Word Prompt – PAREVE – Eli Lebowicz

Pareve is one of those words that rarely describes something good. Technically, it is like the word for neutral but has a worse connotation. It’s like having no real position. Like Switzerland in WWII, which ironically has tons of Swiss chocolate and cheese which is milchig.

You know the word pareve is not amazing when someone says, “Oh we have ice cream…but it is pareve.” Nobody has ever said, “Hey, you gotta try this cholent, you cannot even tell its pareve.”

Few things in life are more annoying than when you ask someone if they’re milchig or fleishig and they say “I am pareve.” Way to completely tell us so much about yourself with one response. Telling someone you’re pareve is basically the equivalent of someone asking you how you are and you say, “Baruch Hashem.” Give me “baruch Hashem, but it was a rough week.” “Baruch Hashem, but they went with a mentalist instead of a comedian for the dinner.”