March 15 is just over two weeks away, so fire up those grills and ovens and get ready to eat meat for a good cause: To piss off PETA (history here).
Lair Simon has created a website where you can list your local gathering for others to join you.
I’m going to be at the Royal Dragon kosher Chinese restaurant in Rockville, MD on March 12 at 4 p.m. If you want a late lunch or early dinner, join me. RSVP via email so I can give them a count, or RSVP in these comments.
On the 15th, I’ll be joining Sarah and the kids — perhaps the entire family — for yummy cow, or tasty chicken. Maybe we’ll go to Brock’s BBQ for dinner. Hey, maybe Harrison could meet up with us.
I’ve put my March 12th gathering up. If the 15th gels into concrete plans, I’ll put that one up as well. C.J., if you’re still out there, you’re welcome to join us.
Since Purim is March 14, we are required to have a special Purim meal. As the Talmud says
Ain simcha elah bebasar veyayin
(Very) loosely translated
A festive meal is only with meat and wine.
It is not only a way of sticking it to PETA, but it is also a mitzvah (commandment). Thus, it is mandatory to eat meat on Purim. March 15 is SHushan Purim, so we can celebrate then too. However, it is only a mitzvah to eat meat on Wednesday if you are in Yerushalayim (Jerusalem) or Shushan. Perhaps it is a good excuse to travel.
Any fan of ‘pri hageffen’ and a steak knows red really does go better with beef, white with fish and fowl, with the occasional exception.
I’ve been to the Royal Dragon and would like to go again, but I’ll be in Louisiana for a bat mitzvah. Have fun, Meryl. I remember I liked the beef and broccoli combination plate. :-)
Sabba Hillel, Shushan Purim is celebrated in any city in Eretz Yisrael that had walls during the time of Joshua.
Jerusalem is the only city that is known as having been definitely walled during Joshua’s time. Acre, Tiberias, Jaffa and Hebron are believed to have been walled then but nevertheless have doubtful status, so in those cities the Megilla is read with a blessing on the 14th of Adar and without a blessing on the 15th, just to be sure.
(Thanks to Aish’s site for the info.)
I was thinking that the Red Heifer, a Kosher steakhouse in Bethesda, bight be a more appropriate locale. Alas, it’s gone, leaving behind only some old restaurant reviews and pages in The Wayback Machine.
Anyway, count me in for Sunday at the Royal Dragon. For those unfamiliar with the area, the strip center where the restaurant is located includes several other businesses that cater to a Jewish clientele, including a kosher grocery and an Israeli gift shop. The center is across the street from one of the largest Jewish high schools in the USofA, but there won’t be anything going on there on the 12th. (My son is on the varsity volleyball team, which has scheduled an after-school practice for the 13th, a fast day!!!)
It wouldn’t matter if the Red Heifer still existed. I’m driving two hours to be at the Royal Dragon, and frankly, the only reason I’m doing it is so I can pick up more kosher meat in the area. I’m just as happy to meet Sarah and the twins for lunch at Brock’s, a ten-minute drive.
Meryl–
You make an excellent point. There have been a great many short-lived kosher restaurants in the DC area. The ones that have lasted, as a rule, are located near groceries, like Katz’s or Shaul’s, where one can buy kosher meat.
Speaking of which, if you’re planning on filling your ice chest at Shaul’s rather than Katz’s, you might want to check out amazing Kosher Pastry Oven, which is nearby. It’s hamantaschen season, after all!