Thursday, December 21, 2006

Know Your Jewish Community: Grandmothers

Last night I took CJ to meet my little old lady. I visit an older woman every week, once a week, as part of Dorot's Friendly Visiting program (you should check it out, they desperately need volunteers). Anyway, I have been visiting this woman for 5 years now, and she is basically a grandmother figure ( I have no living grandparents). CJ and I went to visit her, have some polishe latkes (apparently they are different) and shmooze*.

Amusing comments from the LOL, in no particular order:
-no, you go sit down, I am not used to a man in the kitchen.
-What? You want to help? With women in the kitchen? No.
-He is very cute. Hopefully the children will have your nose.
-You have a good job? You can support her?

I nearly died. My own grandparents all spoke English with an American accent, and even though several were foreign-born, had lost all vestiges of their European past, at least to my childhood observations. Before the LOL I had never had a true interaction with an Eastern European Jewish grandmother. All I can say is, if you haven't, you're missing out. The blunt honesty, constant feeding, and unqualified affection, all are pretty great.

*Shmooze is Yiddish for talk, hang out

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

That night be the best picture ever. Like, really.