In just a few minutes, I will be opening my closet door to see a bag full of chametz, shining like a treasure chest filled with gold.
Yes, I do miss chocolate. Yet, I wasn't even upset over lack of brownies/cakes/cookies.
But matzah? I've been attempting to make my own matzah brei. I'll say that third time is the charm! Martha Stewart's recipe actually sucked- my frying pan apparently hates it. Then I browsed through readers' comments on NYT and many, many said to use butter to grease the pan and go for the ratio of 1-1 for more frittata style or 2 to 1 (matzah to egg) for drier style. So I went for 1 to 1, greasured my pan with butter, and proceeded to my third try before giving it up altogether. And I succeeded! It was more like scrambled... not quite so sure how I was supposed to pull off the pancake style anyway. I put some onions, salt, and pepper to flavor it. Next year, I want to try my hand at lasgana.
I am trying to remember what was Passover like when I was a kid. We did use to buy lots of products- matzo pancake mix, brownie mix, coffee cake mix, geflite fish, and of course, matzah. This year, the only two Passoverp products I bought were macaroons and matzah. The mixes have gone up to $5 a box and it's not really worth it. Especially now that I eat such wide variety of food. Enough that I didn't mind keeping strict Ashkenazi diet. As I look back to what I ate, I would imagine that my Eastern European relatives did pretty well although they probably ate lots of potatoes instead of quinoa. And lots of butter and animal fat to grease the pots and pans.
Aside from making my first matzah brei, I also experimented a little to make some... less healthy alternatives to be more healthy like putting yogurt in my eggs instead of mayo to make egg salad. And that was actually pretty good with a bit of sourness from the yogurt to replace the fat/creaminess. Quinoa and Mom's meatsauce went together extremely well (although they made the bowl very heavy!). I have been really surprised how filling some of my meals have been without the need for bread that I rarely needed afternoon snacks. I think I even lost a pound as opposed to gaining 2 pounds in the previous years! I also mixed in some maple syrup in plain yogurt for some added sweetness- actually delicious.
I think this has been one of the best Passovers because I didn't have to go out of my way to make accommodations like how I used to sneak into CJU anytime I needed something to eat because I couldn't really have ANYTHING in the dining halls. I had my own kitchen. My professors brought Passover friendly food that made everyone smile. My roommate was fabulous not to cook rice (intentionally or not I don't know) and kept the toaster away from the counters. In all, I just felt much more respected-by myself and by others. I claimed the holiday as my own.
And here's an interesting article by a Colgate student who's Catholic and decided to participate in Passover observance (Note that she followed Sephardic kosher diet)
Here's an another article that my American Jews/Social Justice professor sent out. It's extremely interesting- a Chinese restaurant in Forest Hills that is actually kosher for Passover! A must go destination for next year!
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Passover and American Jews
From JTA, "With observance rising at Passover, so does kosher food business"
This almost seems like it's really The Holiday that provides opportunities for the Jewish leadership to step in and work on Jews' ties to the community and their identity. As I mentioned yesterday, the High Holidays is too religious and far from American tradition for secular, disaffected American Jews to connect with. 77 percent of American Jews keep some levels of kosher during Passover, just about as high as the Israelis. This is a good time to catch the kids as well- Passover is another thing, besides Israel, that they can bond over and consider their Jewish identity. Provide free homestays/short trips to different areas of the United States, at the Jew's choosing providing it's at least in a different region from where they live.
It's a once a year...global community thing... calls for flexibility. But seriously, it can suck when everybody stocks up and there's seriously, seriously nothing left after the 2nd day of Passover. Absolutely nothing except for a couple boxes of matzah. I'm craving for some chocolate macaroons.
This almost seems like it's really The Holiday that provides opportunities for the Jewish leadership to step in and work on Jews' ties to the community and their identity. As I mentioned yesterday, the High Holidays is too religious and far from American tradition for secular, disaffected American Jews to connect with. 77 percent of American Jews keep some levels of kosher during Passover, just about as high as the Israelis. This is a good time to catch the kids as well- Passover is another thing, besides Israel, that they can bond over and consider their Jewish identity. Provide free homestays/short trips to different areas of the United States, at the Jew's choosing providing it's at least in a different region from where they live.
