And the Winner is...

Last evening I took part in my shul's annual Latke vs. Hamantaschen Debate (look it up on Wikipedia.) It was eventually declared a tie, but I believe I nailed it.

While my opponents made some funny observations, and I have been known to come up with the occasional amusing quip, I also have a tendency to take things seriously. I especially get a little intense when it comes to competition.

I present my argument:

Olive oil has been more than mere food to the peoples of the Mediterranean…the universally acknowledged cradle of civilization: it has been medicinal, magical, an endless source of fascination and wonder and the fountain of great wealth and power. The legendary Greek poet Homer even called it "liquid gold." Beside food, olive oil has also been used for religious rituals.

A latke is defined as: A pancake made of grated potato.

The term "Latke" is Yiddish, from the Ukrainian "oladka", from Old Russian, it is a diminutive of "olad'ya", which in turn is derived from the Greek word: "eladia" which is the plural of "eladion", meaning “little oily thing” which is, finally, a diminutive of “elaion” which means “olive oil” which was borrowed through trade networks from the Semitic Phoenician use of "el'yon", meaning "superior",

Therefore it is obvious that the latke is superior to the hamantaschen.


The circle has been known since before the beginning of recorded history (being evident in nature.) It is the basis for the wheel, which, with related inventions such as gears, makes much of modern civilization possible. In mathematics, the study of the circle has helped inspire the development of geometry and calculus.

Early science, particularly geometry and Astrology and astronomy, was connected to the divine for most medieval scholars, and many believed that there was something intrinsically "divine" or "perfect" that could be found in circles.

The circle is the shape with the largest area for a given length of perimeter, known as Isoperimetric inequality, giving people more flavor enjoyment per square inch than the inferior triangular shape of a hamantaschen.

The circle is a highly symmetric shape, while not all triangles are. The circle’s circumference and radius are also proportional. Symmetry and proportion being the basis of human art since from the first cave painting or carving up to the present day.