Student 1:
One moment that particularly stood out to me in the afternoon while cooking with Pinchas was when he was talking about his experiences in the kitchen with his mother. After asking Pinchas if his grandparents or parents made a food that has stuck with him, he elaborated on some of his favorite memories in the kitchen and some of the things that stuck with him. He spoke of how much he enjoyed being in the kitchen, and stated that his mother believed he had great taste in food. Pinchas stated “The thing that I remember that my mother made that I have not found here at all, and as a matter of fact I have not found it in Poland when I returned and I´ve been back 20 times, is she used to make cheesecake which was quite different. My mother used to make a cheesecake, first of all it was crumbly cheese, she used to bake a base first and then put a base at the bottom of the pan, and then she used to put the cheese mixture with raisins and then she used to make a dough, like rounds rolled strips of the dough and she put it on top. You can get cheesecake here but it doesn't taste the same”. This stuck with me particularly because I have a similar experience with food my grandmother prepares. As a family, we used to go to her house and assist with the making of this special tomato sauce, and although all of the people making it knew exactly what ingredients were being added, not a single family member has been able to achieve a similar tasting sauce. Although we use the same type of tomatoes, and cook the sauce for the same amount of time, nobody can manage to recreate the signature taste my nonna has acquired after years of experience. There is this particular sweetness to it that I can never really explain, however there isn't an ounce of sugar in the recipe. My best guess as to why her sauce is infinitely better than any recreation is simply the experience she has. She has made thousands of jars of tomato sauce in her lifetime, and something about her technique must make her sauce better than any other other sauce i've ever tried.
Student 2:
When Pinchas came he really reminded me of my Great Uncle who passed away a few years ago. The way he answered the questions we had with a story was something my Great Uncle would often do. It made me realize how much I miss my Great Uncle. One of the stories Pinchas told also resonated with me, when he talked about being in the kitchen when his mother was cooking. While I did not watch my mother cook, whenever my sibling and I would go over to our Grandparents house we would bake cookies and muffins with my Grandmother. This is what I think started my love of baking and it was nice to think back on those memories.
Student 3:
Pinchas told us all these anecdotes about his family and his life stories surrounding food, some took a very dark turn that left me heartbroken. One thing that really stood out to me was when he talked about his mother’s cheese and raisin pie/cake and how he could not find it anywhere else. That dessert is one of my favorites and an indulgence of mine during the Christmas season. Hearing about this made me overly excited and that our families shared commonalities. Another thing that stood out was the fact that the power was very unreliable and that we had to resort to older technologies like the wood fired oven. Many cultures all over the world were once and even still reliant on these older technologies. The cooking of the stew and Challah bread in this oven gave me a wonderfully comfortable feeling and reminded me of my grandma who cooks amazing things for my family while refusing to upgrade her kitchen.
Student 4:
While cooking with Pinchas he explained to the class how he did not necessarily know why, but as a young boy he always followed his mother around the kitchen. He expressed how much this meant to him as it taught him a lot of the cooking skills he uses to this day. Although he faced some very traumatic events in his life, it was very clear how clear the how these memories brought him so much joy. Later on when he was talking to us, he told us his mother was murdered by Nazi’s. Even though he vaguely was brought back to that memory, he continued to share happy memories from his youth. I found this very meaningful because I found personal connections to me in it. Growing up my dad watched hockey every night, he even went as far as turning our basement into his own “Leaf’s Dungeon”. As a kid every night until I was told to go to bed I would sit in my little chair and just watch. My dad has always been my role model, he'shes taught me everything I know to this day. When Pinchas reflected on the happy times with his mother, it made me think back at how much my dad did for me even if I didn’t realize it at the time. Even though he would never admit it, I’m almost positive he did not want a 5 year old asking him all the rules, during some of the most intense games. But that is what parents are for, like Pinchas’s mom and my dad, they cherished every moment they get to spend with their children.
Student 5:
What stood out the most for me was the genuine joy it brought Pinchas to speak about cooking with his family and watching him recollect his thoughts and recipes from decades ago that stood out to him over a lifetime was really special to witness in someone who had experienced such horrific events in their lifetime. The fact that he could still find happiness in something we'd consider so small and take for granted, shows the simple beauty of life. It reminded me of when I was younger and would make bread with my nana. It was a small thing in my childhood that I didn't think of much then but I look back on it fondly now as I loved her bread and loved cooking with her when I lived with her. Now she makes food and brings it over to my home but it doesn't feel the same as watching her prep and cook and helping her where I can as the delicious scents floated through my home. Life just seems to have gotten in the way of us doing anything but seeing Pinchas reflect so affectionately on cooking with family makes me think perhaps I should go over to my Nanas sometimes and learn her recipes to share with my family one day.
Student 6:
A moment from the afternoon with Pinchas that I found particularly meaningful occurred during the class discussion while eating cholent, where he talked of his love for cooking and eating fish. As Pinchas first mentioned savouring the head of a fish, I noticed some people around the class looked surprised and taken aback by the statement. He continued to enthusiastically talk of how he thought it was a shame that people tend to ignore and throw out the heads without knowing they are edible, claiming that he finds it to be the most delicious part of the entire fish. Pinchas added that he adored salmon heads in particular, frequently visiting his nearby markets to solely buy the head to eat.
I found this story especially meaningful due to the personal connection I felt with Pinchas in the moment. Within my Japanese culture, no parts of a fish are seen as a separate component or thrown out, including the head, and are always all incorporated into different dishes to enjoy. Within my family, whether it was baking the fish as a whole with vegetables or using the head and bones to boil as soup broth, I had always grown up savouring the entirety of the fish. It was during my early elementary school years that I realized it was not especially common in many other countries, especially in Canada, causing a sense of exclusivity growing up and eating with friends. Although my Japanese culture has vast differences compared to that of Jewish culture, I found it reassuring in the moment to hear Pinchas’s pride and excitedness of sharing his enjoyment of eating fish heads, making it the most meaningful moment of the afternoon.