You, Again

New York City is the most populous city in the United States. It is divided into five boroughs and surrounds a large harbor at the southernmost tip of New York State. Culturally, New York City is known for its fast pace of life and diverse inhabitants. It is the birthplace of many literary and artistic movements, such as the Harlem Renaissance, which included poets and authors such as Langston Hughes, Claude McKay, James Weldon Johnson, Zora Neale Hurston, and Nella Larsen. The city is frequently represented in media. For example, When Harry Met Sally has become an iconic reference for movies set in New York, and various romantic comedy novels have taken place in the city. The second book in Graeme Simsion’s trilogy, The Rosie Effect (2014), highlights the challenges of pregnancy for a couple while adjusting to living in the city, while Casey McQuiston’s One Last Stop (2021) has a time-travel love story set on the New York City subway.

New York City is known for its vibrant culinary scene, including its quintessential Jewish delis scattered throughout the city, where residents and tourists alike flock to eat bagels, pastrami on rye sandwiches, smoked fish, matzoh ball soup, and other delicacies. In You, Again, Josh Kestenberg’s father, Danny, owns Brodsky’s, a popular Jewish deli. Jewish delis became a staple in New York City in the late 19th and early 20th centuries when the first waves of Ashkenazi Jewish immigrants settled in New York. Katz’s Delicatessen, a popular Jewish deli in Manhattan’s Lower East Side, opened in 1888. While deli items were considered a rare treat for Jewish families living in Eastern Europe—“delicatessen” derives from the Latin word “delicate” or “luxurious”—they quickly became a staple in New York (Sheidlower, Noah. “The History of the Jewish Deli in New York.” Untapped New York, 19 Jan. 2022). Jewish immigrants established a “fusion food born of immigration,” adopting Eastern and Central European cuisine to serve Jewish dietary needs such as keeping kosher. By 1930, there were an estimated 3,000 delis across the five boroughs (Keys, Lisa. “A New Exhibit on Jewish Delis Explores the Roots and Rise of a Uniquely American Phenomenon.” Jewish Telegraphic Agency, 10 Nov. 2022). Many delis during this time were Yiddish run and functioned as an affirming social space for Jewish communities, including for Holocaust survivors. Delis quickly became popular with non-Jewish residents, and the food is a central part of New York’s culinary culture. While many of New York’s old-school delis like Carnegie Deli and Stage Delicatessen have shuttered, other historic locations like the Second Avenue Deli and Russ & Daughters remain. Newer establishments such as Frankel’s in Greenpoint have also opened and pay homage to the longstanding Jewish tradition (“A New Exhibit on Jewish Delis”). 

In addition to New York’s deli culture, the city also has an established fine-dining scene—something that Josh initially values as a chef and wants to break into before finding fulfillment through his and Radhya’s collaboration, Shaak + Schmaltz. Beginning in the mid-19th century, restaurants began to gain appeal among wealthy individuals due to the rise in commercial spaces and capitalism. Swiss immigrants John and Peter Delmonico identified the opportunity to cater to affluent New Yorkers and opened the country’s first fine-dining restaurant, Delmonico’s, in 1837, which they based on French establishments. Delmonico’s, which is still open today, became the gold standard of restaurant service in the city. The fine-dining experience there inspired other chefs to open similar restaurants in New York and across the country. Soon after, a booming restaurant business was established in New York City, cementing its role as an international culinary destination (Brown, Lynn. “The Evolution of the New York Restaurant Scene.” JSTOR Daily, 2 Sept. 2016). Michelin-starred restaurants boasting tasting menus and expensive dishes in New York today include Le Bernardin, Eleven Madison Park, and Jean-Georges, among many others. New York also has a thriving comedy scene, which Ari wants to be a part of in You, Again. Famous comedy clubs and theaters in New York include the New York Comedy Club, Comedy Cellar, the Gotham Comedy Club, and the Upright Citizens Brigade.