jewish and israeli food
passover.
last night i went to the juilliard jewish student union seder.
it was my first seder without family.
meaning....
it was the first time there weren't screaming children running and giggling everywhere,
it was the first time where the whole thing lasted more than fifteen minutes,
and,
oh yeah,
it was the first time i actually heard the entire story of passover
because, usually, it's just like,
"ok passover story. didn't we hear this last year?
i'm hungry
time for dayenu."
but
this seder was led by orthodox rabbis,
and,
son,
you're at a music school,
your dayenu better be in tune.
{oy}
and did you know that in the orthodox practice,
matzoh balls aren't allowed at seders?!
why did i even go?!
kidding.
ok but seriously,
it was all very interesting to share my holiday with people of all backgrounds and sects and even some first time sederers.
as we went around each reading part of the story,
some of the people read in hebrew,
some in english...
and everyone brought some of their own traditions to the table...
the isreali dancers had some songs they sang for us,
the rabbis told their favorite stories about giving seders in siberia,
and i guess my tradition was
eating as much matzoh as humanly possible so that i wouldn't gnaw off my hand before the three and a half hour seder was over.
geez,
is it so bad that the only thing i craved was a big honking hunk of soft doughy challah bread?!
it was super good matzoh though,
hand made in isreal,
and had a little bit of a chewy texture...
oh look at me, going about analyzing the school seder's matzoh.
sorry.
anyways,
despite the starvingness through the whole story,
it was super great fun.
enjoy your chocolate covered matzoh this week, lovelies!!
and matzoh brei
and matzoh ball soup
and matzoh meal brownies
xoxo
yeh
this week i...
-am detoxing from last week's
via becoming a near-vegan {still eating chickens}
-need more cheese in my life
-received two new mustards from a fabulous aunt and uncle
cranberry champagne
&
spicy hot
-ate a sandwich with
black truffle mustard
&
honey balsamic mustard
{before receiving the new ones}
-went outside without a jacket, sat in central park
-flossed every day {go me!}
-fell in wuv with edamame & pomegranate seeds
{not together}
...and did i mention i really need more cheese in my life?
may you all eat lots of cheese this week.
xoxo
yeh
p.s. are vegans not allowed to eat honey mustard?
that would be pooey.
things chicago has that new york has not {love to both though}
ok, new york's got:
out-of-this-world food stands
&
...but may chicago please have a few seconds of fame??
1. dim sum
i've been totally spoiled rotten with chicago dim sum all my life
{particularly furama}
that new york's just doesn't cut it, flavor wise or variety wise.
2. sisters
stoop in the center, mia on the right.
boy are they silly.
"you can pick your nose,
and you can pick your friends,
but you can't pick your sisters."
-mia, as she picks her nose.
3. hot dogs
NUH UH said the big fat juicy chicago dog,
complete with a bazillion toppings.
and it's kosher.
and superdawg is one of america's last drive-ins.
4. pizza
part of my soul dies every time i walk past
on central park west.
there's really no place to get good chicago pizza other than chicago.
{unless you're like mum and you order twelve lou malnati's pizzas to be overnighted on dry ice to tampa}
5. extremely tall people of the male kind
roomie thinks it's the midwestern diet.
i think it's the dim sum.
but it's true,
i tower over a majority of my guy friends in the east.
but in chicago?
i'm a munchkin.
6. a mediumly casual schnitzel
in new york, it's either, drup a hundo on a nice meal at wallsé,
or fear for your life eating on the street in front of schnitzel truck.
no in between.
chicago's got it,
at kuhn's.
...and one thing i'm glad that new york doesn't have...
extremely mysterious restaurant names
i'm confused.
they don't give us anything to work with, like,
"bar and burger," "noodle bar," or even "bakery" tacked on the end.
either way,
chicago, you will forever be my home.
and
new york, you will forever be the city that i live in right now.
and i love you both.
but i am sad to leave home today :-(
xoxo
yeh