Hanukah delights, the lights, the donuts, latkes, stars, spinning tops and songs

 I was invited to a Hanukah dinner at a home. We researched online for shops selling kosher wine. 

The shop we found, Grapevine in Hendon, one of two branches, sold kosher wine and kosher chocolates. We stocked up on kosher wine so that we would be ready for any other event later this year or next year where the hosts or guests might want kosher wine. Grapevine has two branches. One is in Hendon, 20 Bell Lane, NW4 2AD. We got an answerphone, and the website gave one time for closing and the recorded message another. So we aimed at the earlier time, allowing extra time for heavy pre-Xmas evening traffic. The chocolates are available in square or round designs, flat, so you can see the contents. The round ones of mixed chocolates and other items from Fifteen pounds minus a penny, the chocolates only from twenty pounds.

The home which we visited was decorated with all sorts of happy Hanukah items. Banners said Happy Hanukah. A festoon of six-point stars (known as the star of David to Jews and the seal of Solomon to Muslims) in blue and silver was draped across the arched room divider wall. The dining table had Hanukah theme table paper napkins, spinning tops in the forms of a clown and dreidls. 

The evening events started with the lighting of Hanukah candles on a hanukiah. (A hanukiah is a nine-branch candlestick.)

The starter for our meal was carrot soup with ginger. And coconut. Recipes say coconut milk. Very colourful. Bright orange. The first time I had tried it. It was excellent.

Latkes

The main course was chicken with vegetables and latkes. Latkes are a favourite of mine. Grated potato fried in oil. A traditional food for Hanukkah because of the symbolism of the oil.

You can eat latkes all year round at B & K Salt Beef bar and deli. Branches are in Hatch End and Edgware.

Donuts

We discussed the fact that donuts with holes in the middle were invented in America. Donuts often had centres which did not get cooked through properly. So, one day, an American cook punched a hole through the middle of a donut and that solved the problem.

After the meal was sat telling stories and spinning the dreidls.

Useful Websites

Wikipedia - Hanukah

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanukkah

Grapevine Shops

https://www.kosherwine.co.uk/

tel> 020 8202 2631

Latkes and Salt Beef\

https://www.bksaltbeefbar.com/about

Donuts for hanukah time only in London, England, Margot Bakery 121 East End Rd, East Finchley.

https://www.margotbakery.co.uk/chanukah

Carrot and ginger soup recipe from the BBC

https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/carrot-ginger-soup

Please share links to your favourite blog posts.

My Yiddishe Chanukah!

I wrote about Hanukah for one of my Toastmasters International speakers mutual help clubs. I started getting lots of ads and links on Facebook and Youtube for Hanukah. i discovered several interesting YouTube music videos including:

this one of a lively Yiddish group, men and women.

I was surprized how many Hanukah songs there are and how many I know or recall or recognize. 

For example:

I had a little dreidl. (A dreidl is a spinning top.)

I have other posts showing the Hanukiahs  which you can see in public places (9 branch candlesticks used for the 8 day celebration of hanukah).

Yiddish is the Jewish language combining German and Hebrew, with a few words of Russian or other northern or Eastern European languages. 

Ladino is the Spanish based language containing Hebrew words used by Jews originating from Spain, Portugal, Italy and the Far East.

Useful Websites

https://travelwithangelalansbury.blogspot.com/2021/02/moshe-schulhof-sings-best-yiddish-song.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yiddish

About the Author

Hanukah story and Hanukah gifts such as a Hanukah Face Mask, dripless candles

Hanukah Lights last year, 2020, in Orchard Road, the main central shopping street in Singapore.

You can spell the holiday various ways as you are trasnlating from the Hebrew to English.

 Now is the time to stock up on Hanukah supplies. Hanukah in 2021 is the evening of Sunday November 28 until Dec 5th. 

What can you take or send as a gift during hanukah?

1 A hanukiah (9 branch candelabra). Usually sold with the 44 candles you need.

44? Yes. Night one you light two candles, the helper candle and the first night candles. Night two, you light three candles, and so on up to the eighth night when you light - this is how it goes

Night one 2 

Night two + 3 = 5

+ 4=0

+5 = 14

+ 6 = 20

+7 = 27

+ 8 = 33

+ 9  = 44.

If the family have that, you could bring. 

Dripless Candles

2 Chocolate wrapped in gold foil.

3 Latkes (grated potato pancakes, fried in oil.

4 Donuts with jam centres. (Or kosher wine which you can buy in Jewish supermarkets, general supermarkets in the kosher section or wine section, or wine merchants.)

5 Dreidels

6 Clothing or textiles such as socks or a tee-shirt with a Hanukah message. In the post Hanukah sales in the USA I was looking for a reduced price night dress and  I bought a night dress decorated with dreidels. Other textiles include table runners.

 A mask with hanukah symbols costs a whopping 44.40 in Singapore. From

7 Hanukah books. or songs

8 Hanukah jewellery 

Such as a pendant, or cuff links.

Useful Websites 

https://www.thedailymeal.com/holidays/gentiles-guide-hanukkah-slideshow/slide-7

https://www.ninelife.sg/products/3drose-face-mask-medium-happy-chanukah-with-menorah-n-star-of-david

info@ninelife.sg +65 3129 2599.

