zaftig

as the daughter of a romanian immigrant, i was used to hearing a smattering of foreign words thrown into the chatter at holidays and family gatherings. we ate colac, egg bread, and sarma, stuffed cabbage rolls, and disappointed grandmothers proclaimed, “you hurt me to my heart.” as a result, i have often felt the most comfortable among the families of my jewish friends, who kvell and kvetch, and who would declare this full-figured, womanly, succulent dahlia as admirably zaftig.

giant dahlia