym Nemesis” are pretty funny. Anybody else have a Gym Nemesis? Mine is this creepy troll at the CCRB who shaves his entire body and spends WAY too much time in the sauna–when he isn’t cruising stark naked up and down the locker aisles.
Gym Nemesis: http://www.corporate-casual.com/2006/12/08/hate-this-fridays-11/
posted by Parking Structure Dude! on December 12th, 2006 at 11:36 amI didn’t happen to notice the Gawker byline the first time I read that article, but after that second link I went back and looked again. I know this guy. And I never did think he was funny. At least not nearly as funny as he believes he is. Sorry, Gabe, if you’re reading this but… blah.
posted by Dave on December 12th, 2006 at 4:10 pmBah, went to Artie’s on the Upper West Side and I’ll take it over Zingerman’s anyday. It actually feels like a deli, not a Whole Foods.
posted by Brandon on December 12th, 2006 at 4:43 pmMy husband says that he knows it’ll be a good deli if I gag from the smell upon entering. This has happened at Zingerman’s a few times.
posted by amyp on December 12th, 2006 at 5:39 pmZingerman’s used to be good. It jumped the shark at about the same time they added the second building. I don’t mind paying high prices for good food, but I do mind paying high prices for mediocre food.
posted by Kozzie_13 on December 14th, 2006 at 9:59 pmi don’t agree. imho, the quality of zingerman’s food has not declined.
posted by peter honeyman on December 15th, 2006 at 8:41 amI honestly think the whole Zingermans name thing has been overplayed. A few months back we were in the deli to get a sandwich and there was virtually no one else there (a rarity). After we placed the order, we were told it would be about 20 minutes. Sort of surprised, we asked why (these were simple sandwich orders and the place was pretty idle). The answer was that 20 minutes was the “standard wait” time. I was dumbfounded. All I could imagine is that they had gotten so full of themselves they thought waiting for food was part of the experience?
Between the deli, the bake house, the next door, the restaurant (uninspiring food and moderate/high prices) and now the corporate training, I think the whole Zingermans name has probably been milked to death and quality behind the name diluted.
Funny followup to the sandwich story was that about a month later, I was talking to friends from another company that were considering sending their people to a Zingermans corporate training session on customer service. I about did a spit take right there in Qdoba. After I got done relating that story (and some additional followup fact checking), the company decided to pass.
posted by Gerry on December 16th, 2006 at 9:46 amI don’t know if the quality has declined or not. As long as you really like high fat and high sodium, you’re good to go.
posted by LittleB on December 16th, 2006 at 12:46 pmI didn’t realize they did training too….
posted by Kozzie_13 on December 17th, 2006 at 6:23 pmAny time I hear Ann Arbor stuff being compared with New York stuff I want to snort — the Midwest is hayseed. We don’t want to be compared with New York. So, give it up. There’s simply no competition here, folks. Compare Manhattan delis with Queens or E. Hampton or Harlem delis…or something. We aren’t worth it eating liver over.
posted by jayko on December 18th, 2006 at 9:42 pmZingTrain
posted by jayko on December 18th, 2006 at 9:42 pmHarlem part of Manhattan, kid
posted by toasty on December 19th, 2006 at 4:09 am