Chag Sameach!
This past week was Passover, which is a week-long holiday celebrated by people of the Jewish faith. For the entire holiday, we aren’t supposed to eat grains or legumes. This includes bread, oatmeal, rice, corn, peas, beans, and peanuts. PEANUTS. Apparently, it’s a legume, whatever that is.
Do you have any idea how many things have peanuts in them?!?
All the dietary restrictions leave me with little options of things to eat. Passover has always proven to be a dietary challenge for me in high school, and I thought it would be even harder in college. Luckily, I was wrong!
There are so many resources on and around campus that make staying kosher for Passover…well… a piece of a cake. First off, Hillel at USC offered a completely kosher lunch every day. You didn’t even have to be Jewish to enjoy the food! The food was delicious, and I was able to hang out with other fellow Jewish Trojans as well. The dining halls on campus offered special kosher meals as well. They even had matzo available some days.
Most days, I simply had my meals at the fraternity house I live in. Our house chef, Art, could adjust his dishes so that I could eat them. For example, on a day that we had salmon burgers for dinner, Art simply made me grilled salmon.
In a country where the BDS movement is gaining momentum, I feel incredibly lucky that I go to a school where I can openly celebrate Passover without fear of being harassed. USC has an environment where people of all religions feel welcome, and I am glad to be a part of that culture.
