I just ate some Kartoffelpuffer, also known as latkes, or draniki, or even Placki kartoflane (Platski). Fried food is not my favorite, but I have to admit there is something deeply comforting about hot potato pancakes. Perhaps it is the habit of eating them with family and friends, or the time of year when they are most often served. Speaking of things that have strange translations in other languages, I recently noticed that the Polish word for laxative is Srodek przeczyszczajacy. Perhaps the theory is that if you can say it clearly then you don’t need it. Not sure how that came to mind…oh, right I was talking about latkes.

There seems to be an abundance of thinking about latkes in the world. I have noticed some argue potatoes are only a recent development — a New World ingredient. This suggests latkes as a concept much broader than the potato pancake. Yet I know of no modern latke without potatoes. You? Moreover, this same article argues that Holofernes, a general of Nebuchadnezzar, was beheaded by Judith after a meal of latkes. Really? A general was put to sleep by latkes? I think the regular story of a general who drank too much and let his guard down is more likely. It is not just history that comes up in the latke texts. I also found philosophy. The famous debates have seen latkes used as a vehicle of metaphysics:

• Latkes necessarily exist. (Classical metaphysics.)
• Whatever there are, some of them are latkes. (Free metaphysics.)
• In every possible world there is a latke, though perhaps not the same latke. (Modal semantics.)
• Necessarily, there is an x such that x is the square root of 2, and there is another x which is a latke. (Technical modal mathematical logic.)

All this thinking about potato pancakes is interesting, but to be honest I really just like to eat them. Nothing like a good Kartoffelpuffer with a seasonal Bock — Weihenstephaner Korbinian to go with wild-boar sausage and a side of sauerkraut, Spätzle and of course potato pancakes…yum.