Responding to Nightblade's query about Passover and kosher food brought my mind around to my far, dim past and reminded me of a moment in life that really was a change in how I saw the world, and me in it. I need to set the stage: Born into an observant, but not overly religious conservative Jewish family. My mother's father was a Kosher butcher for 40 years and then a meat inspector for one of the strictest kosher packing houses in the country and work till he was 83. Because of him his four daughters, though married, kept Kosher homes so he and my grandmother could visit. I grew up in a small neighborhood family run grocery store open 16 hours a day, 7 days a week. Closed only for family emergencies and Jewish holidays.
There was an evening during my sixteenth year where it was my mother and me manning the store. Dad was in the hospital recovering from a broken heel bone. Mid evening, slow to no customers, mother's quirky sense of humor surfacing (picture a 4' 11-1/2" tall, strong red hair, feisty woman who took no crap from anyone) deciding to have a little fun with her somewhat shy son who stood in fear and awe of her, suddenly asking me if I had ever eaten ham. Know that up to this point in my life I had never, ever, had anything but Kosher prepared food. "Mother!", I exclaimed. "Well", she said, "have you?" You know I haven't," I retorted. "Would you eat a ham sandwich if I made you one?", she asked. At this point I was my mother's child and a bit of her suddenly took over and I blurted out, "Yes I will!", just to meet her dare with one of my own. I think she was so taken back by my defiant response that she actually made me a ham on white, no mustard, sandwich and put it in front of me, with a look of 'I dare you' on her face. What could I do, give in? Admit I was only joking? No, I picked up the sandwich and ate the damn thing while watching the expression on my mother's face go from astonishment to horror at what she had done. After I finished it (and enjoyed it) and a moment of silence from her, in a quiet "I win this battle yet" voice asked if I wanted a second sandwich. Ah, those famous words from literature, and I used them that night, "Please, may I have more?"
It was that night that the world opened up for me from that of a life restricted by a single religion and it's specific restrictions into a world where I saw many religions and their restrictions and deciding that above all these was the Universe and it's basic belief, corny as this may sound right now, YMMV and everyone is neither right or wrong. I went on to defy my upbringing and be the only one in the family to leave the fold and pursue my desire to become an artist and live life on my terms (not easy for first generation Americans). I may have had a few sorrows because of it but never one regret. This was my first seminal moment of life.
