When my mother, the writer Ethel Portnoy, died in May, she left many a collection, one of which was a collection of some 1200 cook books. These books had been badly burnt in the fire that nearly destroyed her library in 1997, the backs were so scorched that they were unfit for a museum or another collector's library. What to do? Marcel, a rare books seller from Amsterdam agreed to come and take a look. He selected quite a few that were so interesting that he wanted them despite their appearance. Then I showed him a box I had kept separate, her collection of spiral-bound cook books. She wrote about these in 'Zielespijs', a book about food published in 2000. These were not burnt, and since I had translated the story about them into Dutch, they had a special place in my heart. Alas not in my house, which is crammed already with so many others of her books I couldn't part with. These should go to someone who would truly appreciate them and keep them for posterity, even though they had no commercial value. Marcel said he might know of someone: a culinary critic who writes for the Volkskrant, a daily newspaper.

Marcel and I packed his boxes and we left the house. As I was driving home I realised we forgot the special box. 'Well, i guess that means I'm supposed to keep them', I thought. At that same moment my cell phone rang, Marcel telling me he was turning back: he forgot the spiral cook books! Okay, I decided, fate has taken its course, and I drove back also to let him in.

I emailed him Ethel's story that same evening, so he would realize how special these little books were.

The next day, December 24th, my cell phone rang again, while I was in the midst of buying a new bicycle for Sophie. Marcel told me the culinary critic was enthralled by the booklets and would take them into his vast collection. I was relieved and, in thought, I bade them farewell and a safe future.

That afternoon the thrift shop men were scheduled to come and pick up some miscellaneous stuff. I wandered through the empty house, reminiscing of bygone family Christmases and picking up stray objects here and there, waiting for the men to arrive.

There was a wicker basket containing some odd books in the study. Wanting to use the basket I started emptying its contents. Out came a spiral-bound cookbook!

'Just Good Cooking' was the title, and I glimpsed the word Vassar in the subtitle. O well, I will definitely keep this one as a souvenir, I thought. Pity it's from this Waspish university, probably some group of protestant ladies who attended Vassar in their youth, majoring in some useless subject while preparing to become some hot shot's husband. I tossed it into my bag and only when I unpacked it later in the evening, which was Christmas Eve, did i notice recipes like 'Passover cookies' and 'Never Fail Matzo Balls'. I looked again at the cover: Vassar Temple Sorority - Poughkeepsie'. This was a cook book from a Jewish community, and the first page stole my heart:

' We dedicate this book to our loving and talented Grandmothers who diligently taught our Mothers, and who, in turn, inspired our cooking -- also to our daughters who, we hope, will carry on the tradition and teach their daughters.' 

I will. Merry Christmas.

Hepzibah