William Penn Life, 2013 (48. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)

2013-03-01 / 3. szám

ftfl^Tibörs Take

with Tibor Check, Jr.

ilij a

up loose ends

EVERY SO OFTEN, I arrive at a point in the writing of Tibor's Take where I must "cull the herd" in respects to subjects discussed. Sometimes, I must pare down a nearly prepared column because, by the time you would read it, its relevancy or importance would have faded. Other times, my topic of choice is too narrow in scope to engulf my allotted two-page spread. Many times, I must either further clarify or explain in depth a previous topic with you, my faithful readers. In many of those cases, a few paragraphs of dialogue are enough to answer any questions.

This month, I will be condensing several thoughts and ideas. If reader response to any of these subjects merits more reflection on my part, then future Takes will cover those subjects.

Here are a few of my abbreviated topics:

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On rare occasions, great minds and ideas come together without any communication or contact. In the February 2013 edition of William Penn Life, my sister Erzsi and I wrote about making hurka. Her wordsearch offered a brief description of the ingredients used in making this Magyar staple. My column was more about the cultural and traditional aspects of my family making this special wintertime treat. In that same issue, Chef Béla dedicated The Hungarian Kitchen to the making of sausage. I hope you enjoyed this unintentional and unplanned collaboration of subject matter.

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A few Easters ago, I mentioned that our család has had a húsvéti fenyő (Easter tree) in celebration of the season. This annual tradition was started by my Nagyanya Cseh of Youngstown, Ohio, and cousin Jean Kessler of Southgate, Mich. I did not include a picture of the fenyő because I could not find any. However, I recently found a 1981 picture of my anya posing next to the tree. The trees have changed in shape and size over the years. Occasionally, we have decorated the trees with pastel yellow and blue twinkle lights. Somewhere in our photographic archives, there is a photo of a 1968 húsvéti tree. Once I find it, I will post it here.

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Several readers of Tibor's Take and the Puzzle Contest have sent inquiries to my sister and me asking if Lizzy really owns several Magyar cookbooks? The answer is YES! How many does she have? Well....

One snowy and frigid Sunday, my siblings and I began to talk about my sister's extensive cookbook collection. Through the generosity of Nagynéni Gena, Nagymama Cseh and my apa, she has acquired scores of cookbooks. That day, I asked Erzsi to make something that she has never made before. I also asked her to use a gig Hungarian cookbook she never used before. To fulfill this request, Liz had to assemble together her books from several locations in the house. I asked her why she didn't have them all together. She laughed and replied: "Are you kidding? If I had them in one location, I would need a special room to hold them all!" No wonder she does not know how many cookbooks she has!

Once she gathered the Magyar cookbooks together, her count was 31. She thinks there are a few more