Happy Hanukkah!

I ate a lot of latkes this weekend.

Explanation: The toughest decision I made this weekend was how to fill myself up - brisket or latkes. I opted for the 50-50 option and it was WONDERFUL. Even better were the leftover latkes and brisket I had for lunch yesterday, not to mention the latkes I will eat today.

Yes, it's Hanukkah, the Jewish festival of lights, which commemorates the rededication of the Second Temple of Jerusalem in celebration of the Macabeees' victory over the Seleucid Empire. At the time, there was only enough consecrated oil to fuel the eternal flame in the Temple for one day, but then a miracle occurred. It was discovered that extra oil could be obtained by squeezing their latkes, and the flame lasted for eight days, which was enough time for fresh olive oil to be prepared and consecrated.

Special Blog Bonus: It's the South Park Dreidel Song! (Like anything else South Park, this song contains adult language.) If you've ever been at a table where several people are playing dreidel, you can really appreciate Stan's lyrics: "I'll try to make it spin. It fell, I'll try again..." Some people just have more spinning trouble than others.