“Latkes with sour cream, latkes with cheese,
who wants latkes?
“We do, please!”
Latkes with applesauce, latkes with fish,
Latkes alone on a blue china dish,
Latkes tomorrow and latkes today;
We just love latkes
any old way!”
-“Latkes Please”
Christmas has candy canes; we have latkes. We all know it, those scrumptious potato pancakes are the best part of the holiday. Homemade or warmed up in the oven, every person has his or her own potato preference. But who would have ever thought that creating a latke and choosing a topping could become an art of some sort?
On Sunday, Congregation B’nai Israel, the conservative synagogue my family and I are members of, will be hosting the first International Latke Festival. With different dips and toppings from “around the world,” Jews will get a taste of a latke like never before. 
After hearing about this event at Saturday morning services, it struck me as fun and unusual to make latkes any other way than mixing, frying and dipping in “traditional sauces.” Coming from a family where my Bubbe was the first to convert to being Jewish, I was advised by Jewish friends that sour cream, ketchup, and the occasional applesauce were the essentials to dish up on a latke. Traditional, but simple enough to still get that flavorful taste of grease and spices.
Going in with an open mind and fork in hand, the eight crazy nights just got tastier. An out of the ordinary post, I just had to share. Give me your thoughts on what you top on your latke!