It's a once a year...global community thing... calls for flexibility. But seriously, it can suck when everybody stocks up and there's seriously, seriously nothing left after the 2nd day of Passover. Absolutely nothing except for a couple boxes of matzah. I'm craving for some chocolate macaroons.
Monday, April 13, 2009
Seders
Today my seminar (Repairing the World? American Jews and Social Justice) spent good hour talking about Passover seders. I'm serious. We all shared what we did for Passover- where was the seder, who was there, what Haggadah we used, what we talked about, etc. One girl commented how it seemed different in Michigan compared to Long Island (where she originally was from). I concurred with her and commented how fast the seder was. Then the professor responded, "It's really Reform, isn't it?" I looked at her and thought, "Reform? What do you mean? My family is Reform and we generally take about an hour to go through the Haggadah!! Are you saying that we're more Conservative??"
We whittled down to different factors contributing to different Seder experiences:
1) Ashkenazi or Sephardi? (Some of us had been in Israel at one point or another for Passover, you'd hardly find a Sephardi seder here in the US)
2) Regionalism- Like pizza, our region defines our traditions. I'm pretty sure Californians dine on fish instead of brisket (or so I heard that they don't eat turkey for Thanksgiving). Not only this, but Jewish migration to the South and the West can have an effect since they're creating new Jewish melting pots in communities like Los Angeles and Miami.
3) Liturgy- What was the Haggdah like? How was the story narrated? Selected texts? Was it written out like a short story?
3A) Denomination- Orthodox are more likely to follow the Torah exactly and tell it as a whole than the Reform or Reconstructionist.
4) Religion of Participants- Since Passover is widely celebrated, Jews are usually happen to open their doors to the outsiders to join in the festivities. Sometimes these outsiders can offer perspectives based on their life knowledge and religious affiliation, like Christians.
5) Levels of:
5A) Observance- I got conflicting responses when I told my mother and grandmother that I kashered my kitchen and exactly how I planned to observe Passover. (See my previous post on "Kashering the Kitchen" for more details).
5B) Knowledge- This is especially true for someone who is new to Passover whether a small child or a non-Jewish college roommate or a reborn Jew who hadn't attended a seder since childhood.
6) Social/Political Narrative- Feminists tend to place an orange on the seder plate. Some people choose to focus on Passover's teachings on social justice. Others may invite blacks and have a black-Jewish dialogue about slavery and freedom (like the Jews for Justice's Freedom Seder in 1969). Or even just on hunger. Or environmental!
7) Age- Older generations are more likely to keep things fairly traditional and straightforward. Younger generations are more likely to take a twist on the Haggadah and the holiday into new dimensions.
8) Universalism or Particularism- How open was the Seder? What was the context of the narrative? Who was there? Is Passover really only for the Jews? Was it okay for the Obamas to have their own Passover seder even though they're not Jewish?
What's interesting about Passover is that it does have a way of raising awareness of one's Jewish identity and connection to the Jewish community and Judaism. What does Passover mean to you? The following above factors can certainly shape a person's view of their Jewish identity because it's widely known and most celebrated holiday after Chanukkah. In some ways, it can be better than Yom Kippur in terms of reflecting your role- as a Jew in the non-Jewish mainstream. Yom Kippur, although my favorite holiday, has a way of turning off a lot of people because of its fasting requirements and emphasis on sins commited. Not only that, you are on your own with your sins- no one can share what you did. Nobody's going to argue with you or tell you it's alright. Passover, on the contrary, is more friendly in the sense that you do get to eat while following some restrictions (unless you're of the Lubavitch type), share a story with others and have discussions, and have a whole week to reflect on your actions and life. Passover resonates more with Americanism anyway- its emphasis on freedom and universalist leessins.
