Two world-renowned Harvard professors – Alan M. Dershowitz and Steven Pinker – faced off last Thursday in a debate over whether latkes or hamentaschen rules in Jewish cuisine, the Harvard Crimson reported.
Dershowitz, the Frankfurter Law Professor who has defended the likes of famous murder suspects O.J. Simpson and Claus von Bulow, argued on behalf of the classic Purim hamentaschen.
Pinker, the Johnstone Family Professor of Psychology, stood up for the Ashkenazi Chanukah favorite, the potato latke.
In the blessing recited after a meal in which bread has been consumed, there is a special prayer that is said commemorating the miracles of both Purim and Chanukah – thus the Harvard Hillel debate.
Dershowitz, a criminal lawyer and civil rights activist who specializes in the defense of high-profile personalities, attacked the latke with gusto. Addiction, dependence on oil, and high cholesterol became fodder for his character assassination of the fried potato pancake.
Pinker countered with an assertion that the three-cornered hamentaschen, particularly the poppy seed-filled variety, constituted an irregular plural which is tainted by its relationship to drugs, terrorism, inner-city crime and civil war in Latin America.
Dershowitz pointed out that latkes were not so innocent when it came to addiction. “You can stop after one hamentasch. Try to stop after one latke,” he said.
Pinker noted that the very same quality was an advantage, rather than a crime. “In times of famine, those of our ancestors who chose latkes and sour cream over hamentaschen were more likely to survive and reproduce,” he argued.
Although Dershowitz shot back the fact that in the U.S., obesity is more the issue than starvation, his physical condition belied his words; Alan Dershowitz looks like he has had his fair share of both holiday treats.
Dershowitz, the Frankfurter Law Professor who has defended the likes of famous murder suspects O.J. Simpson and Claus von Bulow, argued on behalf of the classic Purim hamentaschen.
Pinker, the Johnstone Family Professor of Psychology, stood up for the Ashkenazi Chanukah favorite, the potato latke.
In the blessing recited after a meal in which bread has been consumed, there is a special prayer that is said commemorating the miracles of both Purim and Chanukah – thus the Harvard Hillel debate.
Dershowitz, a criminal lawyer and civil rights activist who specializes in the defense of high-profile personalities, attacked the latke with gusto. Addiction, dependence on oil, and high cholesterol became fodder for his character assassination of the fried potato pancake.
Pinker countered with an assertion that the three-cornered hamentaschen, particularly the poppy seed-filled variety, constituted an irregular plural which is tainted by its relationship to drugs, terrorism, inner-city crime and civil war in Latin America.
Dershowitz pointed out that latkes were not so innocent when it came to addiction. “You can stop after one hamentasch. Try to stop after one latke,” he said.
Pinker noted that the very same quality was an advantage, rather than a crime. “In times of famine, those of our ancestors who chose latkes and sour cream over hamentaschen were more likely to survive and reproduce,” he argued.
Although Dershowitz shot back the fact that in the U.S., obesity is more the issue than starvation, his physical condition belied his words; Alan Dershowitz looks like he has had his fair share of both holiday treats.