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be the perfect host/ess
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copyright ©1999-2001 |
Lately I’ve been smack dab in the middle of an identity crisis. See, I’m the daughter of a Jewish mother and a father who follows the Buddhist belief system, though he’s not actually a practicing Buddhist. I am, I suppose, a cultural Jew with Buddhist morals. In the Oregon suburb where I grew up, my family was the only one on the block to have a Christmas tree, a menorah, and my father meditating in the living room. Every spring, I watched my friends wear new Easter dresses and eat jellybeans. I, on the other hand, without the glory of a new pink dress or jellybeans, was preparing a different celebration with my family. I was getting ready for Passover. This year, however, I won’t be at my parents’ house for Passover. Eager to break in my new home, with my new kitchen table (seats eight!) and my new chicken soup pot (feeds 20!), I’ve decided to host my first Seder, the ritual feast that marks the beginning of Passover. I’ll fill my house with friends of all religious backgrounds and bring them together to try a new holiday. We’ll laugh and talk while we enjoy good wine and matzo ball soup. But as soon as I opened my Jewish cookbooks and began rifling through those familiar recipes from my childhood, the reality of what it means to host a Seder for eight hit me. Prayers were offered for all the meals; Hebrew was found throughout the book. And I was reminded that I don’t know Hebrew, and I don’t know one single prayer. Can I, a Jewish yet untraditional host, still perform the Seder? Can I host a non-religious Passover without being a fake?
---------------------------> lounge . nourish . host . laze . home .
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