sjsprWriting

• Alfredo pasta and shrimp
• Juicy cheeseburgers… AKA (Krabby Patties) – with large steak fries
• Grilled lobster with onion rings
• Mouthwatering meat and cheese tacos
• Sizzling bacon with eggs and a bagel on the side

“Hannah, why can’t you eat that?” This is a question I get asked all the time. I always answer “because I’m Kosher.” Then they ask, “What is Kosher?” Kosher is a Jewish dietary law which restricts certain foods including: shrimp, crab, and other seafood without scales and both fins. No pork either. No mixing meat and milk products. The meat and chicken I can eat have to be slaughtered humanely and bought from a kosher butcher. So this means I cannot have hamburgers from Buns or those sandwiches from El Churry. I can’t have meat or chicken in any restaurant (except kosher restaurants). I don’t mind not being able to eat these foods because I have never tried them nor will I ever. When I tell this to people, they are usually in complete shock and say “OMG, I can’t live without that, it would be too hard.” I say to them that since I have never eaten it, it is not difficult at all. It does get difficult when I am in school field trips and I did not bring lunch thinking that there will be some food for me, especially when I let them know in advance. Well, that was my mistake that will never happen again. All I ate was plain rice that day. I have learned to be disciplined by being Kosher. I plan on keeping these old traditions alive for as long as I live.