Passover

Like, grown up me is an atheist so I don't think of myself as episcopalian, even though I was raised in that faith and that is the faith of my parents, etc. . . the same sort of thing does or does not apply to Judaism? Anyone?

Am I making any sense?

What makes a good babka? and other questions about traditional Jewish desserts

is one still popularly identified as Jewish even if one is completely secular

short answer: yes, and in fact this was the reason behind my response to Ian's comment

-- beanz (beanzil...), April 22nd, 2005.

No. And orthodox Judaism makes even less sense. Case in point, *they* accosted my girlfriend and gave her a box of "Shmurah Matzah", on which was printed this explanation:

"For the Seder one should try to have Shmuroh Matzo's [sic]. If it is difficult to obtain all three Shmuroh Matzo's, an effort should be made that at least the first 'kazayis' eaten should be Shmuroh. To fulfill the mitzvah of eating ('kazayis') Matzoh, one should try to eat an entire piece of Matzoh equivalent in size to 4x5 inches in no more than 4 minutes. If more than 6 minutes pass from the beginning till the finish, the mitzvah of eating 'kazayis' Matzoh has not been fulfilled..."

???

potato kugel = awesome
noodle kugel = gross
charoset = fine, but i'd never eat it if i didn't have to
horseradish = blecch
hard-boiled egg in salt water = i love hard-boiled eggs! the salt makes 'em that much tastier.
manischewitz wine = my guilty pleasure. i always feel embarrassed telling wine geeks that i like the stuff. it's like the jewish night train.
matzoh = fine. egg matzoh is very good. chocolate-covered matzoh is manna from heaven. nothing especially dud about matzoh; it's the same thing as those posh swedish flatbread crackers.
latkes = OH BABY. with apple sauce please, and hold the sour cream.

but as long as we're talking crispy flatbreads gimme papadam any day.

http://savtas.com/images/site/common/en/image/imagewrap.img?picture.image.url=http://savtas.com/members/402402/uploaded/SPG_product.jpg&picture.width.max=550

Dinner itself was great but I quickly got a sense of how informal it would be in relative terms in that not only was every line of the reading interrupted by a snarky comment from everyone else in the family other than the dad, who seemed somehow world-weary and pleased at the same time (I can still hear his half-sighed "Baruch Adonai"), but Steve's younger brother attended wearing a Red Hot Chili Peppers shirt. In itself perhaps merely quizzical to some eyes, but the fact that it portrayed a naked illustration of Madonna raised my eyebrows a touch.

**manischewitz wine = it's like the jewish night train.**

Jayzus Xist I can't stop laughing at this.

Also AaronK WTF I thought that baking powder shit was no good for Passover!

every few years i try a little just to make sure i don't like it, and i don't like it! sweet noodles = one of those bridges i don't think i'll ever get across.

passover is the one religious holiday i think is pretty neat, all told

sweet noodle kugel is fucking awesome. i dont know what you all are on. it's creamy and eggy and sweet, and sometimes has cherries in it.

my potato kugel turned out KICK ASS, btw, and it's great with sour cream. I turned the heat down to about 300 for the last hour, as it looked like the top was getting a bit too brown (wasnt). whatever it was, it's soft and potatoey and tasty.

I personally prefer the sweet kugel, which is the equivalent of growing up in the Bronx, spitting in Biggie's face and tattooing "THUG LIFE" on my chest.

I fucked up already -- at the Rhythm and Sound show yesterday, the bathroom attendant had a jar of candies and I took a Werther's Original on my way out. About ten minutes later, I realized what I'd done. Jeeeeez.

http://users.rsise.anu.edu.au/~fergus/wallpaper/lightning/800/lightning_2.800.jpg

My mom bought me a bunch of matzah bagels (the GOOD kind that taste not unlike actual bread). Fittingly, I forgot to bring them home with me. I also meant to take one of her boxes of matzah for making fried matzah one night, but I forgot that too (and I can't find any near where I live). Fortunately, I did bring home some chicken, gefilte fish, and a few sweets.

So essentially, this will be a no carbs week for me (potatoes excepted). Which is perhaps a good thing, because I've been overdoing it on the carbs over the last few months. Except this means I CAN'T GET FULL.

Did anyone on ILX keep Passover besides me?

last night, my parents made pasta with dinner because "there's nothing about it in Leviticus"