debka_notion (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
debka_notion) wrote2004-08-17 11:24 pm
debka_notion) wrote2004-08-17 11:24 pm
Religious Perception
We had dinner with my grandmother and her boyfriend tonight- at what was from everyone else's reactions a quite nice restaurant- but which had exactly 3 regular entrees that I could have. Sort of a pain, but well- for family one does these things.
That said, my grandmother worried rather audibly over my diet- she kept thinking I was a vegetarian, and from there on to other religious topics- she can't seem to understand that I do indeed wear pants. She keeps wanting to take me pants shopping- then saying something about forgetting that I just wear "those long skirts". I've corrected her any number of times. I'm not sure why the idea is so difficult- I wear pants. ALways have, don't see any reason why I'd stop. If I can keep track of people's allergies and often a few of their strong distastes in food- is it so difficult to keep track of my dietary restrictions or similar choices? I know, I'm kvetching. But my family seems to perpetually either just forget that I keep kosher entirely, or presume that I also have all sorts of other dietary restrictions that I haven't chosen at all. I just don't understand the associations.
That said, my grandmother worried rather audibly over my diet- she kept thinking I was a vegetarian, and from there on to other religious topics- she can't seem to understand that I do indeed wear pants. She keeps wanting to take me pants shopping- then saying something about forgetting that I just wear "those long skirts". I've corrected her any number of times. I'm not sure why the idea is so difficult- I wear pants. ALways have, don't see any reason why I'd stop. If I can keep track of people's allergies and often a few of their strong distastes in food- is it so difficult to keep track of my dietary restrictions or similar choices? I know, I'm kvetching. But my family seems to perpetually either just forget that I keep kosher entirely, or presume that I also have all sorts of other dietary restrictions that I haven't chosen at all. I just don't understand the associations.
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To put this in perspective:
My mother-in-law has acid reflux disease, so she can't eat anything spicy or acidic. She also can't eat anything gassy and is allergic to cooked peppers and soy. (You'd be surprised by the number of foods that contain soy.) For some reason she can't eat rice, either. And she is rather picky when it comes to foods that she can eat.
My father-in-law had bypass surgery recently. He cannot eat anything containing saturated or trans fat.
And of course, there's kashrut.
There is one Italian restaurant in the Boston area at which we can eat when my in-laws come over. They make a very nice grilled tuna steak and have wonderful coffee. The last time we went the tuna steak was no longer on the menu. I was mortified. Fortunately, one of their "specials" was halibut in pepper sauce. Of course, my mother-in-law couldn't have the sauce, and there were some complaints that the fish was overdone, but relatively speaking, I would consider that outing a success.
Sorry to whine. In response to
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Yup, gotta love them, regardless. Besides, they also give me things like kosher cookbooks, and confusing jewelry.
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I keep forgetting that fish and shellfish are not naturally distinct in the minds of most people. It depends a lot, I think, on one's frame of reference.
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But fish and shellfish aren't distinct in the mind of a woman who kept a kosher house for her father-in-law for a number of years?