“Two Cents Plain”: Jewish Seltzer Peddling in New York’s Gilded Era
with James Edward Malin
and Annual Business Meeting
New York Irish Center
In the late 19th century, the seltzer peddler’s call of “two cents plain” was a common melody in the soundtrack of downtown New York life. At the confluence of new technologies, cultural sensibilities, and an egregiously insufficient water supply, immigrant Ashkenazis slaked their tenement-bound thirsts with seltzer’s clean, refreshing, and cheap abundance. To this day, seltzer holds a special place in New York City Jewish culture, even called “Jewish Champagne.” To understand how and why the beverage became so important, we must understand thirst and its infrastructural cause and social effects. Food historian and CHNY member James Edward Malin will discuss the connections that made seltzer a fixture of Jewish life.
James Edward Malin is the Engineering and Science Librarian for the Cooper Union, a consulting food history researcher, and CHNY’s treasurer.
Refreshments (and seltzer!) will be served. There is no charge for current members, but you must RSVP by September 15. Please be sure your membership is current. RSVP at Eventbrite.