I have Kachka’s cookbook. Not only are the recipes great, but the story of how the restaurant got it’s name is wonderful. Glad it was as good as I thought it would be.
And none on the menu.
The chef and owner’s grandmother escaped from the Belarusian town of Bobr during WWII. She traveled for two months on foot. Her three month old baby starved to death…
“Finally she was stopped by a starosta - one of the Nazi appointed town wardens. My grandmother repeated the story she’d been carrying: she was a Ukrainian woman on her way to her husband’s family. ‘If you’re from Ukraine,’ he asked doubtfully, seeing the dark complexion of a Belarusian Jew, ‘How do you say ootka (duck) in Ukrainian?’
My grandmother didn’t know Ukrainian. At home she spoke Yiddish and Russian, and a few words of Belarusian. So she crossed her fingers, took a deep breath, and pulled out the Belarusian/Yiddish word: kachka. And with this one little word, this little duck, the key slid in the lock, and the gates fell open. My grandmother passed through, and went on to join the partizan resistance.”
That’s the story.
It’s a great story. I was commenting, there is no duck on the menu.
Sorry I misunderstood.
Is this a very somm phrase to use, or is it more widely used? Partner and I were at a tasting room last yr (I think) and heard this phrase for the first time…
You made me chuckle.
Wait, so do I have a point???
Not really.
Huh. Hope your chuckle was more amusement than mockery.
The idea that there are somm phrases is funny. Sure, there are somm’s that talk a different language, but universal phrasing…I must have missed that lecture.
Annual reminder for the Rancho Gordo Encuentro!!! Tickets will go live soon…. One of these years I’ll make the timing work for me!
Steve Sando actually came to L.A. for a Rancho Gordo / AOC collab a while back, but I didn’t find out until it was passed. I would’ve been all over that!!!
Actually we’re going today at 5pm. Looking forward to it.
We’re there are 1PM. I’m hungry.