|
Winner of the essay competition : Eva Vadasz |
|
|
|
Response to the question ‘Were you disappointed that no tschulent was served during Shabbat, or do you think that there are other Jewish matters that count in Judaism?’ by Éva Vadász
Just one question on the matter of tschulent
Even though there is a myriad of matters tschulent stands a symbol for, even though in my small and rather healthy country tschulent is a popular choice in the student’s canteen, even though Heinrich Heine’s poem on tschulent The Princess Shabbat is a pasquinade for Friedrich Schiller’s Hymn to Joy, even though I’ve learnt that grandma could not hide the tschulent away from us in the oven simmering overnight, even though Iraqi Jews call it tebit and put rice in the chicken skin, and in Morocco they name it dafina or skhina and spice it with cinnamon or ginger, and in Tunisia they add millet to the Hanuka tschulent, moreover the Spanish version is adafina or cocino, even though the flavors of the ingredients permeate and create different tastes in every kitchen, even though my mom does not put it back to the oven before serving but my uncle does, even though in the old times the stetl people carried the prepared tschulent to the bakery so to keep it warm there, even though tschulent comes off as kind as the guest is, even though after tschulent people have to go to the synagogue to pray for their stomach to recover, even though my non-Jewish friend once prepared tschulent and asked my opinion and I was shy to tell that I had never tasted a purple tschulent before, even though they say tschulent is not supposed to be delicious, but should have the family and friends gathering taste, even though for some it is a culinary delight while to others it is a heavy obligation with stodge, even though tschulent and I have a common history, even though 'out of ten measures of happiness brought to the world by food, nine are taken by tchulent’, even though tschulent means family and time and the jokes of its effects, even though there is winter tchulent, summer tchulent, chicken tchulent, beef tchulent, vegetarian tchulent, tchulent without beans, fish tchulent, macaroni tchulent, even though tschulent is the hotbed of my Judaism - I was not disappointed that no tschulent was served during Shabbat, simply because all I have to do is close my eyes and I feel all the thousand flavours. Mention tschulent and I tell you my thousand thoughts. Is it only my matter that counts in Judaism beside tschulent?
Eva Vadasz
|
