It started years ago when my son was taking swimming lessons with a boy who went to a local school for observant Jews. While the boys practiced not drowning, his mom and I were talking by the side of the pool. I told her about our struggles with gluten and corn and she suddenly said.
“You need to stock up on Kosher for Passover food. There are tons of gluten-free dairy-free corn-free choices. No rice, no corn, no wheat no barley…”
Best advice ever.
Right now my chest freezer is full of frozen pancakes and frozen waffles. We have chips fried in palm oil instead of corn oil. We have individually packaged snack sized onion ring snacks. My pantry is overflowing with gluten free noodles and matzoh and other kosher for Passover crackerlike foods. I have bins full of Italian bread crumbs.
And all of it is gluten, corn, dairy and rice free!
Sure, when we check out the cashiers are shocked at $9 for a box of 12 frozen pancakes and over $1 a bag for the onion rings, but for us, this is just such a blessed dose of normalcy. The pancakes are good and fluffy. They taste like gluten pancakes. And I can microwave them. I don’t have to make them from scratch. They are called Eden pancakes and they come in a red box. No they are not paying me or even giving me coupons.
Yes, these products are available year round in gluten-free versions, but not in gluten and corn free versions. In addition, pancakes are something that is typically Pareve which means a few things but for me, it means that there is no milk or if there is it is at levels that don’t bother me.
I am fully aware that the associations that assess food as kosher for passover have their own agenda, I am on board with that agenda. I wish they made this food year round. I feel guilty walking out of the store with nine boxes of frozen kosher for passover pancakes.
So please, specialty Kosher food makers,Make some for the religiously observant.
Make some more for the gluten-free kids.
And please make this food available year round.
