Simpsons movie opens today!
But I’m not seeing it! Oh the humanity! I just have a full weekend already. But maybe that’s good. The theaters will probably be chock-full of crazy Simpsons fans. Like me. Ew, I hate those people. Maybe next week. Anyway, only five people will get the joke in this cartoon but I gotta put it up there so that those five people will laugh and laugh like me. Explanation that will kill the whole joke for the rest of you below.
See, cholent is this Jewish stew that is often served on the sabbath because you can’t cook and cholent starts cooking before the sabbath (it can go for like 18 hours without being ruined, don’t ask me how I know). My mother had a big orange Le Creuset dutch oven that was always used but nowadays people mostly use crockpots. And kiddush is the little refreshment part after the service on Saturdays where you hang out for a bit to pick up chicks chat with your friends and neighbors. I know this will shock everyone but with a multitude of synagogues to choose from, some people will actually pick their place of worship based on who has the tastiest kiddush. So, synagogues try to outdo each other making their spreads as superior as possible. The crème de la crème (well, no crème is involved) is the hot cholent kiddush. Because let’s face it, if you’ve got two places in walking distance and one is serving stale Entenmann’s slices and the other one’s got a hot beef stew, I mean, come on. Potato and noodle kugels are usually involved too. Mmmm, kugellll……
Actually, a few weeks ago, I went to my cousin’s synagogue (her husband reads Torah there so she pretty much has to go to that one) and something went wrong and the cholent was cold. She begged me to come back saying, “this is the first time! it’s always hot! pleeeease?????” They really need a sign out front, that’s all I’m saying.
I told you my explanation would kill the joke. This cartoon actually came from bangitout, a site that annoys me to no end, so much so that I’m not going to even link to them here. Instead I’m going to give the hat tip to Brother2 who sent it to me and has a cholent recipe so good that it’s been published in a cookbook.
I thought I knew why it was funny; now it is funnier so much more.
Will I be excommunicated for confessing that I don’t like cholent? And I never have. Okay, here’s the deal. I don’t eat beef anymore and I have not found a vegetarian recipe that doesn’t taste like, well, shoe leather. Weird, because shoe leather isn’t meat-free. I know, I can’t work it all out myself.
If it helps at all, I’ve never met a kugel I didn’t like. And tzimmes and me are like *this*.
The KPs braved the theater on opening night and declared it a winner! Eight enthusiastic thumbs up from four devoted Simpsons fans.
Aw, Sarp, I’m making you cholent the next time you come here. And kugel.
Kay, this is like saying “I only eat veggieburgers but I don’t get what you all see in a hamburger.” I mean, there are good veggie cholents but they’re just not the same. It’s the fat from the beef melting in that makes everything else taste so good. Still, I don’t know how any cholent could taste like leather. Perhaps I will need to send you Brother2’s recipe with my veggie tweak.
But I hate tzimmes.
Lalalalalalala, I can’t hear anyone who actually saw the movie whereas I am awake at 6am for a day in the sticks.