...and what did you eat?

Today's Tzom Gedalia. It's a fast day, like in no eating, and it's the day after the two day Rosh Hashannah holiday, which consists of four major meals, besides going to pray and hearing the shofar, ram's horn.

I don't know when I began the custom, probably during my 25 year phase as a vegetarian, but I try to make one of the feasts non-meat. It just seems too much to have 4 meat/poultry meals in 48 hours. Am I crazy?

Really, how much should be body consume? The meal I prefer to have "anything but meat" is the second night. Consider, we've already consumed a heavy meal the night before, which usually begins with all sorts of fruits and vegetables, known as "hasimonin," the "signs." This is an eating ceremony that combines "word games," as, if you'll excuse me, only Jews could invent. In the states, all we ever heard of was the honey with apple and used to dip the " challah," sweet holiday bread, and we'd say: "May G-d will it that we have a sweet year."

In Israel we discovered that all the other families did lots more, with all sorts of foods and puns. If I was to do it in English, and you can do it in any language, you can, or example serve lettuce and say: "Let us have a wonderful year." Did you get it? Some families have a couple of dozen. After that every good housewife, as my kids insist, serve soup, sshhh--I don't serve fish, too--and meat or poultry and lots of side dishes and a good dessert. The great sorbet my husband bought is still in the freezer, since we just couldn't handle a special dessert.

Then, since the prayers in the morning are very long, we take a break, go home for kiddush, which consists of cake and coffee. Though this year we had the kiddush at shul, since there was a brit milah, baby circumcision. Later of course we went home and ate for hours, or so it seemed. So how could I serve another meat meal that evening? I couldn't. Also, it's complicated to get the food heated up after candle-lighting. So I served fish and bourekas and mashed potatoes and vegetable and salad, and who could eat? But the complainer still complained that it wasn't a meal. It was more than enough for me.

The next day we had another giant meal with soup etc. So how could I complain that today's a fast day? Though I wouldn't mind a cup of water...

Shannah Tovah, have a wonderful year.