As we reflected how seders are celebrated differently all over the country and the world, it made me wish that I could visit different seders every year in different places. Here are some of places that I would love to go to, in no particular order:
- Mumbai, India
- Hawaii
-Alaska (what do they eat, reindeer brisket?)
- Israel (Sephardic style, I would love to go to Cairo before hand and pretend to make my own Exodus to Israel, my friend, Wendy and I considered doing this but it didn't work out)
- Germany
- Moscow
- somewhere in Central Asia
- Shanghai
- South Africa, especially in a smaller Jewish community like this
At the same time though, I yearn for the New York style traditional seder... Although Israel seders can be long... I do always recommend people to just try it for once! It's so memorable to watch Israel go through a transformation in the few days before Passover and have the whole party end in the morning after the seder. Like, all the hype.
Although I admit that I am finishing my only can of macroons, it's been a good holiday. A little challenging cooking wise as I discovered that my frying pan apparently hates matzah. I've already worn out one SOS pad... after only two washes!
We whittled down to different factors contributing to different Seder experiences:
1) Ashkenazi or Sephardi? (Some of us had been in Israel at one point or another for Passover, you'd hardly find a Sephardi seder here in the US)
2) Regionalism- Like pizza, our region defines our traditions. I'm pretty sure Californians dine on fish instead of brisket (or so I heard that they don't eat turkey for Thanksgiving). Not only this, but Jewish migration to the South and the West can have an effect since they're creating new Jewish melting pots in communities like Los Angeles and Miami.
3) Liturgy- What was the Haggdah like? How was the story narrated? Selected texts? Was it written out like a short story?
3A) Denomination- Orthodox are more likely to follow the Torah exactly and tell it as a whole than the Reform or Reconstructionist.
4) Religion of Participants- Since Passover is widely celebrated, Jews are usually happen to open their doors to the outsiders to join in the festivities. Sometimes these outsiders can offer perspectives based on their life knowledge and religious affiliation, like Christians.
5) Levels of:
5A) Observance- I got conflicting responses when I told my mother and grandmother that I kashered my kitchen and exactly how I planned to observe Passover. (See my previous post on "Kashering the Kitchen" for more details).
5B) Knowledge- This is especially true for someone who is new to Passover whether a small child or a non-Jewish college roommate or a reborn Jew who hadn't attended a seder since childhood.
6) Social/Political Narrative- Feminists tend to place an orange on the seder plate. Some people choose to focus on Passover's teachings on social justice. Others may invite blacks and have a black-Jewish dialogue about slavery and freedom (like the Jews for Justice's Freedom Seder in 1969). Or even just on hunger. Or environmental!
7) Age- Older generations are more likely to keep things fairly traditional and straightforward. Younger generations are more likely to take a twist on the Haggadah and the holiday into new dimensions.
8) Universalism or Particularism- How open was the Seder? What was the context of the narrative? Who was there? Is Passover really only for the Jews? Was it okay for the Obamas to have their own Passover seder even though they're not Jewish?
What's interesting about Passover is that it does have a way of raising awareness of one's Jewish identity and connection to the Jewish community and Judaism. What does Passover mean to you? The following above factors can certainly shape a person's view of their Jewish identity because it's widely known and most celebrated holiday after Chanukkah. In some ways, it can be better than Yom Kippur in terms of reflecting your role- as a Jew in the non-Jewish mainstream. Yom Kippur, although my favorite holiday, has a way of turning off a lot of people because of its fasting requirements and emphasis on sins commited. Not only that, you are on your own with your sins- no one can share what you did. Nobody's going to argue with you or tell you it's alright. Passover, on the contrary, is more friendly in the sense that you do get to eat while following some restrictions (unless you're of the Lubavitch type), share a story with others and have discussions, and have a whole week to reflect on your actions and life. Passover resonates more with Americanism anyway- its emphasis on freedom and universalist leessins.
As we reflected how seders are celebrated differently all over the country and the world, it made me wish that I could visit different seders every year in different places. Here are some of places that I would love to go to, in no particular order:
- Mumbai, India
- Hawaii
-Alaska (what do they eat, reindeer brisket?)
