8:24 a.m. - 2003-04-17
Gentile meanderings
I know you're all sitting on the edge of your beds/seats waiting for the Tales from the Seder (I can spell it now!).
OK, so now I know that Passover is when the Jews were in Egypt, enslaved, they put sheeps' blood on the doors to let the Holy Spirit know not to take their first born babys -- thus the spirit passes over them. Cool. I also know that I read in the ceremony book that everyone at the table is REQUIRED to drink 4-7 glasses of wine to properly celebrate the passing over. And they say Catholics are lushes! Catholics are only required to take one SIP of wine during Mass, and here the Jews are drinking a bottle of vino or else Elija won't come to the table to get his glass of wine. I'm liking this being the Gentile thing at a Seder. I think I'll go next year too. Who's Elija though? And who didn't drink their quota, because I never saw him.
And the food! Most of it was wonderful. Potato stuffed pastries, matza soup, eggs in salt water, potato and noodle casserole, roasted veggies and fruit, and tons of Matza bread. There was also lamb and brisket, but we'll just ignore that.
Of course these dishes each have a special Hebrew name and symbolic meaning, but what the hey, it was good. Oh yeah, except for those Gifilte fish things. Basically a matza ball with nasty carp inside that you are supposed to eat with horseradish. I still shiver at the thought.
So, having had the requisite seven glasses of wine, and a belly full of carbs, I waddled back to my mom's house to call it a night. Good thing my hosts live in the neighboring development. Can you get a ticket for waddling under the influence?
