Day 16: Fearless Females: French Toast!

March 16 Prompt — If you could have lunch with any female family member (living or dead) or any famous female who would it be and why? Where would you go? What would you eat?

Window display probably from Minnie
and William's grocery store in the 1920's.
The reflection of a man in the window
looks like William's silhouette.
The photo is not labeled but it certainly
shows their love for coffee or their pride
in their coffee display.

French Toast! I would give anything to have some french toast with my great-grandmother Minnie. I'd  invite her to New York City, to her favorite German coffee shop. What I would give to know the name of this Café. My great-grandparents spent hours of their early romance at there. They decided to get married while drinking coffee and eating french toast at this Café. On their wedding day, there was no party. After the small ceremony, the guests went their separate ways, and  my great-grandparents returned once again to favorite Café for their favorite meal. From then on, they commemorated their anniversary with French Toast! 

One of my favorite sections of Minnie's memoir, is her romance with William. Call me a romantic, but I love hearing about this 1920s love story. The German cafeteria style bakery is at the heart of this story. I love to take my great-grandmother  there. I'd bring a copy of Stored Treasures to show her how I turned her journal into a book! She would be overjoyed. Then, after she finished her meal, I would ask her a billion questions. First, I would ask permission to record our conversation. Then, I would pull out her old photo album and ask her to identify the photographs and the stories behind them. Next, would reveal my the long list of questions. Questions about details she left out from her journal. Questions about her grandparents and parents. Questions about her siblings. Questions about the Bloomfields.

Top Questions for Minnie:

Last visit with Minnie (on left holding my baby brother),.
She died about six months later. I'm seated on the left next
to my grandmother Ethel and my parents are standing behind
us. My sister must have taken this photo.

• Tell me how your brother Max died. Why did he commit suicide? How did you cope with the loss? Where is he buried?
• What did you know about the whereabouts of your family in WWII? How did they die?
• What happened to your sister Sarah Esther? What was her husband's name? Her child's name? What town did they move to?
• What was William's family like? Tell me about his mother Freida Toby Bloomfield and his brothers.
• What was the name of the village the Bloomfields where from? Was William born there? 

Minnie's memory was impeccable. I'm sure she would know the answer to these questions and many more. She would be amazed at how much I care and honored to know that I was recording our family's legacy!

To learn more about +Lisa Alzo's 31 inspirational writing prompts in celebration of Women's History Month visit her blog:  The Accidental Genealogist. It's not too late to join!

Don't forget to check out my new blog Ethel's Scrapbook!