Pesach, first half
Apr. 12th, 2009 08:25 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
magidBoth nights, the seders were effectively adults only (the 5-week-old baby second night wasn't interested in much beyond the usual three baby activities; happily screaming didn't make the cut :-), which allows for a rather different dynamic than seders with kids.
First night featured: discussions of depictions of wild animals (apparently there's at least one haggadah that includes Moses in streimel and kapoteh, with the wild beasts nearby: lions, tigers, and... giraffes. Vicious herbivores, giraffes. Gotta watch out for them. Vorpal giraffes, even.); vague talk of how we ought to get a play list together for the Band of Emissaries of Evil; a mention or two of bodyglitter (I don't remember why); an every-third-person-reads plan (which worked because the number of people were not a multiple of 3); talking about whether it really would have been enough to have been brought to Mt. Sinai and not given the Torah (which would have made it more of "yet another mountain in the desert," really); the most disturbing reaction I've ever had to a glass of wine, with odd waves of something that was a cross between spaciness and dizziness (I stuck to grape juice for the other three); the first matza of the season, finally; digs at some of Rabbi Arthur Scroll's translation choices; matza balls in the chicken soup; lemony asparagus; none of the traditional songs at the end (which was fine by me; I was exhausted by then, even though it wasn't absurdly late).
Second night featured: finger puppets (for the 4 questions, for the plagues) and other toy props (frogs, bugs, falling-down animals, ping-pong ball hail, a gummy hand that was supposed to be "boils" but worked out great for "outstreched arm," masks for the Band of Emissaries of Evil (though no toy guitars, sadly; perhaps next year), different hats for all of the rabbis (including a sombrero for R. Yossi/Jose)), and more; discussions of why the "by your blood shall you live" verses from Ezekiel are used in reverse order; the meal including vegan food as well as the apparently-obligatory brisket (who knew? we only had brisket in the tsimmes when I was little); people liking the chocolate-dipped candied orange and grapefruit peels I'd made; no weird reactions to any of the wine (which was luckily, because there was only enough grape juice for me to have one glass, and I should have given that to the 19-year-old undergrad so she could have had all her cups on juice; ah, well); remembering to count the first night of the omer despite Rabbi Arthur Scroll's haggadah not having s'firat ha'omer in it (why? who knows.); singing the songs; oddly feeling much less tired than the night before, even though I was out later.
I didn't make it to shul as much as I'd wanted, unfortunately. And I had a hard time staying focused when I did make it. *sigh*
I hosted the two Friday meals, according to the menus I'd planned. The food was ok, but somehow didn't feel special or interesting enough. Or maybe I just wasn't in the mood for what I'd made. I'm not really sure. The Shaker lemon pie guts experiment needs refining so it won't overbake, but definitely worked, which is pleasing. I'm tempted to get some of the little Pyrex custard cups for the rest of the year too, just so I can make this (it doesn't work for vegans or egg-allergic people, but without the crust, it's obviously gluten-free/celiac-friendly, which is a plus). OK, and if I have them, I'll likely do more cute individual desserts (or perhaps homely individual desserts, but individuals, anyway).
I need to get myself out of the house more, though.
Current counting: last night was 3
First night featured: discussions of depictions of wild animals (apparently there's at least one haggadah that includes Moses in streimel and kapoteh, with the wild beasts nearby: lions, tigers, and... giraffes. Vicious herbivores, giraffes. Gotta watch out for them. Vorpal giraffes, even.); vague talk of how we ought to get a play list together for the Band of Emissaries of Evil; a mention or two of bodyglitter (I don't remember why); an every-third-person-reads plan (which worked because the number of people were not a multiple of 3); talking about whether it really would have been enough to have been brought to Mt. Sinai and not given the Torah (which would have made it more of "yet another mountain in the desert," really); the most disturbing reaction I've ever had to a glass of wine, with odd waves of something that was a cross between spaciness and dizziness (I stuck to grape juice for the other three); the first matza of the season, finally; digs at some of Rabbi Arthur Scroll's translation choices; matza balls in the chicken soup; lemony asparagus; none of the traditional songs at the end (which was fine by me; I was exhausted by then, even though it wasn't absurdly late).
