Day 16: Sacramento Seder

We just got back from our first ever Sacramento seder!  I haven't been to a Passover seder for probably close to 20 years, and Evan was a complete newbie.  One of my colleagues from CPCA hosted, and the meal she (and her partner) prepared was absolutely amazing.  She was particularly considerate in asking ahead of time about any dietary restrictions, and I didn't have to worry about onions and garlic and only being able to munch on some matzoh!

She had compiled a Haggadah from various sources, so it wasn't the traditional booklet that I remember from seders at Bubbie's or Aunt Mimi's from when I was younger.  We still reviewed the basic narrative of freedom from oppression that lies at the heart of the Passover story and also completed all 14 steps of the traditional seder, all in a much more informal way.

I'm not sure I'll be able to remember all of the dishes of the main meal, but I'll try: beet salad with mint; pepper, cucumber, and carrot salad with cilantro; gefilte fish with horseradish (I had a teensy bit of Mr. E's, and that was plenty); cooked carrots and almonds; roasted cauliflower with honey; steamed asparagus; potato cakes; a frittata-like creation made with crushed matzoh, eggs, zucchini, and spinach; brisket and onions (I skipped both of these, of course); and roasted chicken.  At that point, especially with the traditional 4 (or more) glasses of wine throughout the meal, we were all so full that we didn't even get to dessert!

We really enjoyed the rest of the guests and discovered all sorts of surprising connections that helped keep the conversation flowing:

• M lives in Chicago and works for the SEIU.  However, her responsibilities are in the Bay Area, focusing on organizing Adjunct faculty at several private non-profit colleges and universities, so that provided a Midwest link with Mr. E and an Academia link with me.
• Z works for Covered California, our state Health Benefits Exchange.  My role at CPCA recently included running a program to train Enrollment Counselors to work with patients to choose and enroll in the new health insurance options, including those available through Covered California.
• D is a family medicine resident at the UC-Davis Medical Center and is originally from Portland.  One of the members of my book club is on the family medicine faculty at UCD, and Mr. E and I both have family and friends in the lovely Rose City to the north.
• R is a urology resident at UCD and completed his undergrad at the University of Chicago, partly due to the influence of his father who is from Chicago, so that was another Midwest connection.

Overall, it was a great evening, and such a wonderful experience to share with Mr. E!