I read this morning that the actor, Chaim Topol died this week from Alzheimer’s Disease. He was best known for his portrayal of “Tevye”, the lead character in the very famous Broadway musical and movie, “Fiddler On The Roof”. This multiple Tony and Oscar winning show/movie was about a village in Ukraine, where the inhabitants were poor Jews trying to make ends meet while being persecuted by Russians (wow….although the show came out in the 1960s, the movie in 1971, fast forward to now and does this story hold relevance to what is occurring today?).
Tevye was a poor milkman with three daughters and he was constantly torn between what religious “tradition” guided him to do vs. what, in reality, he should do. As an example, an older, rich man wanted to wed one of his daughters but the daughter was in love with a poor tailor. “Tradition” dictated that he allow the matchmaker to match the daughter with the rich butcher guy but in his heart, he wanted to see his daughter happy. He broke his agreement with the rich guy and “blessed” his daughter to marry the poor one.
To the weight control arena and the concept of “Tradition”. Every religious, ethnic and cultural groups have “Traditions”. Part of these “Traditions” involve the consumption of certain types of foods and drinks. These traditional types of foods/drinks tend to be the ones that pack weight on as opposed to helping shed the pounds. These traditional derailing foods/drinks tend to more prevalent at gatherings such as holiday celebrations, weddings, funerals etc. However, on a daily basis, traditional foods/drinks may also be consumed.
Traditions are a WONDERFUL thing but it is important to take a step back and see how much “tradition” plays a role in any derailing eating/drinking behaviors that place your health at risk. The goal for all of us: Be healthy to enjoy participating in our traditions as long as possible
And to Chaim Topol: Thanks for entertaining so many people for so many years. I know that my deceased Grandma Sadie saw your performance in the movie and to this day, I remember the huge smile she had on her face as she was humming the tunes. (I also remember her traditional matzoh balls and knishes she made for us.) RIP
Enjoy Topol’s rendition of “Tradition” from “Fiddler On The Roof”.
