Monday, April 2, 2012

Chametz Panic

Intellectually, I know that plenty of foods qualify for decent and tasty meals during Pessach.  Proteins, fruits, vegetables, even junk, and it's all available at the local supermarket.  I don't eat too many carbs during the week in any case, so there is no reason to miss it for one week.

This morning, however, I went into my local bakery on Palmach, to get my morning coffee.  As soon as I entered, this voice in my head said, "OMG, for one whole week the bakery will be closed, and I cannot have my favorite cookies."  I wanted to take home a little bit of everything, a cinnamon danish, jelly cookies, apricot cake, potato borekas, as if there were no tomorrow.  I would have eaten it all in one sitting!  That's the part of Pessach I dislike the most; a button becomes activated in my brain that makes me feel hungry and food-deprived all the time, no matter how well stocked the fridge and the cabinets.

Having performed an inventory of the remaining chametz in the house, I have come up with an ingenious plan to waste as little food as possible:  for example, I brought a package of unopened Petit Bar to Gan with Raphaela today, and instructed her teachers to feel free to share the cookies with all the children.  Over the next few days, when Raphaela and her baby sitter go to the local park, I will send her with snacks and cookies as well, and encourage her to share with random children playing in the area.  As a bonus, Raphaela can practice sharing with others.  There will be pasta for dinner tomorrow night and until it runs out, and for lack of cereal until after the holiday, the waffles and oatmeal must be finished at breakfast.

Growing up, I remember the hysteria connected to chametz, and at some point before the holiday, the cupboards would be depleted of non-Pessach food, without any real substitutes or options.  As my mother has gotten older, and more organized, the kitchen is Pessach ready two weeks before the holiday, and she can cook to her heart's content.

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