25 dollars https://www.amazon.com/Happy-Hanukkah-Holiday-Candle-Cotton/dp/B08JTMS388

Only 5 dollars (Sing) 

https://www.lookhuman.com/design/398791-menorah-mask/flatmask-undefined-one_size

https://travelwithangelalansbury.blogspot.com/2019/12/giant-hanukiah-in-singapore-why-three.html

https://travelwithangelalansbury.blogspot.com/2019/12/yes-its-still-hanukkah-do-you-have-44.html

Dripless candles, blue and white

https://www.amazon.sg/Decorated-Dripless-Chanukah-Candles-Standard/

Dripless candles in multiple mixed (tricolor) colours

https://www.amazon.sg/Tricolor-Dripless-Handmade-Chanukah-Candles/

About the Author Angela Lansbury

BIOGRAPHY

Angela Lansbury B A Hons ACG ALB PM5 EH5 DL5 VC5 
The Author of several books, including  Etiquette For Every Occasion. Wedding Speeches & Toasts. How to be the Best Man. Quick Quotations. Who Said What When.

Blogs travelwithangelalansbury.blogspot.com

dressofthedayangela.blogspot.com

translateforfun.blogspot.com

Braddell Heights Advanced Toastmasters Speakers Club Vice President Public Relations (VPPR), Previous President

Join BHA 1st Wednesday 7pm and 3rd Saturday 2 pm Singapore time 

Vice President Public Relations (VP PR) of Tampines Changkat Advanced;

Secretary of weekly online Singapore International Dynamic Toastmasters Speakers’ Club;

Member and past president of Harrovians toastmasters club, UK; Past member of HOD Toastmasters, London. Past member in Singapore of: Toastmasters Club of Singapore (TCS); Tiarel; and Senja Cashew.

More details from Toastmasters International find a club.

Regular attendee at annual Swanwick Writers’ School, England.

Regular attendee at annual Writers’ Holiday, Wales.

Contributor to poetry readings, and after tea courses on: Speaking On Radio To Promote Books; and Plots And Character.

Winner of many club and area speaking contests in the UK and Singapore.

Language advisor to Empire Toastmasters club in Indonesia.

Language and speech workshops in Singapore.

Speaker on radio and TV in England, Scotland, the USA, and Australia.

Compiler of a school course on public speaking for teachers to prepare pupils for school open days with attending ceremonies before government ministers, Singapore.

Former member of Harrow Writers’ Circle, London, and two writing groups in Singapore.

Angela is on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Twitter. She would be delighted to link up with new friends.

 Please share links to your favourite posts.

Update on Xmas/Hanukah/Halloween cookie cutters

Christmas/Hanukah cookie cutters
Getting ready for Christmas, I just bought two copies of Essentials magazine number Xmas issue (£2.99 each copy) from a Tesco Express in order to get the metal cookie cutters.

One set consists of a Christmas tree, six pointed wiggly edge star, and bell.

The other set has a five pointed straight sided star, an angel (I thought it was a gingerbread man until I looked closer) and a J shape candy cane.

A six point star was on a mince tart at the end of the set meal at the Civil Service Club Xmas dinner.
Lots of mince tarts which are sold in supermarkets are decorated with stars. I think it's something to do with the symbolism of the three magi (wise men) following the stars to the town of Bethlehem to the stable where Jesus was said to be born. However, a six point star does very nicely for a talk or topic (impromptu speech, originally a topic taken from the table) about Hanukah at a Toastmasters Xmas/winter party. (The hanukah symbol is the 9 branch candlestick, but if you want a symbol on the food a six point star does nicely.)

The Xmas cutter will do for cutting biscuits or sandwiches. I plan to use if for icing shapes to stand up or lie flat on a fruit cake with a white icing top.

More Cutters From Morrisons
Morrisons, like Tesco, sells the Essentials Magazine with the 'free' cookie cutters, at £2.99.

However, for only £1 in Morrisons  you can get three larger cookie cutters with a seasonal theme in red plastic. The designs I saw were for three: Xmas tree, star, and another.

Nesting Stars On Ebay
A set of ten nesting stars on ebay can be stacked to make a Xmas tree.

Hanukah Cookie Cutters
I did a search for hanukah cookie cutters. This is the sort of thing which is hard to find in a hurry overseas. For example, one year I was travelling to Singapore and needed some symbols them to give a talk to Friends of The Museum on Hanukah for a multi-cultural winter workshop and holiday party. In the UK I see the work Hanukah but US sites spell it Chanukah. They sell cookie cutters in sets of three, usually including a six point star and a dreidl (spinning top).

Halloween
You can also buy sets of nesting Halloween cookie cutters.

Nesting sets of hearts are handy for wedding anniversaries, birthdays and Valentine's day. I also liked the rolling pins which roll out a line of hearts or stars, for decorating ribbons of pastry or icing for cakes.

If you want only one cutter, for £1.19 including postage, try ebay:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Christmas-Cookie-Biscuit-Pastry-Cutters-Angel-Bell-Xmas-Tree-Star-Star-Boot-/181532105254?pt=UK_Home_Baking_Accessories&var=


www.essentialsmagazine.com
www.tesco.com
www.tesco.com/direct
www.morrisons.com