Entry 2

Mom and Dad always told me to not eat meat from outside restaurants. “Don’t go with you friends to McDonalds and order a cheeseburger.” When you eat at your house, you have one set of dishes for meat and one set of dishes for dairy. Same with the sink; one side of the sink is meant to wash meat dishes while the other is for dairy dishes. When eating meat, always wait three hours until you eat dairy in order not to “mix” the two of them in your mouth. Keep your discipline, just because you mouth is salivating over the In-n-Out Double Double being shown on the television does not mean it is meant for you to consume. What is right and acceptable for others is not the same for us. “When we cook meat for you, it is acceptable. When you go out to restaurants or over to friend’s houses, it is not acceptable.” When you finish eating your meal, give a prayer to God for providing you with the food and giving you the opportunity to eat. Don’t take this for granted. Pig is never acceptable. Do not touch pig. STAY AWAY FROM PIG. No pepperoni pizza, sausage eggs or ham sandwiches. Pig is the food of the devil. What about fish? Fish is fine, but do not even dare of having the yummy shellfish like lobster, clams, oysters, etc. These fish are not acceptable despite everyone else viewing shellfish as luxury. Your grandparents are from New England, yet when you go visit them over the summer do not touch their clam chowder. Yes, New England is famous for their clam chowder yet I must stay away. When you go out to food, order either grilled cheese, tuna sandwich, pizza or a bagel. These are pretty much all the options. Most restaurants do not have a separate vegetarian or KOSHER meal available to order from. While everyone else in the restaurant has the freedom to choose from the entire menu, you have the freedom to choose from the 2 or 3 worst options on the menu. This is not a punishment, this is a reward. You will be thankful in the future since it will teach you valuable lessons. Raise your children the same way. This is how we are meant to live. This is how we are meant to eat.

The previous excerpt was written in class during the Writing Prompt for September 3. I wanted to write about my Jewish identity and keeping Kosher without specifically defining what I was talking about. Keeping kosher was something that always frustrated me as a child. In fact, I even took about a 2 year period off during high school to explore the vast food options out there. Yet, I can proudly say that I now have kept kosher for four years since this break. The reason for this commitment is now not to satisfy my parents, it is for myself. It is a daily sacrifice I choose to make to control my temptations.