Have you ever met a Shnei Foygel?

Zoog mir in Yiddish

By Sol Awend, GenShoah SWFL

What a time to be in Southwest Florida. OK, siz heis (it’s hot), zei arbeten off deh hivei (they’re working on the highway), but dee restraanes semen nisht ahzoy fahfill’t (the restaurants aren’t as crowded as they usually are).

Wait, what?! You mean meh darft nisht ah rezehvaysh’n (you don’t need a reservation), meh darft nisht varten monahten ah dokteh t’zeh zayen (you don’t have to wait for months to see a doctor), and the streets are layeh (empty)?

Again, I say, what a time to be here in Southwest Florida! Siz ah mec’h hayeh (It is a pleasure)! Whether you’re a native or a newcomer, tell me you don’t breathe a sigh of relief right about now.

There are no kohlaykes bah Pooblix (long lines at Publix). Dee shnei foyglen zenen ahvek geh floygen (The snowbirds have flown away). It’s nice that they’re here part of the year. After all, they do help finance life during “the season.” But now that they're gone, we can live it up and enjoy inzereh “sayzohn” (our “season”).

No more zeec’hen fahr ah g’zhendeh fah deh cah (searching for a place to park the car). Then, at the hostess stand, you ask for a fah zex (table). You’re seated shortly, and when asked for a beverage, you reply, Ah Martin Eye vot nisht shlaac’ht geh vayzen (A martini wouldn’t be bad)!

It’s when the waiter asks if you want it "dry" (drei) that you become t’zehmisht (confused). Eins vot git geh vayzen, drei iz t’zee fill (One would be good, three would be too many)!

And shortly after imbibing, meh brenkt doos essen t’zin tisch (the food is brought to the table). Meh esst mit an gittn ahpetit un meh ret fin vic’htikeh zaac’hen (We eat with a good appetite and talk about important issues).

Most likely, where to go after lunch or dinner comes into play. Chances are good it’s to the same place — t’zeh c’haapen ah shloof(to grab a nap), vooden(where else)?

Well, it’s time to get the check, and when the waiter asks if there is room for dessert, you respond, efsheh ah small check ah leh (maybe a small check)?

Then again, there is one magnet that may pull us away from this Gan Eidem (Gan Ayden, Hebrew for paradise). Family argetz ahndesh (somewhere else).

Those of us with children and grandchildren yearn to be with them, hence the motto, “Everyone needs a warm loving family in another city.”

Nee voos tet mehn? (So, what does one do?) You become a shnei foygel yourself, promising to return in the fall. In the meantime, you pack like there’s no tomorrow, vowing to buy what you don’t need when you get where you’re going. Even though you’re ahrgetz ah ndesh (somewhere else), you keep an eye on all things Florida, namely doos veteh (the weather).

I wish everyone a wonderful and peaceful time, with hopes that we meet again on the cusp of a new “season.”