food & jews vs food& non-jews
Historically, there has always been a strong relationship between jews and food. We eat when we are happy, when a baby is born, at weddings, at bar mitzvas, when there is a new moon, when there is an old moon...and since we are an equal opportunity religion, we also eat when we are sad, when someone is dying, when someone dies, when someone finds out they are going to die...we eat. all the time. some of us have more control than others and some of us feel it is just our god given right.
I love going to kiddushes where you see people with their tin foil and bags, stocking up on petit fours and gefilte fish...just in case someone gets hungry on the two block walk home. I have been witness to guests at various simchas having extra meals wrapped up to bring home to their babysitters, their kids, their in laws, their neighbors...cause, you never know who is going want an extra stuffed cornish hen.
The most comical, however, in my opinion, is what happens at hotels over passover. Last year at the granit, we saw one family request 20 orders of duck (duck, yuck, quack quack but its expensive so it must be good!) have them wrapped and brought them up their rooms. Tea rooms are always filled with people who just can't get enough of those delectable-saw-dust-kosher-for-passover cookies. The walk back to the room is a long and strenuous one, you need that extra boost of fiber to keep you going! How many oranges can one smuggle into their pocketbook without looking suspicious? There isn't a baby in that woman's stroller, she put 4 bottles of soda in there and covered them with the kid's blanket!! I, myself, have been guilty of hording those yummy,sticky, delicious, almond kisses. I confess..they are pretty darn good. (though I must admit that this past summer, on our road trip we were in Milwaukee and the almond kisses were on sale for like a dollar so i bought them...when I opened them, I discovered why they were on sale. Needless to say, they were not from any recent passover and not even I could eat them..very, very bad) Anyway...so people at hotels really like to go that extra mile, get their moneys worth and make the most of the holiday season.
When we used to go to the concord, we ordered more than one of everything on the menu and we ate and enjoyed..and it was really really good. (and probably not really kosher for passover, but that is for another blog.)
So I always thought it was just the jews that liked to go to town at kiddushes and hotels...comedians would make fun of our eating habits...it has all been a big joke.
and then ari and i started going on cruises.....
Folks, it's not just the jews....
How many orders of lobster can 1 person order? "well, they only have it this one night.." was the explanation of the woman sitting next to us while we ate our double wrapped freezedried stuffed cabbage (yum) I think she had 4 or 5 orders...I was impressed and started to feel a little less alone in my relationship with food.
The lines for the buffets just wrapped round and round and round. the 24 hour pizza station was constantly packed and the 24 hour ice cream was also always busy (ok, that was kosher, so i did take part in the ice cream frenzy..as i had to explain to ari, there is only so much ice cream you can fit on those little cones-you have to keep going back!!)
So Ari and I were able to sit back and observe (since we couldn't eat...but one day, when we have no more tuition, we will make it to the ultimate...the kosher cruise....I have a dream..and it is eating non stop on the ocean...I am kidding, that isn't really a dream of mine. ok, maybe just a small dream.) all of these non-jews eating like food was going out of style. One night, the ship had a chocolate theme...chocolate fountains, chocolate cake, chocolate covered fruit, nuts, you get the point...you would think they were giving out money the way these folks were all over it. Pushing and fighting, cutting eachother in line -IT'S JUST CHOCOLATE PEOPLE!! what am i talking about? we would be doing the same thing if we could!!!
The whole experience made me feel a little more normal (yes, I know, I am not normal,,but I am still trying to be positive so lets just let that one go...) People are people, whether they are jewish or not, and food is food. And all people like food (except for those really weird ones who think they only must eat to live and not live to eat-i will never understand those folks....) A good buffet can make anyone smile.
Happy Thursday and hope everyone is enjoying the snow.
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