I’ve been thinking a lot about food politics lately, not so much in relation to legislation, but related to how political eating can be. Where will we eat, and where won’t we eat? Who do we we worry about offending if we don’t eat?
Recently my friend was telling me about a meal she was at where one guest ate only challah. It was a vegetarian meal, and he claimed not to like vegetables. So, he ate challah, and everyone else chowed down. This guy sounds like kind of a jerk, but still. It made me think about ways to be a good host when you can’t feed someone.
When kashrut is an issue, it’s not too rare to be in a situation where someone might want to show you hospitality, but where you might not be comfortable eating in his house. Or what about if you’re fasting, for religious, or medical reasons? The point is, there has to be a way of showing true hospitality without showering a person in food. But my mind is stuck in Jewish mama mode and I just cannot imagine how it would work. Any ideas?
