Tradition

The open collar is a bit much, no? Why cover the head if you're going to expose the hairy man cleavage, my Jewish brother? 'Tis hardly kosher...

So Fiddler on the Roof was on yesterday (Sundance channel employee #1: so, it's that Jew holiday today...Sundance channel employee #2: we must have some Jewish movie somewhere that we can put on for them to enjoy while they are all in synagogue and without televisions) and I totally Tivo-ed it. Because I hadn't seen it in a billion years and as a Jew I am required to watch it every time it is on and then feel guilty about something. Some observations:

1. There's a scene where Tevye is at some farm getting milk and cheese. And there's a pig. Now, why would there be a pig at a Jewish farm? Maybe I'm missing some obvious reason, but I can't quite figure it out.

2. I love that Starsky (or is it Hutch? I get confused) is in it, looking all Steve Guttenberg-esque and helping the community to break thousand year-old codes/laws concerning modesty and conduct (dancing with the middle, doughy-faced daughter? Ooooooh, so un-cool, man. And tricking the rabbi into dancing and TOUCHING the daughter, eeek-for you goys out there, ultra-orthodox won't shake hands/even allow their arms to accidentally touch a member of the opposite sex).

3. I find Topol a liiiiitle tiny bit attractive (it might be the hot dance moves, though, who's to say).

4. Why do the non-Jewish Russians all have super thick accents, but the Jewish Russians, who live 4 minutes down the dirt road, almost all speak like Americans?

Maybe I have way too much time on my hands (whatever, when you can't eat or drink or do fun things, sometimes you have to watch musicals, it's just a fact).