Holidays In The Time Of Hardship

With April comes holidays along with the foods and traditions that shape them. Yet how can we celebrate together when we're so far apart? That's a good question with several answers.

Priya Krishna wrote extensively about this in today's New York Times Food section, Luckily we have Zoom and Skype so there can be virtual Seders, and Easter dinners along with Persian New Year and Ramadam. Rabbi Doug Kahn,a Reform rabbi in San Francisco is doing a virtual Seder this Passover with his wife Ellen. The group has been asked to email each other their favorite holiday recipes so they're all on the same page . The hardest part, however, is the afikoman , the piece of matzo that's usually hidden in the house for children to find.Rabbi Kahn will carry his computer through his house, going through each room. People have to guess where the piece is hidden. The same can be done for Easter, Families can have virtual brunches or dinners together. They can even make candy together as Marley Griggey of Cincinnati , Ohio is doing with her family members. This is a family tradition this graduate student will pass down to her own young children. Her husband, Phill, who works overnight at Target, also helps in getting the traditional ham and eggs both hard to get right now both for cooking and dying.

The Persian New Year  or Nowruz is also very big. It is a time when there ceremonial dishes to be cooked and shared. It's in full swing right now , starting on March 19th. It's a thirteen day celebration where people throw parties and set up haft-sins. This is a collection of seven items like garlic and vinegar that symbolize hope for the new year along with dishes such as sabzi polo ba mahi, fish with herbed rice. Katayoun Kishi, an Iranian living in Atlanta had to pare down her festivities. Her haft sin had to be cut down because of shortages and there were no sweets because the bakeries were shut down. As for Ramadam, many of the dinners have been cancelled. Hassan Chami, a Detroit pharmacist  and owner of the restaurant Terry Melt,usually runs the Ramadam Food Festival, an event where there are forty vendors including himself. It's where the city's sizable Muslim population communally breaks their fast. The vent has to be cancelled but the money he donated is going to local hospitals to buy much needed supplies. along with giving free food away to hospital workers.

This year follow these examples to make the best of your holidays and holy days. It will be different but still celebratory. Make it a tasty one , still full of good memories.

Much More Than Peanuts And Crackerjack

Going to a ballgame is more than just watching a favorite team play, and hoping they'll win.It's become the ultimate food experience with a variety of different snack's treats and even meals. Baseball fan foodies can buy all sorts of interesting and tasty creations.It's not just peanuts and crackerjack. It's chicken and waffles or sliced brisket.

New author,Bennet Jacobstein wrote a comprehensive guide to ballpark fare cross the country the country and Canada. His wife Deborah  L Jacobstein contributed the mouth watering pictures of different dishes and snacks.in The Joy Of Ballpark Food: From Hot Dogs To Haute Cuisine (Ballpark Food Publications)It starts off with the history of those two park staples, Crackerjack and peanuts and why they became so popular. Mr. Jacobstein incudes pictures of old menus from a variety of parks and it's interesting to see the transition from the basic to the gourmet fare of today.it started with English born Harry Stevens who was the first to start a concession stand in Cincinnati. Ohio. One of the first cooked foods was the hot dog.It was perfectly suited to fans who wanted a quick hand held snack while rooting for their favorite teams.It was easy to cook up - usually by boiling-  and served in a bun. There were  no knives or forks to fuss with  either.Years later hamburgers and steak sandwiches were added as were ice cream and beer.

The Eighties and Nineties changed all that. Ethnic foods cam e in, influenced by the  neighborhoods surrounding them. Miami 's Marlin's Park does have hot dogs but it also offers ceviche , lime cooked seafood and Cuban sandwich, a type of Panini that features pork and ham.Atlanta's Turmer Field gives fans that southern classic  - chicken waffles.They  also sell hot dogs smothered in Vidalia onions, grown almost exclusively in that state.Fenway Park has a variety of seafood from their Legal Seafood stand, the chain restaurant originating in the area.LA's Dodger Stadium may offer dogs and burgers but they also carry Mexican style corn on the cob, eliote.There are also sweets. After all you need to top off those cheese fries and pastrami sandwiches with a dessert.Most ballparks have a variety of ices and ice creams to choose from but foodie fans can also nosh on funnel cake in Philly and cannoli in New York. Mr. Jacobstein even lists the ballparks that sell vegan fare, from soy hot dogs and hamburgers to salads and veggie centered meals.

This is a must have book for baseball loving foodies. The Joy Of Ballpark Food:From Hot Dogs To Haute Cuisine give not only the history of those peanuts and Crackerjack but also gives a comprehensive guide to good eating in America's ballparks.