Wednesday, 10 September
My great granny Betsy lived till she was 92. I remember being amazed that she who was born in the late 1800s before the turn of the century and amazed by her never-changing purple hair! There are many other memories of my great gran that I recall with amazement….her independence till she was well into her aged years and her beautiful knitted blankets that today adorn my children’s beds. One of my most loving and strongest memories is of eating home made kichel in her flat in Yeoville, Johannesburg.
My great grand at her 90th birthday and myself in the corner helping her blow out the candles.
There is something about food memories that feeds our souls. This year, as I made kichel for Jewish New Year with my children, Granny Betsy’s great-great grandchildren, I was immediately transported back to the parquetry floors of my granny’s flat in Yeoville, standing in her kitchen eating delicious sugar-coated kichel from her biscuit tin.
It is true that cooking is a way to the heart, but even more so that it feeds the soul. For me, the cooking of kichel with my kids is a way to continue to preserve the memories of this little flat in Yeoville, but also create new memories with my children that are intricately linked to their great great grandmother with the eternal purple hair.
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