Passover begins Friday, and for some Jews that means no bread for 7-8 days (depending on how you observe the holiday). The best way that I can explain Passover is by having you listen to the Crazy Ex Girlfriend song, “Remember That We Suffered.”
Not only is it one of the best songs to ever grace the series, but it captures the thesis statement of Passover (and most Jewish holidays tbh) which is to reflect on the fact that once upon a time, the Jewish people did not have it so good (cut to 2018/2019 when once again, we don’t have it so good. But also…did we ever?)
If you think everything I am saying right now is bullshit and you want to Google Passover, this is what comes up: Passover “commemorates the liberation of the Israelites from Egyptian slavery, lasting seven or eight days from the 15th day of Nisan.”
…..I feel like my explanation told you way more.
One of the main things you do for Passover besides recite the 10 plagues and black out on four glasses of wine, is stop eating chametz– or leavened foods (breads)– for a week, to remind you of how our ancestors didn’t even have time for their bread to rise before they had to flee. You’re allowed to eat matzo (pronounced mot-zah) because that’s basically what they had to eat.
You may be thinking “LOL okay I can survive without toast or sandwiches for a week, matzo is like crackers!” but let me tell you what leavened bread really means…
NO: bread, cereal, cake, cookies, pizza, pasta, tortillas, pita, bagels, soft pretzels, beer, legumes, corn, rice, wheat, rye, oats, barley, spelt, and I’m honestly probably forgetting some others.
Plus, one of the many things I have in common with Oprah is that we both LOVEEEEEE bread. I eat pasta constantly and most of my mornings start with toast or a bagel. So bread withdrawals will probably turn me into a monster. Also, you try eating large sheets of crackers for a week. You’ve never BEEN so constipated.
So while I will be enjoying matzo brittle and maybe the odd matzo pizza (I would rather die than try this matzo lasagna recipe tho, matzo is NOT noodles) I will be mainly relying on vegetables and meat as nourishment.
Is this what Atkins is?
My friend Bredée is obsessed with Yum Nua, a Thai beef salad that sounds pretty tasty and easy to make, so I thought I might try that.
I would eat sashimi if I were still eating raw fish.
There is a cucumber salad with melon and rosewater labneh from Kismet in Los Feliz that I am obsessed with, also they have this new oyster mushroom dish I want to try, so I’ll likely have dinner there sometime next week.
I could do a protein style burger from In-N-Out, which means it’s wrapped in lettuce and doesn’t include a bun. Obvi I would order with no tomato (because I hate them).
Normally I’m a veggie burger girl– but a lot of veggie and plant-based burgers are actually made with rice, wheat, corn, and other things that I can’t eat during Passover, so that’s a bummer.
I CAN’T EVEN HAVE OAT MILK I DON’T THINK???? Honestly this is just occurring to me now? Please respond in the comments if you know for sure otherwise brb gonna text my rabbi lol.
At least I can do almond milk.
I can eat Zoodles (I hate zoodles).
This radicchio, apple, and pear salad.
I could eat a lot of fruit and some sort of yogurt situation. However, I am incredibly picky about yogurt because it reminds me of getting sick in the car as a child.
Honestly, who knows if I will succeed. I try this every year and somehow forget and eat a snack I shouldn’t or just cave entirely. But I enjoy embracing the holiday practice with optimism! It’s tradition, and what do the Jewish people love more than anything?
^^^^Tradition.
Chag Pesach sameach! And lmk if you have any food ideas for me.
xo
Lately 