FEBRUARY 27 • 2020 | 5

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for openers
At First Yuck
E

veryone has those special foods that 
remind them of home or childhood. 
But as you dig in and are 
“mmmm-mmmm”ing happily away, you 
might find that people around you don’
t 
quite share your enthusiasm. They’
re 
watching you incredulously, 
saying thing like, “How can 
you eat that? That’
s disgust-
ing!”
I grew up in Australia, and 
a childhood staple was toast 
with butter and Vegemite. 
Even today I have a jar of 
Vegemite in my pantry, and 
every so often I’
ll crack open the jar, take a 
whiff and be transported right back to my 
childhood. I also sometimes, just for kicks, 
stick it under my kids’
 noses — I love 
their expressions of abject horror. Anyone 
who grew up outside Australia or England 
seems to agree that Vegemite looks like the 
black stuff they layer the roads with and 
smells even worse.
It goes the other way, too. As a newbie, I 
hadn’
t tried some local foods until I made 
my home in Detroit. For example, I hadn’
t 
had seven-layer cake. The transition was 
easy; I describe it as love at first bite. It 
didn’
t, however, go as smoothly with root 
beer or Vernors, which gave me a strong 
taste of dental surgery gone wrong. 
One guy capitalized on this phenome-

non. A while back, Samuel West of Sweden 
opened the doors to his “Disgusting Foods 
Museum.” People voluntarily part with 
their hard-earned money for the honor of 
exploring his collection of the world’
s most 
gruesome edible delights. His displays 
include fermented herring from Sweden, 
roasted guinea pigs and frog smoothies 
from Peru, the infamous stinky fruit from 
Thailand and century eggs (preserved for 
three months) from China. An entire sec-
tion is dedicated to cheese alone, called the 
Altar of Stinky Cheese. Some of the foods 
can even be sampled. The entrance tickets 
are useable vomit bags, just in case.
And, yes, if you’
re wondering, he cer-
tainly does have a jar of Vegemite on dis-
play. (It’
s not even the only Australian food 
they have. There are also Musk Sticks, a 
soft pink licorice that kind of resembles a 
thin squirt of toothpaste that smells like 
musk and tastes like it, too.)
Food can be a very cultural experience. 
I’
ve been wondering if someone might fol-
low Mr. West’
s example and open a “Jewish 
Foods Museum.” Of course, a whole sec-
tion would be dedicated to fish — lox, 
gefilte, herring — and potfuls of steaming 
Jewish penicillin and an exhibit on matzah 
(carefully placed on a non-wooden, 
non-cardboard stand, so people don’
t get 
mixed up and eat the display). 
They could have a section devoted to 

each holiday, like fried everything for 
Chanukah and cheese everything for 
Shavuot. That famous nine-word summa-
ry of all Jewish holidays can be the printed 
on the paper plates: “They tried to kill us; 
we won; let’
s eat.”
To add to the true Jewish eating expe-
rience, the museum could have a bubbie 
sitting there urging everyone, “Eat more! 
Eat more! Oy, you’
re much too thin!” (And 
in some cases, “
Are you single? Because I 
have a son …”)
Of course, no one could possibly leave 
without making a l’
chaim with some 
Manischewitz wine and making a toast … 
to the challah.
All would be welcome. Even Australians 
who might quietly slather some delicious 
Vegemite on that toast. 

A Special Friendship
The Mobile station on the corner of Maple 
and Adams in Birmingham is much more 
than just a gas station. It’
s a refuge for many 
and represents a cohesive family. Kyle 
Hannawa, the station’
s owner, informed my 
husband and me 
 of Bruce Kwaselow’
s death 
on Feb. 9. Bruce was an employee who 
walked from his nearby apartment to work 
each morning before 6 a.m. He was reliable, 
honest and loyal. With Bruce’
s death we all 
lost a friend; but Kyle lost a brother.
I am reminded of the words in Proverbs: 
“There is a friend that sticketh closer than a 

brother.
” Kyle was that 
brother to Bruce. After 
Bruce became ill, Kyle 
would visit every day 
after work, combing 
Bruce’
s hair, helping 
him brush his teeth or 
do anything else that 
Bruce needed done. 
Kyle is Chaldean. Bruce was Jewish. Is 
there a different God for both of them? 
I think not. My heart ached when I saw 
Kyle at Bruce’
s funeral, officiated by Rabbi 
Rubenstein of Congregation Beth Ahm. 
Tears streamed down his cheeks as he tossed 
dirt onto Bruce’
s casket. 

We will miss Bruce. He asked for so little 
and gave so much. May his memory be for 
a blessing. And we ache for Kyle, who lost a 
friend and a brother.

— Ruth Grimaldi

Birmingham
CORRECTIONS
• In “Upheaval at WSU Press” (Feb. 20, page 
24), Editor-in-Chief Annie Martin’
s last 
name was spelled incorrectly. Also, the three 
WSU Press leaders dismissed from their 
jobs were not escorted from their offices. 
• In “Brotherly Leadership” (Feb. 20, page 
50), Zack Kirshner’
s last name was mis-
spelled. Jason Gelsey is a member of Sigma 
Tau Gamma fraternity. 

Rochel 
Burstyn

letters

Kyle and Bruce