Friday Night Dinner

This is a long one but worth the read. Especially since I've been updating so seldom. Enjoy!

I'm not sure if I ever mentioned this before, but I'm Jewish.

I'm not religious but I like to follow a few traditions just because that's how I was raised. I got to synagogue twice a year on the High Holidays (equivalent to most Christians who only go to Church on Christmas) and follow Hanukkah and Passover which are really excuses to hang out with family and have a big meal.

I keep quasi kosher. The main food rules are not to mix meat and milk and do not eat pork. I do neither but will go out and eat Chinese food (which isn't kosher food).

So now you have an idea of how much I follow the religion.

My brother Ira, on the other hand, is all over the place. He was always more into the religion than I was. He went to Hebrew school, lived in Israel for a year and goes to Synagogue every Saturday. He won't drive on Shabbat (Sabbath) and observes all  the holidays (there's plenty).

He was married for 8 years to a woman who was more observant than he was when they met and he became more himself during their marriage.After the marriage he became close fiends to other people who were just as observant as he.

Recently he got involved with someone who was a step even more religious and was wearing a kippah all the time. My mother got very nervous she'd lose her son to religion but thankfully they broke up because he felt he couldn't keep up with her.

So now you have an idea of how much he follows the religion.

Besides the religious aspect, there is a pretty tight Jewish community in My City and my brother flocks to all the events. Last night there was an Ethiopian dinner held at a Synagogue for the younger community.

I usually avoid these events since I'm not comfortable being around religious people and don't really follow a lot of it. Ira kept pushing me to go since all it was going to be was a speech by a guest rabbi from Ethiopia and it would be full of single women, which is one of the main reasons he wanted to go.When a friend of mine invited me to the same dinner, I decided to give it a shot.

I showed up late due to work and missed the speech. When I arrived in the dinner hall, there was easily over a hundred people ranging from 20 to 45. Most were mid-twenties to mid-thirties and mostly single. More single guys than girls.

There were a few old acquaintances I bumped into and noticed a bunch of women my brother had been on dates with including his ex-wife. I even bumped into Rock Chick. I hadn't seen her since our few dates the year before. 

I'm glad my friend was there so I got to hang out with him and other people closer to my age than be Ira's wing man. He's 10 years older than me and I didnt' really care to sit with a bunch of 40 year olds.

At my table was my friend, two young Israeli guys, my friend's 2 friends an old acquaintance with his wife and kid and two cute young female students. I'll call them Cute Jew 1 and Cute Jew 2 (or CJ1 and CJ2 for short).

At first I started talking to Cute Jew 1 since she was a bit closer to me but over the night I switched to Cute Jew 2. I really got her attention when Australia came up. Apparently she had been there and was super excited to exchange stories.

At one point of the night, after the delicious meal, Rock chick came to say hi at the table and I discovered that Rock Chick and Cute Jew 2 new each other.

After 10pm, they opened a bar. While waiting in line Rock chick runs up to me (all of a sudden she's my friend now?) and asks if I"m single. I was thrown off by that but said yes. She continues to tell me that Cute Jew 2 likes me and is really shy and wanted Rock Girl to get my number for her.

To be honest I was thinking of asking Cute Jew for her number when I left anyways so I told Rock Chick I'd just go talk to her myself.

I swear you'd think the whole place was trying to set us up. I walk up to CJ1 and CJ2 sitting alone at a table and "all of a sudden" CJ1 had to "go to the bathroom", leaving us alone. Earlier I had told Cute Jew 2 about the improv theater I go to and she seems interested by that. So, knowing there is a show tonight I wanted to go to, but not alone, I invited her.

Her face lit up like a Christmas light.

I'm trying not to get too excited about it but it's very rare I meet girls at parties. She's cute, young and seems fun and interesting. I'm not sure if she knows I'm 29 but I do act a lot younger so that may be a good match. She's a tad more observant than me in terms of religion but I don't think she's looking for marriage or anything hard core like that, so that's good.

Right now, my main concern in my life is finding an apartment and then a new job. Meeting cute girls at parties though, are a nice bonus :)

We're to meet tonight before the show for coffee, and then go to the show.

Let's see what happens.