What’s With the Two Dishwashers?
SHORT, SERIOUS ANSWER: “Having two sets of dishes and two dishwashers keeps anything that touches meat and milk products separate.”
MORE EFFECTIVE RETORT: “There’s a part of me that wonders about it too, and yeah it was an extra $400 for a dishwasher, but the world is not going to end. Some people buy shoes for twice that much.” Nemko believes even conversations that begin with a strange assertion can build bridges; in this case respectfully and humorously pointing out that everyone makes buying choices that seem bizarre to others.
CONCISE RETORT: It’s like two months of cable. “No big deal.”
We have left out the obvious: answering with a question. You know the joke: A man asks his rabbi: “Why do Jews always answer a question with a question?” The rabbi answers: “Do we?”
Nemko’s version goes something like this: “Is there a practical reason for Easter egg hunts at this point?”
Do you have any stupid questions and/or smart answers to share? If so, let us know.
Amy Atkins Sawyer is a bicoastal print and video journalist.
A message from our Publisher & CEO Rachel Fishman Feddersen
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.
We’ve set a goal to raise $260,000 by December 31. That’s an ambitious goal, but one that will give us the resources we need to invest in the high quality news, opinion, analysis and cultural coverage that isn’t available anywhere else.
If you feel inspired to make an impact, now is the time to give something back. Join us as a member at your most generous level.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO