Last week I had an interesting meal. It was not because I ate outside in a sukkah or because I drove my car to get to the holiday meal, for I have observed various holidays in both a traditional, more orthodox setting and also with more modern, reform traditions. Growing up in a reform synagogue, driving on holidays and wearing pants are familiar concepts, and over the past few years, spending shabboses with my sister, who is now traditionally observant, I have learned to be comfortable keeping holidays in an orthodox practice. So while neither side of this particular experience was foreign, it was remarkable because it was the first time that I have had an orthodox experience of this level with not only my sister, but also my parents.

Since my sister had become more traditional, about two and a half years ago after living in Israel for a year, there has been a weird dynamic within my family. The new lifestyle of my sister does not only bring about differences in practices, but also affects regular functioning as a family. We have learned in class that certain symbols of Judaism that hold communities together, no matter if the symbols are considered enforced by Jewish law or continued as a small tradition. A major manifestation of this for my family, and arguably all Jewish families, is food. It was a very difficult realization for my sister and mother that she can no longer eat in her parents’ home; to go out we have to go into Baltimore to eat at a kosher restaurant. Not that this is completely new for my family—my mother’s brother and his family are modern orthodox, so to an extent we modify family get-togethers—but the importance of the little tradition, as reflected in food, has become very vivid in the new restrictions of my sister’s diet. This sukkot meal was the first family-style meal that we have had in a long time.

This gathering was also significant because of the drift created between my father and my sister’s new view of Judaism. Growing up in a musical Jewish family in northern Jersey, religion for my father was much more about the culture and community than ritual practice. The seemingly sudden changes in my sister, and the unintended condescension often felt by families from a newly religious member made Judaism less appealing if anything for my father. It can be very intimidating as a more liberal Jew to interact with orthodox Jews in religious contexts, such as at holiday meals. I think how much he knew or recognized of the traditional meal, and how open everyone was to whatever made each individual feel at ease surprised my father. I was happy that we were all able to come together, and my parents could finally experience my sister’s new life in a way that I have been able to over the past year. It definitely was not completely comfortable, but everyone at the table was just happy to be celebrating the holiday in whatever capacity he or she wanted.

I like to consider myself a food connoisseur. As I have gotten older, I have become more daring in trying new food. I love trying food from different regions of the world, but my favorite experience by far was last year when I had kugel for this first time. After ten minute lesson of learning the proper pronunciation (I kept saying “kogel”), Sarah finally let me try her aunt’s specialty, potato kugel. Delicious! Now every time Sarah goes home for the Jewish holidays, I only let her come back if she promises to bring me leftovers. With my new found love for “Jewish food,” I was particularly excited to read Lowenstein’s chapter on Jewish cuisine. Throughout the reading, I came across comments that caught my eye.

First, the statement: “The specific recipes for a holiday dish in a particular area depended on climate, the availability of staples, and local non-Jewish traditions, as well as local Jewish religious customs.  Each group of Jews, being cut off from direct contact with others, naturally assumed that all Jews ate the same ‘Jewish food’ as they did. But this was not at all the case” (Lowenstein, p. 119). What do you mean by this? I thought all Jews ate kugel and matzo ball soup. Wait, bagel and lox aren’t eaten by all Jews? Then why are they called Jewish food? I tried to think of what an outsider would consider typical American food and I remembered one night while I was abroad in Barcelona. I was making dinner with a Spanish friend and her boyfriend, and her boyfriend kept asking me about McDonald’s and how often I ate there. I was so confused, but then I realized he thought all Americans ate at McDonalds. I can’t even tell you the last time I ate a McDonald’s hamburger. Maybe six, seven, eight years ago? Okay, okay, so I realized I was a bit naïve when it came to “typical” Jewish food and expecting all Jews around the world to eat the same thing.

But then I became confused. Lowestein said, “With very few exceptions, such as wine and challah for kiddush and matzo for Passover, the foods of one region were completely foreign in other areas” (p. 119). I was almost positive that Sarah brought home potato kugel, which is associated with Eastern Europe, and a meatball dish that would be associated with Northern Africa. This goes against what Lowenstein just said. Maybe it’s because we are in America and America is the mixing bowl of cultures? Maybe that is the reason for why Jewish food from two different regions of the world is on the same Jewish dinner table, or maybe with the invention of new technology, with the ability to ship food before it goes bad, and with the Internet and cable television, recipes and food are more readily available? Maybe that’s the reason for why the two dishes appear on the Cohen’s dinner table. Then I came across the section in Lowenstein’s chapter “Some Favorite Jewish Dishes in Different Parts of the World,” and my questions were answered. “Not only have migrations brought people with different eating traditions together in the same place, but printed cookbooks, radio, and television have promoted the spread of various culinary traditions far beyond their former territorial limits… Not it is more common to ‘mix and match’ recipes from various parts of the world for family menus” (Lowenstein, p. 131)

I really enjoyed reading about how a Jewish recipe varies depending on the region in which the dish is made. I enjoyed learning about the use of different spices and ingredients. I think it would be really interesting for one of my fieldwork assignment to explore more thoroughly the different foods made on certain holidays at different households. Just like how the dishes made at my household on Christmas and Easter vary from my neighbor’s house. What dishes do my friends with family from Eastern Europe make for their holiday meals compared to my friends with family from the Mediterranean region? Do they serve more dishes from one particular region than the other or is it well balanced? Did they know that some dishes are from a particular region or do they assume that these dishes are consumed by all Jews? But my overall question would be: what do they consider to be Jewish food and why?