Get Sleepy: Sleep meditation and stories - Latkes and Light on a Snowy Day

Starting point is 00:00:00 Welcome to Get Sleepy, where we listen, we relax, and we get sleepy. I'm your host, Thomas. Thanks so much for tuning in. Tonight, we have a special Hanukkah tale about a young boy named Jacob who learns to make his great-grandmother's famous recipe for Larkas. It's a very sweet story, and I think you'll all love. First though, I'd like to thank the wonderful folks at Shopify for sponsoring tonight's episode.

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Starting point is 00:02:16 Make sure you've put any and all physical distractions to one side, leaving nothing but the stillness of the space around you and the sound of my voice to guide you towards rest and relaxation. At this time of year, many of us tend to find ourselves exceptionally busy. The festive season is a time I absolutely cherish, ensuring I spend quality time with family and friends, and getting into the spirit of Christmas, as it's something my family and I celebrate. But of course, it can be difficult to maintain a consistent and effective routine at this time of year, particularly when it comes to our rest. Between hunting for gifts, organizing meetups, cooking

Starting point is 00:03:21 special meals, traveling long distances, and anything else that comes with our seasonal traditions. Our regular schedules often take a hit. But I want to remind you to prioritize your sleep as much as you can, especially when your body in mind, are signaling that they need some rest. I'd encourage you to just check in with yourself each day, listen to your body, and try to understand what it needs in order for you to feel at your best. If that need is more rest, then don't feel awkward about admitting that, and heading off to bed an hour earlier perhaps, then might have been expected.

Starting point is 00:04:18 Us folks at Get Sleepy will be taking some time out to relax and be with our families over the holidays. But our brand new stories and meditations will still be coming your way as usual. So you can rely on this show to remain a source of comfort and rest whenever you need it. Take a nice deep breath in now. And as you release the air back out, fill your body, relax and sink into bed. There's nothing left to do now but enjoy a tonight's story and the rejuvenating rest that will follow for you. So let's join Jacob as he's waking up in his warm, cozy bedroom on a sparkling winter morning. This is where our story begins. The snow drift gently past the window as Jacob opens his eyes. It snuggled under a pile of warm fuzzy blankets.

Starting point is 00:06:16 He pulls them up to his chin and tucks his legs up close to his body, enjoying the comforting warmth of the bed. The heaviest snowflakes stick to the glass. Jacob watches as they melt slowly and join the slush gathering on the wooden frame outside. It's so cozy here tucked in bed on this chilly winter morning. He doesn't want to leave the tangled swall of blankets. But then he remembers that today is special. The sevening, he and his dad are going to Aunt Sarah's house for dinner. It's a family tradition that all the aunts, uncles and cousins get together at least once during Hanukkah.

Starting point is 00:07:29 Everyone makes different dishes to share. They eat a big meal, light the menorah, play with the draidel, and stay up way past his usual bad time. and stay up way past his usual bedtime. And this year, Ian and his dad are in charge of bringing the lightcas. It's a big responsibility, especially since they'll be using his great-grandmother's famous family recipe. Jacob has never made Lartka's before and he can't wait to learn how. He yorns and stretches his arms above his head. Then he pulls his legs out from under the covers and slides his feet into a new pair of royal

Starting point is 00:08:35 blue slippers. He's been growing like a weed says his aunt Sarah. He outgrew his last pair of slippers in just a few months. This pair looks a little more grown up, more like his dats. Wiggling his toes and yawning once more. He makes his way down to the kitchen. His dad is at the counter, putting the finishing touches on two plates of French toast. Jacob smiles. This is their special breakfast. His dad only makes French toast on bath days, holidays, and other extra special occasions.

Starting point is 00:09:39 Jacob walks over to the refrigerator and takes out the orange juice and milk. He pours himself a glass of juice and carefully puts a splash of milk in his dad's coffee cup just the way of maple syrup. Sitting down at the table, Jacob swings his eggs back and forth under his chair in anticipation. His stat collapses hands and turns around with a wink. His sprinkles smicing sugar on top of both stacks of French toast and messes a few perfectly ripe raspberries around the golden squares. He sets one plate down in front of Jacob and the other at his place at the table. With a warm smile, he says, enjoy, and they both begin. The French toast is warm and buttery. The icing sugar on top gathers together in delectably sweet mounds of white. Every mouthful is the perfect marriage of salty and sweet, made even better by the gooey syrup and crunchy crust.

