Becca Gilbert is a junior at Brown University. While matzo ball soup may be the choice dish for many, it’s not particularly inviting to vegetarians. Served warm with a dollop of sour cream, beet borscht is a delicious addition to Becca’s holiday meal.
Becca’s grandma originally made this soup, but over the years the responsibility was passed on to her mom. This shift resulted in an increase in Whole Foods trips, and the beet borscht of Becca’s childhood transformed into a different tradition. Apparently the store’s soup didn’t differ too much from the original, as Becca’s grandma gave the seal of approval upon first tasting her daughter’s borscht from “scratch.” Even though the recipe may have changed, what is important to Becca is that this soup has always been there. |
Modern interpretations of family recipes often involve substituting in store bought products. There is something romantic about making a dish like those before you. However, altering the methods does not make a tradition less valid or meaningful, it just makes it different. Eating borscht around a table surrounded by family and friends is what makes it important to Becca, not where the soup came from.
We often find comfort in traditions that make little sense upon close inspection. Becca mentioned that, “{My grandma} makes this gelatin, fruit mold that’s bright red; I don’t know why, but it’s always there.” Despite this dessert’s bright color and unusual consistency, it remains a part of her family’s tradition. These inexplicable indulgencies are perhaps better left unexplained, with their perpetuation based in the idea that often traditions carry on simply for traditions sake. Whether it’s shopping at Whole Foods or making sweet matzo brei on a Sunday, sharing time with her family over food is how Becca continues to connect to Jewish traditions.