Reverb 10: Soul Food
December 26 – Soul Food
What did you eat this year that you will never forget? What went into your mouth & touched your soul?
(Author: Elise Marie Collins)
Calling this prompt “Soul Food” is really appropriate. My best food memories revolve around holiday tables and new “family” traditions during religious holidays. A couple of years ago on Passover we were at a very intimate seder where people were forced to interact with all the guests and get to know each other. I got to know people who would become like family to me. As such they have me (and B when she isn’t working) to their home for Passover and Shabbat and Hanukkah and Rosh Hashanah, etc. I think we’ve shared at least one meal with them for every Jewish holiday over the past year. Well I guess not Purim but Mrs. Z brought us hamantaschen so there’s that.
Obviously my biological family isn’t Jewish so having a family take me in to share these rich traditions and rituals with is wonderful. The fact that they keep a kosher home and feed me meat meals is also a great big win. This year though, in addition to all the meals we have eaten at their house we had them over for dinner in our Sukkah. It was a bit nerve racking but in the end it was a wonderful night of food and laughter and conversation and even a little singing. Our Sukkah met the halachic standards of the very observant one in the family and met the construction standards of the engineer in the family.
If I had to pick just one meal to answer this prompt though I’d say it was a Shabbat dinner at the very end of October where Mr. & Mrs. Z, Mrs. Z’s father, B and I enjoyed a delightful evening of food and conversation. It was a meal of brisket for me and ratatouille for B (Mrs. Z respect’s B’s veganism).
I love the food, Mrs. Z’s cooking is very much comfort food for me, but having the family component is what really makes all these holiday meals have special places in my memories and heart.
Having said that I should point out that most of my family of origin has been and continues to be very supportive of my life as a Jew. Saying I have a new family component is not a slight on the Jones clan. It’s just an acknowledgment that this is an area of my life that the Joneses don’t live in and it’s good to have additional “family” members who do.
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