On the flip side...

Days of channukah

Last year I spent Chanukah in Thailand. It was one long story with lots of little ones along the way. I was going to write about last years Chanukah memories of the River Kwai and those cute Indian sisters but now this years Chanukah is also memories. So I'll share a few memories from this year's Chanukah and maybe you'll decide to share some of yours with me.

Chanukah Day 3 - Last night at the jazz show
Last Saturday night I went to Art-L Bar on Hileni Ha'Malka St. Like all good Jewish anythings it started an hour late. Around 10:15 the quartet started. After the first set the drummer turned to the crowd "With your permission, we'd like to light Chanukah candles." He gave his kippah to the saxophone player and borrowed a scarf from one of the women to cover his own head. They set a small menorah on the bar and melted in 3 candles.
The sax player gave a surprisingly chazunishe rendition of the brachot. The crowd sang the first stanza of Maoz Tzur and the band started up again. It was one of those "Israel Moments". It was a good way to start my Chanukah.

Chanukah Day 5 - Dougnuts of my youth
In sharp contrast to the local oil bombs called sufganiyot I recall jelly doughnuts from Ungers bakery. I don't remember them in any connection to chanukah but I do remember walking home from school with my brother, each of us holding an Ungers jelly doughnut and stopping frequently to squeeze some of the excess jelly into one of the sewer grating along Bendemeer Rd. I think that part of the eating of these jelly doughnuts was complaining about how there was too much jelly in the doughnut. This now stands in sharp contrast to my breakfast this morning of an Angel's Bakery sufganiyah and me sitting and wondering "Why is there so little filling?"

posted by YS @ 5:23 PM