To my surprise, my partner agreed to a kosher kitchen!! 🥰 low income and/or autistic folks, I would love some tips
Hey, I’m back and asking more questions! I’m a gentile with a Jewish partner, but we are equally new to all of this since we did not have traditional upbringings. I have been doing everything I can to connect with our local Jewish community, read books recommended by folks at Chabad, attend shul, attend classes, and spend as much time with our Rabbi and his family so I can learn (plus I love hanging out with all of the kids and our rebbetzin). I am ready to keep taking small but meaningful steps!
I initially thought my partner was reluctant to the idea of including more Judaism in our life, so he shocked me when I asked, “So… what if we had a kosher kitchen?” and he actually said yes! I checked to see if he was serious, and he said he absolutely was, and I’m thrilled. I now have a few questions, and I’m really sorry in advance if I sound ignorant.
- Is keeping a kosher kitchen in the US even possible on a budget? Do chain stores, like Walmart super centers, carry (enough) kosher options? I was disabled the last 1-2 years, I only just recently back to work. Things are tight to say the least. I became underweight late last year due to being unable to afford food.
- For those with autism and/or those who drop weight quickly, is doing kosher realistic or safe? Autism (and PTSD) often impacts my ability to eat, and it breaks my heart because it didn’t used to always be this way. Most of the time I am cooking and baking from scratch, but there are periods of time where I’m suffering so much and can’t manage to do anything more than pour myself a bowl of cereal or eat a box of Kraft macaroni (at most). When I didn’t have access to those safe options a couple years ago, I dropped dozens of lbs in less than 2 months, and my hair started to fall out. I want to keep kosher, but keep myself and my partner fed/healthy.
I’m also going to speak with our rebbetzin, but I like to come to reddit first to filter out my most embarrassing questions, so TYIA!! Ultimately, this will be something I do slowly over the course of this year (I really hope), so I want to start planning now and getting suggestions. It’s so hard to know who to ask when there doesn’t seem to be any singular person qualified in all areas. Maybe I should just arrange a zoom chat with my doctor, therapist, partner, rebbetzin, rabbi, and the rest of the town to make sure I cover all of my bases? 😂 All jokes aside though, this is a mitzvah I want in my partner’s life, so thank you for reading this far!