Starting point is 00:11:36 Jacob uses the final piece of toast to soak up the last of the maple syrup and sugar, and finishes with a delightfully tart bite of raspberry. With breakfast over, Jacob's dad tells him it's time to get ready for the day. They wash up the plates and pans together before Jacob heads back to his bedroom to get dressed. He'll put on one of his nicer shirts before they go to Aunt Sarah's house. nicer shots before they go to Aunt Sarah's house. But for now, he chooses some comfy clothes. One of his favorite old t-shirts and a pair of red sweatpants make the perfect outfit for cooking. When he is dressed, Jacob walks down to the kitchen where his dad is already starting to prepare their workspace. On the table, he finds an old piece of paper that's yellowed around the edges. This is a copy of his great-grandmother's recipe, Jacob

Starting point is 00:13:09 Stad tells him. Your great-grandmother, my grandmother, was famous for making the best latkes in the family, he says. Our mother made copies of lots of her recipes to give us. Me and Aunt Sarah and Uncle David, when we were old enough to cook. Now it's your turn to learn. Hearing these words, Jacob feels proud that his dad trusts him with a task like this. He knows how important it is for everyone to have latkes during Hanukkah.

Starting point is 00:14:04 They are always one of the most special dishes. Every year his aunts and uncles and cousins taste the crispy, savory potato pancakes and share their memories of celebrations passed. For some reason, these little fried pancakes seem to be the key to his family's most treasured memories. Jacob never got to meet his great-grandmother, but he's had all about her overlarkers at Halica Meals. She was kind and caring, but also feisty and determined. Once she made up her mind to do something, she did it Uncle David always says. This year, Jacob decides he'll be just like his great-grandmother. how to make the best artcars and carry on this family tradition. First, Jacob's dad tells him to pick out several of the best potatoes from the bin in the

Starting point is 00:15:38 pantry. Jacob opens the pantry door and peeks inside. It's dark, so he pulls the hanging cord above his head to turn on the single light bulb on the ceiling. Jacob gets down on his hands and knees and slides the bin in front of him. Then he runs his hands over the rough brown potatoes, one by one. The earthy and familiar scent of dirt reaches his nose as he moves the vegetables around in their bin. Soon he has a fine collection of large and medium sized potatoes in his arms. Jacob carries them over to the sink and begins to wash them off. He uses a coarse brush to scrub

Starting point is 00:16:54 any remaining dirt off the skin. As he washes and scrubs, Jacob looks out the kitchen window. Snow is still falling outside, making the yard look like a winter wonderland. It's almost as if their house is inside a snow globe that someone just shook up Jacob thinks to himself. He watches a few large snowflakes drift by and land on one of the bushes by the window. Before long, they are covered in a fine layer of snow. That reminds him of the icing sugar on the French toast this morning, and the thought makes him sigh happily. He scrubs even harder, knowing the larkas will taste just as good, if not as sweet. When he's finished, he carries the potatoes over to where his dad is standing by a large bowl.

Starting point is 00:18:25 The next step is to grate the potatoes into the bowl, his dad says, nudging the handle of the grater towards him. Carefully Jacob slides a large potato up and down the side of the grater, watching a thin slivers fall down into the bowl below. It doesn't take long for him to find the perfect rhythm. Up, down, swish, swish. The potato's damp interior makes a satisfying noise as it glides along the metal circles of the grater.

Starting point is 00:19:22 As he works, his dad explains to him that there are some tales he should know if he's going to be a keeper of the family tradition. Jacob looks up at his dad who winks at him. His brimming with curiosity, he thought he was just going to learn a recipe, he didn't realize there were stories too. Have you ever wondered why we eat latticeskes is that ask? Jacob nods. Well, first of all, Latkes is the Yiddish word for pancakes is that tells him. And originally, the pancakes were made of fried cheese instead of potatoes.

Starting point is 00:20:27 This is surprising to Jacob, who's only ever had the potato kind, or the sweet type of pancakes you eat with syrup in the mornings. Images of stretchy mozzarella sticks come to Jacob's mind. Fried cheese pancakes don't sound bad at all. Once a long time ago, an Assyrian general named Halifernes was holding the town of Bethelia under siege.

Starting point is 00:21:10 A brave woman named Judith wanted her town to be free. She fed him salty pancakes filled with salty cheese. When he became thirsty, she gave him wine to drink, so much that he eventually fell asleep. Then she took his sword and triumphed over him. I'll save the details for another time, he says with a grin. As his dad tells him the story, Jacob moves on to the second potato, then the third, until until they are part of the mountain of shavings piled high in the glass bowl. His dad continues. Nobody knows why the story of Judith became linked to Hanukkah, but it did. And even as far back as the Middle Ages, people were eating these cheesy pancakes during the holiday to commemorate Judith's bravery. Jacob pauses his grating with a puzzled look. So why do we eat potato pancakes now instead of cheese ones? Well, is that sense? Potatoes were cheap and easy to buy.

