I knew the days, exactly, when, a Jewish holiday was approaching, not because of the calendar, or some sixth sense of predicting the future, but of an odorous, seemingly foggy sense of cloudy smell which would emanate from the kitchen, but encompass, not only our entire house but the homes of the relatives of my mother’s side of the family. It was the making of SCHMALTZ: rendered chicken or goose fat. It is an integral part of traditional Ashkenazi Jewish cuisine; where it has been used for centuries in a wide array of dishes such as chicken soup, latkes, Schmaltz is collected by slowly sautéing chicken skin and fat, then collecting the liquid fat that melts as it cooks. Most of the time onion is added to the mix, which flavors the schmaltz and makes the gribenes extra tasty. I had never been nor am I now a fan of schmaltz. Even as I reminisce about the past, listening to music, or viewing photographs, looking at the pieces of clothing or jewelry collected from my family members after they have passed; all with the joy human emotions can provide, EVEN the mention of the word schmaltz causes a gag reflex, and an entire box of Kleenex tissue so I can blow my nose, hoping the smell will go away!
Monday, September 14, 2020, a new week, working my summer job I wake up early, and now on the East Coast, I can watch Morning Joe, and try my darndest to catch a glimpse of some current event, just to be aware, if I must begin reciting the words to the Russian National Anthem, begin a choice of conversion to Evangelical Christianity, begin to learn how to say Chairman Trump and Princess Ivanka, or weep bitter tears, because now at least three-fourths of the American population has succumbed to the simple fly, Trump assured us would disappear in a week or two! After 15 minutes of sheer torture, of listening to the obvious (these are the facts) and hearing how the oblivious (these are both the Trump supporters, sycophants, and enablers) are at complete opposite sides of reality, a strange odor seems to prevail in my kitchen, and I grow nauseated, and suddenly all I can think of is SCHMALTZ!
How can it be that living beings ignore any science, medicine, fact, reality, truth, BUT, embrace, hate, injustice, a skewed justice system, fraud, tax evasion, meetings with declared foreign adversaries, refuse to wear a mask or social distancing pretending that somehow those two actions deny freedom…and how is it still possible with most to all financial or personal papers regarding anything Trump, still hidden or denied access to, from samples of DNA to tax returns, living beings prefer an odorous, imperious, insidious, amalgamation of melted fat and just oozing hate and bigotry, selfishness and treachery. Whenever I see or hear about Trump, I feel I am like Haley Joel Osment, who uttered the phrase “I see dead people,” BUT instead, I say “I smell SCHMALTZ!”
