My friend invited me to her Passover seder last night. I'd never been to a seder before, which seems strange to me given that I grew up in a place where if you weren't Jewish or Catholic you lived at my house. Anyway, I arrived to house full of amazing smells and absolutely packed with people. There were 17 of us there and enough food to feed the fleeing tribe of Israel (which, I think, is part of the point).

If you've never been to a seder before and you're invited to one, don't eat all day and wear something comfortable to sit in. We sat at the table at ten to six and didn't get up until quarter after nine. My friend's husband actually passed out a booklet of computer-printed papers explaining everything that happened during the meal so that the ignorant Gentiles at the table could follow along. The family isn't particularly traditional or orthodox (or, I'm told, the ceremony would have been even longer), but they still go through all 14 (yes, that's right, 14) steps of the seder. The time was saved in that a lot of the more traditional prayers were skipped, and there was no singing.

I had a good time, I ate too much, and I learned a little bit more about what Passover is all about. It's got me thinking about the seemingly insular Jewish community, but that's another post.