I don’t do side dishes — could I dish up enough for two more families anyway?
Illustration by Esti Friedman-Saposh
Joe Blumenthal, age 36
4 kids
Educator/Administrator
Fair Lawn, NJ
Eitan and Koby, ages 11 and 9
My wife has been bugging me to do this, and I finally caved when she suggested we choose a summer week when I am not working and the kids have no homework. I am a teacher and have off for the summer, while my wife works the same schedule year-round. We ended up choosing this week, as she was taking a course and I knew she would appreciate the break.
“Man with a Pan… With Half a Plan” is what I wanted to title this article. On Sunday morning, I wrote a few ideas for a menu. While writing the menu I realized: I. Don’t. Do. Side dishes. I can do mains. I have smoked salmon before; I grill chicken and meat all the time. But side dishes, chopping, kugels, and kitchen gadgets. Those I don’t do. My wife has “rules” about side dishes, like how many to serve and what types of food. She was not on board for a protein-
only meal. I also don’t follow recipes or bake. I have no patience for following all those steps.
We decided to invite a family for Shabbos lunch. In our community it’s standard to bring a dish for the meal, so when our company offered, I asked them to bring any side dish. One fewer that I would need to prepare. And it would still be homemade, so that fit within the rules. Our company decided to bring roasted potatoes. One lunch side dish done.
On Monday, I went swimming with my family, so there was no time to think about menus. On Tuesday, I decided I would take care of planning and shopping on Wednesday and Thursday. On Wednesday, I knew I still had time and could take care of the shopping tomorrow. I think by this time my wife was getting nervous. Actually, I know that by this time she was getting nervous. She did clarify, though, that she knew whatever I cooked would taste great. She was just unsure how much or when I would do the cooking. She also reminded me that buying side dishes does not count as “making Shabbos.”
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