- Israel (Sephardic style, I would love to go to Cairo before hand and pretend to make my own Exodus to Israel, my friend, Wendy and I considered doing this but it didn't work out)
- Germany
- Moscow
- somewhere in Central Asia
- Shanghai
- South Africa, especially in a smaller Jewish community like this
At the same time though, I yearn for the New York style traditional seder... Although Israel seders can be long... I do always recommend people to just try it for once! It's so memorable to watch Israel go through a transformation in the few days before Passover and have the whole party end in the morning after the seder. Like, all the hype.
Although I admit that I am finishing my only can of macroons, it's been a good holiday. A little challenging cooking wise as I discovered that my frying pan apparently hates matzah. I've already worn out one SOS pad... after only two washes!
Friday, April 10, 2009
Pesach in Michigan
I went to two Passover seders. Yes, ME, TWO Passoer seders. I'm breaking down the walls of my family's traditions to form my own. Normally, we do just one night of Passover seder, read the Haggadah and just eat.
First night, my friend Jon and I went to my friend Sam's family friends' house in Farmington Hills. They had about 21 people there so two big tables, one for the Baby Boomers and the other for Generation Y. This seder was the fastest one I had ever been to- we were done with the whole Hagaddah within 40 minutes. I was shocked when we got to Dayanieu already! This particular book, I think, is from Israel and mainly pulls specific relevant passages from various books of the Torah to allow for discussion and interpretations. At times, I read the Hebrew, at times, I read the English. We sang a few songs, including Hada Gadya which was pretty cute and funny (reminded me of "I Know a Lady Who Swallowed the Fly"). I forgot my glasses so I read more English...
The food menu was big! The mother made her own geflite fish and assembled it in a bundt pan so that was a cool presentation. She also made brisket (which looked more like pot roast to me), sweet and sour meatballs, and cranberry chicken as well as broccoli souffle and apple matzah kugel. She also made a bunch of desserts. So needless to say, I was very full!
I enjoyed meeting and talking to other students at different stages of their academic careers - age ranging from 16 to about 26. The girls next to me were so excited about the majors and what they wanted to do. Sam's sister was learning ASL at her high school so she asked me a few questions as well.
In the car, on the way home, Jon and I talked about how nice the whole seder was. He admitted that it was his first seder in... years. Years? Yes, years that he couldn't even remember what was the last one. I listened as he discussed his search for his Jewish identity and offered a few words here and there to clarify his thoughts. He never kept Passover and asked what else besides bread is prohibited during Passover. I explained the two different traditions- Ashkenazic and Sephardic. Stunned? You'd think after intensively studying American Jewish history, I wouldn't be surprised at anything... but not to observe Passover... it was unthinkable to me. But the most important is that he came and enjoyed himself! And of course, made him think a little.
Second night was at Sam's house so Sam and I drove together. We chatted the whole way about Jewish stuff ranging from one of the professors to our siblings to Holocaust. The seder was smaller- mainly minus most of the Gen Y. It was all still good with good food. The seder was a bit longer since we did more discussions of the text (same book from the night before). We looked at the Hebrew equivalent as well and discussed some wording, including the word "Mitzrahyim" and explanation of why use that word instead of "Egypt", as well as children's names when they came to the Land of Canaan since the Israelites had Egyptian names. Sam entertained some of us with his attempts to drink full glasses of grape juice (had it been wine, he would've been sorely drunk). We teased him as he filled his cup to the brim not to spill anything on his mother's white table cloth. We also had masks that represented each plague so I was cattles- I joked that I might as well be the Mad Cow Disease!
Sam's mother was just as Jewish mother as the other mother- I was busy talking to Sam's sister... and she came over to me and showed me a plate, "You're so busy talking that I just wanted to make sure you weren't missing out on the food!!!"
She made turkey, brisket (real brisket), potato kugel, matzah stuffing, carrot souffle, and some broccoli along with the usual matzah ball soup and geflite fish. She also had an array of assorted desserts. I appreciated everything! She also let me take some food as well.
