Plum Crazy

Tonight's musical selection will consist of two songs, mirror images of each other. The first song, sung by Theodore Bikel, is entitled Di Mame Iz Gegangen (Mother is going). It's about a man whose mother went to bring him a maidele fun Polyn (young woman from Poland) for him to marry. He talks about how she is fine and beautiful with black eyes, white teeth, and black hair, and how he loved her for his whole life. This is a song my father used to sing to my mother when they were courting.

The second song, A Yingele Fun Polyn (A young man from Poland), is the flip side of the first. It is about a woman whose mother sends her to buy a basket, to the butcher, to the rabbi, and to market. In the first three places she meets young men who all fall in love with her. At the market, she meets a young man from Poland with burning eyes with whom she falls in love, and she will never love another as long as she lives.

You know what to do.

I'm off to make latkes. A couple of other people have also posted their latkes recipes: Elayne Riggs and Melanie. Enjoy!