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as of February First twenty twenty

1:02

Four terms and more at Apple

1:04

cart.com. We. All have a story to

1:07

tell and the Moss Education program is looking

1:09

to help young people tell their stories. High

1:11

school students can develop their storytelling skills with

1:13

the More. Summer Story Lab join us for

1:16

a free one week long workshop where you'll

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learn the art and craft of sharing your

1:20

own story. From brainstorming to that final might

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drop moment, we've got you covered. Plus you'll

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make new friends, build skills that shine and

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school and beyond, and have a blast along

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the way. Whether it's at the family dinner

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matters virtual and in person. Options are

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available to fit your style. Workshops

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begin an August. Don't miss out.

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Sign up now and learn more

1:42

today at the mouth.org Forward/story Lab

1:44

apply by June Twenty Third. Welcome.

1:49

To The Moth podcast I'm Kate

1:51

Tellers Senior Director and your host

1:53

for this episode. My mom was

1:55

one of six siblings, descendants of

1:57

Lebanese immigrants who landed in Erie.

1:59

Pencil. Yeah. A few

2:01

years after their mother mine owner

2:03

died, the siblings decided to get

2:05

together in my uncle's backyard for

2:08

a weekend spent cooking and sharing

2:10

the food they had been raised

2:12

on on a whim of the

2:14

last minute I am printed t

2:16

shirts and as with most things

2:18

in my family, things escalated quickly

2:21

and now let's Test is a

2:23

decades old annual tradition who's ever

2:25

expanding. Guest list include extended family,

2:27

friends, neighbors and hundreds of cloves

2:29

of garlic. More. Than once

2:31

we needed to rent a tense

2:33

our core menu is fixed. Lummis,

2:35

we on Friday guess and says

2:38

towel on Saturday? is he on

2:40

Sunday but also expanding and overseen

2:42

by the brilliant watchful eyes of

2:44

my cousin's wife and in law

2:46

who was Irish and by this

2:48

point cook every dish blindfolded. There's

2:51

something special about a family recipe. The.

2:53

Idea that you're using the same ingredients

2:55

as your uncle or your no, not.

2:57

When you take a bite of that

2:59

garlicky skewer of shrimp or swirly cinnamon

3:01

bun, you can be dropped into another

3:03

place and time. whether that's your childhood

3:05

home. You're. On the kitchen. or

3:08

let's just. On this episode

3:10

will have to story all about how food

3:12

can connect us to the past. First stop

3:14

is Terry Wolf is call. She told us

3:17

that a New York City story slam where

3:19

the theme of the night was father. Here's

3:22

Harrys Flies at the Met. A

3:27

couple of weeks ago I went out for dinner my

3:29

husband and I with another family and there is a

3:32

sixteen year old girl there for the morning. And.

3:34

As sixteen year olds do she asked

3:36

about my tattoos sixteen year old girls

3:38

his mother's do not having think that

3:41

mom to do having a very cool

3:43

he shares make a to what is

3:45

it said he said it says enjoy

3:47

every sandwich and she said what is

3:49

that means. So

3:52

I told her the story. That I Tell Everybody

3:54

which is about Warren Zevon. He was dying

3:56

and he went on the David Letterman Show

3:59

and David Letterman. What are

4:01

you know that the rest of us don't know

4:03

And he said, well, I know you got to

4:05

enjoy every sandwich and that phrase took on a

4:07

life as isn't. And

4:09

that story is suitable for telling him public.

4:11

and it is true. But. When I

4:14

tell it, it's a total lie. In

4:17

June of two thousand and thirteen, I was

4:19

in the middle of the worst year of

4:21

my life. Ten months before my father had

4:24

been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. If you know

4:26

anything about cancer, you know that's not a

4:28

good clean. My

4:30

daughter the months before had been placed

4:32

in a residential treatment center in Utah,

4:35

so I was spending my time for

4:37

north, South, and east, And

4:40

in June I was in Florida

4:42

with my sister. And her husband

4:44

Adam and we were seeing my father for

4:46

what we knew would be the last one.

4:50

We were joined by Jasper, who

4:52

had been an exchange student in

4:54

a house thirty. Years before. Lisa

4:57

accidentally said something on Facebook about my

4:59

father dying and Jasper was like what

5:01

the hell even talking about and he

5:03

got on a plane from Denmark and

5:05

came to see my father. He came

5:07

into this apartment which was so strange

5:09

for Florida because the ceilings reprint alone.

5:11

It was always dark which is weird

5:13

cause Florida is a very funny place.

5:17

And it came to see my father an incident

5:19

in the bed linux and I said i'm offended

5:21

and much get out of ethnic. And.

5:23

We spend the rest of the

5:26

weekend you gave Mackenzie game hug

5:28

and spend the rest of the

5:30

weekend playing blackjack which is weird.

5:33

But if. You've ever spent

5:35

time with someone who's dying. There.

5:38

Is this massive white elephant in the

5:40

room and you really don't talk about

5:42

it a lot. you sort of pretend

5:44

you're just there visiting for We played

5:47

blackjack and we hung around and we

5:49

told stories from way back when and

5:51

it was all right, you know? And

5:53

it was the morning of the last

5:55

day we came we visited. And.

