Methuselah

Mira’s blog:

The audience at Montreal was an encouraging mixed bunch, not just community members; Donna Lach and Anne Moffat did us proud. They made an announcement in the papers and the turnout was vastly superior to the number of bookings.

For me it was very moving, and I did so wish that my late mother could have known of the excitement she has caused. One elegant lady who made herself known, reminded me that our parents were great friends and we children had fun being of the same age and still in primary school.

At the show I casually informed the man I was dedicating a book to that my family knew an older man by the same surname in our Cyprus years. He turned out to be the son. His father Ezra was the first health food person to enter our lives nearly 60 years ago. He had worked out that the healthiest persons must have been living in biblical times, for example Methuselah lived over 900 years (as the song said “but who calls that livin’ when no gal’ll give in to no man what’s 900 years!”).

So Ezra sought out only organic foods, although they were not known as such then. And only foods that were mentioned in the Bible — that is to say, no New World foods, such as tomatoes and potatoes. For water, he would seek out the nearest spring and bring back containerfulls to last him a week. No wonder he made such an impression and passed into our family folklore. Among Mother’s possessions I found two small jars of a spice mixture carefully marked with his name. She must have saved them for over 50 years. I might put them on E-Bay.

And then there were relations and friends I had not seen in very many years who gave us a very warm welcome. With Tony some even formed a Manchester brigade!

And it was all possible only because Diana and Avner were so hospitable.