Time to begin cutting back on the food and look forward to the rest of Passover.
First night, my friend Jon and I went to my friend Sam's family friends' house in Farmington Hills. They had about 21 people there so two big tables, one for the Baby Boomers and the other for Generation Y. This seder was the fastest one I had ever been to- we were done with the whole Hagaddah within 40 minutes. I was shocked when we got to Dayanieu already! This particular book, I think, is from Israel and mainly pulls specific relevant passages from various books of the Torah to allow for discussion and interpretations. At times, I read the Hebrew, at times, I read the English. We sang a few songs, including Hada Gadya which was pretty cute and funny (reminded me of "I Know a Lady Who Swallowed the Fly"). I forgot my glasses so I read more English...
The food menu was big! The mother made her own geflite fish and assembled it in a bundt pan so that was a cool presentation. She also made brisket (which looked more like pot roast to me), sweet and sour meatballs, and cranberry chicken as well as broccoli souffle and apple matzah kugel. She also made a bunch of desserts. So needless to say, I was very full!
I enjoyed meeting and talking to other students at different stages of their academic careers - age ranging from 16 to about 26. The girls next to me were so excited about the majors and what they wanted to do. Sam's sister was learning ASL at her high school so she asked me a few questions as well.
In the car, on the way home, Jon and I talked about how nice the whole seder was. He admitted that it was his first seder in... years. Years? Yes, years that he couldn't even remember what was the last one. I listened as he discussed his search for his Jewish identity and offered a few words here and there to clarify his thoughts. He never kept Passover and asked what else besides bread is prohibited during Passover. I explained the two different traditions- Ashkenazic and Sephardic. Stunned? You'd think after intensively studying American Jewish history, I wouldn't be surprised at anything... but not to observe Passover... it was unthinkable to me. But the most important is that he came and enjoyed himself! And of course, made him think a little.
Second night was at Sam's house so Sam and I drove together. We chatted the whole way about Jewish stuff ranging from one of the professors to our siblings to Holocaust. The seder was smaller- mainly minus most of the Gen Y. It was all still good with good food. The seder was a bit longer since we did more discussions of the text (same book from the night before). We looked at the Hebrew equivalent as well and discussed some wording, including the word "Mitzrahyim" and explanation of why use that word instead of "Egypt", as well as children's names when they came to the Land of Canaan since the Israelites had Egyptian names. Sam entertained some of us with his attempts to drink full glasses of grape juice (had it been wine, he would've been sorely drunk). We teased him as he filled his cup to the brim not to spill anything on his mother's white table cloth. We also had masks that represented each plague so I was cattles- I joked that I might as well be the Mad Cow Disease!
Sam's mother was just as Jewish mother as the other mother- I was busy talking to Sam's sister... and she came over to me and showed me a plate, "You're so busy talking that I just wanted to make sure you weren't missing out on the food!!!"
She made turkey, brisket (real brisket), potato kugel, matzah stuffing, carrot souffle, and some broccoli along with the usual matzah ball soup and geflite fish. She also had an array of assorted desserts. I appreciated everything! She also let me take some food as well.
Time to begin cutting back on the food and look forward to the rest of Passover.
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Kashering the Kitchen
For the first time in my life, I kashered my own kitchen. I have helped at Colgate but nothing on my own. I had a nagging feeling in me for several weeks to clean and scrub down my kitchen and separate everything. Seriously. I wanted to feel that connection to the Jewish tradition.
So what did I do?
1) Cleaned the oven the best I could with bleach.
2) Packed up all chametz goods, including beans, pasta, rice, and mac n cheese in a grocery bag and put it in the hallway closet. I put the tortilla wraps in the freezer (you can freeze it apparently).
3) Put all of my dishes, glasses, and silverware in the dishwasher.
4) Wiped down counters with very hot water and a new sponge.
5) Set the old sponges to the opposite end of the sink for my roommate to use (she's Korean).
6) Wiped off the shelves, placed plastic wrap up to divide my side from my roommate's side of the cabinets and sealed it with packaging tape. Then I laid out foil. And then I put Passover-friendly stuff back on the shelves.
