On the Many Uses of Potatoes

This past weekend Wabes and I did two Chanukkah dinners. The first night we planned a dinner alone; I was at work late and thought Wabes should have a trial run on Chanukkah (her first since I moved in). We also needed to rehearse the potato latke-making procedure.

On my way home from worked I quickly shopped for a cheap menorah since, due to all the recent moving, I can't find mine (note to upstate sis who gifted me that nice menorah: it's with the parents or in storage down the street - I have not lost it). The shops, however, had no "cheap" menorahs (I wasn't looking for a replacement - just a temporary) and anything in the reasonable range was big and ceramic. So I went with an old mainstay from childhood: the potato menorah.



The following evening we had guest, including family (one Uncle), friends from work, and friends from college. Along with the latkes, Wabes made her first brisket, which was deemed a success!

As with all our dinner parties, we polished off way too many bottles of wine (though not a record, we now have six empties) and stayed up too late listening to music, drinking, and (in what may turn into a new tradition) playing cards. Uncle thought the potato was a clever touch. But this afternoon he stopped by the neighborhood with a small, tasteful metal menorah, putting the tuber out of its misery.

Additional Reading: For a guest's take on the dinner click here.