5:58

Later in the day. Somebody

6:00

said to my dad, do on

6:02

something the eighth and at this

6:04

point my dad was really housebound

6:06

and he was in his bathrobe

6:08

all the time. He was mostly

6:10

in the bedroom. But

6:12

he came out to the dining room. And.

6:15

He said, you know I

6:17

could really go for a

6:20

tongue sandwich. And

6:23

I thought about this so many times since

6:25

like it's a cocktail party question. You know

6:27

what would you have if it were your

6:29

last meal and people talk about lobster and

6:32

they talk about spaghetti. And literally no one

6:34

else has ever said I could really go

6:36

for a time. So. What's

6:39

the boys? Gotten the car

6:41

and they went to Jacob's

6:43

deli and they came back

6:45

with this clamshell an idiot

6:47

with his grief see nasty

6:49

looking tongue sandwiches. Are a

6:51

couple of pickles. And my father

6:53

sat at the table in his bathrobe.

6:56

And he eat a sandwich.

6:59

Never seen anyone enjoy a

7:02

meal more than Batman and.

7:04

That Seung Sahn was. A

7:07

else about half the and had enough and she was

7:09

ready to go rest and it was time for us

7:11

to go back to my mother's house couple miles north.

7:15

And. It was time to

7:17

say goodbye and I was leaving. In the Moon. And.

7:20

I knew what was he. I

7:23

really knew he had. To

7:25

make like a didn't proceed. just

7:27

don't say goodbye forever out load.

7:31

And I leaned into my father. To.

7:33

Give him a hug. He was sitting hidden stand up

7:35

really anymore? And

7:37

I notice thought my father who had

7:40

always been bald seemed balder. I don't

7:42

know how that works but he did

7:44

an alien then and a game. Mahogany

7:46

hugged me back. And.

7:49

He said to me. I

7:51

am just so proud of you

7:54

both. And

7:56

a week later, my father was dead. And.

7:59

I know. In

8:01

a week in between. But

8:03

I don't know what I said and I

8:05

don't know what he said. Those are the

8:07

words. That. Rattle around in my

8:10

head. And so on

8:12

his birthday, on Father's Day on the

8:14

anniversary of his death, when I light

8:16

a candle. I

8:18

try to forget about all the time they

8:21

spend his calls and I listen to those

8:23

words instead. I am just so

8:25

proud of you Do. That

8:36

with Ferry was his fault. Harry as

8:38

the producer of Tell Me Another a

8:41

True Life Storytelling show in Hartford, Connecticut,

8:43

this was the first story she told

8:45

on stage. She misses her

8:47

father every day. Enjoy every sandwiches

8:50

tattooed inside her left wrist and

8:52

his memory. If you'd like to

8:54

see photos of Terry and her

8:56

father along with her, enjoy every

8:58

sandwich tattoo. Just go to our

9:00

website themath.org/extras As with many family

9:02

dishes that have been passed through

9:04

the generations, I don't have a

9:06

lot of our families official recipes

9:08

and there are enough strong opinions

9:10

in his family that if I

9:12

did attempt to write something down,

9:14

a strong willed uncle or aunt

9:16

would have. Notes but I have

9:18

a recipe for salad dressing from

9:20

my mother at that is in

9:22

her own voice an indisputable and

9:24

a popular simple. Had many lab

9:26

tests. You can check it out

9:28

on our website themosque.org Flash Extras:

9:30

Garlic powder essential. Up next

9:33

is Michael Ember. he told this had a New

9:35

York City grandson and where the theme of the

9:37

night was between. Alone. Here's Michael.

9:39

Love them Off. A

9:47

simple recipe. Hershey's

9:50

Cocoa. Sugar. Vanilla.

9:53

Extract. Hero Cyril.

9:56

A pinch. Of Salt. Ceded.

9:58

To perfection. Lord

10:00

Intuit pam and then cooled

10:02

in an ice water bath.

10:05

This was my Grandmother mill.

10:08

easy recipe for fuck. Would.

10:13

Break out at family gatherings

10:15

in St. Louis is anybody

10:17

dared to take more than their

10:19

fair share? This

10:22

was no ordinary recipe. When

10:25

the grandchildren all left for

10:27

college, Nana would make batches

10:30

of thugs and package them

10:32

up. An old Russell

10:34

Stover candy boxes and mail them

10:36

to us and the recipient. Of

10:39

the latest batch of funds would

10:41

lay claim to the title the

10:43

Real Angel Boy or the Real

10:45

Angel Girl which was her nickname

10:48

for all of us, but we

10:50

held it as the moniker for

10:52

the most favored Graham. Shocked. I

10:58

was always close to my grandmother. But.

11:01

All the more so after my father passed

11:03

when I was ten years old. And.

11:05

She was just a rock for my

11:08

mother. And from my siblings and

11:10

mean. When.

11:13

I left for college. I made

11:16

a point of calling or every Sunday night. When

11:19

I moved to New York I continue that

11:21

tradition and I was so happy that she

11:23

was able to walk down the aisle! At.