7) Took off the placemats from the table and put them in the grocery bag.
8) Moved the toaster off the counter. I also do not plan to use the microwave since you can't really kasher it.
9) Wrote a long note to my roommate explaining what I did and what is Passover and for her not to use my stuff unless she promises to use very hot water and that sponge that I put out for my own use.
And this was her response:
Although I couldn't do every single thing, I did the best I could. I'm awfully proud and doing all this didn't really feel like *work*. I am separating Passover from the other days. I want to feel that special meaning of Passover as an extended Shabbat from our ingulences (although Passover can be worse than regular days because of "special" food that we have specially prepared for this time of the year like gefilte fish and chorset). I'm not even freaking out over my meals.
My meals will mainly consist of:
Breakfast: Yogurt, fruit, milk, matzah with butter, eggs, and perhaps if I can dare myself, make quinoa with apples and walnut with a dash of cinnamon.
Lunch: Protein (chicken or hard-boiled eggs) on top of spinach and whatever other vegetables I have on hand to make a salad. I may eat half a matzah.
Dinner: Fish, or quinoa with meatsauce (courtesy of my mother that she gave me several months ago) with vegetables.
Snacks/Desserts: Fruit, flavored yogurt, macaroons, ice cream form Ben and Jerry's, and carrots
Not bad.
So I announced to Grandma that I had kashered my own kitchen. She was so proud and asked me what did I do. After telling her the steps I took, she said, "Wow! You really went all the way!" Almost to her way anyway, more than my mother (her version of "kashering" is cleaning the fridge and taping the cabinet doors shut. She also considers Passover a "break" from cooking so whatever she plans to use for cooking during the week, she will just take them out of the cupboards). Then we started talking about grocery shopping. I told her that there isn't much in Ann Arbor for Passover food except for Zingerman's and Whole Foods in terms of prepared food (I'm considering myself too lazy to make charoset at the moment). She said, "But Whole Foods isn't kosher for Passover. They make Passover food but they're not kosher!" Hm, okay, I think I will just get charoset anyway.
The next morning, while eating my breakfast of yogurt with some maple syrup mixed in and matzah, I decided that my matzah needed something. So I got a tub of butter out. While eating, I began thinking about what Grandma said. Hmm... I looked at the tub and read the ingredients. It had soybeans in it! I was, "whoa, this isn't kosher for Passover." I carefully put it back in the fridge. Then I looked at my cupboard again and read that Pam isn't kosher either, it's got soy lechitin. I thought, "And I have chicken being soaked in marinade in the fridge with Pam sprayed in it.... I promptly took it out and wrapped up the chicken and put it in the freezer and pulled out another package to thaw. And I washed the pan again. I also realized that my favorite mints also contain soy lechitin as most candies do.
So, I began wondering, "Well, if I can't use Pam to grease the pan, then what do I use for meat?" I went over to the supermarket and looked at the spray can that's "kosher for Passover". I almost laughed out loud, for $5.99, the primary ingredient was olive oil! I would be just paying for a can spray of olive oil! I'll just go use my olive oil and put some on a towel and grease my pans that way.
Oh Pesach. It has its way of raising awareness among all of us in terms of what we buy and eat.
Here's a relevant NYT article about food waste and Passover.
So what did I do?
1) Cleaned the oven the best I could with bleach.
2) Packed up all chametz goods, including beans, pasta, rice, and mac n cheese in a grocery bag and put it in the hallway closet. I put the tortilla wraps in the freezer (you can freeze it apparently).
3) Put all of my dishes, glasses, and silverware in the dishwasher.
4) Wiped down counters with very hot water and a new sponge.
5) Set the old sponges to the opposite end of the sink for my roommate to use (she's Korean).
6) Wiped off the shelves, placed plastic wrap up to divide my side from my roommate's side of the cabinets and sealed it with packaging tape. Then I laid out foil. And then I put Passover-friendly stuff back on the shelves.
7) Took off the placemats from the table and put them in the grocery bag.
