24 Comments

So many wonderful connections to your name. I do wish that a Baby Ruth bar was really that nutritious, I suppose the peanuts do provide protein! I have never eaten kugel let alone made it, I may need to give it a try. Thanks Ruth.

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Thanks, Vicki! So glad you enjoyed the piece. The old ads for Baby Ruth are a laugh, especially the nutrition claims, but then it wasn’t that long ago that ketchup was being touted as a vegetable on school lunch menus!

Kugel is a really versatile didh, though the version I write about isn’t to everyone’s taste. If you’re used to savory noodles, a sweet variety that tastes a bit like cheesecake is surprising, though you can definitely cut back on the sugar. If you do try it, please let me know what you think!

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What a beautiful post about a beautiful name!

My favourite holiday has always been Purim, because I was named after Queen Esther 😀. As soon as I was old enough, I begged my family to let me throw Purim parties and read the entire story aloud every year.

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What a wonderful story! Thanks so much for sharing it! I wonder if biblical names may have even more power than some of the others because the stories associated with them are so powerful and symbolic. Rebecca is another significant figure.

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fondly remembering visiting the Notorious RBG exhibit at the Skirball Center with you and Jeff, and our granddaughter Ruth, Ruth! love from your friend, one of the MANY Susan's

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I remember that day with you and little Ruth too! What a lovely day it was! Interesting the power of a name! I was thinking of you and of the many Susans I know when I wrote this--also of your sister Karen. Many hugs to you all.

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Hi there - I’m lying in bed in Tel Aviv reading your article. As always, it was wonderful. I loved all the interesting things connected to your name and the kugel recipes too. I’m here for 3 weeks visiting my daughter and sweet grand baby who turned one on Friday. Hope to see you real soon. 💕

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What a great pleasure to hear from you from Israel! Mazel Tov on your grandbaby! Thanks for your very kind words. I wonder if you like the Jerusalem kugel or prefer the lokshen version. All the very best to you and yours!🤗

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My mom’s oldest sister went by Ruth but since her legal first name was Yoneo, I think she took Ruth on her own as her American name

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That's so interesting, Ellen! I wonder how she decided on Ruth. Sometimes people take names that are pretty close to their own, but Ruth and Yoneo are pretty different.

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What a wonderful article about your name, influences… and a recipe even I could make! ❤️

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Thanks, Susan! If you do try this recipe, please do let me know. It really was rather simple!

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You did it again! Here's to all the Ruth's. And kugles.

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Thanks, Judy! And here's to all Judys too, especially you! Kugel awaits your fork.

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My grandmother's sister's name was Ruth.

About names:

Not long ago I wrote this piece about Ichabod. It came about after I had read about Ruth and Naomi and went on a Wikipedia trail which ended up with Ichabod. You can read about him here and where he ended up :-))

https://open.substack.com/pub/acabinetofcuriosities/p/i-am-ichabod?r=bu9kr&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web

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Thank you for your comment. Your piece was interesting reading. The only Ichabod I'd ever heard of was Ichabod Crane in the Washington Irving story. It was interesting to meet another one.

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Another wonderful read and just loved you started off with the book of Ruth!.

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Thanks so much, Maggie!

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Great piece Ruth!

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Love this, Ruth! It’s so interesting to hear about your feelings about your name, and I love the company you keep! (Ginsberg, Gordon, Babe and more!) Wonderful about your copy of The Book of Ruth. I have a sister-in-law named Ruth and my Mom (who adored her) always called her ‘Baby Ruth’ ☺️ Thanks for this lovely post. (I was named after a hat shop in Québéc and my life changed in 1974 when Dolly’s song 🎶 came out!

Strangers have been singing to me when they first meet me for almost 50 years! 🤣

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Thanks so much for sharing this, Jolene, and for your kind comments! When I first mentioned you to Jeff, he immediately started singing Dolly's song! How fascinating that you were named after a hat shop in Québec.👒 I wonder what the story is behind that! Maybe you'll write about it sometime!☺️

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👒 😃

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Jolene--it's the first thing that comes up when I hear your name. The song. But then it's Time Travel Kitchen. Nothing wrong with that!

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Nothing wrong at all, Jeff! 😃 🎶 👩🏼‍🍳 Hope you’re well!

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