11:26

My wedding. In

11:29

the Winter before name is seventy

11:31

ninth birthday. She

11:34

trusts suffered a transient a

11:36

it attack. A. Mini Stroke.

11:39

And the emergency room doctor said it

11:41

was so mild there was nothing they

11:43

could do. They just told to go

11:45

home and rest. And

11:48

my brother, dog, and my cousin Teddy were

11:50

with her at the time and they drove

11:52

her back to her apartment. They arrived about

11:54

midnight. And Nana said

11:56

i'm wide awake. What? Do we

11:58

do now? And

12:01

the boys looked at each other and they said

12:03

nana. Make. Fudge. And

12:06

so she did. The

12:09

next day my brother calls me

12:11

and he tells me about nam

12:13

as health scares and the story

12:16

of the fudge. And

12:18

while he wished Nana many more years

12:20

of lies, He did

12:22

remark that he and Teddy easily

12:25

could have had of the last

12:27

batch of funds. And

12:30

lay claim to the title angel

12:32

Boy. For

12:35

Albert's. Bought

12:39

a month later. I

12:41

get in the mail a package

12:43

in the size and shape of

12:45

that familiar Russell Stover candy box.

12:49

Postmarked from St. Louis but no

12:51

return address. When I

12:53

opened it up, of course there is.

12:55

My grandmother celebrated fuck. And

12:58

called her. To thank her. And

13:00

she said what fuck. I

13:04

was an odd response. But.

13:08

It gave me an idea. Rather

13:11

than eat the thugs. I

13:13

wrap the box. And. A plastic

13:16

garbage bag sealed tight and I

13:18

stuck it in the back of

13:20

my freezer. With. The

13:22

prayer that it would be many

13:24

years before I would defrost it.

13:27

To. Realize. My. Visionary

13:29

plan. Would

13:36

nobody realized is that Nana

13:38

was suffering. A series of

13:40

mini strokes that sport. And

13:42

that explain why she couldn't remember that she had

13:44

sent me the fuck. That

13:47

August. My. Grandmother

13:50

suffered a massive stroke.

13:53

And. That centers of the hospital. Just as

13:55

my wife and I were getting ready

13:57

to leave on a California vacation. My.

14:01

Mother said take the trip. And

14:04

I was warned do not show up

14:06

in St. Louis for fear that it

14:08

would frighten nano that are condition was

14:10

serious. The.

14:13

Day after we arrived in San

14:15

Francisco, We. Got word that

14:17

my grandmother had passed. And.

14:20

I was devastated. And

14:24

is if that were not enough. I

14:26

had another problem. The

14:29

last batch of fudge. Was.

14:31

In Brooklyn and we had

14:34

to fly from San Francisco

14:36

straight to St. Louis. For.

14:38

The funeral. Undaunted.

14:42

I. Took my key and I said exits

14:44

were friend in New York who went

14:46

to War apartments got a fudge and

14:48

Fedex the to me and St. Louis.

14:53

On the second day of shiver, my

14:55

package arrived. As

15:00

I walked into the living room

15:02

where the family had gathered. And

15:04

everybody saw I have the Russell Stover

15:06

candy box. You could hear a pin

15:08

drop. This

15:12

was much more than a recipe. And

15:16

as I shared. The last

15:18

batch of fudge. The.

15:20

Tears. Turned. Smiles.

15:23

And everybody began to tell their

15:26

five stories. Someone remarked Nanos catering

15:28

around Sheva. Nothing

15:33

could have been sweeter. And

15:36

as for the title, Angel Boy. Seem.

15:50

More holidays. I

15:53

love you Nana! I miss you! Thank

15:56

you. Haven't.

16:03

Michael indo need to invest in

16:05

Connecticut where he and his bride

16:08

of thirty five years, Nancy, have

16:10

visit their twin. Sons. Who

16:12

loves to cook for his family and celebrates the

16:15

stories they share over meals. And don't

16:17

worry if you have a hankering for

16:19

Michael family fudge recipe. will have that

16:21

on our website along with a photo

16:23

of Michael and his grandmother. You can

16:25

find them both at the mosque.org Flash

16:27

extra. That's it for this

16:29

time. Remember if you liked the stories in

16:31

this episode, be sure to share this podcast

16:33

with a friend and tell them to subscribe

16:35

to. They can take a listen as soon

16:37

as it comes out. From. All

16:39

of us here at the mosque have a story. Worthy

16:42

Week. We. Hope your hearts and

16:44

belize are false. Teeth.

16:47

Dollars is a storyteller, host, senior director

16:49

at the Mouth and coauthor of their

16:51

fourth book, how to tell a Story

16:53

Her story but also bring she's is

16:56

featured are the most All these wonders,

16:58

true stories about facing the unknown and

17:00

her writing has appeared on Mix when

17:02

he is in the New Yorker. The

17:05

rest of my leadership team includes Sarah

17:07

Haberman, Christina Norman, Jennifer Hickson Med Bowls

17:09

really good show. Suzanne Roast Rain and

17:11

Grant Welker. Leon Delhi An oldie casa

17:14

the mass would like to think it's

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