Starting point is 00:22:58 So for many people, especially those from Eastern Europe many years ago, they became a staple. It just made sense to start using them in the pancakes too. It was all about adapting to what they had. It does make sense to Jacob, though he can't help but think that someday it would be fun to make cheese pancakes too. He tells this to his dad, who laughs. Let's try it next year, his dad suggests. With a happy grin, Jacob finishes grating his final potato.

Starting point is 00:23:55 Now that he's done with that task, it's time to remove as much of the excess liquid from the shavings as they can. His dad explains that the latkes will hold together better and have a nicer consistency if the potatoes are squeezed out first. They pile the potato shavings into a piece of cheesecloth and twirl both ends. Slowly Jacob watches as water drains out of the bottom. When the shavings are as dry as possible, Jacob mixes them with some eggs and flour, salt and pepper. Meanwhile, is that heat-supper generous amount of oil in a heavy pan on the stove. When it's hot enough, Jacob gathers large spoonfuls of the potato mixture and drops them slowly into the pan. He isn't usually allowed to cook But since his dad is here to help him, it's okay. Soon, the smell of frying potato fills the warm air of the kitchen.

Starting point is 00:25:38 It's so savory and salty he thinks, and it's also comforting. His dad has been the one to bring Larkas to the family dinners before, so Jacob has grown up with these scents all around him. They make him think of joyful times with his family, good food and special moments with his dad. As he scoops the little pancakes into the oil, his dad continues his story. A very long time ago, long before even your great-grandmother's grandmother was born, he says with a smile. There was a man named Judah Makabe. Like Judah, he and his followers were victorious.

Starting point is 00:26:46 They triumphed over a Syrian Greek king. Jacob looks thoughtfully at his dad, as he plops another pancake into the oil. But what does that have to do with Latka's Jacob asks? His dad smiles, removing the first batch of golden pancakes from the oil and setting them on a paper towel to drain. After Judah Makabe and his followers reclaimed one particular temple, they prepared it as best they could. But they only had enough oil to light the menorah, the lamp for one night. They lit it, and it burned for 8 days.

Starting point is 00:27:48 That's often called the miracle of light, is that explains. So now we eat foods cooked in oil during Hanukkah because it reminds us of that oil that burned for so many days. Jacob listens as his dad's voice mingles with the crackling sound of the hot oil. The flickering flame of the stove dances slightly beneath the heavy black pan, as the light kiss turn a beautiful golden brown. Outside, the snow falls steadily on the yard and all the trees. some. Somehow these little potato pancakes do bring out the most amazing stories Jacob thinks to himself. Whether it's stories of his great-grandmother in her hometown, tales of all the trouble he and his cousins get into together. Or these being passed down by his dad now, they are all magical in their own way. As the last of the latkes are flipped over and then removed from the pan and set gently

Starting point is 00:29:29 on the paper towel, Jacob takes a deep breath. He loves the warm and comforting smell of potato pancakes, mixing with the lighter scent of hot oil. Is that rest's a hand on his shoulder? Well done Jacob, he says. Now you know how to make your great-grandmother's famous larkas. Jacob beams with pride and happiness. He is grateful for his whole extended family and for his dad in particular who is always there for him, no matter what. And now that he knows how to make regular latkes, there's nothing standing in the way of him making cheese pancakes next year.

Starting point is 00:30:42 The thought makes him giggle to himself. Jacob's dad tells him it's time to get ready to go. They'll head over to Aunt Sarah's house soon so everyone can enjoy the lightcas while they're still warm. Jacob finds one of his favorite shirts in his wardrobe and pulls it on. By the time he meets his dad back in the kitchen, they are both dressed for the occasion. While his dad packs up the latkes in a few containers, Jacob finds jars of both apple sauce and sour cream to accompany them. He knows a lot of his cousins don't like sour cream but he does as do most of the adults.

Starting point is 00:31:54 His favourite thing to do is alternate bites, sour cream, apple sauce, back and forth. cream, apple sauce, back and forth. It gets the perfect mix of sweet and tart with the savory potato. He can't wait to try some of the latkes and imagines they'll taste even better this year knowing all the work that went into making them. Just moments later, Jacob and his dad are wrapping themselves up in coats and scarves and heading out the front door. While his dad warms up the car, Jacob takes a moment to appreciate the wintry world all around him. The snow is falling peacefully and the only sounds are the familiar ones of home. On this day Jacob fills the love of his family surrounding him through his dad, through the food they cook together, and through the stories

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Starting point is 00:38:12 I'm going to do a little bit of the work. I'm going to do a little bit of the work. I'm going to do a little bit of the work. I'm going to do a little bit of the work. I'm going to do a little bit of the work. I'm going to do a little bit of the work. I'm going to do a little bit of the work. I'm going to do a little bit of the work. you ... you you you

Get Sleepy: Sleep meditation and stories - Latkes and Light on a Snowy Day

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