Why kosher Camembert?
(Especially when this site is definitely not about cheese!)
When I was in graduate school in Philadelphia, some of my girlfriends and I used to sit around and talk about what we wanted in a future husband. One of my “litmus tests” if you will, was that my future husband should know what Camembert is. Not because I love Camembert (because honestly, I can barely tell the difference between Camembert and brie) but because it signified to me a certain amount of worldliness, sophistication, and culture.
Mind you, at the time, the Jewish graduate community that I was a member of was quite religious and some of the people I was being set up with had never traveled outside of the Northeast, let alone the US. I’m no world traveler, but I love the adventures and experiences you can have out of your comfort zone in a foreign land, relying on different senses, hearing different languages, navigating strange streets and subways. I have been blessed with many amazing trips (and even short sojourns) abroad, largely in Europe, but also to Israel and countries on most continents. I have much more traveling to do, but I am grateful for every opportunity I have had.
A few words about kashrut. Despite varying levels of Jewish ritual observance, I have always kept fairly strictly kosher and my home has always been kosher. No pork or shellfish. No milk and meat together. I grew up eating dairy out in restaurants, and about 8 years ago, decided to eat only in kosher restaurants or to work with restaurant kitchens to make adjustments (such as double wrapping fish) so that I could comfortably travel for work or interview for investment banking jobs. While my current level of comfort with eating dairy out continues to fluctuate, I do enjoy searching for kosher restaurants in new cities, going to local grocery stores to find unique ingredients (either hechshered or on a local kosher list), and just finding creative ways to have fun with food no matter where I am. I think that I partly enjoy the challenge in addition to raising my own contientiousness about the food that I’m eating and thanking G-d for providing me with good fortune.
My Middle School science teacher used to say in Latin, “repetitia est mater memoriae” – repetition is the mother of memory. For me, taste and scent are much more powerful mnemonics. So, when I travel, I usually fill my suitcase with fun ingredients, spices, chocolates, and even meats (yes, I have brought back saucisson sec from France … sorry dad, I’m not going to delete this comment!).
Over the years, the “Camembert litmus test” has stuck and probably grown even stronger. My mother still laughs about it, and it has proven to be a worthy yardstick.
When developing a blog about food and cooking, how could I call it anything but kosher Camembert? Sure, the name is important, but what it represents and the stories behind it are what give this blog its meaning.
Like Juliet’s rose (Romeo and Juliet, II, ii, 1-2).
When my friends ask me what my daughter is looking for in a guy, I usually say, “a whole host of things, including that he needs to know what brie is”…. that’s my version of the litmus test. It usually gets a big chuckle, and then they start thinking of people.
Fine blog. Thanks for visiting mine.