Back in the early fall, I recommended a book for the high holidays, but that book was actually Kim’s pick. I mention this only because the truth is that there is only one book for me when it comes to learning about or rejoicing in Jewish celebrations and holidays, and that’s G’DEE by Helen Fine.
To put it succinctly, G’DEE taught me everything I know about the Jewish holidays. Really. Everything.
It’s a children’s book, with colorful illustrations, and it tells the story of twins, a brother and a sister, who get sent a goat by their relatives in Israel. (I think “g’dee” means goat in Hebrew.) The book then follows a year in the twins’ life, as marked out by the Jewish holidays. Because G’dee is a very young goat, the siblings make a point of teaching him the meaning of the holidays and explaining the ways in which they observe and celebrate them, from a Purim puppet show to fasting on Yom Kippur.
G’dee is your typical goat (I assume), good-natured, eager to please, and extremely hungry at all times. Fortunately for him, Jewish holidays–as described in this book–center largely on the special foods that are eaten for symbolic or joyous reasons. So G’dee basically eats his way through the Jewish holidays. The book always made my mouth water.
Sadly, G’dee the book does not appear to be in print anymore. In fact, as far as I could tell, the last printing was in 1966 which would date me if . . . um . . . er . . . it hadn’t been such an old hand-me-down when I read it. (Nice save, Claire!) You can probably still get a used copy or two, or you’re welcome to borrow my copy (which is really my older sister’s, so if you notice her name written on the title page, don’t go running to her to tell on me), or you can at least capture the spirit of the book by indulging in some hearty holiday cooking for Chanuakah. (Say that ten times fast.)
For the past ten years or so, my holiday cooking companion has been Joan Nathan’s The Children’s Jewish Holiday Kitchen. Organized by the holidays, this book is a cross between a cookbook and a celebration guide. Nathan discusses each holiday at the beginning of the chapter, giving a historical overview and describing her family’s traditions. She often includes games and gift ideas in the book, but the majority of it is devoted to recipes.
The book is aimed at people with fairly small children and does a good job of simplifying traditional recipes so the children can help make them. Nathan even separates out the directions into what the kids can do alone, what they can do with adult assistance, and what adults need to do to be safe.
Nathan also has a purely adult version of this book, called The Jewish Holiday Kitchen. (Or, more accurately, this book is a simplified, child-friendly version of THAT book, which I believe preceded it.) She’s best known for her incredibly well-regarded book called Jewish Cooking in America. She has her niche nicely carvedout. (My husband and I always says the key to success in life is specializing.)
So here’s my recommendation for Chanukah: buy Nathan’s book, then gather your family around to light the candles and then fry up a big batch of potato latkes (Nathan has an unusual recipe for those–you might want to go more traditional, but it’s your choice). Drain the latkes, smother them in applesauce and sour cream, and eat until you feel sick. Which, with latkes, won’t take all that long, leaving you plenty of time to curl up with a good novel before bedtime. (I recommend The Romance Reader by Pearl Abraham about a young ultra-orthodox Jewish girl whose secret reading of romantic novels makes her wonder about the world beyond her very repressive community.)
Happy Chanukah.
Tags: cookbook, holiday, recommended reading
Reply
Recent Articles
-
Wonderful Video of What Happens in a Bookstore at Night
I’ve been in a bit of a posting slump, but I’m working my way out and what better way to start the new year than with this lovely stop action video, “The Joy of Books,” about what happens in Type bookstore at night. I can’t wait to visit Toronto just to stop by Type Books to [...]
-
Scrambling For A Last Minute Gift? Head To Your Local Bookstore!
Farhad Manjoo ignited the latest round of ‘will the local bookstore survive’ with his “Don’t Support Your Local Bookstore” tirade on Slate. (I couldn’t fail to notice that while Salon promotes a campaign to support local bookstores, Slate is bashing them.) Numerous responses Manjoo were published, twitter feeds with special hashtags popped up, and even [...]
-
57th Street Books – Chicago, IL
57th Street, the actual street, is perfect for the meandering bookworm. We started with lunch at the graffiti clad Medici Restaurant. Famous for its burgers and scribbled upon walls and furnishings, we filled the time waiting for our food by adding our own “tags” to the table top. More importantly, within blocks there are three [...]
-
Essay Challenge Recap
I coming in just under the wire this year, this challenge must be completed today!! The Essay Challenge over at Books and Movies is the only one I joined this year, even so, I didn’t keep up with it the way I have the past two years. Not that I haven’t read essays all year [...]
-
Salon says “Support Your Local Bookstore!”
In the latest pitch to keep bookstores alive and well, or at least breathing, Salon.com gave credit to indies for finding and promoting the latest excellent book most of us don’t know: An independent bookstore brings a lot to a city or a town: a showroom for the latest literary releases, an auditorium where authors [...]
-
Small Business Saturday – Shop at Local Businesses on November 26th!
Actually shop at them as much as possible, they are the engine that drives your local economy. But, let’s give the little guys a leg up in the middle of Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Drop by a local business, chat with a real person, and contribute to your neighborhood economy by purchasing a Christmas [...]
-
Which authors would you invite to Thanksgiving dinner?
Taking a riff from NPR’s story last week about which deceased composers Miles Hoffman would invite to Thanksgiving dinner, I pondered the same question for authors and asked quite a few friends. Here are the guidelines: which dead authors would you invite to Thanksgiving dinner? Which author would you invite to give a reading Thanksgiving [...]
-
Breaking Dawn – Part 1 Opens Today
One of the pleasures of having a teenage daughter is the opportunity to share silly, girlly experiences. While I understand all of the criticism about the Twilght series, and agree with some, as I’ve written before, I’ve enjoyed the ride. Even more, I’m grateful for the opportunity to share the sheer reading fun with my daughter. [...]
-
Abbey Books & Gifts – Valyermo, CA
I spent just over 24 hours last week at St. Andrews Abbey. I’m not Catholic, but I enjoy joining the monks in the Daily Office. For those of you new to that term (and that would’ve been me a couple of years ago), it’s the practice of pausing at several set times through out the [...]
-
Alexander Book Co. – San Francisco, CA
Alexander Book Co. is a traditional independent bookstore tucked around a corner in downtown San Francisco. Wedged between office towers and the Academy of Arts complex, it’s a cozy respite from steel, glass, and marble. The store even smells like good books waiting to be discovered. The first time I tried to visit the store, [...]
No comments
Comments feed for this article
Trackback link: http://www.bookstorepeople.com/2008/12/recommended-reading-for-chanukah/trackback/