Wow, amazing info, Hannah. Sounds like it's going to be a fascinating read when published. Will you be able to share it with us here?
The perception of rats certainly tends to be inversely proportional with that of hygiene. Perhaps they've been given a bad rap, though.
Happy birthday! Looks like a tasty spread. Hope it's been lovely back home in London for a bit. Have a wonderful week, and congratulations on the milestone of sending out Pen Friend letters :D
Aug 27, 2023·edited Aug 28, 2023Liked by Hannah Meltzer
Congratulations on your birthday and your party offerings look just delicious! Your mother is a wonderful person to do that for you.
As for the rats every big city has them; if that city is worth a damn. And yes your comment about rats having a political context is absolutely correct. I recall as a child of working class parents we had an older home that still had a coal chute on it and rats had come in through the coal chute. Our neighborhood had rats simply because there was a bar and a store that provided the fodder for the rats. I remember my father putting out two huge traps in the basement and I remember peering down the steps as probably a five or six year old child and I remember to this day he got two rats one in each trap.
This quote from your letter really made me laugh: "...describes his shock at seeing “a whole-ass family” of rats." As a "grown-ass" man" I find the comment hilarious. As in this Ismo comedy routine: https://youtu.be/RAGcDi0DRtU?si=RQEZ3YZp5tsNkMDc
My best friend and I would do a comedy routine to this where I would say, "That's pretty good pie for a change, what was it, blueberry pie?" and he'd say, "Yeah blueberry!" And as 6th grade boys will do we laughed out loud !
Jackie Chan is a great choice for movie star fave and name. Have you had a chance to visit his statue on Hong Kong’s Avenue of the Stars? It’s a pilgrimage!
Rats have been an inspiration for many stories. I remember James Herbert's little horror yarn that on the surface could be reduced to a mere slasher trash pulp story but the "underlying theme is the lack of care by the government toward the underclass and a lack of reaction to a tragedy until it is already too late." Quite political, maybe Hidalgo should read James Herbert. Either way, a fascinating topic. I once saw a rat coming out of a Paul Boulangerie, you live almost 20 years here, you see a lot of Rats.
Congratulations on your one-year anniversary! PS. Jackie Chan as a name for a rat made me chuckle.
Now that’s a feast!
Happy newsletter birthday - and actual birthday! X
Wow, amazing info, Hannah. Sounds like it's going to be a fascinating read when published. Will you be able to share it with us here?
The perception of rats certainly tends to be inversely proportional with that of hygiene. Perhaps they've been given a bad rap, though.
Happy birthday! Looks like a tasty spread. Hope it's been lovely back home in London for a bit. Have a wonderful week, and congratulations on the milestone of sending out Pen Friend letters :D
Congratulations on your birthday and your party offerings look just delicious! Your mother is a wonderful person to do that for you.
As for the rats every big city has them; if that city is worth a damn. And yes your comment about rats having a political context is absolutely correct. I recall as a child of working class parents we had an older home that still had a coal chute on it and rats had come in through the coal chute. Our neighborhood had rats simply because there was a bar and a store that provided the fodder for the rats. I remember my father putting out two huge traps in the basement and I remember peering down the steps as probably a five or six year old child and I remember to this day he got two rats one in each trap.
This quote from your letter really made me laugh: "...describes his shock at seeing “a whole-ass family” of rats." As a "grown-ass" man" I find the comment hilarious. As in this Ismo comedy routine: https://youtu.be/RAGcDi0DRtU?si=RQEZ3YZp5tsNkMDc
And as for Alka-Seltzer the best ad that I can remember growing up in the 60s was this one about professional pie-eating: https://youtu.be/2DkCfLIZAkI?si=prRs8pGbAmtwCraH
My best friend and I would do a comedy routine to this where I would say, "That's pretty good pie for a change, what was it, blueberry pie?" and he'd say, "Yeah blueberry!" And as 6th grade boys will do we laughed out loud !
Loved this Hannah. And I also had two rats as a child, Bikini (urgh) and Trouble (double urgh). I loved them, they are such clever pets aren’t they!
Loved this, my clever Pen Friend x
Happy belated birthday and wonderful first anni for your great newsletter, your thoughts and happenings are so lovely to read my dear (pen) friend ♥️
Happy birthday!
Jackie Chan is a great choice for movie star fave and name. Have you had a chance to visit his statue on Hong Kong’s Avenue of the Stars? It’s a pilgrimage!
https://www.hongkongextras.com/_avenue_of_stars.html
Rats have been an inspiration for many stories. I remember James Herbert's little horror yarn that on the surface could be reduced to a mere slasher trash pulp story but the "underlying theme is the lack of care by the government toward the underclass and a lack of reaction to a tragedy until it is already too late." Quite political, maybe Hidalgo should read James Herbert. Either way, a fascinating topic. I once saw a rat coming out of a Paul Boulangerie, you live almost 20 years here, you see a lot of Rats.
Congratulations on your one-year anniversary! PS. Jackie Chan as a name for a rat made me chuckle.