R&K Insider: Keeping kosher in Brooklyn, finding that elusive Kenyan sound

This week on R&K, why Gottlieb's deli in South Williamsburg is still thriving when many of New York's delis have shut, drinking rum in Nairobi with Muthoni Drummer Queen. View this email in your browser Grilled pastrami sandwich with onions on rye at Gottlieb's. Photo by: Leo Schwartz Happy Thursday, and L'shana tova to our Yom Kippur-ing readers o mark the Day of Atonement, we published Leo Schwartz's story about Gottlieb's deli, which opened up in 1962 and is still thriving while many of the city's Kosher or Kosher-style delis have either changed their menu or shuttered. An institution among South Williamsburg's Satmar Hasidic community, Gottlieb's is a Glatt Kosher deli—the strictest Jewish dietary classification—and an even rarer breed in the shrinking world of Ashkenazi dining. Schwartz writes that the number of Jewish delis in the United States has sunk from 1,550 Kosher delis in New York City alone in 1931 to just a couple of hundred—Kosher, non-Kosher, and everything in between—in the entire United States. There are many reasons for this decline, from the spread of supermarkets to the rising price of brisket, but Gottlieb's has a crucial advantage (besides its kosher lo mein): it is desperately needed by its local community, whose Hasidic dietary requirements outstrips supply. This week on The Trip podcast, we also capped off our epic series of Kenya interviews with Muthoni Drummer Queen, a singer, songwriter, entrepreneur, and CEO of Blankets and Wine, an East African music festival showcasing new genres of African music. Muthoni says that in her music, she tries to create a "sonic signature" distinct from American or European influences—although she also notes that Kenya's culture is so complex that there is no such thing as a "Kenyan" sound. Check out Muthoni's brand of "cultural alchemy" here.  Elsewhere on the internet, despite stiff competition from the surreal chaos in U.S. and U.K. politics, the biggest popcorn-eating meme-worthy drama centers around two British women married to soccer players: Colleen Rooney and Rebekah Vardey. After stories from Rooney's private Instagram were leaked to The Sun, perhaps Britain's most rabid and hysterical tabloid, she started planting fake stories to see if they found their way into the newspaper—and yesterday she announced that the leaks came from Rebekah Vardy's Instagram account. The story continues… and I for one have enjoyed the distraction.  —Alexa Copyright © 2019 Roads & Kingdoms, All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: 68 Jay St. #422 Brooklyn, NY 10013 Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.