Most of my childhood memories revolve around food.
A smell, a taste or the sight of a familiar dish can bring me back to hundreds of specific memories from when I was little. I have learned to accept this as I embrace my inner fat-kid. One of those memory-filled foods is sauerkraut and kielbasa. My grandmother lived in the southwest district of Baltimore city in a neighborhood of polish and Italian families which was reflected in her cooking style. One of her most frequently made and most popular was Polish sausage cooked in sauerkraut, fermented cabbage with a tangy, sour taste.
On the southeast side of the city, though, is where you can find the most authentic Polish sausage in town. Actually, there are two stores in southeast Baltimore to find authentic Polish sausage. Two competing Polish sausage stores compete for the title of most authentic and most delicious in Baltimore. Both stores have similar histories: started by Polish immigrants years ago (Ostrowski’s on Bank Street for 34 years and Ostrowski’s on Washington Street for 90), both have become Baltimore traditions, both Polish and non-Polish, for years, sometimes becoming mistaken for one another. This is easily done, considering both stores have reputations for selling delicious and inexpensive authentic Polish delicacies. 
Although the Ostrowski’s on Washington Street was voted “Best in Baltimore,” their products are relatively inaccessible to anyone who does not have the time nor the patience to drive to Fells Point (i.e. me…). However, the other Ostrowski’s (of Bank Street, only a few blocks away) sells their products at multiple grocery stores and butchers stores around the Baltimore metropolitan area. Accessibility is the key to spreading culture and in that aspect Ostrowski’s of Bank Street is beating Ostrowki’s of Washington Street. I happened to figure out that these sausages were sold at a nearby butcher, Trueth and Sons, in Oella, Maryland (which is another Baltimore story altogether), for $2.89/lb on Mondays. So, in the true spirit of an impoverished foodie, I made my way to Trueth’s and picked up 8 giant Polish sausages, half spicy and half sweet/mild, for less than $6. Just the scent of the sausages in the bag brought me back to summer nights on Gebb Avenue in my Grandma’s house, minue the sauerkraut. The memory became almost as overpowering as the smell and I asked my mom to pick me up some sauerkraut on the way home. I grilled the sausages, cooked the sauerkraut and loaded some on a plate with some potato salad for dinner. 
As I ate, I thought about the Baltimore families who had probably had this meal countless times throughout the years; it’s a cheap, easy to make comfort food, familiar to everyone and a piece of home for those with Polish heritage. I may not be Polish, but the meal was definitely a piece of home for me as well. Next time I get the hankering for some kielbasa and sauerkraut, I’m going to call my Grandma.
References:
http://www2.citypaper.com/eat/review.asp?rid=9894
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