The Proper Way to Eat a Black & White Cookie
The black and white cookie, infamously featured on Seinfeld, has long been one of Joe Bob’s many food obsessions. Black and whites are soft, sponge-cake-like shortbreads, iced on one half with vanilla fondant and on the other half by chocolate fondant. Their history is unknown, but they’re typically found in Jewish deli’s, most notably in New York.
Like every other New York food – pizza, bagels, cheesecake – New Yorkers claim the only true versions exist in New York. A few years ago, Joe Bob set out to discover if a great black and white could be found in Los Angeles, home to several noted bakeries and Jewish delis. In the running were Beverlywood Bakery, Eagle Rock Italian Bakery, Brent’s Deli, and Bea’s Bakery in Tarzana, which Joe Bob agreed with many others was the best in Los Angeles and rivaled New York’s finest.
In “The Dinner Party” episode, Jerry Seinfeld, says, "Look, Elaine, the black-and-white cookie. I love the black and white — two races of flavor living side by side in harmony…See, the key to eating the black-and-white cookie, Elaine, is that you want to get some black and some white in each bite…yet somehow racial harmony eludes us. If people would only look to the cookie, all our problems would be solved!" Jerry later becomes ill and blames it on the black and white cookie.
Perhaps if Jerry had known the proper way to eat a black and white cookie, he would have created racial harmony and avoided an upset stomach. To get that perfect taste of black and white in each bite, you can’t just bite into it. That only works for a bite or two. What you must do is use a knife to cut off the sides. Hold those sides together and – boom! – each bite is perfectly balanced between black and white. Cut another strip from each side, put them together, and continue the goodness. At last, you’re left with the final middle strip where black meets white. Enjoy this harmony until the last bite!
