Two odd phone calls
Feb. 15th, 2007 09:46 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
gnomiLast night seemed to be the Night of Odd Calls.
First, at around 8:30 PM, the phone rang. It was my Ima, which wouldn't be so odd, except that Ima and Abba (hereinafter lc/lc) are in Jerusalem right now, so 8:30 PM our time is 3:30 AM their time. This is not a usual "Ima and Abba make phone calls" time. We had the following conversation:
Me: Uh... Isn't it 3:30 AM?
Her: Yes, but I woke up, and I figured I'd call to make sure you got home OK.
Me: I said when I talked to you earlier [lc/lc had called me at 3:30 PM my time, just as I was leaving the office due to inclement weather and nasty travel conditions] that I'd drop you e-mail. And I did.
Her: Yeah, but it'll be a good six hours before we read e-mail, and we figured you'd be around.
Me: That's very nice. Go back to sleep.
Then, about ten minutes later, the phone rang again. This time it was Mr. Cohen, our landlord.
Him: How's the new stove?
Me: It's wonderful, what I've used it for so far.
Him: You haven't used it much?
Me: Well, the stove came on Wednesday last week, and we were away for Shabbat, and we're going to be away this Shabbat and next Shabbat, so I really haven't been doing much cooking [also, I didn't say, we're still eating the food people so kindly brought us]. But I've used it to heat stuff up, and it works beautifully.
Him: You haven't been cooking for Shabbat. Do you make Chul?
Me: Chul? Like cholent? I make cholent.
Him: Yes, cholent. You have the oven at what, 225?
Me: Actually, I usually make it in my electric crock pot.
Him: (horrified) Electric??!?
Me: Mm, yes. I put the meat, potatoes, beans, water in the crock pot, turn it to low, and it's ready for lunch.
Him: What time do you usually eat lunch on Shabbat?
Me: Uh... Noonish?
Him: OK, so. You put it in the oven before Shabbat starts, and it'll be fine at lunch time.
Me: And the meat doesn't get all weird?
Him: I do the meat first. Before it goes in the oven.
Me: Oh, so you brown it first? I learned cholent-making from my mother, and she never has time before Shabbat to brown the meat, so she tosses it in un-browned.
Him: It seals in the juices; the meat is very good that way. Do you put an egg in yours?
Me: Not usually. Though we have friends who do. Kishke, too.
Him: Mm, yes. I put egg, but not kishke.
Me: I should try an egg next time.
Him: OK, so all is good?
Me: Yes... [pause] Did you call for anything else, or just to check on the oven?
Him: No, just to check on the oven.
We hung up soon thereafter, andmabfan and I had a good giggle about our landlord giving cooking tips.
First, at around 8:30 PM, the phone rang. It was my Ima, which wouldn't be so odd, except that Ima and Abba (hereinafter lc/lc) are in Jerusalem right now, so 8:30 PM our time is 3:30 AM their time. This is not a usual "Ima and Abba make phone calls" time. We had the following conversation:
Me: Uh... Isn't it 3:30 AM?
Her: Yes, but I woke up, and I figured I'd call to make sure you got home OK.
Me: I said when I talked to you earlier [lc/lc had called me at 3:30 PM my time, just as I was leaving the office due to inclement weather and nasty travel conditions] that I'd drop you e-mail. And I did.
Her: Yeah, but it'll be a good six hours before we read e-mail, and we figured you'd be around.
Me: That's very nice. Go back to sleep.
Then, about ten minutes later, the phone rang again. This time it was Mr. Cohen, our landlord.
Him: How's the new stove?
Me: It's wonderful, what I've used it for so far.
Him: You haven't used it much?
Me: Well, the stove came on Wednesday last week, and we were away for Shabbat, and we're going to be away this Shabbat and next Shabbat, so I really haven't been doing much cooking [also, I didn't say, we're still eating the food people so kindly brought us]. But I've used it to heat stuff up, and it works beautifully.
Him: You haven't been cooking for Shabbat. Do you make Chul?
Me: Chul? Like cholent? I make cholent.
Him: Yes, cholent. You have the oven at what, 225?
Me: Actually, I usually make it in my electric crock pot.
Him: (horrified) Electric??!?
Me: Mm, yes. I put the meat, potatoes, beans, water in the crock pot, turn it to low, and it's ready for lunch.
Him: What time do you usually eat lunch on Shabbat?
Me: Uh... Noonish?
Him: OK, so. You put it in the oven before Shabbat starts, and it'll be fine at lunch time.
Me: And the meat doesn't get all weird?
Him: I do the meat first. Before it goes in the oven.
Me: Oh, so you brown it first? I learned cholent-making from my mother, and she never has time before Shabbat to brown the meat, so she tosses it in un-browned.
Him: It seals in the juices; the meat is very good that way. Do you put an egg in yours?
Me: Not usually. Though we have friends who do. Kishke, too.
Him: Mm, yes. I put egg, but not kishke.
Me: I should try an egg next time.
Him: OK, so all is good?
Me: Yes... [pause] Did you call for anything else, or just to check on the oven?
Him: No, just to check on the oven.
We hung up soon thereafter, and
mabfan and I had a good giggle about our landlord giving cooking tips.
