Ask PopJew

Of course we were proud when Rachel Coleman AKA PopJew, won the Food Network show, Worst Cooks in America, but we knew her before she was a television personality; blogging away like a one-woman Page Six for the Brooklyn music scene over at the blog that bears her name. We apparently were not alone in our love of Rachel.  We put out the word that we wanted our readers to ask the formerly bad cook a few questions about treyf foods, investment tips, and book deals, and got an overwhelming response. Do you think you’re a hero to Jewish women who can’t cook?

-Shirley, I say I’m 35, Buffalo Grove, Il.

Hey Shirley, I don’t think I’m a hero to anyone, especially not Jewish women… I still don’t even know how to make brisket! But, I hope that seeing me on the show as a proud Jewish woman was cool.  Honestly, if I could learn to cook, any Jewish woman could learn to cook well enough to make her mother shut up, know what I’m saying?

Do you plan to invest the 25,000 dollars you won?  If so, do you have investment tips?

-Isaac, 22, Long Island

Hey Isaac, Helllllll no, I’m not going to spend the money all at once or anything,  but I want to be able to have a little fun.  I’ve been living paycheck to paycheck ever since college and the idea of taking a cheap vacation every once in a while is really attractive to me.  I don’t know ANYTHING about investing. What do people do to invest? Stocks? CDs? Mutual Funds? Are those things?  

How did you get the nickname Popjew?

-Maury, age not disclosed, New York, New York 

Hey Maury, I gave myself the nickname PopJew when I was starting a music blog.  My Jewish identity has always been very important to me.  My father wasn’t Jewish so until I was about ten we were a Chanukah and Christmas family, it wasn’t until I started Bat Mitzvah classes that my mom put her foot down and said that we needed to have a completely Jewish household.  Ever since then I’ve taken my Judaism very seriously and I consider it one of my best traits.  I wanted to start a blog about pop music and it just seemed to be the logical name.  It has really caught on, people call me PopJew all the time out in public.  Ideally I’d like to start organizing "hip" events for Jewish adults, Shabbat services and stuff, that’s really my dream.  I don’t have any kind of community of Jewish peers right now and it makes me sad. PopJew will maybe one day do that….

Are you no longer considered the worst cook in America since you won?

-Joshua, 35, Atlanta, Ga.

Hey Josh,

Nope, now I’m the best of the worst, I’m pretty good at cooking now… afterall, I cooked on TV! I cook all the time in my house now… I may not be the best cook but people want to eat my grub…

Eddie on Worst Cooks bears an uncanny resemblance to this guy in my office that I absolutely hate.  What do you think about Eddie?

-Jenny, 22, Miami, Fla.

Hey Jenny,

Eddie (obviously) got to me on the show, but in retrospect he was a good guy. I guess I resented him because he didn’t think I could do it, but now that I beat him I feel kind of bad about talking so much smack.

You cooked a lot of treyf foods.  If you met a nice orthodox boy, would you go kosher?

-Menachem, 19, Brooklyn

Hey Menachem,

I’ve always kind of wanted to go kosher.  I take my Judaism pretty seriously and I’ve always thought that going kosher would be a good way to prove it.  I’ve tried a few times but have never gone more than a few weeks.  As with all things, a boy is always the best way to achieve a goal.  If I was super into an orthodox boy, I’m POSITIVE I could go kosher for him… harder would be not sitting next to him in shul.

Is there a book deal in the works?

-Shirley, 52, Los Angeles

Hey Shirley,

I WISH, I’d love to write a book, but at this point in my life I don’t even know what it would be on… if you have an idea, let me know! I love to write!