The Scoobies gathered at Matt & Lizzi's last night, along with Lizzi's dad and brother, and Matt's brother, to celebrate pesach (passover) with a traditional seder meal. There were 11 of us in total, and we were seated around a long table that Matt had moved into the living room to give us more space. There were flowers and candles and bottles of wine everywhere, and every one was in a very festive mood. Each person had a copy of the readings, and we took turns around the table reading the leaders part.

Seder dinners are always interesting because the meanings of the traditions are built into the dinner itself. When you eat each component of the meal, you first recite the symbolic meaning of that food and what part of the ancient story it refers to. So its not only a religious observance but a ritualized retelling of stories and ideas for the benefit of the younger generation, as well as those who don't come from a Jewish background.

The dinner portion of the seder was also amazingly yummy. We had chicken and brisket, latkes and green beans, and much more that I can't even remember now. The best way to eat all of these things, I discovered, was with sour cream and apple sauce drizzled liberally over everything. For dessert there was chocolate cake (flourless of course!), a fruit tart, and an assortment of chocolates and biscotti to nibble on. I started with the chocolate covered marshmallow bars (sans gelatin so that they were kosher) that were to die for. I never even made it to the cake!

The perfect compliment to all of this food were the good friends and family that were there to enjoy it with us. Even though I see the scoobies several times a week, its always fun to sit down together at a long table and chat. It was also good to get to talk with Lizzi's brother Andy and her dad, who were both honorary scoobies for the night. I didn't get to talk to Matt's brother Tom as much because he was at the other end of the table, but there'll be time for that at some future seder, I hope. :)

With talk of the house that Matt and Lizzi are hoping to move into soon, we ended the evening with a tongue-in-cheek prayer:

Next year, in Centreville!