Blog author: Preeva Tramiel

Preeva Tramiel is a freelance writer in Palo Alto, California. She blogs at Melon Memories.

  • Esther Wojcicki: A Jewish mother of the tech revolution

    I sometimes direct tourists toward 'the HP garage,' which is marked with a plaque and gets photographed a lot. It is three blocks down the street from my house.

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  • Cookie cleavage: How much is too much?

    I took these pictures last Purim to illustrate a little-discussed aspect of the aspect of hamantashen baking: Cookie cleavage.

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  • One Jewish mother's approach to vaccinating her sons for HPV

    Two people I know have had run-ins with HPV, the Human Papilloma Virus. One was a man my age that got a mouth cancer which was viral in origin.

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  • A kreplach recipe that's worth the work

    I made my first batch of kreplach, noodle dough containing ground meat usually found in chicken soup, in 1972, with my very Greek friend Mary Mastrogeannes, when I was fourteen.

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  • Rolling in Dough

    My congregation is having a big Purim Party on Sunday. They will need about 300 hamantaschen and I am bringing enough dough to make 2/3 of them.

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  • The battle hymn of the "bully mother"

    Using "The Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother," as a jumping off point, we can finally challenge some fond assumptions of educators and parents that have gotten us into trouble in the past

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  • Floaters or Sinkers?

    In the degradation of Passover tradition that happens when parents get older and children move away; at times when there is no one young enough to sing the Four Questions without embarrassment; whe

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  • Luck and Pluck

    Question: Why would a modern woman cross the road to go to a Kosher Chicken Shechita?
    Answer: To get to the other side. With feet.

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  • Who wields the pans on Hanukkah?

    Ever since that one little jug found in the corner of the First Temple burned for eight days instead of one, olive oil has been political. 

    The one day supply of olive oil lasted for eight days, so the eternal flame did not go out while the temple was re-dedicated. Thus, Judaism’s victory against Hellenism was ratified by the holy light, and we now remember the miracle by serving fried food for eight days.

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  • What's on YOUR latkes?

    Hanukkah is coming, and with it my usual debate with my husband’s family. They are wonderful--sophisticated, warm and accepting of my last-minute hysterical gift decrees (no plastic toys, no battery-operated toys, whatever is bothering me that year). They are flexible about what a proper Menorah is, especially if a grandchild constructs it. But, don’t touch their toppings.

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