<p>I too always light my menorah or menorahs if I am home alone. One year we were skiiing in NH and took one of our menorahs with us. D#1 lives in Philly and took her nursery school menorah back with her on Thanksgiving which is also her birthday. D#2, the aspiring actress/singer lives in Brooklyn and has her menorah with her. Neither lives with Jewish roommates but will celebrate regardless. Haven’t done the eight nights of presents since they were younger and DH and I never exchanged gifts for holidays…usually for our birthdays and anniversaries. which is conveniently today so we have dinner reservations for tonight. DH made latkes 2x already this holiday…so call me pretty lucky-maybe we will have again before the end of the holiday. When we are all home on Christmas we usually make a nice dinner, either go to the movies or rent some movies and play games. When the kids were little we always headed into the city to see the holiday windows and the tree at Rockefeller Center before the crowds come in the afternoon or get-together with other non-celebrators.</p>
<p>I still remember flipping latkes on the 8th night, 21 years ago, then going into labor several hours later. 30 minutes later, gave birth at home, unplanned with my H as midwife (untrained but great). 911 came later and took us to the hospital. There we ordered take-out Chinese dinner to the birthing room since it was also New Years Eve.</p>
<p>Even now, I can’t flip latkes without wondering, “what WILD thing is going to happen next?”</p>
<p>DIdn’t realize latke flipping induced labor :)</p>
<p>I like both sour cream and applesauce.</p>
<p>My question-- why do the first batch or 2 never come out well? I try to make the oil hot enough, but the first batches are never up to par.</p>
<p>And (with deference to the late Leslie Nielson) surely you knew the menorah/channukiah difference, p3t?? I just happened to post it before you had a chance to. Your analogy is spot on.</p>
<p>I always spell it Chanukah and am the only one who seems to speak about lighting the Chanukkiah. As for sour cream vs. applesauce, how about " a bisl zalts?" That’s the only way I will have them. 
Last night we had our annual Chanukah dinner party and among other menu items, I served zucchini latkes, porcini mushroom latkes, corn cakes with cumin as well as the traditional potato latkes. Homemade applesauce for others (it was a meat meal) and a bisl zalts for me. :D</p>
<p>I find it so bizarre that my whole family has no problem pronouncing the “correct” CH sound, but that I have no idea why others can’t replicate it. I guess it can be traced back to Hebrew school. ;)</p>
<p>I learned German before Hebrew, so I picked up the guttural CH then. I spell it with an H, say it with the kkkkhhhh. jym, the guys were also particular about the chanukkiah vs. menorah.</p>
<p>DH still hasn’t made latkes yet, but he just got back from a week out of town. Think that’s dinner tonight. Sour cream, sometimes a dollop of applesauce. </p>
<p>P3t, that is some labor story!!! </p>
<p>We do the Chinese food on the night of 12/24. It’s the only restaurant open in my parents’ town.</p>
<p>
It’s also because English doesn’t have the correct sound, and doesn’t even have any letter combination that can really replicate it. So we have to transliterate, which can lead to as many spellings as you want. Chanukah, Channukah, Chanuka, Hannukah, Hanuka, etc. etc.</p>
<p>In Hebrew, there’s only one way to spell it.</p>
<p>
It generally has to do with how old you were when you learned to pronounce the sounds. That’s why my parents, immigrants from Eastern Europe, couldn’t pronounce the “th” sound in English - there isn’t one in Polish, Russian, Yiddish, etc. And that’s why adults who learn another language also have accents, while young children generally don’t.
