Kashrut and Crisco (more than slightly o/t)

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 11/28/2002 11:48:52 AM Eastern Standard Time,

JonnysGirl81@... writes:

> I wonder if I can start a new chanuka tradition and have my boyfriend

> oil me

> >

> >up with crisco? He's not jewish, but I doubt he'd object to trying

> in the

> >name of religion!

>

> and I loved this suggestion and will think about celebrating

> Hanukkah in this fashion :-)

>

I don't think crisco is Kosher

*****

Isn't it, Fay? I thought it was " all-vegetable " shortening, as opposed

to the other stuff (lard). Then again, I don't think I've bought any in

at least 20 years, so I'm not exactly an expert.

However, this reminded me of one of my father-in-law's Hannukah

stories, and being as how tonight is erev Hannukah and all, thought I'd

share. He and a couple of other Jewish guys from Montreal were

newly-minted professional engineers, and had found jobs in the

(relatively) nearby small town of Cornwall, Ontario. They were boarding

with a very nice Anglo woman, who took care of them as though they were

her own sons. When Hannukah rolled around, as it isn't one of the

" biggies " in the Jewish calendar (or it wasn't then, at any rate), they

didn't go home, but they were all feeling nostalgic about their

mothers' potato latkes. Their landlady overheard them, and asked how

their mothers made these mysterious things. Reuben (my fil) recited the

recipe, and she wrote it down.

As they were returning from work that night, the most tantalizing aroma

greeted the three young engineers -- latkes! And these were the

crispiest, thinnest, most delicate latkes any of them had ever seen.

They chowed down with some sour cream on the side, and as they finished

the last crumbs, the landlady came into the room and received a round

of applause from her appreciative guests. Reuben asked her how she'd

made them so thin and crispy -- well, it turned out she'd fried them

all up in lard, which has a much higher burning point than vegetable

oil shortening! Crispy, yes -- kosher, well, not exactly. But it's the

thought that counts.

A certain revered Polish rabbi used to go to a certain spot in the

woods when he was faced with a difficult question, and he would light a

fire, say a prayer, and ask his question, and it was answered. In the

next generation, the people go to the same spot, and light the fire,

but they could no longer remember the words to the prayer. But still,

their question was answered. In later generations, they would say, " The

prayer we no longer know, the fire we can no longer light, the spot in

the woods is lost to us; all we have is the question, and that will

have to be sufficient. " And it was.

Happy Hannukah, everyone!

--

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

RNY September 19, 2001

Dr. Freeman, Ottawa General Hospital

BMI then: 43.5

BMI now: 22.2

-152 lbs

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[Guest guest]

In a message dated 11/29/02 11:00:41 AM Central Standard Time,

kdirving@... writes:

<< it turned out she'd fried them

all up in lard, which has a much higher burning point than vegetable

oil shortening! Crispy, yes -- kosher, well, not exactly. But it's the

thought that counts. >>

----------------------------

My husband is a Muslim. For several months he'd been buying, eating and

relishing a particular brand of tortillas. Until the day he sat eating one

and reading the package label and discovered one of the ingredients was lard.

He promptly barfed up what he'd eaten, involuntarily. It is definitely the

thought that counts -- and sometimes that controls our reactions..........

Carol A