Pay full price for something? Oba nay!
In time long long ago,..a time almost before time,… before Costco….before the Mall, before Kmart…there was Eaton’s em tyala? It was a place that all Mennos knew well. It was a wonderful place where discounts were to be had on any given day and you didn’t have to buy a membership to shop there. Where exactly was this place of utopian Mennonite discounts, you ask? To the English speaking, it was known as Eaton’s annex. Mennonites referred to it as “Eaton’s em tyala” (Eaton’s in the basement)
Eaton’s made a practice of moving old or discontinued merchandise to the basement where everything would be marked down for clearance. And the Mennonites could smell bargains much like a bloodhound could smell varscht on a cold autumn day. It was there that Mennos shopped for everyday and long-term necessities at discounted prices. Many a haul made it’s way from the basement of the Winnipeg Eaton’s store to the various Mennonite communities of southeast Manitoba. Boasting of bargains was not the style of Mennonites. When asked, “where did you buy that?”, the reply may simply have been, “Eaton’s em tyala”.
Menno’s tip of the day
The lost Mennonite art of “spoare / spoaren”. With this handy tip, you’ll save enough to get a varscht for free. Next time you go to a restaurant for freestitj, ask for extra jam and peanut butter but don’t use all of it. If you’re having breakfast with friends, ask them to do the same. Before leaving, collect all the jam and peanut butter containers and take them home. This will save you almost $12.50 a year in the cost of jam and peanut putter. Which means that you’ll have saved enough to get a farmer sausage! Add an onion and 2 cups of flour to make Kielke and you’ve got a four serving dinner for free!
Note: Obayo is not affiliated with Kraft nor Smuckers. We simply encourage taking home any and all restaurant jams and peanut butter regardless of brand.
OVER 100 OF YOUR FAVORITE RECIPES!
AND OVER 500 ADDITIONAL DISHES PREPARED IN MENNONITE HOMES
THE MENNONITE TREASURY, EXACTLY AS IT APPEARED IN THE VERY FIRST EDITION. IT'S NEVER CHANGED. THIS COOK BOOK IS THE ABSOLUTE DEFINITIVE MENNONITE RECIPE COLLECTION EVER PRODUCED!
Kjenn jie noch Plautdietsh? Enjoy getting reacquainted with those forgotten Plautdietsch words of yesteryear and learn interesting new phrases that you may have never heard before! We have three different dictionaries to choose from!
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