8) Moved the toaster off the counter. I also do not plan to use the microwave since you can't really kasher it.
9) Wrote a long note to my roommate explaining what I did and what is Passover and for her not to use my stuff unless she promises to use very hot water and that sponge that I put out for my own use.
And this was her response:
Although I couldn't do every single thing, I did the best I could. I'm awfully proud and doing all this didn't really feel like *work*. I am separating Passover from the other days. I want to feel that special meaning of Passover as an extended Shabbat from our ingulences (although Passover can be worse than regular days because of "special" food that we have specially prepared for this time of the year like gefilte fish and chorset). I'm not even freaking out over my meals.
My meals will mainly consist of:
Breakfast: Yogurt, fruit, milk, matzah with butter, eggs, and perhaps if I can dare myself, make quinoa with apples and walnut with a dash of cinnamon.
Lunch: Protein (chicken or hard-boiled eggs) on top of spinach and whatever other vegetables I have on hand to make a salad. I may eat half a matzah.
Dinner: Fish, or quinoa with meatsauce (courtesy of my mother that she gave me several months ago) with vegetables.
Snacks/Desserts: Fruit, flavored yogurt, macaroons, ice cream form Ben and Jerry's, and carrots
Not bad.
So I announced to Grandma that I had kashered my own kitchen. She was so proud and asked me what did I do. After telling her the steps I took, she said, "Wow! You really went all the way!" Almost to her way anyway, more than my mother (her version of "kashering" is cleaning the fridge and taping the cabinet doors shut. She also considers Passover a "break" from cooking so whatever she plans to use for cooking during the week, she will just take them out of the cupboards). Then we started talking about grocery shopping. I told her that there isn't much in Ann Arbor for Passover food except for Zingerman's and Whole Foods in terms of prepared food (I'm considering myself too lazy to make charoset at the moment). She said, "But Whole Foods isn't kosher for Passover. They make Passover food but they're not kosher!" Hm, okay, I think I will just get charoset anyway.
The next morning, while eating my breakfast of yogurt with some maple syrup mixed in and matzah, I decided that my matzah needed something. So I got a tub of butter out. While eating, I began thinking about what Grandma said. Hmm... I looked at the tub and read the ingredients. It had soybeans in it! I was, "whoa, this isn't kosher for Passover." I carefully put it back in the fridge. Then I looked at my cupboard again and read that Pam isn't kosher either, it's got soy lechitin. I thought, "And I have chicken being soaked in marinade in the fridge with Pam sprayed in it.... I promptly took it out and wrapped up the chicken and put it in the freezer and pulled out another package to thaw. And I washed the pan again. I also realized that my favorite mints also contain soy lechitin as most candies do.
So, I began wondering, "Well, if I can't use Pam to grease the pan, then what do I use for meat?" I went over to the supermarket and looked at the spray can that's "kosher for Passover". I almost laughed out loud, for $5.99, the primary ingredient was olive oil! I would be just paying for a can spray of olive oil! I'll just go use my olive oil and put some on a towel and grease my pans that way.
Oh Pesach. It has its way of raising awareness among all of us in terms of what we buy and eat.
Here's a relevant NYT article about food waste and Passover.
Sunday, April 5, 2009
Hebrew University and WWII
Very cool find from my research on American Jews in the WWII. This image was in some back pages of Rochester's Jewish Ledger, published in mid-March 1942. As a historian, although the job can get tedious reading for keywords in a microfilm machine that can spin my head, I never know what I will find!
Another really awesome find although I haven't exactly verified this yet. Published on March 13, 1942, there was a blurb on the bottom of the front page saying that the Japanese had captured and shot the Commander-in-Chief of the Chinese Nationalist Army. And this man was... Jewish! He was born in London and emigrated to Winnipeg at the age of 12. Then in 1922, he moved to China and became associated with Sun Yat-Sen, who at the time controlled the Chinese Nationalist Party and most of China. Somehow along the way, he joined the military and rose in the ranks.... but a Jew?
That was... really bizarre. And Google failed to help me with this.
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