I'm not sure if others have had this type of situation arise but I am the only observing religious jew in my family, chosen or otherwise, and therefore I find I feel kind of left out of situations.
I just had to decline the invite to go to my Brother & Dad's home tomorrow, for Thanksgiving, because I feel truly left out. I was informed a couple weeks ago that I'd have to cook my own turkey and bring it... because all they were making was ham, at first I was okay with this, but as Thanksgiving has drawn closer I have began feeling almost resentful.
I am cooking an entire meal from scratch today, and then I have to cook a turkey and 2 pies tomorrow, plus pack a couple helpings of the meal from today to take with me. Why, you ask? Because ethically, morally... even religiously, the thought of eating food that has been prepared around swine makes me physically ill. I don't know what their cleaning or cooking practices are, so while I know that I scrub everything 2 to 4 times before cooking something considered milk or meat, I don't know if they simply rinse it. I know I don't cook milk items at the same time I cook meat items, and that I never cook trafe items, again I don't know their practices.
I just messaged my brother, wishing them a happy thanksgiving, and saying I didn't want to have to cook an entire meal... which I don't. I know that no one has to embrace my choice to practice kashrut, and when I first thought of converting to Judaism I knew there would be challenges, I just never thought feeling unwelcome at holidays would be part of it. Honestly, who wants to go to a dinner of any sort, and watch people eating what is presumably delicious food, and have to warm up left overs instead of feasting with them?
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