Food Brings Us Together

By Abe Fried-Tanzer
KOC Assistant Editor
New York University

I have to assume that some of my non-Jewish friends have traditions which involve significant foods on special occasions. I've been to some Christmas parties which emphasize eggnog and I know that turkey is a big staple on Thanksgiving. Different cultures have their token foods from home countries or motherlands, but there's nothing quite as widely spread or richly satisfying as the power of Jewish food.

It's hard to pinpoint or pick out any one specific dish or holiday time that truly captures the spirit of Jewish food. Brisket and lox are two fantastic foods whose respective presences on barbeque restaurant menus and Korean delis still alarm and shock me. In the fall, apples and honey are the sweetest way of greeting the New Year. My best memories of Rosh Hashanah involve the special privileges of attaining extra honey sticks since I led the youth services. All the other kids would scurry to the front of the classroom as soon as services ended to grab as many as they could, but I would be granted a few additional delectable tubes to go along with those delicious red apples as a reward for my serious attitude and willingness to help out.

Yom Kippur break fast is also one of my favorite times of the year. As I've grown to take the holiday more seriously and continued fasting over the years, I've appreciated the event a lot more. Since I'm in New York at college, it's an opportunity for me to see extended family when I can't get back to Massachusetts, but it's also an exciting occasion for the purpose of the food. Most of the members of my extended family don't fast, but the notion of a break fast is still strong and gathering cousins and children together is of the utmost importance. It's a custom that's been built around food and as one of the most active practicing Jews in my family, it's refreshing to see everyone come together for a Jewish holiday even if they don't fully take in the holiday itself. The sight of salty lox and fruit platters is wondrous after twenty-five hours without food, but the presence of family and the continuation of a tradition warms my heart just as much.

The holiday at which food really gets me going is, of course, the holiday that eliminates some of the most basic and common food items from the menu. Passover sedarim at my home start early in the afternoon to accommodate family members who must depart for New York by midnight, but we don't skimp on anything. When we dip parsley into salt water, we pass around two gallant platters of assorted vegetables, including celery and potatoes. The seder meal includes brisket, chicken, banana kugel, and any number of other delicious dishes. We even find room to put an orange on our seder plate! One of my favorite parts of Passover is when we gather the morning after a seder for a celebratory brunch with banana-filled matzo meal pancakes. Jewish food brings people together. What could make for a better combination than food and family?

[Posted 1/25/09]