Right before my birthday at the beginning of March, there started to be a buzz about "Passover is coming." I knew I'd eventually get into the swing of things, like everyone else, with the cleaning craze. I had huge plans to clean and purge, since (I know this is nuts) I had already acquired things that I really didn't need in the 5 short months I've been here. Suffice it to say that I started the entire apartment cleaning project two weeks ago, and I only finished 30 minutes ago. BUT my apartment is now cleaner than it has probably ever been, I'm free from clutter, and I really do feel ready for Pesach.
Now, like a smarty pants, I waited for today to go and buy groceries for my apartment that are Kosher for Passover, and I was warned by many friends of how stupid an idea this was. What to do? I started my job yesterday and literally didn't have any time other than today.
I had a kind of cool experience on the way there. As I left my apartment, I smelled burnt toast in the air, and I realized that people were burning their chametz (anything with a leavening agent or product in it that is forbidden to eat over Passover). Kind of a cool tradition, although I didn't do this, as Pepper and I ate all that we had left. Here's a picture I took to try and give you an idea:
That smoldering pile in the middle of the ground is all the delicious bread that we can't eat for the next week. Cool and sad all at once.
Even cooler, I saw various other smoke columns rising around the neighborhood, and it kind of felt like I was inside a toaster with the permeating smell. Goodbye, bread.
I finally arrived to the supermarket. As I hesitantly entered the store, just bracing for an explosion of people and chaos, I found that it was actually really calm and not at all full. Therefore, I was able to peruse all the goodies I needed calmly. Suddenly, I noticed that the bread aisle was covered in thick white plastic and taped off. As was the bakery. If you're not aware, we don't eat bread products during Passover (that chametz stuff again). This was really a powerful experience for me, and I got chills because it hit me (as it often does) that I'm finally living in a Jewish place. How special. I wandered through the store and saw other areas sealed off, and everything just felt surreal. Now, we can debate the legitimacy of this later, as I've already had the debate today of "Well, I don't keep Kosher during Passover, so why should I have to suffer and have a hard time buying bread?" Send me an email, if you're so inclined.
Many of you know that I am a huge fan of beer, so as I turned onto the drinks aisle, I was overwhelmed to see the entire beer and liquor section also sealed off. Of course, I knew that I wouldn't be drinking that lovely, foamy, beer-y goodness for the next week, but to have it shoved in my face was a bit cruel. I also took a picture of this moment...perhaps a picture of my face would've been funnier:
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My tears of mourning aren't quite enough to quench my beer thirst.
And so, here we are, the sun is setting on an absolutely lovely day, there is this thick aroma of delicious food floating through the air in the neighborhood, and I can just feel the holiday buzz all around me. I'm going to go enjoy my first Israeli Passover seder (traditional meal where the story of the Exodus from Egypt is told) with my wonderful, adopted Moroccan family. Sadly, no pictures tonight because we're going to a religious house, but tomorrow, I'll be sure to document the massive food consumption fully for y'all. Chag Pesach Sameach v'Kasher! Happy and Kosher Passover!
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