Smells and Bells

As my group just presented the last class it was interesting to compare my groups presentation to the Seder that I attended the next day. For our presentation we started off the class by having everyone sit in a circle and chant ohms together which was an interesting experience. To relate this to the Seder that I went to there were various songs, sometimes they were sung by one person and people would chime in which would make for a very interesting sound. It was also cool, because the gender of the person who added to the song would change the whole tone of the song.  *My personal favorite Passover Tune* This also ties into what makes a song religious? When we sing Dayenu at the Seder there are no instrummentals and usually the only beat that takes place are people banging on the table. Clearly what makes Dayenu Religious are the lyrics meaning, but if you don't speak Hebrew one does not know the true meaning  behind it. This song is over a thousand years old and is s...

The idea of taste and food varies for every person. In fact every person has a special meal with is their favorite and everyone loves their meal prepared a certain way. A perfect example of this would be how someone would like their Chipotle burrito. They have all the options in front of you so the customer can choose what ingredients they would like to fulfill their needs when it comes to taste and flavorful pleasure. Another interesting idea is how one prepares themselves for a meal when it is related to a holiday. For example being Jewish, whenever, Hanukkah is near I am always ready for my grandmothers Latkes, or when it is passover it is expected that I am at the Seder or eating Matzah or a "Hillel Sandwich". Prior to eating these items before a holiday celebration you can already sense or make up in your mind exactly what the taste or smell will be. This is what makes celebration food so special.

Enduring God through food is a multi-sensory experience that brings near what is sensed from afar. Specifically, eating, in a religious context, involves internalizing God, a being whose home is heaven, an entity that surrounds us and extends into the universe. When speaking of this class, it may be easy to wrongly associate good tasting food with good, positive experiences. While there is a sort of network association between eating something delicious and feeling good, there could also be positive effects of bitter flavors. There could be some sweets, like the cuban, "pastelito de guayaba y queso," that are not appealing to all people. The desire or aversion to the flavor is unique to each individual-- as is each person's positive and negative life experiences. Sometimes life is bitter and other times life is sweet. "Hillel's Sandwich," served each Passover Seder, sends us a simple religious message: approach all hardships in life with positi...

As social beings, taste and sound brings us together for celebration, religious gatherings and so on.   We see how food and music can as well, a perfect example of this is at a Passover Seder. At a Seder there is constant food and chanting that takes place throughout the gathering. Also each food has a certain meaning for example horseradish is for bitterness. You also dip celery in salt water, all equal to different flavors. Matzo is the food of choice to symbolize the Israelite slaves not able to use yeast to get their bread to rise. Food is needed for our survival, it gives us energy and keeps us going. Taste is vital to the senses things that taste good make us happy and things that don't make us upset.