Last year, during her confirmation hearings, a senator asked Elena Kagan where she was on Christmas Day last year (asking about the Christmas Day potential airline bomber). She smiled and said, “Like most Jews, probably at a Chinese restaurant.”</p>
<p>Made Rugelah this afternoon. Brisket yesterday ready to reheat soon. Potatoes ready to be grated. Having a couple of non jewish friends over for a dinner tonight. I like sour cream. My family likes their latkes with applesauce.</p>
<p>You’re all making me very hungry! :)</p>
<p>“And that’s why adults who learn another language also have accents, while young children generally don’t.”</p>
<p>I read somewhere that the borderline for most people is about age 15. If you immigrate and begin speaking a new language before age 15 you will eventually lose the foreign accent and speak like a native. Much after that time and you will always have an accent in your new language.</p>
<p>^That’s what I heard in an intensive pronunciation class dh and I took after we’d been in Germany several years. You can definitely improve an accent, but for most people you can’t lose it 100%. Especially r’s. I don’t think the “KHH” sound is very hard though. I do know one French man who came here in his early 20’s who has only a tiny bit of an accent, unusual since the French in general seem to have a particularly hard time with English accent-wise. (And vice versa I might add.)</p>
<p>My German accent was perfect when I answered the office phone “Planungsburo HP! Gruss Gott!” Then the Germans would say something, and I’d usually have to say, could you repeat that, and the cat was out of the bag. Ah well!</p>
<p>There was a funny story on Chanukah satellite radio yesterday. I’ll try and remember it…
A Rabbi is asked to come down to the tv station and be interviewed about Chanukah. He accepts and is running through all of the history in his mind on the way to the interview. He sits down, all prepared for this great opportunity. The newscaster makes the introductions and says, Rabbi, there’s something that’s bothered me for years, how do you spell Chanukah? I don’t want to offend someone and I want to get it right.
The Rabbi really wanted to get into the other stuff but sees this as a great teaching moment. He explains it can be either spelling since its a translation, neither one offends. However, to be accurate, probably the Ch spelling is better with the chhhh(phlegm movement) sound. The newscaster sighs, says I feel better and now, I want to wish you a Happy Chanukah (with the phlegm sound). The Rabbie says, and I will return the favor, Merry Christmas (with the same phlegm sound).
Ok, maybe it doesn’t translate as well with writing, but you get the idea!</p>
<p>I recall a skit on SNL years ago that told the story of Hanukah. In it we see the temple flame finally flickering out after burning 8 days, and the commander, Judas Maccabeus (played by John Belushi), says “This has been a great miracle! We should declare a new holiday to commemorate this miracle! What shall we call it?” He turns to one of his aids and says “Sgt. Hanukah, I order to you to come up with a name for this new holiday.” The scene fades to black as we see the Sgt. silently pondering his choice.</p>
<p>P3t, that is a delivery story for the ages. Our family tends towards Passover babies, which makes for interesting Seders. :)</p>
<p>Mine too – my son, both my parents, and my paternal grandfather were all born during Passover.</p>
<p>Our family joke is that some people will do ANYTHING to avoid a seder. 
</p>
<p>It’s certainly easier to celebrate a Chanukah birthday from a dietary perspective at least.</p>
<p>[Rhymes</a> With Orange, a comic by Hilary Price](<a href=“http://www.rhymeswithorange.com/]Rhymes”>http://www.rhymeswithorange.com/)</p>
<p>Overheard by my S2 before math class:</p>
<p>Girl 1: So did you celebrate Hanukkah last night?
Girl 2: Yes.<br>
Girl 1: Did you eat a latke?
Girl 2: I had one. You know how many calories they have, right?
Girl 1: 100?
Girl 2: 300!
Girl 1: Noooo! I had like 5!!</p>
<p>Yes, we’re in Southern California.</p>
<p>Introduced a friend of my husband to latkes and brisket last night. He is 45 and this was his first time having a latke or brisket prepared in a jewish style. He was in heaven. I don’t want to know how many calories I ate in latkes. I only make them once a year. I hate the mess and how the house smells of oil for days.</p>
<p>worrywart and madbean, LOL!!! </p>
<p>porcini mushroom latkes, momof3sons? I am intrigued.</p>
<p>
Neat! Who says we don’t proselytize?</p>