A pickle by any other name

Once you've had the best, it's difficult to settle for less.

And I've definitely had the best.

Pickles, that is.

My grandfather Jerzy (the best jadek a polski ogórki could ever ask for) used to make the best pickles (in addition to mixing cement, sharpening knives, standing on his head and flipping his eyelids over... during dinner).

 not a flipped eyelid in sight

He was a man of many skills, my jadek. And also of languages. But back to his pickles.

He kept bottles and bottles of them in the cool, dark basement at the cottage.

Sometimes, in the middle of the day, we'd surreptitiously go down there and have a couple... PLUS a large bottle of Coca-Cola (because soft drinks were strictly forbidden). In order to avoid suspicion, we'd burp up the evidence before rejoining the rest of the family.

Since then, pickles have been one of my top comfort foods.

In fact, there aren't many things in life that aren't made better by adding pickles.

Take pizza. The smoked meat pizza at Pizzeria Magpie, more specifically. Garnished with smoked meat, pickles, cheddar cheese and Dijon mustard, it is perhaps one of the best pizzas I've ever had.

Other than the pizza made by my dad... but I digress.

Take salad. Just the other day, my mum and I tried Mandy's for the first time. Famous for their salads, Mandy's makes a mean smoked meat salad. Chock-full of salady goodness, plus "Montreal's best smoked meat" (do they mean Schwartz's or Lester's? I prefer Lester's but I can't speak for all of Montreal... or can I?), diced dill pickles and Cape Cod chips.

But wait!

Is it the smoked meat or the pickles that I truly crave???   

Speaking of cravings, isn't is weird how pregnant women crave pickles? I Googled it today and according to Dr. Phil, "women who crave pickles are really craving salt and may be mineral deficient, specifically sodium deficient."  

But why pickles? Why not... chips? Or... umm... something else?

Since I do not have answers to these questions, I will go back to what I know best: pickles.

As a true connoisseur and Polish pickle by birthright, I can safely say that Moishes kosher dill pickles, in their original brine, are the best I've had since my grandfather's.

And just like that, I'm craving deep-fried pickles. Deville Dinerbar has some divine ones.