Love You a Latke Quotes

“I just didn't want Christmas in my Hanukkah, the same way I didn't want to dip a grilled cheese in my cinnamon roll latte. Both were delicious, but I didn't want them together.”
― Amanda Elliot, Love You a Latke

“Understandable that someone might take a break from something to focus on another thing, and then come back to it once they remembered how much they loved it. How much they missed it over the years, how good it felt to finally come home again.”
― Amanda Elliot, Love You a Latke

“Princesses ran away. But queens? Queens stayed to face the facts. And I wasn’t a princess. I was a queen.”
― Amanda Elliot, Love You a Latke

“This is amazing," he said, then moved in for a real kiss on the lips. "You're amazing."
The miracle of the oil was great and everything, sure. But me falling in love? With Seth? That was a miracle, too. And, if you asked me, it was even better than doughnuts.”
― Amanda Elliot, Love You a Latke

“I had no idea if it was the New York City water or not that made New York bagels so chewy and doughy and delicious, but they clearly did something right here that they didn’t do anywhere else.”
― Amanda Elliot, Love You a Latke

“I ran—well, jogged—well, jogged slowly—for what felt like an hour or two, then turned that slow jog into a slow walk and checked my phone. It had been eleven minutes.”
― Amanda Elliot, Love You a Latke

“Being around you makes my heart race and my brain work hard, because you make me want to be a better person. To be someone who’s worthy of you.”
― Amanda Elliot, Love You a Latke

“Al Gore let it go for the good of the community, and just look at what happened.”
― Amanda Elliot, Love You a Latke

“You looked like Cinderella running away at midnight. Are you going to turn into a pumpkin?"
"Cinderella didn't turn into a pumpkin, that was her carriage," I said in the automatic way of someone who'd watched every single Disney Princess movie multiple times a child. Maybe this was it, how I could spin it. Princesses ran away.
But queens? Queens stayed to face the facts. And I wasn't a princess. I was a queen.”
― Amanda Elliot, Love You a Latke

“I'm just not a glitter person," I was telling her as she led me back out into the main space, but the words stopped short when she shoved me in front of the mirrors and there I was, glittering at angle after angle.
I almost didn't recognize myself. The dress was another simple A-line in shape, gathered at the bust and flowing past my waist to the floor. Its sleeves were loops that circled around my upper arms, baring my shoulders so that my hair could tumble over them or be tied up high to showcase the elegant flow of my throat into my clavicle, which I'd only just now realized was elegant. The dress was black--- my favorite color--- and covered with tiny chips of what must have been rhinestones, small and subtle and scattered enough where I didn't glow like a disco ball under the lights but instead shimmered whenever I moved.
I looked like a princess of the night sky.”
― Amanda Elliot, Love You a Latke

“The French toast was exceptionally delicious, and, technically, since it was fried in butter, it counted as a Hanukkah food. I chewed slowly, savoring the delicate sugary crust on the outside of the bread and the luscious creamy texture within.”
― Amanda Elliot, Love You a Latke

“The menu was full of foods that felt like home to me, but that also had a flair of originality. Brisket and matzo balls in a hearty bowl of ramen. Lox bowls with nori and crispy rice. Savory potato kugel and boureka pastries with hummus and fried artichokes with kibbeh. Knishes with kimchi and potato filling and a gochujang aioli. "This menu is so... Jewish."
"So Jewish," Seth agreed. "And make sure you're saving room for dessert. The rugelach is unreal, and the rainbow cookies are---" he looked around, then lowered his voice--- "better than my mom's."
One of the things I actually missed about living in New York was seeing all the fun twists people put on Jewish and Israeli food at restaurants and in delis. Nobody was doing that in Vermont.
Maybe you could do that in Vermont, something whispered in my head. I was used to just pushing that voice away, but, for once, I let myself pause and consider it. Would it be that crazy to sell babka at my café? I bet people would love a thick, tender slice of the sweet bread braided with chocolate or cinnamon sugar or even something savory with their coffee. I could experiment with fun fillings, have a daily special. Or I could rotate shakshuka or sabich sandwiches on the brunch specials menu, since they both involved eggs. My regulars might see eggs poached in spicy tomato sauce and pitas stuffed with fried eggplant, eggs, and all the salad fixings as breaths of fresh air.”
― Amanda Elliot, Love You a Latke

“Me brewing up increasingly ridiculous and colorful sweet coffees for Seth to try. Unicorn lattes with sprinkles and peaked whipped cream horns. Chocolate-chocolate-chip mochas with lumps of half-melted Hershey's bars floating in them.”
― Amanda Elliot, Love You a Latke

“Oh my god," I said, because yes, Seth was breathing.
He was also naked.
Not totally naked, I realized a beat later. He had a towel wrapped around his waist. Which, come to think of it, explained why everything smelled like lavender. It also explained the beads of water clinging to the black curls scattering his chest and taut stomach and the thicker trail of black hair leading down beneath the towel---”
― Amanda Elliot, Love You a Latke

“I was a fake girlfriend, not a real one. But still, as we paused in the middle of the butterfly vivarium to marvel at a lacy scrap of bright blue that fluttered to rest on Seth's shoulder, our hands grazing each other with the movement, I figured that to the people around us we looked pretty real.”
― Amanda Elliot, Love You a Latke

“We set up shop on a nearby bench, me starting with the savory order--- trout roe; sour cream; pickled radish--- and him with the sweet one--- spicy apple chutney; honey; whipped cream. The second savory order, with smoked salmon and dill and cucumber, we balanced between us, because I couldn't limit us to only two options after all. And really, when it came to fried potatoes, the more the merrier.
Especially these, because they were excellent: lacy and crisp, with crunchy edges and soft, pillowy centers.”
― Amanda Elliot, Love You a Latke

“You really can't go wrong with the food at any Jewish holiday. Well, with the exception of Passover, because matzah is terrible and eight days of no carbs but matzah and potatoes can have you crying for pizza by the end. But think bagels and lox to break the Yom Kippur fast. All sorts of exotic fruits on Tu B'Shevat. Brisket and tzimmes and noodle kugel for pretty much any occasion. And that's only the Ashkenazi food; I'd been treated to Sephardic and Mizrahi food occasionally at friends' houses growing up, and I remembered fish cooked in spicy tomato sauce, tangines with chickpeas and saffron, Yemenite braided bread with whole eggs hidden in the twists.
But Hanukkah food? Because Hanukkah celebrates the miracle of the oil, it's basically a mitzvah to eat fried foods for the holiday. And doing a good deed by eating French fries or doughnuts is the absolute best way to do a good deed.”
― Amanda Elliot, Love You a Latke

“He leaned into me, so close I could see a few crumbs of sugar from his drink rim clinging to his beard. They glittered like tiny snowflakes. I breathed in deep, trying not to think about it, but that only made me realize that he smelled like oranges and campfire.”
― Amanda Elliot, Love You a Latke