RoCKing Passover
In this week's Free Market Friday post, Robert of Cross Keys contemplates a mixed marriage -- and a mixed cupboard. Here's RoCK. LV
So here we are in Holy Week.
As I’ve mentioned before, I’m in a mixed marriage in more ways than one. About 10 years ago when I just started dating my future wife, I went to services with her. I was talking to one of the members and mentioned that I wasn’t Jewish. She responded that was OK, but asked if I was a “D” or an “R.”
Thinking that she was asking about my denomination, I responded that I was an “L” for Lutheran. My future wife said: “Robbie, she’s asking if you are a Republican or Democrat.” When I told her that I was an “R” she was quite saddened. I guess it’s acceptable to date outside the faith, but quite the shonda to date outside the party.
A few months after those services, I experienced my first Passover Seder. In those days, the wife would clean out her kitchen beforehand and send a box of traif over to my parents' house.
Now that we share a home, it is not quite as ... uh … kosher for Passover. This year, as we were preparing the meal we eat during half-time of the Seder, I noticed that in the refrigerator next to the matzo ball soup, the charoset and the gefilte fish mousse was that hardware store ham that has taken up permanent residence in my kitchen. The matzos were kept on a shelf with Irish scone mix, White Lily Flour and Milk-Bones.
I should say that even though there is all this temporarily forbidden food in the house, neither one of us has eaten it. Well, the wife hasn’t eaten it at all. I’ve just abstained from eating what is in the house. All of my lunches this week were at the American Legion, where I’ve ordered ham salad sandwiches, crab soup and shrimp Alfredo.
I do have my own forbidden foods to worry about this week. As I mentioned, I’m Lutheran, albeit a lapsed one. I didn’t grow up with a lot of religious traditions, but my family would abstain from eating red meat on Good Friday. What this meant was that we would all go to McDonald's for Filet-O-Fishes and Chicken McNuggets.
Now, I won’t be having any Filet-O’s or McNuggets, but I will try to steer clear of steer today.
Great, my writing is sinking to the level of puns. All of this food depravity is taking a toll. I’m going to need a week of bacon to recover my wit.
Mr. Jefferson at Passover. Photo courtesy of RoCK
Comments
You know you are going to be buried with that hardware store ham.
At the risk of displaying my extensive ignorance of Jewish customs, is sending your traif to the gentile in-laws a widely practiced ritual?
Posted by: Laura Lee | April 2, 2010 9:21 AM
Sending or "selling" aka "give me a dollar and hold this for me so i don't have the toss it" is pretty much the course. Tov Pizza is closed for Passover, and from what i've heard the Kosher Dunkin Doughnuts has a partner that is not Jewish, so ownership is "transferred" for Passover and Shabbos, so that they can keep open during that time.
And yes, i did get my Kosher regular coke at the store this week. mmmmmmm sugar.
captcha: wallets could.. if my wallet would allow, i'd fill my bathtub with the stuff and dive in. ( and just imagine how clean it would be afterwards.. the urban myth about it taking the crud off of various items is completely correct)
Posted by: Meekrat | April 2, 2010 11:59 AM
the kitchen laxness happens even with those born to the faith, RoCK. right now, I think I have a can of gefilte fish right next sliced ham lunch meat. Being marginally observant to begin with this isn't such a big deal, but when I remember how I used to really prepare for my one and only truly observed holiday, it is quite shocking how lax I've become!
LL - when giving treyf stuff away, it just has to go to non-Jews. Even non-practicing non-Jews shouldn't be the recipients of treyf because it will further corrupt them. or something like that!
Posted by: Joyce W. | April 2, 2010 11:59 AM
Another Lutheran here (& RoCK, the real test is not church attendance, but whether there is any red jello in your cupboard), but one who has attended many seders. I compromised this week by buying matzos, Joyva jells, and hot cross buns.
Posted by: City Redux | April 2, 2010 12:33 PM
Joyva jells are definitely part of my family's tradition! Raspberry is the best. Probably not co-incidentally, we also have a family tradition of diabetes. So... we have to watch it. Doesn't mean I don't have them in the house, though! ;)
For the back story on the Passover chez nous, check out this and the related articles! CLICK HERE.
Posted by: Colonel Tamar | April 2, 2010 1:18 PM
I see at least that Mr. Jefferson is following his mother's side of the family.
Posted by: Richard | April 2, 2010 4:05 PM
Well, Judaism is passed down through the mother’s line.
Then again, on most days, Mr. Jefferson is a nihilist.
Posted by: Robert of Cross Keys | April 2, 2010 4:12 PM
As he has discussed before about the way Democrats and Republicans eat, RoCK's political leanings have nothing to do with his recipes. Click on the link to find out how to make something tasty that RoCK fixes for us.
Posted by: Colonel Tamar | April 22, 2010 11:08 PM