The Woron/Lawson family gathered together almost every Saturday and, for sure, every Jewish holiday. Memories come flooding back of cousins playing, laughing, sometimes crying and certainly eating.
I remember Pesach when the cousins would play with walnuts instead of marbles, seeing who could log them closer to the wall.
I remember when my brother Harold was playing in the back yard of Grandpa Woron’s house and a bee flew into his ear. It did not matter that Grandpa was supposed to be unaware that we really did drive on Shabbas. Harold was whisked off to the doctor and luckily was not stung.
I vividly can picture Grandpa Woron’s electric roof that on Sukkot, with the touch of a button, would roll back so you could look at the stars.
And, how yummy was Auntie Esther’s Pickled Salmon and the crispy Kichel that could be crumpled into chicken soup?
My mother (Little Ruth) was known for her Sweet Chremslach, chopped liver and homemade Gefilte Fish (made mostly with King Salmon). Also, there was Grandma Woron’s Honey Teiglach that would melt in your mouth with a sweet, crunchy sound.
I was always amazed and jealous that the Lawson cousins were allowed to drink coffee with milk and that I could have some when I spent the night.
Pesach Seders stand out the most. The Haggadah was read in Hebrew while we waited to eat very, very late and “Sister†(that is Fran Lawson to young ones) and I were almost always sent from the table because we were caught laughing. To this day, I still love to sing the songs the way we did (especially “Who Knows Oneâ€).
It is difficult to say from whom these recipes emanated, but they were certainly a part of our lives. Much of it became comfort food. With our new, healthier way of eating, it is a wonder that we survived all that fat, even though it was delicious.
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