My mother always used to say that one of her favorite qualities of New Yorkers was that they ate everywhere: walking around on the sidewalk, on the subway, in cabs – wherever! But there are some who don’t find this NYC trait charming, and there are even those who have grossly abused this privilege (spaghetti dinner on the subway!?).
In a new effort to curb subway mealtimes in order to reduce rats, New Yorkers could be fined $250 for taking their meals in transit. It’s not an outright ban, but its still a hefty sum.
Now, while I have never ventured to eat a spaghetti dinner while riding the 1 train, I am certainly prone to noshing on the go. Is this the healthiest choice? Clearly not. And is it a particularly Jewish choice? Well, probably not either.
When we juxtapose, let’s say, a relaxed, friends and family-focused Friday night Shabbat dinner, with a grab-and-go mealtime, there is a stark contrast in the approach towards food: sustenance vs. pleasure. But thats the point of Shabbat, right? A pause from the rest of our harried lives!
Is eating on the go inherently un-Jewish? Or is it an expression of our passion for food? I’d love to hear what you think on this – to subway nosh, or not to subway nosh?
Shabbat
Pronounced: shuh-BAHT or shah-BAHT, Origin: Hebrew, the Sabbath, from sundown Friday to sundown Saturday.
