My first French Seder

So as many of you know, Passover was this past week. Me being the responsible Jew that I am, totally forgot. However, not all was lost and I had the unique opportunity to partake in a traditional, Jewish, French Seder:

Last Saturday I got a call from an unknown number and on the other line was a french teenager named Rudy, who proceeded to tell me (in sort of broken English) that I would pass the holiday with him and his family. I realized that Rudy was the son of Alan Cohen's ( very good family friend from home) brother or sister. However, I had no idea what he was talking about-what holiday, what day, what family, etc. At the end of the call Rudy told me that I would be with him and his family Monday at 8 pm. Oh boy.

Me being the directionally challenged and "shit just happens to you", kind of person, made sure I left an hour to try and find this apartment in an area of Paris I had not yet been to. Surprisingly, I found my way with ease and with time left over to buy them a lovely bouquet of 4 daisies-the student special. As I found my way into the apartment building I realized Rudy did not tell me what floor he lived on or the number. Another lucky strike, I walked up to the first floor and chose the apartment with the mezuzah on the door. Bingo.

The apartment was beautiful and smelled of authentic Jewish cooking. Needless to say, I was so excited to have a home cooked meal in a house that had a TV and an actual couch to stretch out on. Three of the family members spoke some English, the rest only French. While the men were at Synagogue I got to watch a little Top Chef in French, another first time experience that I was secretly ecstatic about. There were 11 family members present, including three girls and three boys around my age. It was interesting conversing with the family members about the differences between America and France, how my family functioned, and what I was doing here. It was definitely a unique mix of franglish, hand gestures, and my lovely french. Another great surprise was the fact that they told me I spoke very good french and was at a great level-talk about news to me.

After my power hour of socializing, the men returned and we began our Seder. I knew I was in for a night when around 10 pm we were still not half way through the portion and some people were nodding off at the dinner table. It was such a fun, interesting experience to hear and read the story of Passover in French, and experience it in a traditional setting. Another fun twist was that they included me in the reading of the Hebrew (more like the part on the side where you sound it out) and the french translation of the Hebrew. Everyone was extremely kind and helped me when I stumbled through the Hebrew pronunciations. What I enjoyed most was the familial aspect of the dinner. It was your typical big, loud, loving Jewish family-except they were all yelling and teasing in French. Every member included me, made me feel welcome and took a genuine interest in my background and life.

Finally, 11:30 pm rolls around and we hit the last page of the Haggadah. At 11:30 and 30 seconds everyone jumped up, ran to the kitchen, washed their hands and brought out the food. Danielle (Rudy's mom) is from Tunisia and made a few traditional recipes. Without telling me what I was ingesting, they had me try a slimy, longish thing that was pretty chewy and like nothing I had ever tasted (cows stomach). I also had chicken pate, amazing eggplant salad and an omelet-quiche thing. Sadly, I had to catch the metro home at 12 am so I only got to taste the appetizers. Also, at that point I could not fathom eating dinner until 1:30 am, no matter how amazing it smelled. Overall, I loved my Passover Seder. Although it was long, it was genuine and engaging, and the sons took a very serious, keen interest on doing everything right. I cannot wait to go back (maybe for Shabat) and get my overdue home-cooked Jewish meal. Being typical Jews, they made me a "doggy bag" (that is what they call to-go boxes here in France) of food, snacks and lots and lots of matzah. They told me to come back any time and bring all my Jewish friends who spend holidays alone, because no Jew should ever be alone on a holiday-that was the lesson I learned that evening. I also felt a lot more confident in my french-speaking ability, as both me and the family were equally surprised at my reading and conversational skills.

This weekend is le weekend du Pâques (easter weekend). So I do not have school on Monday-hello 4 day weekend! All the boulangeries and chocolatiers have the most beautiful, sweet and ornate displays of chocolate and pastries. I literally cannot walk a block without stopping to take in the chocolate bunnies, turtles, chickens, eggs, sheep, etc. For me, this weekend is bittersweet, as it is my first time not celebrating with my family or getting an Easter basket (something I secretly look forward to and still get so excited about, just fyi mom). Thus, to counter my slight homesickness and loneliness, I plan on buying myself some beautiful, expensive, delicious Easter chocolate :). I will make sure to post pictures of some of the stores and what I buy.

Until then!
Love, Bri
Ps- I miss you mom and dad! Happy Easter