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MOLLY GOLDBERG, ARE YOU LISTENING?
"DREML" (NAP), DRINK COFFEE
Marjorie Gottlieb Wolfe
Syosset, New York
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The Yiddish word meaning to sleep is "shlofn."
The Yiddish word for coffee is "kave";
a coffee pot is a "kavenik."
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Mothers are those wonderful people who
can get up in the morning before the smell
of coffee.
(author unknown)
"Decaffeinated coffee is kind of like kissing
your sister."
(Bob Irwin)
"Almost all my middle-aged and elderly
acquaintances, including me, feel about 25,
unless we haven't had our coffee, in which
case we feel 107."
(Martha Beck)
Anahad O'Connor (New York Times, Nov. 1, 2011) reported that many people who are sleep-deprived will be hitting the road between Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Normally, sleep "mavens" advise steering clear of coffee and other stimulants before resting, since caffeine disrupts sleep.
Researchers have found that a 15-30 "minut" (minute) nap increases alertness and driving performance. Most studies show that drinking caffeine is a slightly superior strategy.
Yes, researchers in England found that drinking a cup of coffee and then immediately taking a 15-minute nap was even more effective.
This study brought back fond memories of
the TV show, "The Goldbergs," starring
Gertrude Berg. "The Goldbergs" was a
domestic comedy-drama series about a
struggling Jewish family in the Bronx. It
aired from 1949 to 1956, after almost twenty years on radio. Gertrude Berg plays
the matriarch of the extended famly with "kheyn" (charm), warmth and vitsikayt" (wit). What was her signature line?
"Yoo-Hoo, Mrs. Bloom."
For millions of Americans, listening to the show was a "freylekh" (happy) ritual. Our family, which included Uncle Harry, resided in Rockaway Beach, New York. We laughed at the Mollypropisms: Molly, who has left coldcuts on the table for her husband's "lontsh" (lunch), tells him she's "laid you out cold on the table." She instructs her daughter, Rosalie, to hang up a new dress by telling her to "go hang yourself in the closet."
What I remember most was Molly peering out of her windowsill and, looking directly into the TV cameras, extolling the virtues of Sanka coffee, directly to her "oylem" (audience):
Molly: Well, it's time for bed and I'm a little
fatigued...but one thing I'm sure of--a good
night's sleep. I'm happy to say. And it's not
just accidental that I'm sure of a good
night's sleep--oh no! It's because I know
I'm a person that cannot drink coffee with
caffeine in it and sleep--so--I do what every
sensible person should do--I drink Sanka--
because 97% of the caffeine is removed...
Look, even before retiring--I drink Sanka--
and all day. I'm a big coffee drinker--with
the Instant I have no coffee pots to wash
and besides, it's economical. You get as many cups of Instant and for less money.
And if you like a cup of coffee before
retiring--switch to Sanka--the Instant or
the regular...on my recommendation!"
General Foods said that sales of Sanka
Coffee rose some 57 percent among TV
viewers. The program's strongest showing
seemed to be among women (67 percent
of total viewers), with 75 percent of those
viewers being over the age of fifty-five.
Source: "Something On My Own -
Gertrude Berg And American
Broadcasting, 1929-1956" by
Glenn D. Smith, Jr.
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During the summer of 1955, Marjorie Wolfe
worked for a R.S.V.P. employer. Such an
employer expects his secretary to
Rush in, Serve Coffee, and Vanish Promptly.
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Marjorie Gottlieb Wolfe is the author of
two books:
"Yiddish for Dog & Cat Lovers" and
"Are Yentas, Kibitzers, & Tummlers Weapons of Mass Instruction? Yiddish
Trivia." To order a copy, go to her
website: MarjorieGottliebWolfe.com
NU, what are you waiting for? Order the book!
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