Date: Mon, 24 Apr 95 11:47:35 EDT
From: rturkel@cas.org

My favorite from this period, however, may be apocryphal, and went something like this:

S'kratzt zikh? Koyft Keshi-Meshi. Keshi-Meshi iz di beste cockroach powder in gantzen velt. S'iz zeyr poshut tzu benutzn dem Keshi-Meshi: nemt dem cockroach in eyn hand; nemt dem Keshi-Meshi in anderen hand. Shit arayn a bisl Keshi-Meshi afn cockroach - es vet im gantz gut hargenen. Un az der Keshi-Meshi harget dem cockroach nit, nem dem cockroach, shtelt im in an anvelop, un shikt im tzu undz, di Keshi-Meshi kompani, un mir veln makhn a soyf fum im.

I've had several requests for translations, so here goes:

Do you itch? Buy Keshi-Meshi. Keshi- Meshi is the best cockroach powder in the whole world. It's very easy to apply the Keshi-Meshi: take the cockroach in one hand; take the Keshi-Meshi in the other hand. Pour out a little Keshi-Meshi on the cockroach - it should kill him very well. And if the Keshi-Meshi doesn't kill the cockroach, take the cockroach, place it in an envelope, and send him to us, the Keshi-Meshi company, and we'll make an end of him.

Yiddish oysyes were made possible by Rafael Finkel's Yidishe Shraybmashinke.

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