The ultimate food fight

The infamous University of Chicago T-shirt reads, where fun comes to die. On Tuesday 22, fun will, at least for an evening, be resurrected.

Continuing an annual pre-Thanksgiving tradition, the U. of C. this year marks the 60th anniversary of the Latke Hamantash Debate. This farcical debate pits a handful of professors against each other in a quest to determine which is superior: the latke, a potato pancake eaten during Hanukkah, or the hamantash, a soft cookie with fruit- or poppy-seed filling (the name comes from Haman, a Persian noble who failed to kill all the Jews in Persia in 6th-century B.C.).

The event, which parodies both Jewish custom and the serious nature of the U. of C., has evolved over the years from an intimate gathering in Hillel House into a mainstay event that attracts hundreds of spectators. Past debaters at the U. of C. include Hanna Gray, a historian (and former president of the university), who spoke on the role of the latke and hamantash in the Renaissance; Edward Stankiewicz, a linguistics professor who composed a 19-stanza poem professing his love of the latke; philosopher Martha Nussbaum, who dressed in Greek costume to deliver her oration, "Euripides' The Cooks of Troy: Hecuba's Lament," a defense of the latke; and the venerable economist Milton Friedman, who invoked gibberish economics to conclude absolutely nothing.

This year's participants bring backgrounds in African history, linguistics and statistics. At press time, one hadn't chosen his position, another refused to divulge his and the third said he wouldn't take one. Normally, four professors participate, but a fourth couldn't be found in time this year. "No doubt this is because the task is so daunting," says philosophy professor and longtime moderator Ted Cohen. "People are much less likely to agree to do this than they are to give an academic lecture to multitudes."

First-time debater Colm O'Muircheartaigh, a professor in the Harris School of Public Policy and the lone non-Jewish panelist, quips, "I hope I survive it."

To get the competitive juices flowing, audience members are encouraged to wear buttons in support of their favorite snack and vote after the debate for their food of choice. Regardless of preference, everyone's invited to stay on for a postdebate reception, where $5 will get you latkes and hamantashen. Now, who can argue with that?—David King

The free debate is at 7:30pm Tuesday 22 at the U. of C.'s Mandel Hall.