Pecan Pie; Doner Kebab (1953)

[Duane Campbell]

On Wed, 23 May 2001 09:34:17 EDT Ray Ott <Amcolph at AOL.COM> writes:
> How does Doner Kabob differ from Gyro?  Solid meat instead of
> ground?

There seem to be several different approaches to doner (I thought it was
umlauted or whatever) kebob. I relay my experience -- the only time I
ever ordered a complete second dinner at one sitting in a restaurant.

It was in a restaurant dedicated to donner kebob on the Asian shore of
the Bosphorus. There was a spit at least ten feet long (I think 15, but I
have knocked off the additional footage my memory may have added over the
years) manned by a crew of three.  On the spit were large hunks of meat
-- roast size -- of lamb and mutton alternating. The spit was mounted in
a brick -- what would you call it? -- a brick hearth with an integral
brick back. A very hot charcoal fire was at the back of the hearth. The
spit had a handle like a Model T crank, which one man turned very slowly.
A second man with a large bowl and a paint brush walked slowly down the
spit, brushing what appeared to be butter on the front of the array. This
buttered front then rotated through the fire and emerged browned at the
top, where the third man, holding a large knife in one hand and a
butcher's steel in the other, walked down and shaved this browned layer
off in razor thin slices. It was piled unadorned on plates and served.
There was bread on the tables, but I don't recall anyone making
sandwiches with it.

You don't know what good is.

D