"Taste The Borscht", Part One.

I had intended to tell you a story about my mother, involving the old standard joke, known in most Jewish circles as "Taste The Borscht."
I had assumed that most people I knew, most of them comedy witers, were familiar with the joke.
It turned out that hardly any of them were familiar with "Taste The Borscht".
So why on earth should my readers, most of whom are not comedy writers, be familiar with it?

As a result, today will be devoted to the telling of the joke, and next time will be devoted to how it involved my mother.

So here's "Taste The Borscht":

A little old Jewish man goes into Katz's delicatessen on the Lower Easr Side of New York City.

The waiter, another little old Jewish man, approaches him to take his order.

Customer: Bring me a bowl of Matzoh Ball soup.

Waiter: (Leaning into him) You don't want the Matzoh Ball soup.

Customer: Yes I do. Bring me a bowl of Matzoh Ball soup.

Waiter: Trust me. You don't want the Matzoh ball Soup.

Customer: So what do I want?

Waiter: Try the Borscht.

Customer: The Borscht?

Waiter: (With a wink) The Borscht.

Customer: All right. Bring me the Borscht.

Waiter: (Triumphantly) I'll bring you the Borscht.

The waiter is practically skipping into the kitchen to place the order.
Shortly, he returns with the Borscht.

Waiter: Doesn't it look great? Just like I told you?

Customer: I've got to hand it to you. It does look great.

Waiter: Would I steer you wrong?

The Waiter heads back to the kitchen. He is stopped by the customer.

Customer: Excuse me. Would you come back here please?

The Waiter returns.

Customer: Taste the Borscht.

Waiter: What do you mean, taste the Borscht?

Customer: Taste the Borscht.

Waiter: I don't have to taste the Borscht. I had a nice big bowl of it before you came in. It's delicious.

Customer: Taste the Borscht.

Waiter: (Finally indulging him) All right, I'll taste the Borscht.......where's the spoon?

Customer: (Pointing his finger in the air) Aha!!!!

And that's "Taste the Borscht".
Next time, I will demonstrate how my mother unwittingly took this joke to new heights.

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My book, "Show Runner" and it's sequel,"Show Runner Two", can be found at the Amazon Kindle Store, You can search by typing in my name, Cindy Williams, Laverne & Shirley, The Odd Couple, or Happy Days.
You might want to check them out.
You don't need a Kindle machine to download them.
Just get the free app from Kindle, and they can be downloaded to an IPhone, IPad, or Blackberry.
The paperback, "Mark Rothman's Essays" is still available for people without Kindle.
I have many readings and signings remaining, and the thing about Kindle is you can't sign one.
If you like one, contact me at macchus999@aol.com
The website "On Screen & Beyond" has two hours of an interview I did on it's podcast in their archives.
Just Google On Screen & Beyond to find them if you're interested.

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