My grandmother’s mother, Mary Salter, is a mysterious fruit on our family tree, not quite shaded in. We know very little about her; she died around 1930, leaving two little girls under four who would torture themselves, for the rest of their lives, trying to remember her face. Family lore suggests that Mary was a [...]
Did you have a baby doll, once? I had lots of baby dolls. Orange Blossom I received the Christmas my little sister turned one; when you squeezed her stomach she “blew” orange-scented kisses. And Martha Jean (renamed after my grandmother), my first treasured Cabbage Patch Kid. Eventually, these dolls were lost to history, so to [...]
I am a traitor. I have betrayed the bread I love. In my universe, Acme challah is impossible to acquire. Methods of obtaining it include 1) finding my husband during the day and convincing him to walk ten blocks to the Ferry Building on his lunch hour or 2) going to the Ferry Building myself. [...]
The first rule of challah wars is: don’t start a challah war if you’re not prepared to learn some awful truths about the bread you hold most dear. We have been going to Arizmendi Bakery, a wonderful and magic place, a cooperative where happy people who love to bake produce happy breads that are delicious [...]
Did you know there were Challah Wars going on? Do you even know what challah is? Say no, that I may educate you. Wikipedia will, of course, tell you what challah is and list challah references in popular culture and so forth, but the most satisfyingly exhaustive source on Jewish food, in my opinion, is [...]
