Oktoberfest in East Hampton

There exist important nuggets of information you pick up in life. Some of them you know how you picked them up: Say 'please' & 'thank you': Mom & Dad; Pound for pound the Korean BBQ Restaurant* is the best spot to eat in Newark, DE: Brad. However, there are other nuggets that are just as important, but you cannot remember how you learned about them: don't eat the yellow snow; or the uglier the tomato the better it is likely to taste.

*If you are in Newark or have ever been to Newark & you disagree, I defy you to eat the bulgogi there and tell me I'm wrong. You may want to bring Brad to maximize this experience.

I just spent the weekend in my East Hampton hideaway & let me tell you whatever you may have heard about Hampton tomatoes is absolutely true. They are delicious & they can be downright ugly. All of mine came from Alex's produce stand. If that means anything to you - then proceed there immediately and buy the ugliest one you see. Then buy eight or nine more. Seriously, what were you going to do with only one tomato?

Of course there are other pursuits in the Hamptons besides eating tomatoes: fishing for bluefish; eating corn on the cob*; lounging on the beach; drinking wine; drinking beer; and if you have the time, you may want to enjoy a cocktail. But if you have never been to the Hamptons - don't fret. You have likely been to a beach town that is its equal. You just didn't pay $85 for your souvenir t-shirt.

*I've been living in Houston and I'm terribly missing the concept of the Delaware roadside produce stand. I was longing for summer tomatoes and corn - and I'm currently filled up. But check back with me in a week or two.

When I wasn't busy eating ugly tomatoes I also found time to celebrate German living, Oktoberfest style, with the German side of my clan. We went to Rowdy Hall and got our fill of sausage & potato salad & sauerkraut. The sauerkraut there has too many caraway seeds. That's not just my opinion, but also the opinion of Tante Franziska. She's from just north of Munich and knows how to make a mean kraut & sausage & come to think of it is possible everything she makes kicks ass. Tante: the plum cake was ridiculous! Plus it is always nice to go to a event with a native - to point out what's not authenticate* & to make you feel more legit.

*It recently dawned on me there is no such thing as the authenticity of food. You may stop bragging or worrying or vexing over whether or not your Sesame Chicken is authentic. I guarantee it is. I don't care if you bought it in the freezer case in your supermarket - it really is food. It might be awful & you may want to avoid it, but saying that it isn't authentic is just silly. We (and I'm including myself with this) should all stop.

Here is what I mean: anyone who thinks that weisswurst they are eating today in Munich is the same as it was 100 years ago is crazy. Twenty years ago you could have hermetically sealed and deep (Walt Disney's head deep) freezed that sausage and then delicately & expertly brought it back to life so it was exactly the same -- there is no way that sausage enjoys an identical taste to the one today.

Everything changes. Generations change. Climates change. Peoples taste change. You now love sushi & somehow can translate LOL into a meaningful phrase. And our food changes along with us. Your Chinese food isn't just Americanified - so is your American food. Does you pantry look anything like June Cleavers? I doubt it. How often do you reach for a can of cream of mushroom/celery/chicken soup when you start cooking dinner? (Put your hand down Big Fizz.)

Things may be changing a bit quicker now, but food & language & everything else evolves. So I have stopped worrying if that little mom & pop Mexican joint produces the same stuff as their counterpart south of the Rio Grande. They don't. Carolina & Texas & Kansas City BBQ all taste wonderfully different. And I'm betting more than a few yahoos in Dakota** make a mean BBQ too. It's all American food - whatever that might mean. Japanese food - whatever that might mean - tastes different all over Japan too.

**The Song of the Summer supports North Dakota's wish to be officially known as Dakota.

So eat what you like; stop your worrying; and feel free to tell that blow-hard he/she has no clue what they are talking about when they tell your spicy meatball is not authentic. Tell them its not authentic in Tuscany either. It'll freak them out.

Happy Oktoberfest. Eat a sausage* & get a beer. I recommend Brooklyn's Oktoberfest over Spaten's. And whatever you do, get yourself to the Korean BBQ Restaurant in Newark, Delaware. And who knows - maybe it’s authentic.

*I haven't gone completely loopy here - get a bratwurst or a knockwurst and save the chorizo for another day.