Dear Rachel,
If you choose to print this letter at all, it will certainly be way past Shavuos, but I still need to get something off my chest once and for all.
How do you explain the full page color ads / displays in popular magazines (catering strictly to the frum population)? I refer to the glamorous dining room decor and magnificent table settings that would make the King of England envious.
And that’s before the food is served. I mean, seriously, how does the average homemaker / wife / mother / hostess manage to put together food creations that look like museum art pieces.
Which conjures up the cheese (supposedly) delicacies. I was a guest by a close relative last year for Shavuos. The hostess decided to impress her many guests and visitors by ordering a wide assortment of cheese goodies from upper-scale specialty houses.
Though I am by nature health-conscious and stay away from sugar and artificial gook for the most part, I decided to indulge, by at least tasting some of the fancy-delancey concoctions.
To my utter amazement, they were worse than tasteless. The cheese had the texture of plastic (guess that’s how they manage to mold them into works of art). By the time I was done tasting from a wide variety, I so craved that plain, fluffy, mouthwatering cheese cake that actually tasted like cheesecake.
Now that I’m on a roll, for years now I’ve wondered how a magazine or newspaper addresses all sorts of ills, dispensing advice for healthy eating in one section, then promotes margarine and sugar laden dishes via recipes in another.
This year we hope to keep it at home-made kreplach and blintzes. With a dollop of good old-fashioned sour cream.
Bon Apetit!
Dear Bon,
I’m all in! But you left out the best part: old fashioned ice cream for dessert. Yum!
As I prepare this column and do a quick calculation… it’s now been nine months since I’ve covered for the prolific Rachel Bluth as she took a leave of absence.
Word has it that Mrs. Bluth is ready to resume her stewardship of Life Chronicles once again. After nine long months (ok, let’s not go there, but that kind of nine months does seem to drag on forever), I’m happy to relinquish the seat behind the scenes.
Thank you to all who wrote to contribute your original thoughts, responses, advice and ideas, in your own individual way. “Mikol melamdai hiskalti”… You’ve enlightened me. It’s been one beautiful, teaching moment.
Thank You Hashem!
Rachel (an Old Friend of the column)
