A lovely story about some (alleged) casual anti-Semitism by a waiter at fancy Greensboro restaurant.
Rob’s eagle-eye soon lands on a notice on the bottom left-hand corner of the menu announcing an "excessive bread service" charge of $2.00. So, let us get this straight: $25.00 entrees (average) and a bread service charge?...Still, we’re not ones to miss an opportunity for smack talking so when our waiter, Josh, returns, Rob, laughing, asks about the fee.
Josh leans in and says quietly, "Oh, that’s for the Jews."
Happy Passover!
I wonder how much bread you get for $2.00? Hey Ed, you and Lisa want to go to dinner and see?
Eric
Posted by: Eric Hendrix | Apr 12, 2006 at 04:00 PM
wow. dumb as a stump would be charitable...
Posted by: sean coon | Apr 13, 2006 at 11:35 AM
I will first say that the waiter must have been an idiot. I will admit once to making a joke about West Virginians. I said it to my boss. Guess what? All her family was from West Virginia.
I'm going to show my ignorance here in asking this question.
What is a jew? Is it a religion or a race? I often hear people say they are jewish but they don't practice it. That doesn't make sense to me. If I said "I'm a christian" but I don't practice it then that sounds silly. If I don't practice my religion then I'm really not a Christian.
At the same time, I've never heard anyone say "I'm black but I don't practice it".
I know I probably sound ignorant but I really am honestly trying to become less ignorant on this subject.
Can anybody help me out here?
Posted by: nitpicker | Apr 13, 2006 at 12:33 PM
Was the bread unleavened?
Seriously, I thought her story was well-written and a happy passover to you and yours.
Posted by: Britt Whitmire | Apr 13, 2006 at 12:37 PM
Not a dumb question at all, YD.
A Jew is a person who practices Judaism, and/or a person descended from the tribes that originally practiced it.
Thus it is both a religion, and an ethnic group.
So it's possible to be a Jew without practicing the religion, i.e., to be of Jewish descent, just as one might be of Irish descent.
And it's possible to be a Jew without being a descendant of the tribes of Israel, i.e., someone who by marriage or other avenue has converted to Judaism.
People argue over this, and say you have to practice Judaism, or practice it in a particular way, to be a Jew. But in the broader sense, Jews are both a people and a religion.
Posted by: Ed Cone | Apr 13, 2006 at 12:47 PM
Hi Ed,
Thanks for your post - it was a bizarre experience but the nearly 200 people who have read the post and expressed shock and sympathy have really reminded me why I love Greensboro!
Posted by: Sarah Jones | Apr 13, 2006 at 02:37 PM
Ed,
Thanks for the explanation. That helps clear things up immensely.
I have had Jewish friends (and one girlfriend) in the past but none have explained it that well.
Thanks!
Posted by: nitpicker | Apr 13, 2006 at 03:42 PM
Ed,
Believe it or not I just got a comment about this on my post about the event. You can find it here:
http://www.jonlowder.com/2006/04/bad_business_at.html
The writer claims that Sarah fabricated the experience. I haven't had a chance to really look into it to see what's going on but thought you'd find it interesting.
Posted by: Jon Lowder | May 18, 2006 at 04:52 PM
My money is on Sarah.
Posted by: Patrick Eakes | May 18, 2006 at 06:28 PM
I wonder why it took Kerrie so long to respond?
Posted by: Bubba | May 18, 2006 at 06:58 PM
I think he did a search on Google. If you type in "bistro sofia" my post comes up around third. Since the headline is "Bad Business at Greensboro's Bistro Sofia" it probably caught his attention.
FYI, I went back and added the word "alleged" to the my post to make it as fair as possible. I should have done that in the first place...you'll notice that Ed did that to begin with. No doubt which of us is the pro:)
Posted by: Jon Lowder | May 18, 2006 at 08:03 PM
I was a bit stunned by Joshua's rationalization of his off-handed comment on Jews-- whatever the wording, it's irrelevant. Referencing ethnic connections to charges of food or assumed gauche behavior is inappropriate. Satire, the practice of such sage commentators as literary giants Jonathan Swift and Mark Twain, and even piercing comic geniuses such as Richard Prior, Lenny Bruce, and George Carlin, was nowhere on the radar in your brief but tactless exchange.
Regarding a reader's question, "What is a Jew?"-- that may depend upon whom you ask. An easy, quick answer would be: anyone born of a Jewish mother. To most of the world it is what a Jew isn't (the various guises of "us"), and often, despite the world's rich cache of faiths, it's defined as non-Christian. Judaism crosses cultural/racial boundaries around the globe, and strict practices will vary from the Mid-East to Europe. (Sepharidic Jews, originating from Spain, and Ashkenazi Jews, who had settled in Eastern European communities). There are Jews and synagogues in many different countries, and the traditions and foods will vary according to culture. The fact is, we debate and argue among ourselves about it. Is it a religion? Yes-- a belief system has a larger power (diety or supernatural force), traditions, holidays, house of worship, prayer books, wedding, birth, and burial rites, etc. Judaism has three basic sects, in which all these practices will vary: Orthodox, Conservative, and Reform. Some Jews have embraced a newer sect called Reconstructionist; others are recognizable by their 18th Century clothing and their Sabbath habits-- Hassidic sects (there's more than one of those too). But there are Jews who consider themselves Atheists, Agnostics, Buddhists, or Unitarians. Judaism can hold its traditions and history dear even as it moves through time and adapts to a modern world. If Sean C., the reader who expressed this curiosity, wants to get handle on what we are, he can join our dialogue. I can say this: Jews do not have to actively practice their faith to maintain their Jewish identity, and can not be "expelled" from their faith in modern society.
Posted by: Mindy K. | Sep 03, 2007 at 03:19 PM