SteveSilver.net

It's the Great Latke, Charlie Brown

I saw an ad in the New Republic's literary section for a new book, released through the University of Chicago Press, called "The Great Latke-Hamantashan Debate." Edited by Ruth Fredman Cernea, the book aims to solve once and for all the conflict of which is better, the primary food of Hannukah, or that of Purim. I prefer latkes, personally.

Rabbi Joe Black, the famed Jewish musician who at the time was my rabbi in Minneapolis, once wrote a "Hamantashan-Latke Debate" song, and later on even hosted an actual debate between two Twin Cities sports media figures who both belong to the synagogue- WCCO anchorman Mark Rosen and the Star Tribune's Sid Hartman. I have no recollection of which of them took the latke side.

And speaking of Sid, he wrote in his column Monday that due to poor penalty calls in the Vikings-Lions game, "I wonder if is not time for referee Tom White to retire." Yes, you read that right: Sid Hartman, who has been writing for the Strib for over 60 years and has been noticably slipping for at least 15 of them, is telling someone else that they should retire.