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Behind the Aegis

(54,854 posts)
Mon Oct 4, 2021, 01:35 PM Oct 2021

(Jewish Group) Why Grocery Stores Get Jewish Holidays All Wrong

Did you hear the one about the grocery store that was selling ham (yes, actual ham) for Hanukkah? How about the supermarket that constructed a pyramid’s worth of matzo boxes just before Rosh Hashanah, or the one that stocked hamantaschen next to the honey bears? Over the last decade, the arrival of the Jewish holidays has increasingly been heralded on social media (and traditional media, too) with a parade of anecdotes from customers encountering stores’ well-meaning attempts to offer holiday products that spectacularly miss the mark.

People’s reactions over finding yahrzeit candles on a Hanukkah display, or photos of challah announcing the Passover section range from amusement to profound annoyance. How difficult, these posts and articles ask, could it be for a supermarket to do a little research? A Christian shopper would never be subjected to the humiliation of finding a Cadbury Creme Egg display before Christmas, or packaged fruit cakes on Easter!

As it turns out, however, “getting it right” is harder than one might think. And while a photo of a grocery store marketing boneless smoked ham as ideal for a Jewish holiday is objectively startling, there is more to the story than just a meme. Behind the punchline is the rather remarkable fact that the holiday section is there at all.

If you walk into a typical grocery store in a town with any discernible Jewish population, you are likely to find a shelf or two dedicated to Ashkenazi comfort and ritual foods: things like matzo ball mix, egg noodles, bottled borscht, and kosher grape juice. These products are often squashed somewhere along the store’s vaguely defined “ethnic” food aisle, which houses Indian curry sauces, packaged soba noodles, and other products that are deemed outside “mainstream” American tastes.

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(Jewish Group) Why Grocery Stores Get Jewish Holidays All Wrong (Original Post) Behind the Aegis Oct 2021 OP
I'm not Jewish. Happily questioning agnostic/UU. Other than the... 3catwoman3 Oct 2021 #1
Let's see what I can do... Behind the Aegis Oct 2021 #3
Thank you so much for responding. Very informative. I have a few more questions. 3catwoman3 Oct 2021 #4
I am not an authority, but I'll do what I can. ;) Behind the Aegis Oct 2021 #5
I am always up for matzah brei Danmel Oct 2021 #2

3catwoman3

(25,441 posts)
1. I'm not Jewish. Happily questioning agnostic/UU. Other than the...
Mon Oct 4, 2021, 02:42 PM
Oct 2021

...part of your post about the ham, I confess ignorance to the other gaffes you list.

I'd be most appreciative if you'd be willing to educate me.

Behind the Aegis

(54,854 posts)
3. Let's see what I can do...
Mon Oct 4, 2021, 03:31 PM
Oct 2021

Obviously, ham is not a Chanukkah meal. LOL! Ham isn't kosher.

Challah, while traditionally Jewish, doesn't go with Passover because we don't (aren't supposed to) eat leavened products during that time.

Some foods are made specifically for Passover and some are not.

There are some desserts which are associated with one holiday, like Hamantaschen to Purim, but almost only that holiday. As the article says, it would be like having Cadbury Crème Eggs during Christmas or chocolate Santas for Easter.

There are some I am sure I am missing, but in rural Oklahoma, we have almost no Jewish food. There is one store that now has a shelf of Jewish food and mixes, which is nice, because I can get something traditional if the mood strikes, or I want to punish my husband!

Hopefully, a few others will chime in with their thoughts.

3catwoman3

(25,441 posts)
4. Thank you so much for responding. Very informative. I have a few more questions.
Tue Oct 5, 2021, 10:35 AM
Oct 2021

I opened the linked article, and wondered about this statement - "...or stumble across boxes of matzo stocked alongside a display of apples and honey." Is this another example of items specific to a particular event that would normally not be served in association with one another?

I also was curious regarding the comment about boxes being arranged in a pyramid. Any problem with the pyramid display because of contentious history between Egypt and Israel, or was that just incidental word usage?

Does consuming a food intended for a specific holiday at a time other than the holiday constitute breaking a religious law of any sort, or is it just something not usually done?

Thanks again for expanding my knowledge base.

Our local Trader Joe's carries challah bread that is absolutely delicious.

Behind the Aegis

(54,854 posts)
5. I am not an authority, but I'll do what I can. ;)
Tue Oct 5, 2021, 11:20 PM
Oct 2021
I opened the linked article, and wondered about this statement - "...or stumble across boxes of matzo stocked alongside a display of apples and honey." Is this another example of items specific to a particular event that would normally not be served in association with one another?

Passover (matzo) and Honey and apples (Rosh Hashana). So, yes, it is likely a mixing of the holidays, though, IMO, not a huge blunder, or even one most Jews would see as an issue.

I also was curious regarding the comment about boxes being arranged in a pyramid. Any problem with the pyramid display because of contentious history between Egypt and Israel, or was that just incidental word usage?

Honestly, I am not sure about that one. Your theory is as good as anything I could posit.

Does consuming a food intended for a specific holiday at a time other than the holiday constitute breaking a religious law of any sort, or is it just something not usually done?

Depends on the holiday. Eating leavened (raised) products on Passover is a "no-no", as is consuming certain grains (beer). There may be another holiday where some foods are prohibited but I am not certain.

I also know that most of this is based on the food habits of Ashkenazi Jews. The Mizrahi (Middle Eastern) and Sephardic (Mediterranean and North African) Jews have different eating habits on some holidays, but in the US, the prevalent group are the Ashkenazi. Of course, historically, it was the Sephardic Jews who dominated here. WWII changed that.
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