Second night featured: finger puppets (for the 4 questions, for the plagues) and other toy props (frogs, bugs, falling-down animals, ping-pong ball hail, a gummy hand that was supposed to be "boils" but worked out great for "outstreched arm," masks for the Band of Emissaries of Evil (though no toy guitars, sadly; perhaps next year), different hats for all of the rabbis (including a sombrero for R. Yossi/Jose)), and more; discussions of why the "by your blood shall you live" verses from Ezekiel are used in reverse order; the meal including vegan food as well as the apparently-obligatory brisket (who knew? we only had brisket in the tsimmes when I was little); people liking the chocolate-dipped candied orange and grapefruit peels I'd made; no weird reactions to any of the wine (which was luckily, because there was only enough grape juice for me to have one glass, and I should have given that to the 19-year-old undergrad so she could have had all her cups on juice; ah, well); remembering to count the first night of the omer despite Rabbi Arthur Scroll's haggadah not having s'firat ha'omer in it (why? who knows.); singing the songs; oddly feeling much less tired than the night before, even though I was out later.
I didn't make it to shul as much as I'd wanted, unfortunately. And I had a hard time staying focused when I did make it. *sigh*
I hosted the two Friday meals, according to the menus I'd planned. The food was ok, but somehow didn't feel special or interesting enough. Or maybe I just wasn't in the mood for what I'd made. I'm not really sure. The Shaker lemon pie guts experiment needs refining so it won't overbake, but definitely worked, which is pleasing. I'm tempted to get some of the little Pyrex custard cups for the rest of the year too, just so I can make this (it doesn't work for vegans or egg-allergic people, but without the crust, it's obviously gluten-free/celiac-friendly, which is a plus). OK, and if I have them, I'll likely do more cute individual desserts (or perhaps homely individual desserts, but individuals, anyway).
I need to get myself out of the house more, though.
Current counting: last night was 3
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no subject
Date: 2009-04-13 12:30 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-04-13 12:36 am (UTC)We kept debating what genre music they play. Punk/metal was popular, thought at least one person thought jazz.
And of course I kept on thinking of Monty Python's Spanish Inquisition, even though in some ways it fits much better with the multiplication of plagues.
no subject
Date: 2009-04-13 01:30 am (UTC)With a name like that, I'd vote for goth or death metal.
no subject
Date: 2009-04-13 11:27 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-04-13 12:48 am (UTC)because we had a haggada called "from twilight to dawn".
no subject
Date: 2009-04-13 12:50 am (UTC)And that led to the discussion of vampire seders (less problematic because they're after dark...).
no subject
Date: 2009-04-13 01:25 am (UTC)We attempted a seder with friends with a 1 to 1 kid/adult ratio last Thursday (oldest kid = 7 years old), and gave up after the plagues.
m.
no subject
Date: 2009-04-13 11:29 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-04-13 12:45 pm (UTC)But B. and his friend E. did read two questions apiece.
m.
no subject
Date: 2009-04-13 01:07 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-04-13 01:18 pm (UTC)Did I mention that the whole scene was chaotic? Apart from having five kids under eight, there was me and S. (not Jewish, S. never attended a seder before), my friend, her boyfriend (who was running the seder to the extent that anyone was), his teenage daughter, and my friend's ex-husband, who was *not* running the seder and has been demanding court dates to renegotiate child custody.
It's not surprising that there was very little seder actually performed, given the emotional energy required to keep everyone from exploding.
no subject
Date: 2009-04-13 01:29 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-04-13 05:07 pm (UTC)I never drink... wine
Date: 2009-04-13 01:28 am (UTC)Re: I never drink... wine
Date: 2009-04-13 11:33 am (UTC)R. Ula (first name: Drac) says that while non-"wine" does not sustain a vampire, neither is it problematic to be consumed. It's like extra fiber in food, which passes through the system.
Re: I never drink... wine
Date: 2009-04-13 01:19 pm (UTC)Re: I never drink... wine
Date: 2009-04-13 01:35 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-04-13 01:26 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-04-13 01:27 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-04-13 01:28 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-04-13 11:34 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-04-13 01:22 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-04-13 11:36 am (UTC)It's true they have very long tongues. (So for them's who like tongue, figuring out where to do giraffe schechita would be a definite bonus :-)
no subject
Date: 2009-04-13 10:22 pm (UTC)How did you make the lemon dessert?
Moed tov.
no subject
Date: 2009-04-13 11:29 pm (UTC)How were your sedarim?
Good moed.
no subject
Date: 2009-04-14 03:30 am (UTC)Nothing much of interest to report, I'm afraid, though I did think of you during the preliminary recitation of the order of the seder.
no subject
Date: 2009-04-14 03:49 am (UTC)