NEW EXHIBITION

“And Such Small Portions!”

Food and Comedy in the Catskills Resort Era

The Borscht Belt enjoys a storied history as a haven for Jewish vacationers. During much of the 20th century, Jewish families from New York’s Lower East Side, Brooklyn, and the Bronx flocked to resorts and bungalow colonies  surrounded by bucolic scenery to escape the city‘s stifling summers. Symbolizing assimilation and economic security, the resorts provided an abundance of familiar foods in generous spreads―often served with comedic entertainment―that fused Eastern European Jewish traditions with American influences.

Many of the two-and-a-half million Eastern European Jews who migrated to the United States between 1880 and 1920 hoped to escape poverty. The arrivals— largely from Germany, Poland, Russia, Romania, and Hungary— brought culinary traditions and an adherence to the laws of Kashrut (ritual food preparation and eating) that defined their Jewish identities. “And Such Small Portions!” explores the interplay of food and humor that happened in Borscht Belt dining rooms, kitchens, and theaters, and ultimately shaped a uniquely Jewish American culture that still thrives today.

This exhibition is made possible through the generous support of The Chaya Fund, the Victor and Pearl Tumpeer Foundation. Additional support provided by Timely Signs, Slutsky Lumber and Honor’s Haven Retreat & Conference. A special thanks to Adina and Marc Levin of Collab.

  • Jenny Grossinger and Staff, 1958

  • Danny Kaye

  • Early Settlers in Sullivan County, N.Y.

  • Joan Rivers

  • Bagel Vendor

  • Brown's Billboard

The Origins of the Exhibition Title

The punchline that inspired the title of this exhibition originated in Bronx Ballads—a collection of songs and stories published in 1927 to preserve the borough’s folklore.The book features illustrations by Harry Hershfield, a Jewish American cartoonist, humor writer, and radio personality. One illustration accompanying a ballad about a young New Yorker who vacationed in the mountains shows two women conversing at a train station. According to the humorous caption, one woman inquires, “‘You don’t like the eating at the ‘Benjamin Arms,’ Mrs. Margolies?’” while the other replies “‘No, it was terrible! Every mouthful was positively poison—and what small portions they give you of it!’”

Since that time, many versions of the joke have been published, and over the years, the original punchline changed to: “The food was terrible, and such small portions!” This variation reached mainstream American audiences in 1977 when Woody Allen introduced it at the beginning of Annie Hall: “There’s an old joke, two elderly women are at a Catskill mountain resort…”

Exhibition Credits

Curator-in-Charge
Debra Schmidt Bach, Ph.D.

Curator and Historian
Steven H. Jaffe, Ph.D.

Assistant Curator and Project Manager
Mackensie Griffin

Curatorial Interns
Scarlett Han, Janelle Williams

Exhibition Design
Daniel Fouad

Graphic Design
Victoria Messner

Installation Art
Robin Schwartzman

Fabrication
John Glagola, Salvatore Mazzella, Kenny Phillips, Einar Eiddson.