Quirky Like Me

It’s been a crazy year, the kind where we look for any source of joy and laughter we can to be relieved of daily stresses. Often times, that joy and laughter is found in the fascinating people around us. If you’ve ever people-watched in a park, or in the waiting room at a doctor’s office, or at any family reunion, you know that this world is full of quirky, beautiful people. Their actions, ideas, stories, and perspectives enrich life, and make the hard times light-hearted with their authenticity. Today’s stories will move us all to smile at the quirky and fascinating characters of the world. We’ll hear stories of rascals that steal from others’ gardens, talented game players with beautiful Jewish traditions, and magical beings that spin feathers into fine cloth. Each story will make us a little happier with the sway of its song and the energy of its teller. On today's episode, enjoy the following: "Spin the Dreidel" by Mark Binder from A Chanukah Present (7:30) In our first story, storyteller and writer Mark Binder, who was recently nominated for an Audie Award, tells a story of a young boy so talented at the game of spinning the dreidel that a man is willing to gamble all he owns – even the man’s own daughter’s hand in marriage – on a dreidel game against the boy. The young boy, having promised his skills would one day win him a wife, agrees to the match. Stay tuned to see who wins as Mark regales us with Spin the Dreidel, from his album A Chanukah Present. "The Boy Who Hated Latkes" by Mark Binder from A Holiday Present (4:54) In this next piece, we’ve got a second story from the great Mark Binder today, where he tells of his son who passionately hates latkes. Latkes are a potato pancake fried in oil, and to this day, Mark’s son refuses to eat them. Listen in on the origins of his son’s distaste for this delicious Jewish treat as Mark tells The Boy Who Hated Latkes, from his album A Holiday Present. "Japanese Folk Story" by Brenda Wong Aoki from Timp 2017 (8:14) We’ve talked games, we’ve tal