A Full-Bodied History by Hilary Weissman, with additional reporting by Sala Levin For a quick overview of the complexities of the word zaftig, take a look at the Los Angeles Jewish Home’s video circulating online in which its residents demystify the meaning of the word. Charlotte Seeman says that zaftig means “a little bit on the heavy side,” to which the moderator, Marty Finkelstein, asks, “But in a good way?” “They look a little, if you’ll pardon the expression, appetizing to other people,” adds Yetta Dorfman. Esther Berlin is less effusive. “It’s a shame because they don’t take care of themselves and do something about it,” she says, prompting the chivalrous gentleman of the group, Irving Rubinstein, to defend the zaftig dame’s honor. “It’s kind of a sexy, plump, attractive woman,” he concludes. That, in a nutshell, is...

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