Sasson: Once Gollar and I went to a business party together, and met a charming, beautiful couple, from a renowned family. The man worked with Youssef Khakshouri in the dried-fruit business, the woman was French, also from a very high class family. They were recently married and had no children yet. We became friends on that very night, and Golli and the woman spent a lot of time together, driving around and going to town.
Gollar: The woman would come to pick me up in her Porsche. I didn’t like the car trips, as I was nine months pregnant, but I loved the company.
One day they invited us for dinner at their place. We gladly accepted, but told them we don’t eat pork and seafood.
Sasson: That night Gollar and I arrived at their house, or should I say their regal castle: The living room was beautifully and romantically decorated, with lovely candles and pleasant lighting. When we sat down, the man sat next to Gollar and offered me the seat next to his wife. Their second suggestion was that we call each other by our first names, which in Germany, indicates a close, intimate friendship. We gladly accepted this offer, too!
Our next shock was when we saw the dinner table, which was truly set with utmost precision and elegance. The lady of the house said: As you asked, we did not prepare any pork. All the meats are kosher, but we fried them a little in pork fat, just to make them taste better! We found some excuse to avoid eating, and from that moment till the end of our visit, each second seemed like an hour to us, until we finally left.
After that, the connection was lost, partly due to our becoming parents while they had no children and partly because, as the Persian proverb goes — kabutar bā kabutar, bāz bā bāz: dove with dove, falcon with falcon. They were very nice, but we were too different.
Gollar: Years later, I met the lady in a piano concert in Hamburg, for which I flew especially from Zürich. She was very nice and kind. We were very happy to see each other after so many years, and the incident of the non-kosher food was completely forgotten.